In science fiction and fantasy, anything can provide color and conflict—from soldiers, to schools, to shops, to sexuality. Continuing her comprehensive New Worlds series of worldbuilding guides, award-winning fantasy author and former anthropologist Marie Brennan takes a deep dive into monarchy and democracy, natural disasters, warfare, gender, and the subtleties of language variation both in the world and on the page.

This volume collects essays from the fifth year of the New Worlds Patreon.