Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

An expanded edition of the highly successful and beautifully illustrated writing companion

“If worldbuilding gives you an S-class migraine, never fear. There’s one book that every speculative fiction writer should read to learn about proper worldbuilding: Wonderbook.” ―Bustle

“Aspiring writers of ‘imaginative fiction’—whether science fiction, fantasy or other kinds—are in for a treat.” ―Space.com

Wonderbook has become a definitive guide to writing science fiction and fantasy by offering an accessible, example-rich, illustrated approach for writers and would-be writers that emphasizes the importance of playfulness as well as pragmatism.

Jeff VanderMeer’s modern masterpiece of instruction exploits the visual nature of genre culture and employs bold, full-color drawings, maps, renderings, and visualizations to stimulate creative thinking. On top of all that, the book features sidebars and essays from some of the biggest names working in the field today, including:George R. R. MartinLev GrossmanNeil GaimanMichael MoorcockKim Stanley RobinsonCharles YuKaren Joy FowlerAnd more!A true objet d’art, this overstuffed, full-color illustrated book features really glorious and cool Lovecraftian artwork of all sorts of outrageous monsters, as well as a host of advice winding their ways around the edges of the pages like marginalia in an illuminated monk’s script. Yes, it’s practical advice, useful to writers, but it also deserves a place on your coffee table for visitors to flip through and for you to look at again and again.

For the fifth anniversary of the original publication, Jeff VanderMeer has added an additional 50 pages of diagrams, illustrations, and writing exercises creating the ultimate volume of inspiring advice that is also a stunning and inspiring object.

About the Author

Jeff VanderMeer is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books including novels and fiction anthologies. He has won the Nebula Award, the British Fantasy Award, and, three times, the World Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award. He is the cofounder and assistant director of Shared Worlds, a unique fantasy and science fiction writing camp for teenagers. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida.