I love fantastical story worlds. Building them and escaping to them, so for Jenelle Leanne Schmidt’s #fantasymonth hashtag game and blog tour, I knew I had to visit this topic. I thought I would do my top ten favorite story worlds, but I started running out of worlds. Ha!
So, in no particular order, here are my favorite story worlds:
Harry Potter
I mean, come on! A magical world beneath the drab of our daily lives? Yes please! The names of everything. The little shops. The train. It’s like stepping back in time. A reprieve from the crazy muggle world. Although, the magical world can be a lot more crazy and dangerous.
Tales of Goldstone Wood
It’s wild and magical, deep and mind-bending. It blows me away. The near world. The far world. And the in between. You step into one of Stengl’s novels and you never know what you might discover or to where the words will take you.
The DragonKeeper Chronicles
Pet dragons! Do I need to say more? Dragons of various sizes. Ones that can fit in your pocket that can heal you or light your way. Huge ones for riding. Smart ones for chatting about science, philosophy, and art over tea. A fun, charming world with interesting magical attributes gifted in unique ways.
The Afterverse
Beaumont & Beasley. Crockett & Crane. An alternative history in a parallel timeline where fairy tales are real and everything has been turned on its head. Not literally. A play on words and fleeting resemblance of familiarity. The Afterlands. Camelot. Grimmany. The States of Neverica. So much fun and plenty of trouble! Oh, and it has dragons. Mr. Blackfire might be pleased I’m doing my part in keeping the Neverwolves away. Or not. He is a dragon after all.
Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl. Ah. Artemis, you criminal mastermind, how I’ve missed your world! Fairies, elves dwarves, centaurs, and goblins. But not really how we know them to be. They are real and living underground, thanks to the Mud People–humans. Another world that turns fairytales on their heads. I mean, there are LEPrecons! An elite branch of the Lower Elements Police. So much fun!
Middle Earth
Narnia
Hello! Who wouldn’t want to step from our world into another through a wardrobe? Experience an adventure filled with talking animals and fantastical creatures. AND return home in time for supper?
And that makes eight.
You see, this where things are starting to get a little fuzzy for me. Since I attempted to make this a top ten list, I am left scrambling to fill in the remaining slots. But if I could choose Equestria, I would. I love the ponies and their cutie marks and colorful coats. Fun names and the way it reflects our own world, but for ponies. And magic! And Unicorns! Alicorns! Pegasuses, oh my! Pegasi?
Also, would it be tactless to say my own? I am a fantasy author and I LOVE love love creating worlds. I’m not just talking about the World of Nälu. I have at least four other story worlds in various stages of being built. And drawing maps to go with them too. Because you have to have a map. My dream is to be just as creative as the aforementioned story worlds.
And I realize that is only nine. If you allow me my own and Equestria. Ha! Perhaps I shall leave the tenth blank to represent all the fantastical story worlds I have yet to discover!
So now it’s your turn!
Which story worlds are your favorite? And why?
Don’t forget to visit the other blogs on the #fantasymonth tour and see what they are sharing and for a chance to win this really cool letter opener!!
Yessss Amara! I almost never see it on top ten lists, but it really is fabulous, and it would be one of my top choices for if I had to actually live in a fantasy world. (I mean, they seem relatively civilized, there’s a low chance of horrible death, and there are dragons! What more could you want?)
Yes!! And the food sounds fun! Thanks for stopping by!
True! Amara does have very good food. The author clearly recognizes the importance of such things, unlike some other authors I can think of. (Plus, it’s the only fantasy world I know of to canonically have some kind of donut equivalent . . .)
Haha, gotta have donuts! I’ll have to put them in my next book. I’ll probably call them fritters. 😀
Hey, I love the new look on the site! (I guess it has been a while since I stopped by, but it seemed like you took a break for a while so I got out of the habit of checking, I guess).
Anyway. Worlds. You know the odd thing about fantasy worlds? In some cases I actually like the world better than the story that takes place there. That would be the case with Neverending Story and Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Worlds where I enjoy the story as much as the setting would be Le Morte d’Arthur, Wind in the Willows, and the Afterverse.
My favorite of all is Arda which contains both Middle-earth and Valinor, and other lands besides. It’s so rich and full of imagination, so vivid and real, it’s almost like reading history.
Thanks for sharing this. Great topic!
Thank you so much! I’ve missed y’all so much. It was a crazy, dark time for me these past few years. I am slowly getting back into the swing of things, but I’m still wondering if the floor is going to cave underneath me again. We shall see! I’m glad you liked the website. My last one crashed and I was unable to transfer my old blog posts. Life!
I understand about the fantasy worlds. Sometimes it IS the world we fall in love with more than the story or characters, sometimes it’s the story that make us love a world. Neverending Story is such a beautiful world. I muse revisit it soon. I’m in the middle of rewatching the Lord of the Rings, but having a hard time finding the time. Ha! Thanks for stopping by!
Narnia and the Afterverse! Yesssss! Two of my favorites as well.
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by!
Loved this post so much! I agree on all the ones I’ve read! Harry Potter, Middle Earth, Narnia! YES!!!! And I would love to wander around in Goldstone Wood and explore all the things!
I still need to read Artemis Fowl and the DragonKeeper Chronicles.
I also love Nalu!!!! And Equestria totally counts! I’d also love to visit Berk and ride a dragon!
Yea! Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the post. It was fun to write. Ha! And your words warm my heart! Thank you! I completely forgot about Berk! Most definitely ride a dragon! There are so many good books out there to read, so little time! Thank you for stopping by!