TBR Pile Review: Spec Fic for Newbies Vol. 2, by Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan

Beam aboard your own Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror classroom with the next volume of the BSFA-shortlisted writing-guide series!

Join Tiffani Angus (Ph.D.) and Val Nolan (Ph.D.) for a whirlwind introduction to the storytelling basics of 30 more subgenres and major tropes from across the limitless realms of Speculative Fiction.

Learn about Space Opera, Folk Horror, Climate Fiction, Werewolves, Astronauts, Mythic Fantasy, Goblin Markets, Dragons, and many more with deep dives into each subgenre’s history and development, spotter’s guides to typical examples, pitfalls to watch out for in your own writing, and activities to help you get started! All derived from a combined two decades of university-level practices and experience!

Spec Fic for Newbies breaks genres into bite-sized pieces for students or for any budding writer. It offers a welcoming introduction to how writers, filmmakers, and other creatives can begin to explore the infinite potential of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror to create new stories beyond the boundaries of the ordinary.

This is not another dusty rulebook. This is a portal to endless other worlds!

My Review

I ordered this book from the publisher, Luna Press Publishing when it became available last year. I read vol. 1 and had to get this one. There’s a volume 3 coming next year. Each book contains sections on science fiction, fantasy and horror. Each section is then broken down into 10 sub-genres for each section. This book builds on the first volume, although it can be read alone. Each subsection covers the history and examples of the sub-genre under discussion, essential features of the sub-genre, and a couple of exercises to give the reader a chance to try writing in that sub-genre.

I found the exercises helpful as prompts and the discussions interesting. I mostly read and write fantasy and sci fi, so the section on horror was an eye-opener. There are so many potential stories out there and I want to write them all, but I’m busy with three sci fi novellas in first draft and a fantasy novel that’s at the planning/world building stage.

This book is helpful for the complete novice, certainly, but I think is has extra use to the more experienced writer wanting to stretch themselves with a new genre, and it also contains some excellent examples to add to your TBR list.

Recommended.