World-Building

by Stephen L. Gillett

Other authorsBen Bova

Hardcover, 1996

Status

Available

Call number

808

Series

Science Fiction Writing Series

Collection

Your library

Publication

Writers Digest Books (1996), Hardcover, 198 pages

Description

This exciting series is designed to give SF writers the solid grounding they need in real science to make their fictions read like fact.

User reviews

LibraryThing member slothman

An excellent toolkit for designing planets and star systems. Gillett explains everything from planetary formation to plate tectonics to the cycles that maintain a livable atmosphere on a planet and affect the weather, with plenty of examples and references to where ideas turn up in existing works

of science fiction. A valuable resource to any game master running in an interstellar setting.

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LibraryThing member JessMahler

At first glance, this book looks like it will mainly be of interest to hard-science fiction writers.

That's... half true.

Honestly, the science gets very heavy at times, and the math... oy, the math. Let's say I didn't retain much of the details.

What I did come away with was a much greater

understanding of the options for creating realistic or plausible planets and solar systems that are far outside of the usual Earth-analogs. And a better grasp of what the different labels for stars mean.

Highly recommended for sci-fi writers looking for inspiration, folks who want to know more about the wild variety of worlds, stars, and other space objects, and science buffs who are looking for a short but intense read on what (might be) out there.

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