There are not really a whole lot of world building books out there; it is perhaps too expansive a topic, and too niche, for the average author, and it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to tackle it. Harrington’s offering is definitely worthy: it’s a short but pithy read, both broad in coverage and deep in the details. Focusing on the aspects of world building that increase reader engagement, Harrington’s personable voice draws you through the material like a delightful dinner party host showing off his prize wine collection.
There are a few areas which really set this book apart:
Writing tips. Every few pages, Harrington summarizes his points into succinct silver bullets. “If you make the mundane aspects of your story believable, the readers will willingly accept the magical aspects.” “Use drawbacks and weaknesses more than strengths and powers when designing and describing your magic system.” “It’s fine to have many aesthetic technologies in your story, but make sure you have a central technology that the plot depends on.”
Pointers to other resources. The book is as up-to-date as it gets when it comes to lists of web sites and books for additional reading and ideas — mapmaking sites, thesauri, world building lectures, articles on military tactics, indie author forums, and many others.
The section on engaging the reader’s senses. Harrington takes the time to go through each of the senses and discuss how world building can engage the reader in each of them, creating an immersive experience.
The section on invented names and languages (conlangs). There are some excellent in-depth books on conlanging, but most authors don’t need a linguistics degree to create the illusion of a rich, real world of words. Even Tolkien admitted that secondary worlds do not need full languages; they just need to evoke the “inner consistency of reality”. Harrington offers a step-by-step approach to building the names and words that have the inner consistency that you need for your story. Harrington’s method is straightforward and methodical, and gives you results without going too far into the linguistic woods.
Harrington argues that world building is essential. The sense of reality it creates is indispensable, because it allows the reader to believe enough in your story to care deeply about it. I really enjoyed this book, and if you're looking for a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to world building, one which will generate the suspension of disbelief necessary for readers to care deeply, urgently, about their stories, definitely check it out.