You can tell that it took a while for me to finish my Wyrd & Wonder reads because they are all scheduled towards the end of the month! But this is the last one for now, and anyway it’s a book that I own which I erm… misplaced for perhaps two years before I found it (this month! what a coincidence!).

Gwelf: The Survival Guide was a Kickstarter campaign that I backed mostly cause I thought the art was nice and I love books that are guides/pretend to be guides. I did have the impression it was more art than text, so when I couldn’t find the book after coming back to Singapore, I just figured it would show up sooner or later. Of course, this meant that I missed the second Kickstarter, which I’m begining to slightly regret because this book is so cool!

Here are some excerpts from the book, including the fold-out map:

At 145 pages (excluding the afterward and sketches), Gwelf is a heft survival guide and a good introduction to the world of Gwelf. It’s a cosy fantasy world populated by all sorts of anthropomorphic animals and tinged with real danger from the ever-constant battle between the forces of death (Ravens) and life (Sparrows).

While the art is gorgeous, what brought the world to life was the worldbuilding. MacDougall has put in details of inns, magical items, shops, etc, creating a detailed world that feels very real. I finished this book wishing I could read a novel set in the world of Gwelf; I’m sure it will be very charming! Which is why I am a bit sad I missed the second Kickstarter – it’s supposed to be a bit more personal compared to this one!

If you love fantasy, beautiful art, as well as detailed worldbuilding, Gwelf is the book for you. There is a lot to read and discover and while the book’s size would ordinarily be cumbersome, I think making it any smaller would lose a lot of detail in the images so I’m happy to have this big book!