Masterclass in World Building: Red Rising and The Dresden Files Explored

World building isn’t just background noise—it's essential to storytelling. Let’s see how two masters, Pierce Brown and Jim Butcher, weave it into every scene. Today, we break down how Red Rising and The Dresden Files build immersive, unforgettable universes.


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Transcript

[00:00:00] Zena: From dystopian societies to hidden magical worlds, discover the world building tricks behind Red Rising and the Dresden Files that keep readers hooked. 

[00:00:10] Today we break down exactly how Pierce Brown and Jim Butcher build their universes, one rule at a time.

[00:00:17] Hello and welcome to the Storytellers Mission with Zena Del Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story. 

[00:00:27] Last week, I did a deep dive into the five core rules of world building that you need to master if you're writing in the sci fi fantasy genre.

[00:00:36] However, if you're like me, you learn best not so much by hearing the definitions of each of these But by seeing how other authors apply it brilliantly to their own work. So, since these five rules are so crucial and important, I wanted to explore them again today in the context of two particular series that I personally find to be absolutely incredible.

[00:01:02] One of them sci fi, the other one is fantasy. These are awesome. But before I dive in, Please take a moment to like, comment, and subscribe to this podcast. If you only knew how important that was to little niche podcasts like mine, then you would do it.

[00:01:20] So if you like my content, would you please just take a moment to like, comment, and subscribe, all three of them, and we would be incredibly grateful. Okay. let's dive into today's episode. So what I want to do is look at how the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown and how the Harry Dresden Files by Jim Butcher employ the five core world building rules to their universes.

[00:01:48] These examples I'm hoping will show you how each rule is implemented effectively in a Beloved series and how you might be able to do likewise in yours. So let's start with the 

[00:02:01] Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. now if you're not familiar with the series, the Red Rising series is a dystopian sci fi epic.

[00:02:10] It's set in the future where society is divided into rigid caste systems based on color. The gold ruling elite class. They're at the very, very top and the Reds are the lowest. They're the laboring class. The story centers on Darrow, who is a Red, who lives on Mars. Now, he believes that he is helping terraform the planet for future generations.

[00:02:38] However, he comes to discover that Mars has been habitable for centuries, and in fact, his people are being exploited and oppressed for the benefit of the Golds. Fueled by revenge, but also, and more importantly, a desire for justice. Darrow undergoes a massive transformation to infiltrate the Gold's Elite society.

[00:03:02] and then spark a revolution from within. There are some key themes here that we see in a lot of these types of stories. There's oppression and rebellion. You know, the story explores systemic oppression, class struggle, the cost of revolution. There's also the theme of identity and transformation. Darrow's journey involves physical and emotional transformation as he wrestles with his identity and his body.

[00:03:31] Moral compromises that he has to make along the way there is power and corruption it examines How power corrupts and how there are challenges to leadership within any broken society? How do you hold on to your integrity when that society doesn't even care if you have it? The series is known for its intense action, political intrigue, complex moral questions, which offer a mix of Hunger Games style survival and Game of Thrones level political machinations and deep emotional stakes, but mostly It's known because the characters are phenomenal, which is what you want in any kind of series like this.

[00:04:17] Okay, let's take a brief look at 

[00:04:18] The Dresden Files before I dive deeper. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Now this is an urban fantasy series. It follows a wizard named Harry Dresden. In fact, he's a wizard for hire. As a private investigator, and he works in modern day Chicago.

[00:04:37] Now, Harry works with both Supernatural clients and the Chicago Police Department in their Special Investigations Unit to help solve magical crimes. Along the way, he battles a range of supernatural creatures, like vampires, demons, werewolves, fairies. While uncovering deeper mysteries and conspiracies, he's also working with that threaten both the magical realms and the human worlds.

[00:05:04] Now some of the key themes in the Harry Dresden series, well there's a lot of film noir type stuff, um, like Noir detective meets magic. The series blends hard boiled detective tropes with rich supernatural lore. Harry is often the underdog. He's fighting against powerful forces beyond his control, beyond his own abilities.

[00:05:30] And yet, he has to use his brain to figure out how to overcome even those that have way more magical skills than him. There are a lot of moral dilemmas and grey characters explored in this series. Harry is frequently facing tough moral decisions, where the line between good and evil is blurred. He has an intense loyalty to his friends.

[00:05:54] He also has a desperate need for survival, which often puts him in ethically questionable positions. So, it's an opportunity to explore these very real moral issues that we encounter in daily life. The hidden supernatural world is also a theme in the Dresden Files. it builds a layered world where supernatural entities exist in secret alongside regular human life.

[00:06:21] Not everybody believes in the supernatural, even though they encounter it. And one of the mythologies is that the people want to suppress that which they don't understand because it's too scary to believe these things really exist. It's brilliant.This adds to the series urban fantasy appeal.

[00:06:39] The series is fast paced, humorous, full of action. It has deep character arcs and long running storylines that explore the consequences of Harry's choices as he deals with progressively more intensifying personal and cosmic level threats. both of these series are so good that when I first read them all the way through to as far as they had been written at the time, I immediately turned around and started reading them both from page one again.

[00:07:10] That is how good they are, and I'll probably do it again very shortly because they're just so rich and good or really good, really good examples of stories to learn from. Okay, so now let's dive into, now that you know a little bit more about each of these series and I highly recommend that you read them.

[00:07:31] Now let's dive into the five core world building rules that fantasy and sci fi have to utilize. And then let's see how each of these are employed or executed in those series that we just described. Okay, number one, 

[00:07:48] physical laws. Now, if you remember, physical laws have to do with gravity, physics, and technology.

[00:07:56] So in Red Rising, well, first let's deal with the gravity and technology. In the Red Rising series, Pierce Brown incorporates advanced spacefaring technology and modifications to natural physical laws. For example, the lower classes, like Daryl's group, the Reds, live deep underground on Mars, mining for resources.

[00:08:19] Meanwhile, the upper classes, the Golds, manipulate the planet's terraforming and gravity to make the surface hospitable and habitable. The series also plays with physics in space travel, like ships use real propulsion mechanics, but the technology is far advanced beyond Earth's or what we know today. Now other examples of technology include even things like weapons, like The razor, which is something they refer to a lot. It's a weapon used Specifically by the golds a high tech blade weapon and it relies on advanced Technology to function in a way that defies modern physics,But remains consistent within the universe now how it's done.

[00:09:04] How does he do it? Well, what Pierce Brown does is he bends scientific laws in a believable way by establishing that humanity has long surpassed modern Earth's tech, but the logic and consistency remain intact. In other words, He still justifies all of the things that he does. And there's a little bit of a mysterious quality because we've never seen these things at work. We don't understand quite by what he describes how these razors are working. It almost sounds like they're lassos or whatever. They go out and cut off people's arms and then come back.

[00:09:42] I mean, we don't quite get how all of it works. And yet, It does work because of course we haven't seen it. And so there's a mysterious element to it that we allow, that we'll accept, that we will buy, which is part of the key credibility, credibility. We have to buy it. And then within the world itself, he's always consistent with how the rules of that even individual tech is applied.

[00:10:09] So, Even if it defies what is logically true of what we now know today in our society as possible for space travel, it's always consistently enacted or executed within the world itself. Okay, let's do the same thing but looking 

[00:10:28] at the Dresden Files. Okay, physics. The physical world largely follows real world rules. But, magic interacts with it in unique ways.for example, Harry Dresden battles supernatural beings, like vampires and demons and fairies. Now, these still occur in modern day Chicago, 

[00:10:52] meaning real world physics coexists with magic, but he justifies why. Even if it was happening today, so many of us would miss it. He justifies it because we tend to ignore things that are supernatural, especially in the Western world. We don't want to see it, so we reason it away and give other explanations for what we're seeing.

[00:11:16] Therefore, we're not actually seeing what's right in front of us. And this is a common theme in the series. And yet, these two things coexist in this world. It's fascinating. It's fascinating. here's an example. Harry often deals with the magical equivalent of physics when using spells.

[00:11:35] Like when he summons fire, it still burns and consumes fuel. There are natural consequences for magical actions. For example, he has a shield bracelet that works by deflecting kinetic energy, but that force has to go somewhere.

[00:11:51] So, he uses real world physics within the magical context and it works. Okay, magic systems. remember, magic systems refers to how magic works. What are its limitations and what are its costs? 

[00:12:07] while Red Rising isn't centered around traditional magic, Sometimes the advanced technology in the series serves as a kind of stand in.

[00:12:16] For example, the carving process that the golds undergo is a kind of genetic magic where their bodies are enhanced to a near god like status. They have incredible strength, intelligence, and lifespan. They heal rapidly. They're built to survive and to be at the top of this chain of humanity. But also, some of the things that they deliberately do, the golds, to help control some of the other classes, is they allow those classes to believe that things that are based on their science are magic. They allow some of the lower classes to believe that magic exists, even though, among the golds, they know it's just advanced technology.

[00:12:58] Which is never really explained, like how things can just hover in the air, We don't quite get, we don't have that technology, but they do, and they allow some of these lower classes to think that it's magic. Here's another example. Uh, Darrow's transformation from a lowly red into a gold, a magnificent gold, involves an intense physical change that mirrors a magical system.

[00:13:28] The carving process, it's sort of like plastic surgery, but it's much more intensive. I mean, they change out everything. But the limitations of the carving process are clearly defined. For example, it takes a huge toll on the body.

[00:13:43] In fact, Most people don't survive. It's practically unheard of for someone to be carved. For one, it's illegal. You wouldn't, it wouldn't be allowed. But for those that are rebellious and find a way, find a carver willing to do it, most people don't survive the process. So you have to still have physical fortitude, but also mental fortitude to be able to even survive the carving process.

[00:14:12] So What he does is he builds in costs into things like the carving process, which is essentially a magical process. Okay, so how is it done? How do they do it? Well, even without traditional magic, Pierce Brown creates a kind of scientific magic that still has limits and costs, much like the hard magic system of the Dresden Files.

[00:14:39] so let's look at the magic systems within the Dresden Files. Jim Butcher's World of Wizards operates on a structured system of magic. There are clear rules and limitations to those rules. Harry's magic is powerful, but it is not without cost, and each spell drains his energy or uses specific materials.

[00:15:04] For example, Harry's fire magic requires concentration, energy, and specific incantations. misuses the magic, or he overexerts himself, he leaves himself physically drained and exposed. Larger spells require extensive preparation.In fact, Harry credits a lot of what he's able to accomplish to the fact that he's willing to prepare.

[00:15:32] And most of the wizards in his world aren't willing to go to the lengths that he's willing to go to prepare for certain events. They're too lazy. It takes too much work to do it all. So he does his work, which is one reason why we respect him so much. So how is it done? Well, Jim Butcher keeps the magic system clear.

[00:15:55] Again, he provides boundaries, clear boundaries for Harry's powers. He shows us and defines the physical toll that magic takes or how different kinds of magic like illusion or necromancy or those sorts of things have distinct rules and require additional things to be able to work them well. So it's all about defining what the magic is and what the rules are associated with it.

[00:16:25] What are the limits? What can you accomplish? What are the costs? Okay, let's go to the third core world building rule, social structures, which again has to do with class systems and political hierarchies and cultural norms. 

[00:16:41] So in Red Rising, one of the most distinct features of the Red Rising universe is its color based caste system.

[00:16:51] The society is rigidly divided, with golds at the top ruling over everyone else, and the reds toil at the bottom. So it's a very strict hierarchy of colors. And this determines everything. Every aspect of life from education to wealth to military command to the ability to even fight and how weak you are, how easily you're wounded in battle.

[00:17:17] Golds are bred to be rulers. Silvers control commerce. The obsidians are used as warriors. And so on and so forth. The whites are the religious leaders. There's all sorts of hierarchy with different rules associated for each of the cast members. So how is it done? It's a deeply ingrained social structure that drives the plot and motivates Darrow's rebellion.

[00:17:46] The cast system is more than a background detail. It directly influences character decisions and the political landscape. It very much drives the plot. So when you're developing a cast system, it needs to play a role into the actual story. It can't just be interesting in the background. It should play Directly into the narrative.

[00:18:10] That's what you have to be thinking about when you're devising it for your own story. Okay, what about the Dresden Files? 

[00:18:16] Well, in the Dresden Files, there hierarchies. There are supernatural politics that shape the entire story. There are various factions we come to discover within the supernatural world, including the White Council of Wizards versus There's the vampires, and by the way, there are different types of vampires.

[00:18:38] There's the white vampires, and the red vampires, and there's different kinds of vampires. And then there's fairies, and there's different types of beings within the fairy kingdom. And there's all sorts of other creatures too. Each of these creatures, each of these types of beings have their own hierarchies and their own rules.

[00:18:59] And that's one of the things that we're constantly learning throughout the entire series. And it plays directly into the stories. So for example, the White Council, to which Harry belongs, governs wizard behavior. They have very strict laws about what wizards can and cannot do, with serious consequences like execution for violations.

[00:19:22] The council often puts Harry at odds with their own bureaucracy and politicsOn the other hand, Harry is constantly encountering other types of beings that have their own rules that he has to figure out how to get around or else he's trapped by their rules. Like with fairies. you can't do certain things in the fairy world or else you agree to be a slave to the fairies for the rest of your life.

[00:19:48] You have to be very careful with your language. You have to be very careful with your promises. You have to be very careful about asking favors. If you ask too many favors, now you are beholden to them. You also have to be careful about giving your word on something because that has a magical aspect itself.

[00:20:08] And if you give your promise of protection, for example, as a leader in this supernatural world, and then you violate that, then there is a deeper magic at work that is going to. even the scales. So there's so much that you have to be careful that you don't accidentally do that's going to add tension and conflict to the entire story.

[00:20:33] It plays directly in to the narrative. It is not haphazard. It is not discardable. It is essential to the story. Okay, so how is it done? Well, Jim Butcher uses these political hierarchies to introduce conflict and moral dilemmas. as Harry must navigate not just physical battles but also political ones. He is constantly having to not step on his own toes and cause major destruction because he's violating some rule, which means he has to do research, which means he has to do this, which means he has to build allies and figure out what he's doing and da da da da da.

[00:21:11] He has to prepare in advance. It is so much more than just something that's haphazard in the story. Okay, let's look at number four, the economic systems. So again, economic systems include trade, currency, and resources. 

[00:21:28] Well, in Red Rising, it is a resource economy. The economy revolves around mining and terraforming. And you terraform the planets for specific resources. So the Reds are essentially slave laborers.

[00:21:43] who are mining precious Helium 3, While the golds and other higher classes benefit from this resource, as they have space exploration and warfare. Now, it's really important to note that in Red Rising, the use of AI has been outlawed, because there was an over dependence on it, and therefore, they arestill having to use human beings for things like mining, rather than robots.

[00:22:10] And that sort of thing. So they justify why they can't just mine all those things by using robots. It's outlawed. You cannot have ai. Now, another example would be the obsidian and the hell diver classes who represent the workforce in this economy. So Darrow Darrow, who was a Red at the beginning of the story, starts as a Helldiver, which means he's at the upper tier of all of the Miners because he's one of the more essential people.

[00:22:42] He's one of the braver ones, but also, usually they have the shortest lifespans.

[00:22:47] And even that plays into the narrative because since he was a Helldiver, It gives him very dexterous fingers so that he can manipulate things and do things and it helps him as he begins his transition.

[00:23:00] into a gold. Okay, so how is it done? How is it done? Well, the resource based economy isn't just a backdrop. Like I said, it fuels the oppression and the rebellion that form the core of the series. So in your story world, what you have to do is figure out what the economy is and then figure out how it plays into the actual narrative.

[00:23:25] It can't just be happenstance. It has to play into the narrative directly. Alright, let's look at the Dresden files. 

[00:23:34] So, in the Dresden Files, when you have currency in exchange, you have magic users who often rely on favors, or services, or magical items as currency. They're not interested in money. They're interested in other things.

[00:23:54] Some of these creatures will even take payment in pizza, right? Because that is magic. a treat to them. They love pizza. They're obsessed with pizza. So Harry's able to utilize their services in exchange for buying pizza. So while money exists in the modern world, wizards and magical creatures often trade in power, knowledge, abilities, or supernatural artifacts.

[00:24:20] Here's another example. Harry has to exchange favors or perform tasks for magical beings like fairies in order to get something from them. and these exchanges have long term consequences, often steep consequences that keep coming back to bite them in the butt.

[00:24:37] So how is it done? Well, Butcher shows that in the magical world, traditional currency is less valuable than the power of magical debt or favors, and he utilizes that. And what you have to do is figure out what is your economy based on? What is the currency? What is the trade? What are they trading? What is valued, and then figure out how to let that play into the narrative.

[00:25:05] Okay, there is one more major rule for us to tackle today, and see how Red Rising and the Dresden Files employ it. And again, this is arguably the most important one, because it has to do with religious beliefs. However, before we get there, it's once again time to hear from our sponsor. So, hello, storytellers.

[00:25:28] I do hope you're finding these five world building rules helpful so far, especially with these examples from these two amazing series. But here's the thing. There's actually something even more important that applies to all writers in all stories, regardless of genre, and that is your story's structure.

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[00:26:10] No matter what genre you're working in, whether it's a thriller or a comedy or a romance, and yes, Whether it's a sci fi or a fantasy, these are the essential plot moments that you need to hit in order to deliver a powerful, compelling, page turning story. So, be sure to check out my free training video on the 7 Deadly Plot Points.

[00:26:33] It's going to transform your writing Just click on the link provided in the notes or head over to thestorytellersmission.

[00:26:38] com and you can start watching this free training video right away. Okay. Now let's move into the final rule for today. Number five, religious beliefs. So again, this has to do with gods, rituals, moral codes. 

[00:26:56] So in Red Rising, when it comes to moral codes, the golds follow a quasi religious belief in their superiority and their destiny to rule.

[00:27:07] They see themselves as gods among men. The entire society has its own rituals and traditions, especially surrounding warfare and leadership, but it's all built around this perception that the Golds have about themselves, that they were meant to rule. And this then becomes the very thing that Darrow sets out to challenge.

[00:27:29] So, for example, there's something called the Iron Reign. It is a military tactic used by Golds. It's treated almost as a ritualistic practice, which symbolizes their dominance.

[00:27:42] This is something that is such a big deal, and very few of the other kinds of classes could ever do it. It's so ridiculously scary and unbelievably horrifying that the Golds think that it's That because they can do it and the obsidians can do it too But because they're the warring class, but they think that they deserve some sort of special rule Simply because they're willing to do an iron.

[00:28:11] Okay. So how is it done religion? And ritual are subtly woven into the fabric of gold society from the very beginning of the story Not as overt worship but through cultural beliefs in the gold's divine right to rule and this in turn informs everything about the story it actually becomes the very fabric of the story itself because darrow sets out to challenge that because he believes society should be more equal so it becomes the entire focus of the story in a lot of ways Okay, 

[00:28:50] the Dresden Files.

[00:28:51] What about religious and moral beliefs in the Dresden Files? Well, religion plays a significant role in the Dresden Files. One of the things I love about the series is that Christianity and other religious beliefs exist alongside magic. And Harry frequently interacts with angels and demons and even the knights of the cross who wield holy swords.

[00:29:15] Now, the Knights of the Cross have a magic of their own based on faith in God. It's a really incredible way, the way he manages to weave in both. It doesn't disqualify any religious belief whatsoever. It allows it to co exist with magic. It says it all exists. Michael Carpenter becomes one of the most important characters in the series.

[00:29:42] One of the most important supporting characters. He's a knight of the cross. He represents christian faith and morality. He is constantly a person that Harry goes to to check his own self and to get advice and to get help on this journey.

[00:29:59] Michael's sword is a physical embodiment of divine power and his unwavering belief in God, the God of Christianity, often challenges Harry's more cynical worldview, but also more often than not helps Harry on his own journey to salvation. to embrace things that are deeper than what he, even he, the wizard, the great Harry Dresden, can see logically.

[00:30:29] So how is it done? Well, Butcher manages to integrate real world religions into his supernatural universe without it contradicting each other. He allows for the complexity of moral discussions about faith. He allows for the moral complexity of good and evil. It all exists up front and he still keeps magic at the forefront.

[00:30:52] It is masterfully done. I absolutely love it and I highly recommend that you check it out. Okay, so now we've gone over. These same five core rules of world building that any sci fi or fantasy author has to do. Really, anybody who's writing any kind of great story should do, regardless of the genre. 

[00:31:15] and we've used Red Rising and the Harry's Dresden series. as our master class in how to do it well. I hope this has been helpful to you.

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