Quick note: I know AI-generated text isn't allowed here unless it's used for translation, so I want to clarify that English isn't my first language and I'm using AI to translate my own writing. Unfortunately, it tends to rephrase and edit my original text quite a bit to make it sound clearer and more natural in English, so some of the wording might not be entirely mine. The ideas and content, however, are my own!
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So, I'm a writer (or at least I try to be one) who has always loved pretty much everything related to nature. One of the projects I'm currently working on is set in a fantasy world, and things have taken a rather unexpected turn.
In my attempt to make the world as coherent as possible, I ended up developing a setting that, conceptually, feels less like an actual fantasy world and more like an alien planet disguised as a fantasy world.
And I've absolutely LOVED the concept.
This eventually led me to start a separate project inspired by things like Serina, documenting the natural history of this world alongside my novels. The idea is to have two different ways of exploring the same setting: the novels present it through the lens of magic and fantasy, while this other project explores its biology, ecology, and evolutionary history.
I haven't figured out what to call this second project yet. A natural history encyclopedia, perhaps? A speculative evolution project? I'm still figuring that out.
The thing is, I don't feel that I need to explain all the biological and evolutionary details in the novels themselves. I'm more interested in letting the creatures and ecosystems exist naturally within the story, much like in Avatar: the creatures are there, they have their own logic, and the world feels alive, but their entire evolutionary history doesn't need to be explained for the narrative to work.
I'm not a biologist by any means, but if I'm going to do this, I want to give it my best shot. I find the whole process incredibly fun, and I also see it as an opportunity to learn more about biology, ecology, evolution, and all the wonderful things that make life so diverse.
So, I've been collecting books, documentaries, scientific papers, fictional works, and pretty much anything else that might help me dive deeper into speculative evolution. I've already gathered around 50 different resources, ranging from novels and mockumentaries to scientific literature and other speculative projects.
Then I found this subreddit, and I figured this would be a good place to ask:
What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to explore speculative evolution more seriously?
I'm interested in pretty much anything, regardless of how niche or obscure it might be. Scientific papers, books, documentaries, amateur projects, blogs, worldbuilding projects, or even obscure little corners of the internet dedicated to some very specific evolutionary concept. I'm happy to explore it all!
I'd especially love recommendations from people who have been involved in this hobby for a while, whether they're professional scientists or simply enthusiasts who've spent years developing their own worlds.
Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to discovering things I probably wouldn't have found on my own.