Probably Warcraft and Starcraft because I grew up playing Warcraft and Starcraft BW. It never gets old to me.
Alagaësia, 1st high fantasy book of mine + interesting magic system
Ah did you like Murtagh? I wish it was a bit longer.
I did finish it in English some days ago and will read it in my language again once it’s translated. I really liked it, but it feels either like the beginning to a whole new saga or likea long side quest.
I agree. It feels like it’s setting up a lot of future works, especially with the way magic worked for the main antagonist.
! Bechel and Azlagur feel like a beginning of laying the explanations for Guntera. !<
The book also made clear how much elvish literature Eragon read in Ellesmera and how important it was that Oromis, Glaedr and Arya talked to Eragon in the Ancient Language. Galbatorix was not a good teacher to Murtagh, but Murtagh was a good student.
I did not quite understand what ‘Concentrate air and light’ was supposed to be. Is it something nuclear?
I don’t recall that quote off the top of my head. What chapter is it in?
It’s in the language addendum, Vindr something.
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 really love the continent Zammonien from the books by Walter Moers, like “The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear”. Just to give you an idea: In one life bluebear goes to nightschool - a school in a mountain lead and taught by an Professor Dr Nachtigaller, who has 7 brains - together with a moutain demon (kind of) and a prince from the 2364. dimension (where everything is made of carpet and people make music on instruments made out of milk) named Qwert Yuiop. Later bluebear gets to the sweet desert, which isn’t filled with sand but with sugar. For the nomadic people of the sweet desert he catches the half-stable fatamorgana City “Anagrom Ataf” in a big pool of molten sugar. You get it. Bluebear being the kings of lairs at one point in the book really fits.
Moers wrote multiple books about that continent. I really love them. I just organized a big station based game about that for my local scouts troop. About 60 kids from 7 to 16 years following my story to rescue Zammonien. Easily dumped 150h of work in that game, but it was really great
Flash Gordon universe.
Particularly from the 1980 space-opera of the same name Flash Gordon. This is a fun movie.
The Land from the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Most people will dismiss it as being a Tolkien-esque immitation (The Ravers as Ringwraiths, the BBEG is very Sauron-like), this is more a fact that there WASN’T much other fantasy writing out there to draw inspiration from.
The real deal is that there are so many amazing and unique fantasy races, the Bloodguard, how giant culture worked, the vile and ur-vile cultures.
Magic also felt like a part of the landscape, and had an essence of good or evil that could affect the very land itself.
The main character is super annoying, full of self-loathing and a sense of powerlessness for most of the series so to me it was more 'putting up with Thomas’s self indulgent whiny uselessness until he observes the next cool scene.
But the cool scenes are so amazing that I can forgive just how terrible he is as a protagonist.
The Culture, because you could have every other world inside it.
I’ve heard really good things about this serie. It’s in my “to be read” list for sure.
The books share a backdrop but have very different themes.
My interest only grows
Consider Phlebas is about an assassin hiding out in a crew of pirates! In space!
Who wrote it? Google is not being helpful
Ian M Banks. Player of Games is the best intro book.
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The wizarding world. I thoroughly enjoy Harry Potter and anything related to it (the books, movies, Hogwarts Legacy game, etc).
Imagine living in a world where you can enrich your life and the things around you with magic, spells, charms…
Truth be told right now it’s One Piece. I never watched / read when I was younger, but was aware of it in the periphery. I watched the first episode of the Netflix adaptation and immediatly decided that it might be worth checking out. 900 some odd episodes later and I’m kinda sad I’m near the end of what’s currently available. Is it dumb as shit? Yes. Is it immensely charming and at times genuinely moving? Yes. Could it use a massive trimming of the fat—oh god yes. But still I love how completely zany the world is and how unabashedly batshit crazy things get.
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.Discworld - I just love stories from Terry Pratchet and there are lots of them (40 books).
GNU Terry Pratchett
GNU Terry Pratchett
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.
Plus one for Discworld. I also really like the way Gods, magic and interplanetary travel worked in the Raymond E Feist Universe (the main planet was midkemia?)
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
Roshar is very cool, but I think I prefer Scadrial. Maybe that’s because I feel like I understand the history of that world a bit more. Plus Allomancy is really cool, but not as cool as Surgebinding.
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.
Same, you were guaranteed an adventure, especially with Jedi Knight
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.
