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The bottom line: the book would've been better if you had focused more on what happens on the planet rather than in the solar system. It teaches the logistics of star systems and orbits and stuff, but it doesn't talk about what happens down on a specific world. I was a little dissappointed with this book. The author never really got down into the guts of the worldbuilding topic.
The author gives lots of formulas and tips and the information is organized well. But, the information is useful and helped me come up with some more ideas for planets and solar systems for my characters to explore.The writing is concise, yet detailed and simple enough for me to understand. Now that I've read it straight through, I will be able to use it as a reference source fairly easily.The only thing I want is a CD or website where I can download the spreadsheets that the author talks about using. Awesome book for figuring out all the science stuff I never learned or didn't pay attention to in school.I am an English major who likes to read and write science fiction. But, before reading this book, I really did not know how to go about creating other worlds or making things feel more authentic.I don't go as far as the author (and other hard science fiction fans) about the absolute need for such attention to details because I feel that my audience is broader and won't care (or know) about whether a planet is too big or too small.
If you purchase this book looking for the world of a character, you'll be disappointed. Polishing up my own work, I recently considered purchasing this book. I, for one, will not buy and stick to astronomy books from college. If you purchase this book looking for how different geological elements and gases, orbits and the like work together, you'll be rewarded with a great peice of reference. I checked it out at my local library, who had it in stock. (Helpful tip: check out possible purchases at the library, or request your library district buy what you're looking for).While the information between the pages was very interesting and useful to possibly a space sci-fi writer, it wasn't what I was looking for.
Some would argue that this is evidence that it is a barrier to creativity but I beg to differ, a reallity check will force me to be more creative to get the story effects which I want. The only difference will be that I'll know I'm ignoring them. I'm finding this a facinating book to read if only in terms of looking at how the Earth actually works and all the little details which seem to need to be just right in order to have a stable biosphere. Even then at the end of the day just because I know the theories about how world work doesn't mean that I can't ignore them if so doing suits my purpose. In the end it is better to break the rules on purpose then to do so accidentally. While tackling some very technical issues, and being packed with enormous amounts of information, the book remains very readable. The only thing infuriating about this book (and it's not the books fault) is that it will force me to rethink the a world I was planning as it clearly appears to be implausible.
Has some good info presented in a understandable manner. Picked this book up as a reference for beginning my own SF book. Enjoyed it.
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