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Philip’s Year In Books

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Philip Athans

Goodreads Author

Born

in Rochester, NY, The United States

Website

http://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com/

Twitter

PhilAthans

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror, Literature & Fiction

Influences

Harlan Ellison, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Iain M. Banks, ...more

Member Since

January 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/philathans

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I 100% support AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS
https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com

I give every book 5 stars in protest against the concept of star ratings in general and the ever-unfolding algorithm dystopia!

Philip Athans, an anti-AI, anti-book bans liberal, is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting (www.athansassociates.com), and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Best of Fantasy Authors Handbook Vol. I 2009-2013, The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Auth ...more

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Philip Athans's Blog

BOOKS FOR FANTASY AUTHORS XLIX: STEERING THE CRAFT, PART 10

From time to time I’ll recommend—not review, mind you, but recommend, and yes, there is a difference—books that I think authors should have on their shelves. Some may be new and still in print, some may be difficult to find, but all will be, at least in my humble opinion, essential texts for any author, so worth looking for.

We read Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin for our September grou

Combine Editions
Philip Athans’s books

Average rating: 3.88 · 18,964 ratings · 711 reviews · 55 distinct works • Similar authors

	Annihilation (Forgotten Realms: War of the Spider Queen, #5) 4.11 avg rating — 8,158 ratings — published 2004 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Reader's Guide to R.A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt 4.45 avg rating — 1,600 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Baldur's Gate (Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate, #1) 2.73 avg rating — 1,330 ratings — published 1998 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller! by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author), R.A. Salvatore 3.89 avg rating — 730 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Dragons (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #9) by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Jess Lebow (Contributor), R.A. Salvatore (Contributor) 3.80 avg rating — 548 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of Mystery (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #6) by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Mary H. Herbert (Contributor), Stan Brown (Contributor) 3.63 avg rating — 535 ratings — published 1998 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Elves (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #11) 3.84 avg rating — 473 ratings — published 2006 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate, #2) 2.72 avg rating — 607 ratings — published 2000 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Writing Monsters: How to Craft Believably Terrifying Creatures to Enhance Your Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author), The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (Foreword) 3.97 avg rating — 389 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Deep (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #7) 3.49 avg rating — 319 ratings — published 1999 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Philip Athans…

Series by Philip Athans

Dungeons & Dragons (1 book)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

4.11 avg rating — 8,158 ratings

Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate (3 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

2.78 avg rating — 2,409 ratings

Forgotten Realms: Watercourse (3 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

3.55 avg rating — 639 ratings

The Fathomless Abyss (5 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

3.58 avg rating — 19 ratings

Philip is Currently Reading

Philip Athans is currently reading

Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction

by S.T. Joshi

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 01, 2026 09:03AM

Philip Athans is currently reading

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf

by Grant Snider (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 30, 2025 03:11PM

Philip Athans is currently reading

The Kar-Chee Reign / Rocannon's World

by Avram Davidson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 30, 2025 08:23AM

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Philip’s Recent Updates

Jan 01, 2026 12:37PM · 1 like · like · view books
Philip Athans is currently reading Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction by S.T. Joshi	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 01, 2026 09:03AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Unutterable Horror by S.T. Joshi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Unutterable Horror by S.T. Joshi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans made a comment in the group Fantasy Author's Handbook — January 2026 Group Read: Unutterable Horror topic " Okay then, this month we read Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction, Volume 1: From Gilgamesh to the End of the Nineteenth Century by ...more "
Jan 01, 2026 09:03AM
Philip Athans made a comment on the poll: January 2026 Group Read! " And the winner is… Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction ...more "
Jan 01, 2026 08:59AM
Jan 01, 2026 08:58AM · 2 likes · like
Philip Athans is on page 285 of 576 of The Noonday Demon: The chapter on suicide was… rough. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 31, 2025 11:15AM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
HECK YEAH! This was THE Holy Grail book of my childhood and it did not disappoint for a second. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Company… American geniuses, all. EXCELSIOR! More thoughts in “Catching Up With the 100-Book Challenge” https://youtu.be ...more
Dec 30, 2025 03:34PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The line in the epilogue… Although my father was never a wealthy or powerful man, he was a happy and contented one. And we're happy that this was so." …almost made me cry. More thoughts in “Catching Up With the 100-Book Challenge” https://youtu.be/8hi5Xw ...more
Dec 30, 2025 03:33PM · like · see review
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing Crash by J.G. Ballard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I’ll get into this imperfect book in a follow up video, but I do wish I liked it more, or at all. More thoughts in “Catching Up With the 100-Book Challenge” https://youtu.be/8hi5Xw3sqFo?si=LWPy8... ...more
Dec 30, 2025 03:33PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing HR Giger by Andreas J. Hirsch	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Having first encountered him at the age of… nine? …on the cover of the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer album Brain Salad Surgery and then several years later in Alien, I thought I "knew" Giger's work and vision. As I made my way through this fantastic retr ...more
Dec 30, 2025 03:32PM · like · see review

More of Philip's books…

Quotes by Philip Athans (?)

“Upon the one thing every writer absolutely must have, and that is intellectual curiosity.”
― Phillip Athans, R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Volume II: Extinction, Annihilation, Resurrection

tags: adivce, curiosity, intellect, writers, writing-advice

5 likes

“Stupid foes were easy to defeat and angry foes even easier. Mix the two together, though, and you’re in for a fight.”
― Philip Athans, Annihilation

2 likes

“A religion without followers is just a weird guy with strange ideas.”
― Philip Athans, How to Start Your Own Religion: Form a Church, Gain Followers, Become Tax-Exempt, and Sway the Minds of Millions in Five Easy Steps

2 likes

See all Philip Athans's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Riyria Revela...: Fantasy Writers Helping Victims of Hurricane Sandy	2	18	Jan 12, 2013 07:27AM
Fantasy Book Club: Triumph Over Tragedy - an anthology to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy	2	22	Jan 12, 2013 07:29AM
The Sword and Laser: Fantasy Writers Helping Victims of Hurricane Sandy	1	32	Jan 12, 2013 07:54AM
The Riyria Revela...: New Release: Triumph Over Tragedy to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Victims	3	26	Jan 13, 2013 08:08AM
Retro Chapter Chi...: Stay Bookish: Everything & Anything Bookish or Historical 2024	20	15	Sep 04, 2024 07:04AM

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Philip’s Quotes

“You only go around once, but if you play your cards right, once is enough.”
― Frank Sinatra

49 likes

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

tags: attributed-no-source, books, simile, soul

135499 likes

Philip’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

date

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message 4: by Philip

Oct 07, 2011 08:27AM

Elaina wrote: "Thanks for accepting my friend request! As an aspiring fantasy author, I try to learn from other fantasy authors and their writings =]"

ME TOO!

reply | flag

message 3: by Elaina

Jul 15, 2011 08:19AM

Thanks for accepting my friend request! As an aspiring fantasy author, I try to learn from other fantasy authors and their writings =]

reply | flag

message 2: by Philip

Mar 02, 2011 05:51PM

Kevin wrote: "Hey I just got The Collected Stories of Drizzt, can't wait to read it, not as much as the third book in Neverwind Trilogy, Icewind, hope it is going to be good."

ENJOY!

reply | flag

message 1: by Kevin

Mar 02, 2011 04:48PM

Hey I just got The Collected Stories of Drizzt, can't wait to read it, not as much as the third book in Neverwind Trilogy, Icewind, hope it is going to be good.

reply | flag

Philip Athans’s Followers (245)

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