Writers who set their stories in the future? Those guys have got it easy; they can see everything happening in the world around us, and use that to inform their future landscapes. Hell, they can even throw in an apocalypse and start from scratch if they like. Those of us who turn our eye backwards however, well, then it becomes a little trickier.
You see, we have all these documents and artefacts, paintings and mosaics that show us what life was like way back when, but there isn’t any amongst us who can say we’ve truly walked amongst those ancient civilisations. Going to Pompeii, incredible as it is, isn’t the same as living in the Roman Empire I’m afraid.
So, with many people turning our gaze backwards and setting our fantasy adventures in worlds of yesteryear, how do we overcome this problem? Actually, rather simply; we employ one of the two following phrases – “set in” or “based on”.
Set In
“Set in” speaks for itself – the writer chooses an era, and does all kinds of research and fact-finding missions to make their world as accurate as possible. When done well, this really works – see Anne Lyle’s The Alchemist of Souls for a brilliant example of this. Readers can immediately go and look up further information on the era if they wish, supplementing the information in the book, enhancing the whole experience.
There is the argument that this stifles the writer, by containing their work in one small area, but with so much historical knowledge out there, it is entirely possible to create a vivid, exciting world all the same. True, some elements may need tweaking, but how sure can we be that all historical documents are entirely accurate in the first place?
And what if we go the other way, and throw some fantasy into a real world setting? Can you just go ahead and put these new elements in as you please? You have to know exactly what your insertion is going to change, and how that will affect your world as a whole. It will require that little extra work. To use Anne’s work as an example again, she gave Queen Elizabeth, renowned as “The Virgin Queen”, two sons, so she didn’t have to worry about the fight for influence over the succession that occurred during her reign. It may seem like a small detail, a couple of extra characters to play with, but it made the world a little bit more stable, and let Anne tell her story in peace.
Based On
The second phrase, “based on”, is again very straight forward: the writer has taken certain information as reference, and built their world using the ideas and themes therein. Joe Abercrombie, as ever, jumps to mind for this; his Union is reminiscent of the European Courts of old, whilst his Northmen tribes bring to mind the Scottish clans, tough men living in tough country. That’s not to say they are, but that’s what it brings to mind, and that’s the point.
I have spent years reading about pirate activity in the late 17th through to the early 19th centuries, and whilst there are plenty accounts of ship-raiding, navy-baiting and trials, I have yet to come across an account of a ship using a mage instead of cannon. But in fantasy? Well, we all know that is entirely possible.
Having decided you wish your piece to be “based on” an era rather than “set in” the same, the next problem raises its ugly head: just where do you draw the line? You want your readers to have some frame of reference, so they can immerse themselves in the story, but just how much historically accurate detail do you need? None of us like an info-dump, it throws a lot of us from the story. And while it can be tempting to show off just how much research and work you put into setting up your world and the events in your story, it is always very easy to turn it into a history lecture. If you feel you do need to have a lot of information in the beginning, have your characters explain it in an interesting way, don’t just slap it on the page.
The Choice Is Yours
Ultimately it comes down to personal choice; some people, like myself, will be complete history nuts, and will take great joy in throwing in accurate details accrued during research, to complement their elements of fantasy. Others might like to use the history as a backdrop, an impression against which to create their work. There is no wrong or right way, you just have to remember the golden rule; chose a method, and stick to it.
Don’t suddenly get bored halfway through, and half-heartedly chuck in some details in the latter stages of the story. The same works the other way, if you’re using the era as inspiration rather than information, don’t suddenly have a character spout the exact details of a 18th century navy-issue flintlock pistol. Unless you have very good reason, it will jar, and most likely throw some people out of your work.
It is also essential to pick your era wisely; if the technology and knowledge of the age doesn’t fit your story idea, you’re going to have some work on your hands making them fit together, and will probably end up reverse-engineering some elements just to make it gel. 
Again, done well this can work, but it is tricky. It’s part of the reason so many self-proclaimed steampunk novels fall short of the mark.
With the vast tracts of historical documentation and knowledge out there it can be great fun just reading about different eras, finding things you like and don’t like, and piecing them together into a story. So much of our world history contains mad myths and fantastic legends, as well as the real-world miracles that occurred, that it is just ripe for the fantasy pickings. I mean, how cool would it have been to be there when John Logie Baird first broadcast an image? Or Leonardo tested any of his amazing inventions?
Have fun with your history, and of course let it inform your work. Just remember: choose how close to historical detail you are going to work, and stick with it. That way, you’ll not go far wrong.
What’s your favorite story with a historical setting? Do you have a favorite period of history that hasn’t been written about? Join the discussion in the forum!
Kellie Doherty
Richard Marpole
A good article. I have a story due soon that’s loosely based on late 17th/early 18th century Europe, but, as you said, I’ve tried to avoid it being more than an impression of that period.
The third method, of course, is to use an overall knowledge of history to create a culture that isn’t based on one specific historical period, but may include influences from a number. That has its own pitfalls, of course – it requires an understanding of how history works, rather than using a single model – but it can be very effective.
Had I not run out of words, I would have gone onto the third method! It definitely is the most tricky though, not for the faint-hearted!
It’s actually my favourite to use, as well as to read. But then I’m weird.
An excellent article – thank you. I write thrillers with an alternate history setting and firmly believe you have to know to know your history before you can alternate it, especially if you’re writing several centuries after the point of divergence. Equally important are the culture and mentality of the society you set your story in or base it on. And these often don’t chime well with our 21st century views. But it’s a lot of fun!
I loved Anne Lyle’s The Alchemist of Souls – it reeked historical accuracy, which was a huge pleasure.
And, yes, the info dump. I think this is the most challenging element in imaginative world-building. My method is drip-drip with as much detailed packed into half-a-dozen words as possible. With, of course, a question left hanging…