Beneath A Thousand Skies

Hello!

Continuing on my week of catching up with reviews, today I’m looking at How to Write a Fantasy Battle ( Basic Medieval and Modern Military Tactics for Authors) by Suzannah Rowntree.

How to Write a Fantasy Battle was one that had been on my radar for a while, and as it is something I have been skirting writing in more depth for a while I finally picked it up, and I am glad it did because this was a fascinating, wide-ranging introduction to the subject.

For those with a deeper knowledge of war and its tactics and strategies, then this book might not be the one for you; but for someone wanting to dip their toes into the subject, or to gain a foundation on where to build from, then it is invaluable. Rowntree considers war and battles across a range of scales and timelines, from before the conflict and the planning that goes into it, to the battles themselves and the aftermath; and for me the value really came from having all those different elements laid out. It drew my attention to things that you might not necessarily consider when thinking of battles (fantastical or not) but are the details that will determine whether the battle, or the writing itself will work – and the amount of notes I took from this book!

Rowntree pares down the topics without oversimplifying them to make a straightforward, engaging read with more than a touch of humour – I particularly laughed at the ‘Urban Warfare (Don’t)’ section and then very much appreciated the explanation and example as to why (and wouldn’t you know the last bit of that section has sparked an idea)

The use of real-world examples added breadth and depth to the topics, and made it easier to envision certain points, and Rowntree has also recommended a range of other sources for following those threads. In fact, I’ve already picked up a couple of the books recommended at the end of the book, and I really want to get my hands on Medicine in the Crusades: Warfare, Wounds, and the Medieval Surgeon, by Piers D. Mitchell which sounds like a fascinating read even outside the context of writing battles and their aftermath. And I’ve ordered a physical copy of this one, as even though its an introduction, I feel like it makes for an excellent template for the elements you need to think about and I can very much see myself dipping in and out of this one.