100 books like The A-Zs of Worldbuilding

This is an erotica book. It dives right in with the heat. There's a mystery element snaked between all the hot and heavy steam. Yvonne is inexperienced at first, but there are a plethora of kinks by the end. Recommended for readers looking to learn more about the BDSM lifestyle, as well as to those with kinky experiences. Consent matters in this book, and all the hot scenes have only consensual adults.

Like any good romance, there's a happily-ever-after. The mystery creates a high-action scene. Y is for Yes, like a rollercoaster, is fast-paced with excellent twists and lots of fun. J.R. Vincente has a distinct, enjoyable voice.

Twisted Tales has an entertaining, witty introduction. The stories fly by, making it easy to read even during short time periods. Great for readers who are short on time. It's a good horror book in that the “monsters” and horrific situations are realistic. I recommend it to readers who enjoy horrors and thrillers. 

The recurring idea in Sapo Saga is that everyone wants to be remembered, or deserves to be.
“Iris” is the story in the book I enjoyed the most, because of the deep philosophy. It also has the character to which I could best relate.

It's a book that is easy to read and enjoy. I recommend it to readers ready for something different. There is a complexity to the story. The ending brings everything together, making it more enjoyable with a second read. The uncommon storytelling boomerangs the story plot. All of the fascinating characters make this book hard to put down.

This book was born because of the A to Z Challenge. I've been a fan of this author for years, having read other books and her blog. "Ditz" is a fantastic character right off the bat. Bibble is a villain who is easy to dislike.

Excellent and imaginative alien races appear in this story. Stephen Fry would be an excellent narrator, especially for the part about the Jupiter Station facts. Adam made me crave cake. The book had me pondering what it would look like if my life flashed before my eyes.

This novella is sci-fi humor with a touch of romance and a quest for justice.

It’s 2005, and it’s my first day at The Daily Telegraph. I still couldn’t believe they had hired me as a cadet journalist. The smile I was wearing–from ear to ear–suddenly vanished when the Chief of Staff walked over and said, ‘Phelpsy, a bus has just crashed in Egypt. We have been told that there may have been some Australian tourists on board. Punch out 500 words and give it to me in an hour.’ 

I turned to my computer screen, looked down at my keyboard, and suddenly realized that I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never had any writing training, and my experience was limited to the gibber I had been submitting to the paper (for free) for the past year in the hope of landing a job. After ten minutes of writing a word or two, deleting them, and then doing it again, I… show more.

This book is a masterclass on how to write fantasy. The worldbuilding is immaculate, the characters are complex with big personalities, and I was laughing out loud (not an exaggeration) from the first page.

Rasia and Nico are Black girls who know what they want. They constantly clash with each other, never giving an inch when they can take a mile, and I want every lover of fantasy to read this book.

This is one of the very few books that made me yelp out loud in surprise when the twist happened, and I will forever recommend it because of how unique it was. The feel is reflective of The Road with the main part of the story showing a pained journey through a dangerous landscape. It also feels post-apocalyptic as these survivors struggle to cross the abandoned world that’s been overtaken by nature. The author wrote in a unique language that makes Idyll feel otherworldly but familiar too. All this blends together for really great world-building. I don’t want to give anything away, but there is a definite twist where the whole story flips into something different. You go from feeling like this is a Western to suddenly — Oh, yep, there’s the sci-fi!  

This is my bible, the book I’ve read more times than any other. It’s three books in one—Wolf in Shadow, The Last Guardian, and Bloodstone. There’s clearly some direct inspiration here in relation to the mystical power source that keeps cropping up (no spoilers). Some things just get in your head and reintroduce themselves when you least expect it. Jon Shannow is my favourite literary creation, Gemmell my favourite author. Overall, heroic and epic fantasy has had the most influence on my writing style, but I’ve merged it with contemporary language and the vision of large-scale sci-fi. I learned a lot from reading Gemmell, and The Jerusalem Man’s post-apocalyptic setting sees the sharp-shooting anti-hero face darkly religious demagogues, mutated creatures, and insidious megalomaniacs. Shannow is a troubled soul trying to be good in a world of relentless evil, but Gemmell’s writing is sharper, less… show more.

Madeline Hunter is the pseudonym of an art historian who teaches at the university level, and that expert knowledge translates well in her books.

The little bits and pieces of art detail she adds to her story worlds really bring them to life. There’s also an element of mystery that deepens the plot. The Seducer is the first book in The Seducer series, and while it’s not the first of her books that I’ve read, the story of Diane Albret and Daniel St. John is the one that made me a fan.

The heroine is a recent boarding school graduate, and the hero is her far more experienced guardian. In the modern-day world, this premise is all kinds of creepy. The power dynamics between this couple were so far off, I wasn’t sure how Hunter could make this a romance.

But based on the historical details built into the world,… show more.

Cyteen won a Hugo Award in 1989 and pushed the envelope on both world building and character development. For me though, it was the author’s exploration of what it means to be human that made this book one of my all-time favourites. 

In Cyteen, there are born humans and made people. Some of the made people are clones of a particularly powerful individual, but most are created to perform a function. These lower-ranked people are taught everything they need to know by ‘tape’, while they sleep. 

The book asks some deep philosophical questions about what makes a person human, and whether any of us have the right to create ‘sub-humans’ for our own benefit. These are powerful questions that still beg for answers.