This is a list of fictional fantasy worlds and lands. The best-known lands or worlds, not necessarily the most encompassing, are listed. For example, Middle-earth is only a region of Arda in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe, but it is far better known.
Media key:
Setting | Creator | Description | First appearance | Year | Media |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abeir-Toril | Ed Greenwood | The planet that serves as the setting of the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms . | Darkwalker on Moonshae | 1987 | G N C V F |
Adventure Time world (Land of Ooo) | Pendleton Ward | In a world, besides composed of a vast ocean and a single continent, some planets and several parallel universes. | Adventure Time | 2007 | T |
Alagaësia | Christopher Paolini | A continent in Christopher Paolini's The Inheritance Cycle and in The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (Tales from Alagaësia). | Eragon | 2003 | N F |
Albion | Lionhead Studios | Primary setting of the Fable series. | Fable | 2004 | V N |
Almea | Mark Rosenfelder | A fantasy world built in part to house Rosenfelder's many artistic constructed languages. | zompist.com | 2006 | O |
Asgard | Marvel Comics realm based on Norse mythology. | Journey into Mystery | 1962 | C T F V | |
Avalon | Marvel Comics realm based on Welsh mythology. | Fantastic Four | 1966 | C | |
Averoigne | Clark Ashton Smith | A fictional French province. | The End of the Story | 1930 | N |
Azeroth | Blizzard Entertainment | Primary setting of the Warcraft franchise. | Warcraft: Orcs & Humans | 1994 | A C F G V N |
Barsoom | Edgar Rice Burroughs | A version of Mars inhabited by various species of intelligent life | Under the Moons of Mars | 1912 | N C F G |
Bas-Lag | China Mieville | Setting of several China Miéville novels, a world where both magic and steampunk technology exist; and many intelligent races live. It is influenced by the tropes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. | Perdido Street Station | 2000 | N |
Continent | Andrzej Sapkowski | The fantasy setting of The Witcher franchise. | The Witcher | 1986 | C F G N T V |
Corona | R. A. Salvatore | World of The DemonWars Saga and The Highwayman | The Demon Awakens | 1997 | N |
Darkover | Marion Zimmer Bradley | This science fantasy series is set on a planet colonized by humans, but with native intelligent races. | The Planet Savers | 1958 | N G |
Deltora | Emily Rodda | The setting for the Deltora Quest series of children's novels | The Forests of Silence | 2000 | N A V |
Destiny Islands and other worlds | Square | The multiple worlds that make up the setting of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. | Kingdom Hearts | 2002 | V M |
Dinotopia | James Gurney | An island where humans and dinosaurs peacefully coexist. | Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time | 1992 | N T F V |
Discworld | Terry Pratchett | A vast disc of land resting on four elephants which stand on a giant turtle. Setting of the Discworld series. | The Colour of Magic | 1983 | N V M G T |
Dragon World | Akira Toriyama | The setting of all Toriyama works, mainly Dragon Ball . | Wonder Island | 1979 | A C F T V |
Dreamlands | H. P. Lovecraft and others | An alternate dimension entered only via dreams. | Polaris | 1918 | N G |
Dying Earth | Jack Vance | A worn-out Earth with a dying Sun in the far distant future where magic prevails. | The Dying Earth | 1950 | N G |
Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin | A planet consisting of numerous islands. | The Word of Unbinding | 1964 | N T R A |
Emelan | Tamora Pierce | Setting of the Emelan series of novels | Sandry's Book | 1997 | N |
Encantadia | Suzette Doctolero | A realm that serves as the setting for the Encantadia Filipino franchise. | Encantadia | 2005 | T F V |
Equestria | Lauren Faust | The setting of the fourth and fifth generations of the My Little Pony franchise. | My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic | 2010 | T C V |
Eternia | Roger Sweet | The home world of the Masters of the Universe animated series. | 1981 | O C N V T F | |
Etheria | Larry DiTillio J. Michael Straczynski | The mythical world of the She-Ra: Princess of Power animated series. | She-Ra: Princess of Power | 1985 | T O C |
Exandria | Matt Mercer | Setting for the Dungeons & Dragons games played on the web series Critical Role. | Critical Role | 2018 | O G T |
Filgaia | Media.Vision | Multiple worlds sharing the same name. The main setting of the Wild Arms series. | Wild Arms | 1996 | A V |
The Four Lands | Terry Brooks | The post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest following a nuclear holocaust is the setting for the Shannara novel series | The Sword of Shannara | 1977 | N V T |
The Four Nations | Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko | The setting of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise | Avatar: The Last Airbender | 2005 | T F C V |
Gielinor | Jagex Limited | Primary setting for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape . | RuneScape Classic | 2001 | V M |
Glorantha | Greg Stafford | The setting of numerous tabletop games, including RuneQuest and HeroQuest | White Bear and Red Moon | 1975 | G V N C |
Gor | John Norman | A planet in the Solar System | Tarnsman of Gor | 1966 | N F |
Green–sky | Zilpha Keatley Snyder | Setting of the Green Sky Trilogy of novels | Below the Root | 1975 | N V |
Greyhawk | Gary Gygax | A campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons . | World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting | 1980 | G N |
Halkeginia | Noboru Yamaguchi | A world whose social structure is similar to that of medieval Europe. | The Familiar of Zero | 2004 | N A |
Fictional universe of Harry Potter | J. K. Rowling | The Wizarding World co-exists with and is mainly hidden from the mundane world of the non-magical Muggles. | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | 1997 | N F G P |
The Homelands | Bill Willingham | Setting of the Fables comics and spin-offs based on fairy tales, folklore, and nursery rhymes. | Legends in Exile | 2002 | C V |
Hyborian Age | Robert E. Howard | A fictional prehistoric period of Earth's history placed by most around 10,000 BC, in which Conan the Barbarian rampaged. | The Phoenix on the Sword | 1932 | N C G F V T |
Hyrule | Shigeru Miyamoto Takashi Tezuka | A kingdom that is the main setting of The Legend of Zelda franchise. | The Legend of Zelda | 1986 | A C N T V |
Ivalice | Yasumi Matsuno | Setting of multiple video games, including Final Fantasy Tactics , Vagrant Story , Final Fantasy Tactics Advance , and Final Fantasy XII . | Final Fantasy Tactics | 1997 | A R V |
Krynn | Margaret Weis , Tracy Hickman, and numerous others | Setting of the Dragonlance games and novels, Dungeons & Dragons RPG. | Dragons of Despair | 1984 | G N V C F |
Kulthea (Shadow World) | Terry K. Amthor | Setting of the Rolemaster RPG. | The Iron Wind | 1980 | G N |
The Land | Stephen R. Donaldson | Location of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series of novels. | Lord Foul's Bane | 1977 | N |
Magic Kingdom of Landover | Terry Brooks | Setting for six novels and two short stories | Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! | 1986 | N |
Lankhmar | Fritz Leiber | A city on the primitive world of Nehwon, home of the rogues Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. | Two Sought Adventure | 1939 | N G C |
Malazan World | Steven Erikson | Setting of the Malazan Books of the Fallen novels | Gardens of the Moon | 1999 | N |
Magic: The Gathering multiverse | Richard Garfield | A collection of planes, including Dominaria, where most of the action occurs. | Magic: The Gathering | 1993 | G N C V |
Magnamund | Joe Dever , Ben Dever and Vincent Lazzari | Lone Wolf gamebooks and d20 system. | Flight from the Dark | 1984 | N V G |
Melniboné | Michael Moorcock | Island homeland of Elric of Melniboné. | The Dreaming City | 1961 | N C G |
Middle-earth | J. R. R. Tolkien | The setting for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit . See also Arda, of which Middle-earth is a part. | The Hobbit | 1937 | N P F R C G V |
Mid-World | Stephen King | The setting for King's The Dark Tower novel series | "The Little Sisters of Eluria" | 1998 | N C V F |
Mushroom Kingdom | Shigeru Miyamoto | Primary setting of the Mario franchise. | Super Mario Bros. | 1985 | A C N T V |
Myst worlds | Rand Miller Robyn Miller | Various worlds, referred to as "Ages", featured in the Myst franchise. | Myst | 1993 | V N C G |
Mystara | Lawrence Schick , Tom Moldvay et al. | Setting of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG, initially the Known World. [1] | The Isle of Dread [1] | 1981 [1] | G N V |
Narnia | C. S. Lewis | Setting for The Chronicles of Narnia series of children's novels. | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 1950 | N T R P F |
Neverland | J. M. Barrie | A fictional island, home to Peter Pan. | Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up | 1904 | P F T V R |
Nirn | Bethesda Game Studios | The primary setting of The Elder Scrolls franchise. | The Elder Scrolls: Arena | 1994 | N V G |
One Piece world (unnamed?) | Eiichiro Oda | A world composed of a vast ocean and a single continent. | One Piece | 1997 | A V N |
Land of Oz | L. Frank Baum | A magical country in which 14 Baum children's novels are set. | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | 1900 | N P F T |
Pellucidar | Edgar Rice Burroughs | Another world 500 miles underneath the Earth's surface. | At the Earth's Core | 1914 | N C F T |
Pern | Anne McCaffrey | A planet settled by humans using spaceships. Setting for the science fantasy Dragonriders of Pern series. Note that McCaffrey considered herself a writer of science fiction, not fantasy. | Weyr Search | 1967 | N G C V |
Planescape Multiverse | TSR, Inc. | The planes of existence beyond the standard worlds of the Dungeons & Dragons game, most detailed in the Planescape setting. | Manual of the Planes | 1987 | G N V |
Prydain | Lloyd Alexander | The country of The Chronicles of Prydain , consisting of five children's novels and assorted short stories. | The Book of Three | 1964 | N F |
Rifts | Kevin Siembieda | Setting of the Rifts role playing game by Palladium Books. | Rifts: Role-Playing Game | 1990 | G N V |
Rokugan | John Zinser et al. | Setting of Legend of the Five Rings , based on historical East Asian cultures. [2] | Legend of the Five Rings collectible card game | 1995 | G N |
Sartorias-deles | Sherwood Smith | Setting for many of the books by Sherwood Smith | Crown Duel | 1997 | N |
Spira | Yoshinori Kitase Motomu Toriyama | The world in which Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 take place. | Final Fantasy X | 2001 | V |
Tékumel | M. A. R. Barker | A technological world is suddenly cast into a "pocket dimension". Reversing the usual sequence of events, Barker spent decades building his elaborate, detailed world before designing the initial tabletop role-playing game. | Empire of the Petal Throne | 1974 | G N |
Thedas | BioWare | The primary setting of the Dragon Age franchise. | Dragon Age: Origins | 2009 | V N C A G |
Thieves' World | Robert Asprin | A collective setting for stories by numerous authors. | Thieves' World | 1979 | N T C |
Titan | Marc Gascoigne , Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone | Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and RPG. | Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World | 1986 | G N |
Tortall | Tamora Pierce | Setting of the Tortall series of boosk. | Alanna: The First Adventure | 1983 | N |
Tyria | ArenaNet | Setting for the Guild Wars series. | Guild Wars | 2005 | V N |
Uresia | S. John Ross | Anime-inspired setting for Big Eyes, Small Mouth and d20 system RPGs. | Uresia: Grave of Heaven | 2003 | G |
Warhammer World | Bryan Ansell Richard Halliwell Rick Priestley | The setting of the Warhammer franchise. | Warhammer The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game | 1983 | G N V C |
Westeros | George R. R. Martin | The continent in which most of the A Song of Ice and Fire series takes place. | A Game of Thrones | 1996 | N T C V |
The World of the Wheel | Robert Jordan | Also referred to as "The Randlands", the setting of The Wheel of Time series. | The Eye of the World | 1990 | N C G V T |
Witch World | Andre Norton | A world in a parallel universe where magic works. | Witch World | 1963 | N G |
Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | An underground realm accessed through a rabbit hole. | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | 1865 | N P F C T |
World of Two Moons | Wendy and Richard Pini | An Earth-like world, the setting of the Elfquest comic book series. | "Fire and Flight" | 1978 | C G |
World of Darkness | Mark Rein-Hagen | Setting of the series of tabletop role-playing games of the same name, where "vampires, werewolves, and wizards lurking behind our mundane reality." [3] | Vampire: The Masquerade | 1991 | G V T C O |
Xanth | Piers Anthony | Locale for 44 novels and counting. | A Spell for Chameleon | 1977 | N G V |
Yrth | Steve Jackson Games | GURPS Fantasy setting | Orcslayer | 1985 | G |
Zothique | Clark Ashton Smith | Setting of the Zothique cycle of short stories. | The Empire of the Necromancers | 1932 | N |
The Robot Series is a series of thirty-seven science fiction short stories and six novels created by American writer Isaac Asimov, published from 1940 to 1995. The series is set in a world where sentient positronic robots serve a number of purposes in society. To ensure their loyalty, the Three Laws of Robotics are programmed into these robots, with the intent of preventing them from ever becoming a danger to humanity. Later, Asimov would merge the Robot series with his Foundation series.
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A fictional universe is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative work or work of art, most commonly associated with works of fantasy and science fiction. Fictional universes appear in novels, comics, films, television shows, video games, art, and other creative works.
A parallel universe, also known as an alternate universe, parallel world, parallel dimension, alternate reality, or alternative dimension, is a hypothetical self-contained plane of existence, co-existing with one's own. The sum of all potential parallel universes that constitute reality is often called a "multiverse". While the six terms are generally synonymous and can be used interchangeably in most cases, there is sometimes an additional connotation implied with the term "alternate universe/reality" that implies that the reality is a variant of our own, with some overlap with the similarly named alternate history.
A fantasy world or fictional world is a world created for fictional media, such as literature, film or games. Typical fantasy worlds feature magical abilities. Some worlds may be a parallel world connected to Earth via magical portals or items ; an imaginary universe hidden within ours ; a fictional Earth set in the remote past or future ; an alternative version of our History ; or an entirely independent world set in another part of the universe.
Following are lists of fictional locations, as large as a universe and as small as a pub.
The canon of a work of fiction is "the body of works taking place in a particular fictional world that are widely considered to be official or authoritative; [especially] those created by the original author or developer of the world". Canon is contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction and other derivative works.
Sam Witwer is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in Battlestar Galactica, Davis Bloome in Smallville, Aidan Waite in Being Human, Mr. Hyde in Once Upon a Time, Ben Lockwood in Supergirl, and Rupert Chipping in Riverdale.
The term expanded universe, sometimes called an extended universe, is generally used to denote the "extension" of a media franchise with other media, generally comics and original novels. This typically involves new stories for existing characters already developed within the franchise, but in some cases entirely new characters and complex mythology are developed. This is not necessarily the same as an adaptation, which is a retelling of the same story that may or may not adhere to the accepted canon. It is contrasted with a sequel that merely continues the previous narrative in a linear sequence. Nearly every media franchise with a committed fan base has some form of expanded universe.
Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world or setting, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing the world with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, culture and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers. Worldbuilding often involves the creation of geography, a backstory, flora, fauna, inhabitants, technology and often if writing speculative fiction, different peoples. This may include social customs as well as invented languages for the world.
The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and the Solar System are a staple element in many works of the science fiction genre.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fiction:
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or world of the overall project. It is common in genres like science fiction. It differs from collaborative writing in which multiple artists are working together on the same work and from crossovers where the works and characters are independent except for a single meeting.
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditional narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose – often referring specifically to novels, novellas, and short stories. More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. The publishing industry divides fiction into adult fiction, young adult fiction, new adult fiction, and children's fiction.
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Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and social advancements in faster-than-light travel, futuristic weapons, and sophisticated technology, on a backdrop of galactic empires and interstellar wars with fictional aliens, often in fictional galaxies. The term does not refer to opera music, but instead originally referred to the melodrama, scope, and formulaicness of operas, much as used in "horse opera", a 1930s phrase for a clichéd and formulaic Western film, and "soap opera", a melodramatic television series. Space operas emerged in the 1930s and continue to be produced in literature, film, comics, television, video games and board games.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fantasy:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire media franchise: