This weekend I finished the <a target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375750800/fantasistnet">High School Earth Science Review</a>.
That may seem odd, but it's not, really. See, I want to create more realistic worlds for my fantasy and science-fiction settings, so, I need to know the basics. And, in my opinion, the basics include earth science. So, falling back on my memories of High School, I thought it would be good to simply review the things I hadn't caught in science class. See? It realy does make sense!
Anyway, the book was actually fairly good. It gave a decent overview of the subject and used pretty simple language. After all, it <i>is</i> meant for High School students who are having trouble with Earth Science! But, it does hit all the highlights: plate tectonics, water movement and erosion, weather and climate, and so on. There are questions at the end of each section meant to test your knowlege alone the way, but I didn't really pay attention to them. I wasn't trying to pass a test, after all. It did give me several ideas for interesting things in regards to planetary processes that might turn up in some of my writing. And, of course, I hope it will improve the realism of my maps. Knowing that rain falls on the windward, and oceanward, side of the mountains, for instance, really effects a lot on a map.
Anyway, if you're looking at world-building, there are far worse places to start than a review of High School earth science. And, this book is a fairly good review.
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