From the moment I first read Charlie N. Holmberg’s first novel, The Paper Magician, I knew she was something special. And over the years she’s continue to delight and amaze me. As everyone who has ever read her books knows, each of her series are full of not only incredible character and wonderful stories but she just has a way of coming up with spectacularly inventive magic systems. And if you’re anything like me you’ve likely wondered how she does it. Well in her newest book, Book of Magic, Charlie pulls back the curtain and attempts to teach how it is she does what she does. In this book, which is partially set up as a workbook, Charlie does a deep dive on how writers can go about creating their own unique magic systems, examining the various types of magic, discussing how to set up rules, limitations, and the various ways magic can play a role in the society of our made up worlds. This is without question one of the most thorough and easy to understand books the subject of crafting a magic system. It’s short and to the point and while it can be read in a single sitting, this is a book a fantasy writer is likely to come back to again and again and one they’ll definitely want as part of their library of craft books. Reading this book just makes me appreciate Holmberg’s work even more. I’d like to thank Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Charlie N. Holmberg's Book of Magic.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RWULKIL2Y8UKO/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A crafting book for the fantasy writer inside everyone!

As a fellow fantasy writer, and lover of all things magical, this book broke down what makes a fantastic magic system great and all the questions you, as the author, need to ask when creating a magical world from scratch! Multiple chapters made me think back to my own magic systems and think of ways to improve/differentiate them from other magical worlds as well as questions that helped me flesh out my world further! So, if you are just beginning to write, have already started, or are working on a current work in progress, this book is recommended!!

I love this little book! Only 51 pages on ebook but it sure packs a punch. Charlie N. Holmberg, bestselling fantasy author of The Paper Magician and many other books, skillfully guides writers through magic and magic systems. She breaks down types of magic and magic systems, their rules and laws, and their use in a wide variety of books (and some movies and TV shows). She offers tips and exercises for how to create your own magic system and how to incorporate aspects of magic into a book. In addition to helpful exercises, she includes a list of creative appendices and clever footnotes.

Charlie is very funny, genuine, and really shines in this short book as a master writer and lover of fantasy. I kept a list of the books she referenced and there were around 50 of them! She offered great tips and insight that came from how well-read she is. I took notes and enjoyed the exercises. It really got my creative brain flowing!
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Thank you to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my. This was such a lovely read. It was short, memorable and POWERFUL. This was like reading a secret book from another realm, and somehow I was lucky to find a copy behind a tree or something. I loved every moment, every page and every wonderful, There is so much knowledge here about different authors and how they write about magic, and Charlie managed show a lot in very few pages. Wonderful, from A to Z! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book is just what I needed. I’m currently working on a fantasy novel using a lot of magic. While I had some ideas in my head, I wasn’t sure where to go to flesh them out and come up with more. There are a lot of books about magic, but none of them broke things down the way this one has.
There are in-depth explanations, great examples to refer to, and worksheets that can get your imagination fired up. I highly recommend this book to any writer who is trying to create a magical system for their story. Quite frankly, it’s the best I found on the topic.

I loved this so much. I read it just at the right time, since I’m embarking on a writing adventure this month and hope to write a longer piece of fiction specifically within the fantasy genre. There are so many good ideas here! It’s been very well-researched and contains many brainstorming exercises to kickstart your writing. I will definitely be referencing this quite a bit from now on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for an eARC. I am writing this review voluntarily.

Charlie Holmberg’s Book of Magic is a weeklong magic worldbuilding writers workshop condensed into book form. It’s short and sweet with no fluff. As a reader, it gave me tools to understand and articulate why some fantasy books are better than others. It also returned me to a teenage version of myself who really did dream of creating fantastical stories. Unfortunately for that version of me, the process felt so overwhelming, I contented myself to being a reader. This book broke down all the steps and made the idea of creation feel a lot less overwhelming and a lot more tangible. It gives you the structure to create a unique and meaningful fantasy world while preserving the fun and the creativity. I appreciated and marveled throughout at how well read Charlie is in this genre, and I loved seeing her take concepts and use other well known books in that genre from a myriad of different authors to drive the points home. This book is a treasure trove of information. Definitely worth the time and the money if you enjoy reading fantasy or if you’re an aspiring author.

I would like to thank Oliver Herber Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are a new or aspiring fantasy writer, you need to read this book by a prolific author with numerous books and series to her name. In fact, it might be important to the success of your book. Charlie explains categories of magic systems and why they are important. She analyzes limits to magical power and how to get around them if your story needs to do so.
Holmberg discusses originality and why your work should not rely too heavily on someone else's system. She’s the perfect person to do this because Charlie’s series are not carbon copies one of the other. She has original, creative and engaging premises for her different series. If you've read or are a reading one of her series, you will know that you like her writing. But you will not know how another series will use magic, magical touches or magical reality.
In this volume, Holmberg points to examples from many writers to help you understand choices and make it less tempting to copy.
You might want to read her book before you start and then again while you're writing. From Charlie you can learn what needs to be considered and how to make intelligent choices both for your characters and your plot.
You might want to consider a physical cooy as The author gives you many places to write down your choices and look at the consequences. You can analyze whether your happy with the world you're building. But if you really prefer an e-book, you could always print out those pages.
The further you go I to the Book of Magic, the more technical Holmberg becomes. At the end you’ll find appendices and a bibliography. It's a no-brainer that you should have read a lot of fantasies before you start to write your own. Her bibliography will either help you get started or let you check your reading against her suggestions. Helpful either way. This is not a long book, but I think it will give new or aspiring authors a jump start. Maybe you an avoid some mistakes others have made. Happy writing.