Worldbuilding for Fantasy Fans and Authors
Forging Fantasy Realms, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Zac Katz-Stein
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By:
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M.D. Presley
About this listen
What does it take to make a great fantasy world?
Be you an established planner, pantser, or unsure new author, this comprehensive guide has you covered. Adopting a "tools not rules" approach, you’ll discover dozens of definitive worldbuilding tricks and strategies, including:
- Surveys showing what audiences want
- Identifying ineffective, effective, and inspired worldbuilding
- The ins and outs of immersion
- Enhancing audience experience with fantasy conceits
- The four Cs of worldbuilding
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What would the world look like if everybody had everything they wanted or needed? Trekonomics, the premier book in financial journalist Felix Salmon's imprint PiperText, approaches scarcity economics by coming at it backward - through thinking about a universe where scarcity does not exist. Delving deep into the details and intricacies of 24th-century society, Trekonomics explores post-scarcity and whether we, as humans, are equipped for it.
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An Amusing & Practical Analysis of Fictional Ideas
- By Lost In The Wash on 09-19-16
By: Manu Saadia
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The Ascent of Humanity
- Civilization and the Human Sense of Self
- By: Charles Eisenstein
- Narrated by: Steve Wojtas
- Length: 27 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Charles Eisenstein explores the history and potential future of civilization, tracing the converging crises of our age to the illusion of the separate self. He argues that our disconnection from one another and the natural world has mislaid the foundations of science, religion, money, technology, economics, medicine, and education as we know them. It has fired our near-pathological pursuit of technological Utopias even as we push ourselves and our planet to the brink of collapse.
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I love this author!
- By Tamara Smith on 12-03-17
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The Master and His Emissary
- The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
- By: Iain McGilchrist
- Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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This pioneering account sets out to understand the structure of the human brain - the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the "rational" side, the superior partner to the right. But is this distinction true? Drawing on a vast body of experimental research, Iain McGilchrist argues while our left brain makes for a wonderful servant, it is a very poor master.
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The Master and His Emissary
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The Romantic Manifesto
- A Philosophy of Literature
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In this beautifully written and brilliantly reasoned collection of essays, Ayn Rand throws new light on the nature of art and its purpose in human life. Once again, she demonstrates her bold originality and her refusal to let conventional ideas define her sense of the truth. Rand eloquently asserts that one cannot create art without infusing it with one's own value judgments and personal philosophy - even an attempt to withhold moral overtones only results in a deterministic or naturalistic message.
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Essential AYN
- By Mica on 07-15-08
By: Ayn Rand
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The Story Paradox
- How Our Love of Storytelling Builds Societies and Tears Them Down
- By: Jonathan Gottschall
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- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
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Humans are storytelling animals. Stories are what make our societies possible. Countless books celebrate their virtues. But Jonathan Gottschall, an expert on the science of stories, argues that there is a dark side to storytelling we can no longer ignore. Storytelling, the very tradition that built human civilization, may be the thing that destroys it.
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A bit of a mixed bag with some amazing discussion
- By Justin on 04-27-22
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Undeniable
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Throughout his distinguished and unconventional career, engineer-turned-molecular-biologist Douglas Axe has been asking the questions that much of the scientific community would rather silence. Now, he presents his conclusions in this brave and pioneering book. Axe argues that the key to understanding our origin is the "design intuition" - the innate belief held by all humans that tasks we would need knowledge to accomplish can be accomplished only by someone who has that knowledge.
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Seductively Challenge what are consider facts
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The Yugas
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- Unabridged
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Today's view of history cannot account for ancient anomalies, such as the Pyramids and advanced knowledge contained in India's Vedas. But in 1894, an Indian sage gave us an explanation not only for our hidden past but for the trends of today and for our future enlightenment - the 24,000-year yuga cycle.
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Excellent book but one slight problem
- By Z on 02-19-19
By: Joseph Selbie, and others
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Culture and Imperialism
- By: Edward Said
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 19 hrs and 59 mins
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A landmark work from the intellectually auspicious author of Orientalism, this book explores the long-overlooked connections between the Western imperial endeavor and the culture that both reflected and reinforced it. This classic study, the direct successor to Said's main work, is read by Peter Ganim ( Orientalism).
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BRAVO, AUDIBLE!! WE NEED MORE SAID!! REAL BOOKS!!
- By AnthonyStevens on 02-27-11
By: Edward Said
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Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
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For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
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Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
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How to Save the West
- Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises
- By: Spencer Klavan
- Narrated by: Spencer Klavan
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
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It has been proclaimed many times, but perhaps never more convincingly than now, when every news cycle seems to deliver further confirmation of a world gone mad. Is this the endgame? Author Spencer Klavan is a classicist, with a Ph.D. from Oxford, and a deep understanding of the West. His analysis: The situation is dire. But every crisis we face today, we have faced before. And we can surmount each one. Klavan brings to the West’s defense the insights of Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, and the Founding Fathers to show that in the wisdom of the past lies hope for the future.
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Spectacular! A must read!
- By M.A. on 02-15-23
By: Spencer Klavan
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What listeners say about Worldbuilding for Fantasy Fans and Authors
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Historian1912
- 10-12-23
Stick to storytelling, not audience reaction
Pretty good until he gets into things like the Star Wars sequel trilogy. At that point, he starts sounding like he didn’t pay a bit of attention to why the backlash existed. For example, he thinks some of the backlash came from Rey being female. No. Only idiots think that. The backlash came because she’s a poorly written character that becomes more boringly powerful with each film. Those that would have absorbed hints from the movies, aka fans, would have been able to figure out just from Leia being Luke’s sister that there could be female Jedi. Apparently the author completely missed all the comics, games, and books full of female Jedi and other Force users that fans that actually would care what Jedi are would have consumed, and that’s before you get to the prequel trilogy and its associated media. Yes, this might seem like overfocusing on something minor, but I always have issues with anyone acting like an authority on something I’m trying to learn then saying something so hilariously incorrect on a subject I am incredibly well-informed about. However, since he hasn’t screwed most of his references to other media to my knowledge (I can’t speak for Harry Potter), he might just have a strange blindspot.
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- Nathaniel
- 01-20-22
Useful and a great jumping off point
I enjoyed this audiobook despite having only tried worldbuilding once before, and as I listened my brain began making connections between the parts of old world I made and older books I’ve read. Heartily recommend this to anyone who wants to get started worldbuilding.
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- sunwood
- 12-27-21
Fantastic research
Absolutely the best researched, the most systematic interdisciplinary exploration of the craft of worldbuilding. The author knows just about everything worth reading on the subject and incorporates it into the book magnificently. The best and most comprehensive book on worldbuilding.
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- Harald
- 01-03-22
A very good resource
The author is well read and it is obvious that this is a topic he is passionate about. If you are at all interested in world building, this is a great book.
I will be buying a hard copy as well.
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- Drew
- 04-10-22
Great listen about what it takes…
I have been a Tolkien The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia during my mid 1970’s Thru the 1980’s childhood years. Included Star Wars, Willow, Indiana Jones, The Lost Boys, Dragonslayer, Lady Hawke, etc….Loved & appreciated how the author M.D. Presley describes what the great ones like Tolkien, Lewis, Martin etc put into “World Building” to make the landscapes, locations, races, cultures, and creatures for the story lines so many of have enjoyed. I played D&D from 1980 to 1990 with amazing DM that had fantastic stories (adventures) for us to embark on. After too many years away - started back up again in 2018 and will not stop playing at least once a week. Like the author M.D. Presley describes - the new D&D adventures like the Lost Mines of Phandelvin, Storm Kings Thunder, Secrets of the Saltmarsh, Tales from the Yawning Portal, and Out of the Aybss - all stories with World Building aspects for all of us adventures to be part of. Loved this book. The narrator Zac Katz-Stein did a great job. Easy and clear as well as entertaining & enjoyable to listen to.
Please listen if you ever read any Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George R.R. Martin or ever played D&D or Pathfinder.
Thank you author M.D. Presley & narrator Zac Katz-Stein.
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- Nezumi
- 09-09-22
world building is hard.
loved it narrator reads with passion and knowledge.
the PDF would be handy to keep with you while listening, I unfortunately walk and work while listening.
author obviously has a huge knowledge of subject.
I'll check out more.
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