A Whole New World

One of the great things about fiction is the escape from reality.  World building can be complex, such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings, Narnia, I think you get the point.  Or it can be set in a world not unlike our own, only off a little.  Characters living in a building that doesn’t really exist, filled with people each with their own distinct personalities and lives.  It is masterwork. 

There are several masters of world building but a few of my personal favorites are Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, and the always amazing Stephen King.  Each of these amazing writer’s craft a world filled with realism and fantasy.  We know there are no shape shifting creatures, people who hibernate through the winter, or an entire mysterious land of magic hiding on the other side of a wall.  Yet, as we read It, Early Riser, or Stardust the worlds we are embarking into feel real.  Some, like the King-iverse, are terrifying and you’re more than happy to just read and kindly close your book and not ponder what life would be like in Derry, but others, like Stormhold, you wouldn’t mind going for a vacation. 

It isn’t all about location.  A big part of the places is the atmosphere.  These masters of the craft pull you in through the perfect use of scenery and narrative, but with such subtly that causes your imagination to do most of the work.  You know you are reading a good book when you forget you are even reading words on a page, instead you are in a world from the imagination of another person.  So, if you are looking for a unique, and realistic setting, I recommend picking up a book by Jasper Fforde, Neil Gaiman, or even Stephen King.