Seth Dickinson

American writer of fantasy and science fiction; author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant (2015) and its sequels in the Masquerade series, and of the novel Exordia; has also written for Bungie's games.

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What they believe

Escaping poverty and misery has not cost him his creative edge; living in misery just wastes a writer’s time.

I don’t think this improvement has ‘cost me my edge’. Being poor sucks. Living in misery and filth wastes a lot of time

sethdickinson.comSaid 13 Jun 2026This on korrents
A book is not bad just because its characters have a bad relationship.

I am not a moralist, I do not read a book and say “these characters had a bad relationship, so the book is bad”.

sethdickinson.comSaid 13 Aug 2023This on korrents

The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.

All 8 beliefs, on korrents

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As its own page →

Everything, newest first — across every channel.

Sources

13 June

Seth DickinsonKorrents 13 Jun

From one piece Update on Baru 4 3 beliefs · sethdickinson.com

korrents.com
He writes best in constant contact with a small community rather than alone.

Their words

I have done the most fun writing of my life while in constant day-to-day contact with a small community

Update on Baru 4sethdickinson.com
korrents.com
Tabbed browsing and smartphone internet browsers were a mistake.

Their words

Tabbed browsing and smartphone internet browsers were a mistake!

Update on Baru 4sethdickinson.com
korrents.com
Escaping poverty and misery has not cost him his creative edge; living in misery just wastes a writer’s time.

Their words

I don’t think this improvement has ‘cost me my edge’. Being poor sucks. Living in misery and filth wastes a lot of time

Update on Baru 4sethdickinson.com

12 September 2025

Seth DickinsonRecommends 12 Sept 2025

Recommendsrcmnd.app
Blindsight

Their words

Blindsight is one of the only books I’ve ever read where I said, ‘Oh, this has to be science fiction.’

fivebooks.com
Recommendsrcmnd.app
Mindscape

Their words

Mindscape is a challenge book for me, and hopefully for anyone reading this.

fivebooks.com
Recommendsrcmnd.app
Red Mars

Their words

Red Mars is a classic, the first in a 1990s trilogy, followed by Green Mars and Blue Mars.

fivebooks.com

+ 1 more

Recommendsrcmnd.app
Schild's Ladder

Their words

Schild’s Ladder begins in the future, where they have solved physics.

fivebooks.com

13 August 2023

Seth DickinsonKorrents 13 Aug 2023

korrents.com
A book is not bad just because its characters have a bad relationship.

Their words

I am not a moralist, I do not read a book and say “these characters had a bad relationship, so the book is bad”.

“The Cipher”, Kathe Kojasethdickinson.com

30 August 2013

Seth DickinsonKorrents 30 Aug 2013

From one piece We…need worldbuilding? 3 beliefs · sethdickinson.com

korrents.com
Readers should discover a fantasy world’s magic with the characters, not from an index at the back of the book.

Their words

I don’t want to learn about your magic system from an index at the back of the book. I want to discover it with the characters.

We…need worldbuilding?sethdickinson.com
korrents.com
Writers who rely on their automatic defaults will produce sexist, racist writing, because the culture they absorbed has those tendencies.

racism

Their words

If you stick to your easy automatic tendencies, you’ll produce sexist, racist writing – because our culture still has sexist, racist tendencies, tendencies we internalize

We…need worldbuilding?sethdickinson.com
korrents.com
Fantasy’s greatest sin of the past fifty years may be its bland, invariant, faux-medieval European backdrop.

Europe

Their words

In the past fifty years, fantasy’s greatest sin might be its creation of a bland, invariant, faux-Medieval European backdrop.

We…need worldbuilding?sethdickinson.com

11 August 2013

Seth DickinsonKorrents 11 Aug 2013

korrents.com
Art should criticize power, and capitalism, as the dominant ideology, can handle harsh satire.

capitalism

Their words

As the dominant ideology in the world right now, I think capitalism can probably handle it. Art should criticize power.

Thoughts on ‘Elysium’sethdickinson.com

The whole feed →

Beliefs

Korrents What they believe 8 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
- Escaping poverty and misery has not cost him his creative edge; living in misery just wastes a writer’s time.
  
  I don’t think this improvement has ‘cost me my edge’. Being poor sucks. Living in misery and filth wastes a lot of time
  
  Update on Baru 4 Said 13 Jun 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
- Tabbed browsing and smartphone internet browsers were a mistake.
  
  Tabbed browsing and smartphone internet browsers were a mistake!
  
  Update on Baru 4 Said 13 Jun 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
- He writes best in constant contact with a small community rather than alone.
  
  I have done the most fun writing of my life while in constant day-to-day contact with a small community
  
  Update on Baru 4 Said 13 Jun 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
Show 5 more

A book is not bad just because its characters have a bad relationship.

I am not a moralist, I do not read a book and say “these characters had a bad relationship, so the book is bad”.

“The Cipher”, Kathe Koja Said 13 Aug 2023

Full record — everyone who holds this →

Fantasy’s greatest sin of the past fifty years may be its bland, invariant, faux-medieval European backdrop.

In the past fifty years, fantasy’s greatest sin might be its creation of a bland, invariant, faux-Medieval European backdrop.

We…need worldbuilding? Said 30 Aug 2013

Full record — everyone who holds this →

Europe

Writers who rely on their automatic defaults will produce sexist, racist writing, because the culture they absorbed has those tendencies.

If you stick to your easy automatic tendencies, you’ll produce sexist, racist writing – because our culture still has sexist, racist tendencies, tendencies we internalize

We…need worldbuilding? Said 30 Aug 2013

Full record — everyone who holds this →

racism

Readers should discover a fantasy world’s magic with the characters, not from an index at the back of the book.

I don’t want to learn about your magic system from an index at the back of the book. I want to discover it with the characters.

We…need worldbuilding? Said 30 Aug 2013

Full record — everyone who holds this →

Art should criticize power, and capitalism, as the dominant ideology, can handle harsh satire.

As the dominant ideology in the world right now, I think capitalism can probably handle it. Art should criticize power.

Thoughts on ‘Elysium’ Said 11 Aug 2013

Full record — everyone who holds this →

capitalism
All 8 beliefs →

What is a korrent?

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Recommends rcmnd

rcmnd What they recommend 4 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
- Recommends Schild's Ladder 12 Sept 2025
  
  Schild’s Ladder begins in the future, where they have solved physics.
  
  fivebooks.com 12 Sept 2025
  
  What others say about Schild's Ladder →
- Recommends Red Mars 12 Sept 2025
  
  Red Mars is a classic, the first in a 1990s trilogy, followed by Green Mars and Blue Mars.
  
  fivebooks.com 12 Sept 2025
  
  What others say about Red Mars →
- Recommends Mindscape 12 Sept 2025
  
  Mindscape is a challenge book for me, and hopefully for anyone reading this.
  
  fivebooks.com 12 Sept 2025
  
  What others say about Mindscape →
Show 1 more

Recommends Blindsight 12 Sept 2025

Blindsight is one of the only books I’ve ever read where I said, ‘Oh, this has to be science fiction.’

fivebooks.com 12 Sept 2025

What others say about Blindsight →
All 4 recommendations →

Where they publish

Blog Seth Dickinson News on his novels and writing

Open sethdickinson.com

Link verified 1 Nov 2026.

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