Alan's Summer Reading Round-Up

I just wanted to start by thanking everyone for such a fun, helpful and productive summer! This was my first Summer Camp and I'm hooked, so you'll all be seeing more of me whether you like it or not. Here's to many more years of writing and great community work!   I've decided to format my summer reading article into two categories: favourite articles and favourite new worlds. While I certainly have my favourite ongoing worlds and enjoy every new article from them, part of the fun of Summer Camp has also been getting introduced to new and passionate members to the community, so I wanted to give them a shout-out too.   Anyway. Let's get at it, shall we?  

Favourite Articles of Summer 2024


 
Milky Way Institute of Biology, Taxonomy, and Conservation
Organization | Jul 21, 2024

One of the largest organisations in the Milky Way, dedicated to preserving the natural world.

by Mochimanoban   I’m a biologist who reads a lot of sci-fi, so suffice it to say I enjoy xenobiology. Mochi’s world doesn’t disappoint. The Yonderverse not only has a lot of width and depth to its biology, Mochi also does a great job capturing the work actual scientists do exploring and protecting it, which is equally important in any narrative.
Painted magpie
Species | Aug 3, 2024

An essential part of farming in the Glass Fief, with dye having been added to the pollen of Larante flowers to incite painted magpies to rub against them while making themselves pretty. Proper plant organisation is important to ensure pollination.

by AmélieIS   I just adore the idea of working with, rather than against, the natural behavior of wildlife when developing human infrastructure. This is a beautifully-formatted example. The behaviour of corvids and their interactions with humans is endlessly fascinating to me, and I feel Amélie would agree.

Sugiramun
Character | Jul 31, 2024

A love-struck man who made a deal with the Cosmic Amaar.

by NimrodialLibrary   Just a very good, original fantasy story that swept me along and gave me a tantalizing taste of the wider dramatis personae. NimrodialLibrary is talented writer that paced the story perfectly, letting the narrative breathe without overstaying its welcome. Plus: hand-crafted art! Great.
Metadimensional Extraversion Syndrome
Condition | Aug 3, 2024

The potentially-lethal condition that can be controlled as psionics.

by Those2Nerds   Everything I look for in a sci-fi story: mystery combined with a scientific longing to understand combined with the emotional complexity that comes as the understanding dawns on you. The excerpt with the epidemiologist at the end is [chef’s kiss]. Beautifully formatted too of course.

the Jurisaudra
Organization | Jul 25, 2024

A Hvalgoran pseudo-legal order of warriors and assassins offering ways to fight the corrupt and make shady dealings a little less... shady.

by Hanhula   The first thing I’ll say it I love Han’s taste in names. Jurisaudra just really rolls off the tongue. Jurisaudra, Jurisaudra. Anyway, if you aren’t already familiar with Istralar you should be. It’s a thoroughly well-realized world with nice crisp writing and the confidence to write low-fantasy, capturing the color of everyday drama underneath all the magic and dragons.
Inngirtut
Tradition / Ritual | Aug 2, 2024

Bespoke lullabies that can become personal biographical songs

by Demongrey   A beautiful little bit of worldbuilding that weaves the power of song directly into the lives of individuals and their loved ones. The concept is both subtle yet intuitive to understand. I want to see more from the Inngirtut!

Avalon Village Public Library
Building / Landmark | Jul 4, 2024
by Haly the Moonlight Bard   One of my earliest experiences interacting with the wider WA community was having Avalon jump right out of the page at me. The town has all the high relief of a Rockwell painting or a Munro short story. And I’m just a sucker for magic realism / metarealism and the interactions between the living and dead. Anxiously awaiting more from Avalon.
The Golden Hour
Tradition / Ritual | Jul 8, 2024
by Thereasonwhy   Another excellent little bit of worldbuilding that does a great job focusing on the mood & atmosphere while sprinkling little bits of the wider setting in in ways that don’t feel overly forced. Sometimes the best thing a narrative needs is to stop and smell the coffee for a bit, basking in what you’ve achieved.

Rovia Region of the Moon Izi
Geographic Location | Jul 11, 2024

The Rovia Region is the region of the hellish Moon Izi where a large number of Fire Elves live, as well as their God Beirunes...

by Chrispy_0   Wow. I remember when Chrispy_0 first shared the map of Izi and I was blown away. This article really captures the feeling of true frontier exploration with a nice genre-bending twist. I love the video game-esque dialogue boxes and will absolutely steal the idea. Extremely cool stuff.
Every Traveler Their Own Cook: Recipes for the Weary
Item | Aug 3, 2024
by AsterVela   Actual recipes! I adore this. And the dishes are genuinely well-chosen for a fantasy adventurer. Even just a little exposition on things like this adds so much colour to a setting or narrative.

  ... Whew! For this next section, I’ll post articles from the Summer Camp competition so the chosen can still be included in the Readers’ Choice list, but this section is to summarize new-ish worlds that have caught my attention recently and I’ve been enjoying exploring.  

Favourite New Worlds of Summer 2024


 
Train Dragon
Vehicle | Sep 16, 2024
  Islands on the Cloudy Sea
by PanthersEye
  An extremely cool, original concept that blends my love of fractured worlds with the richness of Chinese history. And what beautiful formatting! Great work, PanthersEye.
Reclamation War
Military Conflict | Aug 3, 2024
  NOVATURE
by Willwritten
  This setting only became public recently, but already I can tell we’re looking at some really solid sci-fi writing here. If you’re a fan of the genre, check it out!

Second Kavasian War
Military Conflict | Aug 3, 2024
  The Chronicles of Hysal
Worldwildbuilder
  The depth of Worldwildbuilder’s conception of the Second Kavasian War really drew me in, and so far the rest of the setting hasn’t disappointed me either.
Dagortauré
Military Conflict | Sep 3, 2024
  Terramora
by Jeffrey Lebowski
  I'm a sucker for comfy, forested setting grounded in traditional fantsy, and Terramora has been scratching that itch. Check it out if you're the same!

Pfen
Character | Sep 14, 2024

Your (the reader) guide through Ysteria!

  Ysteria
by CoolG1319
  In addition to his rad pixel art, CoolG has already made great leaps in her writing and formatting for Ysteria. Looking forward to what the future brings!
And They Were Become As Dolls
Myth | Aug 1, 2024
  Flimflam
by ButNoCigar
  I LOVE Roaring 20's fantasy and I think it's severely under-utilized. Enter ButNoCigar with Flimflam and their very interesting Vault dimension and I'm hooked!

Comments

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Aug 6, 2024 20:00 by Mochi

Awhwhhwhw, thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed my article <3 I've loved your work this Summer Camp! :D

I hope you have a great day!   Explore the endless planets brimming with life of the Yonderverse! Go after creatures, discover new places, and learn about the people you find along the way.   Check out my Institutes of Learning Challenge entry!
Aug 6, 2024 20:07 by Alan Byers
Aug 6, 2024 20:03 by CoolG

I'm so happy you like Ysteria and my art; pixel art can be hard! (btw I'm a girl XD)

Explore the dark and mysterious Inferncenem, the bright and wonderful Caelumen or the magical and fantastical Ysteria   Have a good one!   Feel free to check out my Substack: CoolG's Awesome Worlds! Join the Discord and chat with like-minded people!
Aug 6, 2024 20:07 by Alan Byers

I'm so sorry! Fixed!

Aug 6, 2024 20:16 by CoolG

No problem ^^

Explore the dark and mysterious Inferncenem, the bright and wonderful Caelumen or the magical and fantastical Ysteria   Have a good one!   Feel free to check out my Substack: CoolG's Awesome Worlds! Join the Discord and chat with like-minded people!
Aug 6, 2024 21:23

Thanks for mentioning Inngirtut! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Aug 8, 2024 20:23 by Alan Byers

I most certainly did! It's one of the best examples of combining music & culture I've read, here or otherwise! I hope to see more of them!

Aug 7, 2024 19:21

Thank you so much for the mention! We are glad to see readers enjoying Sugi's story. As husband said "Why do ppl love that mf?".

"Visit Ayonerra. Your Khelmtsiphe demands it!"
Aug 8, 2024 20:23 by Alan Byers

Ha ha! Obviously Sugiramun doesn't ingratiate himself well in the story, but he's a great engine for a very engaging and original little narrative.

Aug 8, 2024 01:20

Thank you so much for the mention! I'm so happy that you enjoyed Every Traveler Their Own Cook.

Aug 8, 2024 20:21 by Alan Byers

It was a very inspired idea! One idea I have for my own novel is to sprinkle in recipes at the beginning of each chapter. A great way to my heart is through my stomach!

Aug 8, 2024 03:07 by Han

Thank you for the mention!! Fun thing about that name: I took words related to storms in Serbian and Lithuanian, and stuck them together with glue :D


welcome to my signature! check out istralar!
Aug 8, 2024 18:14 by Alan Byers

I’m not so familiar with Slavic languages but I definitely got a hint of that Baltic, Finno-Ugric flavour! At least I think Lithuania is part of that spectrum right?

Aug 18, 2024 23:09 by Ephraïm Boateng

Thanks for nominating Hysal and the Second Kavasian War article! And its nice to see my article be amongst such other great articles here!

Aug 21, 2024 21:58 by Haly the Moonlight Bard

Alan! I think that's just about the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me and my work! Thank you so very much. Truly appreciate the recognition.

Haly, the Moonlight Bard

Summer Camp in Avalon

Rhapsody in Realms FREE on Substack!

Aug 31, 2024 12:58 by Jeffrey Lebowski

Thanks for including the Dagortauré Alan, I'm glad you liked it! Best of luck in the awards ceremony today!

Sep 1, 2024 02:22 by Rin Garnett

Lots of great choices here, I'm honored as always to be among them :D Glad you enjoyed your first Summer Camp, as well!