Top 10 Fantasy Worlds of All Time

Overview

The video is a fast-paced “Top 10 fantasy worlds” countdown focused on worldbuilding—prioritizing settings that feel believable while still being wildly imaginative. It also follows a strict rule:

• None of the listed worlds can take place on Earth, with a small allowance for ancient/near-unrecognizable Earth.

The host frames the list as personal preference, while also considering what these worlds have influenced.

Top 10 Picks (Main Highlights & Why They Stand Out)

1. Middle-earth (J.R.R. Tolkien) Still #1 for its depth, mythology, languages, and recorded history (spanning 32,000 years). The host emphasizes that it’s more than The Lord of the Rings, pointing to The Silmarillion, and defends Tolkien as an unmatched “life’s work.”

2. The Wheel of Time’s “Randland” (unnamed world) Praised for feeling culturally authentic across many nations, plus an exceptionally detailed magic system tied to the One Power and its consequences—especially taint causing insanity for male channelers. The host stresses the scale: 14 main books + a prequel, with history and metaphysics built over thousands of years.

3. Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson) Called a “cheat” because it’s a connected universe. Favorites mentioned include:

   • Scadrial (Mistborn): ash-covered atmosphere, historical mysteries, and a metal-based magic system (“burning” metals).
   • Roshar (Stormlight Archive): a planet shaped by recurring, world-altering storms.

4. Westeros / the Known World (A Song of Ice and Fire) Noted for region-specific cultures and atmospheres, and for using names to signal origin. The host calls its mystery handling “S-tier,” using layers of ancient ruins and overwritten history. It’s also praised for its geopolitical (and partially real-history-inspired) feel.

5. The Continent (The Witcher) Described as dark, realistic, and often bleak—yet with humor. The video highlights trope-subversion, including the idea that humans are frequently the true monsters, alongside deep politics.

6. Castle Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake) Presented as a sprawling, ancient labyrinth that feels alive and oppressive. It’s praised as “wonderfully strange,” though the host warns it’s slow and dense, with later-book pacing described as more fragmented (including a note that the author’s dementia affected later work).

7. The Realm of the Elderlings (Robin Hobb) Celebrated for expansive detail across multiple series, vivid environmental description, and character-driven storytelling centered on Fitz and his complicated relationship with the Fool. The host emphasizes realism: hardship, flawed characters, no “Mary Sues,” and that the saga is completed.

8. Discworld (Terry Pratchett) Defined by absurd cosmology: the disc carried on elephants atop a space turtle. Ankh-Morpork is singled out as a standout “favorite fictional city,” featuring legalized crime, a massive cast, and Unseen University. The host also praises how the series keeps refreshing perspectives across many novels.

9. The Realm of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) Positioned as portal fantasy with wonder and classic landmarks (like the lamp-post + wardrobe), plus biblical undertones. The host leans into nostalgia—road trips with audiobooks, and adaptations such as the BBC 1988 miniseries—and jokes that Narnia doesn’t get enough modern credit.

10. Osten Ard (Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn) Praised for landmark influence: bridging quest-fantasy roots with added political turmoil. The continent is described as packed with cities, cultures, and “living-breathing” complexity. The starter plot follows Simon, a kitchen boy pulled into a salvation quest tied to power-swords and a dying land.

Special Notes / Recurring Jokes and Asides

• Narnia nostalgia: the host recalls road trips listening to audiobooks, growing up with multiple adaptations, and includes a humorous aside about the BBC 1988 miniseries (“was that a fever dream?”).
• “Elephant in the room”: Discworld is explicitly called out as a must-include because of its distinctive, hilarious structure and its city-as-a-character quality.
• “Cheating” confession: Cosmere is grouped together because it contains multiple worlds within one connected universe.

Honorable Mentions (Not Full Top 10)

The host quickly spotlights additional settings, including:

• Forgotten Realms (D&D)
• The Stillness (Broken Earth trilogy)
• First Law world (Joe Abercrombie)
• Dragonlance / Kren
• Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin)
• Old Kingdom (Garth Nix)
• Malazan (not included due to insufficient reading so far)
• Tamerand / Kingkiller Chronicle (Patrick Rothfuss)

Main Personalities Mentioned at the End

• The host/creator (unnamed in the transcript)
• Subscribers / “one of my subscribers” (not named)