![]() From the story of Middle-Earth’s creation, to the forging of the Similaris and so much more, Middle-Earth is arguably the most well-detailed and fleshed out fantasy world ever conceived.ĭid we forget any of your personal favorite fantasy realms. To that end, he created an entire history and lore for Middle-Earth that is only hinted at in the Lord of the Rings. His goal was to create a mythology that would be distinctly British but separate from Arthurian lore. However, even if Middle-Earth weren’t the father of fantasy worlds, it would still be number one on this list simply because of the sheer amount of depth Tolkien injected into his vision. ![]() Elves being an immortal wise race, orcs being barbaric savages, and a dark lord seeking to conquer the world - it can all be found in Middle-Earth. It might not have been the first fantasy world, but it’s without a doubt the most famous, and it originated many of the tropes readers have come to expect from the genre. We couldn’t write a list about best fantasy worlds and not include Middle-Earth. This has worked to the series' benefit, as it is able to appeal to both fantasy fans and non-fans alike, widening its appeal and helping it become one of the most successful series in television history. In the end, Martin felt that historical fiction was too limiting for what he wanted to do, so he set the story in his own world, but kept the magic and other fantasy tropes fairly low-key. Martin based the struggle for the Iron Throne off the War of the Roses, and had at one point considered writing a piece of historical fiction as opposed to fantasy. So what makes this world so compelling for fans of fantasy and non-fantasy alike? One of the big things is how grounded the world feels. ![]() In fact, aside from maybe Middle-Earth or the Star Wars galaxy, the world of A Song of Ice and Fire - of which Westeros is merely one part - is probably the most well-known entry on this list. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire needs little in the way of introduction thanks to its popular HBO adaption. It’s very possible that a lot of the ideas that made it into the novels were created as a response to the actions of Erikson’s RPG group, which is certainly an interesting way to create a world - via the world's nerdiest focus group. ![]() Since RPGs are meant to be played as a living evolving story, this mean that the world itself had to evolve as well. Nearly every author draws at least some inspiration from real cultures and history when it comes to creating the history of their own world, but few authors have Steven Erikson’s background in anthropology and archaeology - and it shows in the sheer amount of detail that exists within the Malazan Empire.Īside from the obvious amount of research that was put into this world, another thing that makes it truly unique is that it wasn’t created for a novel, but as a setting for Erikson’s pen and paper RPG campaigns. The past is remembered as myths and stories, and as you read the series you begin to realize that a lot of the myths are real-world stories that have been altered due to time - meaning that Randland is actually some bizarre version of the Earth we know.Ĭreating a memorable fictional world takes a lot of work in order to make it believable, and one of the most important aspects of that creation is research. As the series’ title implies, time is a cycle in this world, and there are seven ages repeating with different variations each time. ![]() One of our favorite groups are the Aiel, a desert-dwelling band of warriors that are based on a combination of traits associated with the Zulu and Japanese.Īnother unique thing about Randland is the way the world’s history and mythology is constructed. Each one is loosely inspired by a real-world culture, but Jordan gives each one enough flavor to make them feel unique. This world is full of various nations, each with their own distinct culture and history. The world in which Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time takes place has never been formally named, so we’ll use the fan given nickname of Randland, inspired by one of the book's main characters, Rand Al’thor. ![]()
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