Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer Review

Title: Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

Author: Jeff Vandermeer, et. al

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Nonfiction

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

                I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

                I’ll be honest: I only discovered Jeff Vandermeer and his works a few weeks ago, when I decided to read the first book in his Southern Reach Trilogy, Annihilation. I’ve been trying to circulate between fiction, nonfiction, and texts that will help me improve my writing skills. As soon as I was finished with The Babysitters Coven, I dove in, not sure what to expect. But this text was informative, entertaining, hilarious and unique. It provided such an in-depth look at the minds of creative people, and I learned so much! I cannot wait to have a copy of this essential text for my own collection, because I have a feeling this is a book that I will return to again and again! Vandermeer has established himself as one of my favorite authors with this wonderful, strange book!

                Wonderbook is an illustrated text that shows a writer how to tap into their imagination and many other tools in order to write creatively and effectively. It offers many helpful tricks and hints throughout to help a creative, not just a writer, find their voice and style and use that to their greatest effect. But what was really cool about this was even though Jeff Vandermeer was the main author, he asked many different authors and artists to contribute. This monster of an anthology was incredibly insightful and informative. It contained pictures, interviews, diagrams, and other helpful resources. I got so much inspiration from reading this book, so much so that I’m hoping to add it to my own collection so I can refer back to it whenever the well is threatening to run dry. I loved every moment of it. I was learning, but in a way that was so dynamic that it made all of the knowledge it packed into the book easily absorbed. This book might be my very favorite of Vandermeer’s body of work; it was wonderful! I just wish that I’d found it a lot sooner, because it is a valuable resource for people who are creative, for their main vocation or a hobby. An absolutely indispensable resource for all creatives! The bottom line: Rich with research and knowledge in the creative field, Vandermeer teams up with many other creatives for in-depth interviews, diagrams, and drawings to help make his points; I loved it so much! Next on deck: Unclaimed Baggage by Jen Doll!