The Art of Language Invention From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building
Reviews

The Art of Language Invention is incredibly readable, yet not so casual book. Unless you are interested in conlanging, and would like to have a real hands-on guide into construction, evolution, and utilization of created languages, I would advise to stay away. I can see a casual Game of Thrones fan buying this book, because of the author's involvement in the tv series, and then having a major wtf moment half way through. It would be so unfair to David J. Peterson. He is highly entertaining and clear with his explanations, and has more than a thing or two to teach to those who are willing to learn. I went into the book with passion for linguistics, and found great insight into structures of existing languages as well, which David uses freely for inspiration. I will be coming back with a notebook and a pen for some serious study later on. To those who are excited to jump right in, I would really recommend to read along with an audiobook. Language is dead unless it is spoken, and it is worth hearing the author bring all those words to life. And... if you have a very hard time reading International Phonetic Alphabet, like me, the audiobook will make your life much easier.






