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
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.
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.but they lack depth.
Read the mangas, both of them are absolutely packed with a ton of detail that never made it into the animes.
Naussica especially, there’s a whole worldwide ancient apocalypse buried in there on top of a VERY unique and well thought out ecosystem.
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.
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.
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.
Me too. Middle earth is my haven. LOTR is both my favorite book and favorite movie. I have even enjoyed other Tolkien content including the Silmarillion, the Hobbit movies, and the Rings of Power. I know they’re not LOTR standard but they are still enjoyable and don’t detract from what I love about Tolkien’s universe.
Earthsea by a country mile.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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I don’t remember that last one being in the movies…
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.
well if you know the land it should not be to bad. Its hard to identify a fantasy world were the average person gets the benefits.
