Midkemia.
Best Fantasy Universe in books.
- Thread starter Othello
- Start date
No Narnia? No Earthsea? This poll is rubbish!
That being said, I voted for Middle Earth.
That being said, I voted for Middle Earth.
Wow, there's literally hundreds that could be on that list.
However, some of the ones that definitely should have made it:
Zelazny's Amber
Bujold's Chalion
Feist's Riftwar Saga
Donaldson's The Land
Edding's Belgariad and Mallorean
Pullman's Dark Materials
Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings
Erickson's Malazan Book of the Fallen
The shared universe of Thieves World
Gemmel's Legend series
Even some of the great oldies:
Howard's Hyperborea
Leguin's Earthsea
Leiber's Newhon
Vance's Dying Earth
Lewis' Narnia
Alexander's Prydain
Cherryh's Gates cycle
and of course lots more.
I'd put LOTR up there as the grand champion, retire the trophy and start talking about the others.
The best designed world after that - I'd say The Land, Amber, and Westeros would be my top three, with Earthsea given the old timer's award. Chalion is awfully close - there's a reason Bujold has won so many Hugo and Nebula awards.
I'm hearing great things about Malazan, haven't had a chance to read it yet.
True.. true.. the list could be huge. I should have left LoTR out as the results would surely give it to Tolkien if included and left it to anyone but LoTR.
Either way though, just wanted some good conversation and discussion.
But then most people would have just voted Other and asked why LOTR wasn't on the list.
If I left it off I would explain I left it off because it's a forgone conclusion for it winning. I contemplated that but decided against it.
Yeah, me too. Though I did disqualify LotR just because it really is the automatic winner, so I decided to look at the other choices.
I love Death Gate too! It's really an imaginative, wild world, and the story is so complex and layered. Besides, Haplo and Alfred are juts too cool!
I quite liked Earthsea, but it never impressed me much. On the other hand, I hate Narnia with the burning heat of a thousand suns.
From the list I picked LOTR. For Other, as has already been mentioned, there are so many. I'd have picked Howard's Hyborian Age world, and ERB's Barsoom. Yes, I know that Barsoom is technically Science Fiction, but it is really more Science fantasy. Burroughs created a version of Mars that contained everything from cultures, species, language, calendars, and even games.
To AnyStar and iguana tonante: Glad to see I'm not the only one who digs The Death Gate Cycle (which, IMO, is the greatest piece of fiction Weis and Hickman have written, even surpassing their brilliant Dragonlance novels). My favorite parts of the DGC and its universe are the Elves and Dwarves, who are both simultaneously familiar and refreshingly different.
Since other people mentioned Dune, I'm gonna give a shout-out to it as well, although I do want to make it clear that I'm only partially familiar with the series (having been unable to get into the original Dune for some reason, even though I read and absolutely enjoyed the six prequel books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson). Even with my Dune experience only partially complete, though, I definitely think that Frank, Brian, and Kevin all need to be given props for the intricacy of the novels and the universe they occupy.
Since other people mentioned Dune, I'm gonna give a shout-out to it as well, although I do want to make it clear that I'm only partially familiar with the series (having been unable to get into the original Dune for some reason, even though I read and absolutely enjoyed the six prequel books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson). Even with my Dune experience only partially complete, though, I definitely think that Frank, Brian, and Kevin all need to be given props for the intricacy of the novels and the universe they occupy.
While I appreciate Middle Earth, I don't find it as interesting a world as ASOIAF's Westeros. Martin has a talent for mentioning things casually in a way that makes me think "I want to go there, I want to see what is behind that 2-line description." The low-magic setting also appeals to me since there is such an overload of epic high fantasy that I'm rather sick of it.
Little things like Skagos for example, an island mentioned in passing that supposedly rebelled at some point in the past, with cannibal warriors that ride on unicorns or some such foolishness. Because of the 'realistic' world, I know that this isn't meant to be taken as gospel truth. It makes me wonder if those unicorns are big woolly rhinos(to go along with the other megafauna in his 'North') or some sort of new creature entirely, and considering the warrior prowess of the north, what kind of culture must this be to instill such fear in them?
Middle Earth is just as layered and even more elaborately and intricately crafted, but it is also inherently MAGIC, and makes me wonder if it would be nearly as interesting, or could even exist, without it.
Edit to add: Zelazny's Amber is fun, but essentially more of a concept than a world unto itself. Amber itself is rather generic fantasy magical kingdom stuff.
Little things like Skagos for example, an island mentioned in passing that supposedly rebelled at some point in the past, with cannibal warriors that ride on unicorns or some such foolishness. Because of the 'realistic' world, I know that this isn't meant to be taken as gospel truth. It makes me wonder if those unicorns are big woolly rhinos(to go along with the other megafauna in his 'North') or some sort of new creature entirely, and considering the warrior prowess of the north, what kind of culture must this be to instill such fear in them?
Middle Earth is just as layered and even more elaborately and intricately crafted, but it is also inherently MAGIC, and makes me wonder if it would be nearly as interesting, or could even exist, without it.
Edit to add: Zelazny's Amber is fun, but essentially more of a concept than a world unto itself. Amber itself is rather generic fantasy magical kingdom stuff.
I haven't read most of those and therefore went with other, but I do think LOTR is amazingly done.
That said, I would echo others here with the Discworld since you can have so many stories about so many people, but for my money it has to be Anne McCaffrey's Pern. I'm a dragon fanatic and her worldbuilding is so precise with all aspects of life and the way people react to given situations, I enjoy it so much.
I also enjoy her Pegasus/Tower and the Hive universe. Psychics allowing space travel.
That said, I would echo others here with the Discworld since you can have so many stories about so many people, but for my money it has to be Anne McCaffrey's Pern. I'm a dragon fanatic and her worldbuilding is so precise with all aspects of life and the way people react to given situations, I enjoy it so much.
I also enjoy her Pegasus/Tower and the Hive universe. Psychics allowing space travel.
Yeah, Barsoom is awfully damn close to fantasy, though there are tech elements. It's a great creation. The Sword and Planet genre can be fun - Lin Carter and John Norman are other good examples of guys that did a lot there back in the 60s/70s. Vance's planet of adventure fits that mold as well.
I don't put Dune in as fantasy, though I can see the elements. It's certainly not hard scifi, but very little is these days. Star Wars is more of a fantasy than Dune is.
It also comes into how you look at 'world'. Is it the specific land/nation/planet that is the major setting, or the entire cosmology that it entails? I tend to look at the later, which is why Amber is so prominent in my list.
Oh, and crap, I forgot a HUGE one - Moorcock's Eternal Champion series. The most famous is Elric, Melnibonea and the Young Kingdoms, but Hawkmoon and Corum are also exceptional fantasy epics. That's one as well where you look at the entire cosmology - that's a pretty impressive creation, especially when you factor in the other stories (Dancers at the End of Time, the Erekose cycle).
I don't put Dune in as fantasy, though I can see the elements. It's certainly not hard scifi, but very little is these days. Star Wars is more of a fantasy than Dune is.
It also comes into how you look at 'world'. Is it the specific land/nation/planet that is the major setting, or the entire cosmology that it entails? I tend to look at the later, which is why Amber is so prominent in my list.
Oh, and crap, I forgot a HUGE one - Moorcock's Eternal Champion series. The most famous is Elric, Melnibonea and the Young Kingdoms, but Hawkmoon and Corum are also exceptional fantasy epics. That's one as well where you look at the entire cosmology - that's a pretty impressive creation, especially when you factor in the other stories (Dancers at the End of Time, the Erekose cycle).
I agree very much. Death Gate had a lot of that. Personally I love the idea of rune magic, which is inspired by quantum mechanics.
darkwing_duck1
Vice Admiral
What, no love for Mercedes Lackey's "Bedlam's Bard/Serrated Edge" universe? 
Tolkien notwithstanding, I'd vote for the Realms (up until Wizards took over) and/or Dragonlance (pre Age of Man).
Tolkien notwithstanding, I'd vote for the Realms (up until Wizards took over) and/or Dragonlance (pre Age of Man).
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