The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik is one I go back to every now and then. Historical fiction where dragons serve the purpose of air force during the Napoleonic Wars in England. I stared reading, but also quite like the audible narration.
Earthsea by a country mile.
Came here to say this! All the different islands with their overlapping but different cultures, talking dragons, great magic system. It’s awesome. I love the nomadic tribes on their huge floating rafts, especially.
Discworld - I just love stories from Terry Pratchet and there are lots of them (40 books).
This is my answer as well. It’s not at all because the world [building] is so compelling – there are better (well, crunchier) books out there for that – but the recurring characters and settings and themes, make this series a total comfort to go back to every few years. It’s like a warm blanket.
Boring answer, but probably Middle-earth/Arda. Just such a well-crafted world with deep and interesting lore.
Runner up would be Bas-Lag from China Miéville’s books. Very unique, somewhat Lovecraftian steampunk world with many weird inhabitants.
Alagaësia, 1st high fantasy book of mine + interesting magic system
Before Disney it used to be Star Wars because it has so much potential for any kind of story. You can go super science fictiony without encountering any kind of fantasy elements. You can have a western type setting, dystopia, magic, drama, comedy, any weird combination of them all.
Roshar, in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books in the Stormlight Archive series. Everything from the magic system and the cultures to the animal life and the weather patterns are all really unique and totally immerse you in the world. Absolute masterclass worldbuilding.
The entire Cosmere are the best books I’ve read and the most I’ve been obsessively invested in a story.
And that’s saying something, I’ve been obsessed with some damn stories in my time
One of mine is wizarding world from harry potter universe.
Depends on the definition of fantasy. Star trek if its not limited to sword and sorcery. Then maybe xanth if it has to be magic. This is based on where I would want to live if I was in one because most of them are horrific or at least have all sorts of wars and conflicts and the average person does not have it so good.
Xanth isn’t exactly the bastion of safety either.
Oops, you went to the beach and stepped into quicksand and now you’ve aged so far that you’ve become sand.
Maybe a little old-fashioned (the first book was written in the 60’s), but I love Jack Vance’s Gaean Reach setting. Thousands of worlds with each of them containing a multitude of civilizations, each of those with their own strange customs. Some of them advanced, others medieval and some of them almost completely alien.
For me it is one of the best universes when it comes to exploration and experiencing new worlds.Warhammer: Fantasy world. I didn’t get into 40k that much, and that world, especially in End Times before killing it off for a remaster was so vivid, morbid and satirical. Having both strategy and shooter games of a refined quality helped it too.
Other than that, MythAdventures by Robert Lynn Asprin. Isn’t consistent, didn’t age well, but I love to reread these books from time to time. I really liked some jokes and characters here.
I’m deep into 40k but have always wanted to delve into the fantasy side of things. Any books you’d recommend as an entry point?
You caught me without pants as I just left one desktop for another and lost my collection I torrented from rutracker (most of it is abandoned anyway). I remember Goetrik and Fenix being a funny series of books, and from the lore books something called Black Library (?) published great in-world books, including a very cool medievally stylized manual for inquisitors.
Guess it’s their site: https://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000
I can produce a magnet link to both if you are interested.
I’m quite interested actually…
The first thing of G&F journey:
https://files.catbox.moe/koaxzg.epub
A collection of WH:F books
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1C9D191DD27E67E7AFE5A936C99881953C96B0CD&tr=http%3A%2F%2Fbt2.t-ru.org%2Fann%3Fmagnet&dn=%5BWargame%5D%20Games%20Workshop%20-%20Warhammer%20Fantasy%20Roleplay%20Collection%20%5B1986-2010%2C%20PDF%2C%20ENG%5D
I can upload more books if you’d find that one interesting.
Pern. Just the quirk of it’s physical environment that I don’t want to give away, and the way people lived because of it felt very unique to me. It was so integral to the stories, too. You often see unusual environments in fantasy and sci-fi, but often only while setting the stage.
One of the things I like about the Pern universe (similar to the Wool universe) is that you start with a technologically advanced society that (for whatever reason) loses knowledge, and the way that hidden history impacts society over extended periods
That too!
Possibly considered a bit basic or boring, but definitely Tolkien for me. It’s a classic for a reason, and personally it is still so special to me
One of my earliest and dearest childhood memories was my dad reading the Hobbit to me when I was quite small. We later read the trilogy books as well. Loved them all. Recently read them all with my daughter, creating a whole new set of precious memories.
Malazan.
Most books, including the ten book series, are by Steven Erickson. There are several other books by Ian C. Esselmont. Read them in publication order regardless of author.
I would say Ascendance of a Bookworm is my favorite but it’s not The Best world.
Disc World would be the best. Naussica from the valley of wind, and Made in Abyss had very good worlds but they lack depth.
