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Philip’s Year In Books

Philip’s 2025 Year in Books

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

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Philip Athans has read 22 of 60 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

807 posts
Philip Athans's Blog

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR BOOKS ARE

And by this I mean both the books you have written, are writing, or might want to someday write—and the books you are reading, have read, and might ever want to read.

Every Tuesday I give $25 to a charity. This is just something I do—something I’ve been doing for years now. That works out to $100 a month—or so. Actually, $1300 a year ($25 x 52 weeks). That sounds like a lot, I’m sure, to most peopl

Combine Editions
Philip Athans’s books

Average rating: 3.87 · 19,166 ratings · 735 reviews · 54 distinct works • Similar authors

	Annihilation (Forgotten Realms: War of the Spider Queen, #5) 4.11 avg rating — 8,226 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) 2.72 avg rating — 1,366 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 — 737 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 — 553 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 — 539 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) 3.83 avg rating — 478 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) 2.71 avg rating — 619 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 — 394 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) 3.50 avg rating — 325 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 — 8,226 ratings

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

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

2.77 avg rating — 2,464 ratings

Forgotten Realms: Watercourse (3 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

3.54 avg rating — 647 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

Serenade

by James M. Cain

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 15, 2026 11:44AM

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Worlds At War: An Illustrated Study of Interplanetary Conflict

by Steven Caldwell

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 01, 2026 03:01PM

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Conflict, Action and Suspense (Elements of Fiction Writing)

by William Noble

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Jul 01, 2026 08:30AM

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Philip’s Recent Updates

Philip Athans is on page 179 of 332 of Harvard Classics, Vol. 3 Harvard Classics, Vol. 3: Essays, Civil and Moral / The New Atlantis / Areopagitica / Tractate on Education / Religio Medici by Francis Bacon 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
Jul 17, 2026 06:16PM · 1 like · like · see status
Philip Athans is on page 173 of 332 of Harvard Classics, Vol. 3 Harvard Classics, Vol. 3: Essays, Civil and Moral / The New Atlantis / Areopagitica / Tractate on Education / Religio Medici by Francis Bacon 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
Jul 17, 2026 05:28PM · like · see status
Philip Athans made a comment in the group Fantasy Author's Handbook — JULY 2026 Group Read: Conflict, Action, and Suspense! topic " I found Chapter 8: Building Through Point of View almost incomprehensible. I've never read this guy's fiction, but he is struggling to make himself un ...more "
Jul 17, 2026 10:15AM
Philip Athans is currently reading Serenade by James M. Cain	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
Jul 15, 2026 11:44AM · like
Philip Athans made a comment on Roy Lotz’s review of Dr. Faustus " What more need be said? Oh, wait… should I have written that in Latin? "
Jul 15, 2026 11:43AM · see review
Philip Athans and 77 other people liked Roy Lotz's review of Dr. Faustus: " How to Become a Successful Elizabethan Playwright in 7 Easy Steps 1. Consider visiting Elizabethan England. When you're there, take careful notes. The first thing you'll notice is that most people talk in blank verse. Spend enough time there, and " Read more of this review »
Jul 15, 2026 11:42AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe	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
Of course I've always been familiar with at least the premise of Doctor Faustus, the "Faustian bargain" having long been written into the Western cultural lexicon, but this was my fist read of any version of the tale. Understanding the parameters of ...more
Jul 15, 2026 11:35AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans made a comment in the group Fantasy Author's Handbook — FAH: The Blog topic " PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR BOOKS ARE https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com... ...more "
Jul 14, 2026 10:17AM
Philip Athans made a comment on iSamwise’s review of The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2) " I just ADORE this series! "
Jul 13, 2026 09:19AM · see review
Philip Athans and 6 other people liked iSamwise's review of The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2):
Jul 13, 2026 09:19AM · 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

50 likes

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

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

136069 likes

Philip’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

date

newest »

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 (246)

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