This little booklet contains great wisdom on how NOT to write fantasy. A must-read for anyone interested in fantasy, whether as a creator or a consumer. ( )

A brilliant discussion of the craft of fantasy-writing by one of the greatest living American fantasy writers, noted for its devastating discussion of the stylistic sins of Katherine Kurtz. Originally this was a lecture she gave at Science FIction Writers Workshop. ( )

This little volume consists of a speech Ursula K. Le Guin gave in 1972 to the second annual Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, with an introduction by Vonda McIntyre. I'm not a huge fan of "how to write" books and courses, but everything I've read on the topic by Ursula Le Guin has been pertinent, humane, and beautifully written.

Here, she looks at the importance of style to fantasy, in transporting us away from Poughkeepsie and into Elfland. She illustrates the lecture with both good and bad examples of fantasy style. The speech takes ten minutes to read and contains more good advice for writers - not just fantasy writers - than many a book that takes fifty times longer. ( )