I can’t use my usual format for reviews as this is a non-fiction book, and obviously, things like Story and Characters don’t fit.

Charles Yallowitz has written a book to help would-be fantasy writers to write an exciting and well-written fantasy book. It would be useful for any would-be writer, though, and even for those a bit more experienced. I certainly learned from it.

Mr Yallowitz has an easy-to-read style. You can almost imagine he is sitting across from you on your sofa and chatting about writing a book. I loved this. He is not putting himself across as the definitive expert who is telling you exactly what to do to write your book, but frequently says that this is what worked for him.

The excerpts from his books that he uses to illustrate his points are definitely helpful. 

I love the cover with the illustration of a little dragon-type creature, Fizzle, that he developed for his fantasy novels. There are many illustrations throughout the book of this endearing little creature.

The book is divided into sections such as ‘Do I Need a Prologue or Epilogue?’ and ‘What Tense Should I Use?’ There are many other sections such as World building, The Quest,  Characters, and many other sections.

But it’s not all about writing fantasy. Many of the things Mr Yallowitz talks about are pertinent to all fiction. Such as endings, character biographies, plotting vs pantsing (writing without a plot, or ‘flying by the seat of your pants’), juggling multiple protagonists and many more things.

I enjoyed reading the book. It is accessible to all. Definitely one you should read if you want to write fantasy, and you will find it helpful for any genre.

I give it 5* 

Have you read this book? If so, what do you think? Please add comments to the comments box.