TOP 5 FANTASY UNIVERSES

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Having taken a tour through worlds of spaceships and aliens, time to look at worlds of swords and sorcery.

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RowanJColeman

I have been utterly *obsessed* with Tolkien since I was thirteen years old. I am still am. To me his work defines what the great man himself called 'heroic romance', just as Trek and latterly Mass Effect embody SF. However I am glad you mentioned Conan as well.

What draws me to the 'hyborian' setting is the fact Conan is effectively struggling against the death throes of a ruined world--our Earth of the distant past, probably in what is now called the 'Younger Dryas' period. Everything he does is really just kicking up the dust left over from the destruction of Atlantis. In many ways the world of Conan is effectively a post-apocalyptic setting, except so far decayed from its technological height that what remains of humanity has devolved to sword and sandal. Only shattered ruins and hidden tombs offer the most broken and ancient glimpse of what once was.

morelenmir

The reason I love this channel is you pick all the best settings: Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Farscape, Stargate, Mass Effect, Warhammer, JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What do they share in common? Maybe great world-building... ...they are so vital, imaginative, believable, naturalistic and full of life. They arn't dour or cynical. Maybe they are the most adventure-filled settings ever made, and adventure is important to our nature. They are like entire universes as vivid as our own, capable of hosting any story. You sometimes feel like an anthropologist discovering new lost cultures when you step into them. They all have a philosophical position and arn't afraid of showing it.

LazarusRemains

The Elder Scrolls world is truly unique. And it is so full of stories...

ub-relax

Love Robert E Howard. For something written nearly 100 years ago it's still fresh.

deegx

Rowan: puts LOTR in first place

Everyone: so, you have chosen life

Youbeentagged

Pleasantly surprised that my top three is the same as yours. I don't know what it is about JRR Tolkien, nostalgia, purity, innocence, or whatever, it just speaks to the very essence of my soul. The standard to which all will forever be compared. I will check Paragon out after my next paycheck here at school. This is one of the better YouTube channels out there, thank you for the work that you do.

CorbelanIV

Most of these have characters traveling around the world so there's room to explore it. I liked the Dark Crystal world, although the story deals mainly with characters that are either dying or nearly extinct. Aside from the UrSkeks/UrRu/Skeksis, Aughra appears to be the only one of her race and the Gelflings appear to be nearly extinct. The land looks like it will be taken over by the Podlings. But it does have quite a variety of species.

writerpatrick

I'm a simple man, you say Conan, The Hyborean Age, I hit like.

That said, I think the Malazan Universe of Steven Erikson and ICE eats Westeros for lunch. Even more so, since Erikson had the temerity to actually finish the main line sequence himself.

shawngillogly

Personal Top Five: (I'm picky with Fantasy, so my picks might be uncommon, but fun regardless)

5. How to Train Your Dragon
A fun trilogy of movies which opened up a really fun world of dragons and Vikings. Not much else to say there really.

4. Elder Scrolls
Skyrim was a very very VERY pleasant surprise for me as a gamer, and an eye opener into this universe. I live exploring its history and lore, even if it can borrow elements from other universes. That, and it's just fun to immerse yourself in for hours and hours at a time.

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender
I was in denial with this show for the longest time back in the day, but it's hard to deny just how awesome the show and the world is. Haven't seen the spinoff, but I'm sure it only adds.

2. Samurai Jack
Maybe a borderline call since it kinda combines fantasy and sci-fi a lot of the time, but the result is nothing short of great.

1. Lord of the Rings
Yeah... you really can't top Middle Earth.

Hey, my question got picked! Hope I can present another fun question again one day. :)

ThrashMetallix

Stephen R. Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series is my all time favorite after Tolkien. Then there is also David and Leigh Eddings Two series. I also agree with the comment about the Amber series it was great too.

Delvos

A bit of a cheat option would be the Planescape setting from D&D. It includes the Forgotten Realms, Mystara, Eberron, Dark Sun, and all the others. Lots of fantastic lore between those.

Lallander

One Fantasy realm often overlooked in my opinion is the universe built in the *Diablo* franchise of video games. The mortal realm known as Sanctuary is home to Demons, Angels, Wizards, Monks, Barbarians, Necromancers, Amazon Warriors, Pigmy Tribes, Vodoo Doctors and of course stuck in the middle of it all you're every day mortal human. When you really start to read about the world itself it truly is an amazing setting.

sliphazard

I'd make a case for The Land from Stephen Donaldson's books (forget the third series). Memorable characters, creative and unique races (much more interesting than orcs and ents), evocative language (English and otherwise), complex personalities, and striking, vivid geography. And he even makes you root for a guy who's knowingly guilty of rape and incest (long story there). Who needs Rangers when you've got Haruchai? My favorite line: "There's only one way to hurt a man who's lost everything. Give him back something broken."

tctheunbeliever