We are at a convention. The topic is posted on the whiteboard outside the room: What is the best fantasy world?
Three fans come up behind me, as I am waiting to go inside.
Fan A: (to closed door) What’s going to be in here?
Fan B: The panel on ‘The Best Fantasy Worlds.’
Fan C: See you later, guys, I’ll be in the bar.
Fan A: What? You, who’ve read every fantasy printed?
Fan C: Exactly. Or tried to read. If any authors are on that panel, I don’t want to be anywhere near it.
Fan A: Why not? You don’t like hearing them talk about their story construction and world building?
Fan C: Not with a title like ‘Best Fantasy Worlds.’ What we’ll hear is how brilliant they think their own creation is. And if the other panelists have good manners, they either nod brightly and say, “Yep, sure is!” or else they play Dueling Mics to yap about how much better theirs is. I don’t like any ‘It’s all about me’ topics unless it’s Terry Pratchett because at least he’s funny.
Fan B: Well, who’s on it? Or, maybe they won’t be allowed to promote their own world, but have to talk about best worlds from other people?
Fan C: I’d go to that. Unless–
Fans A and B (together): Right, unless it’s got Twilight fans on it.
Fan B: (waving hand) Yeah, we’ve been there, heard the rant.
Fan C: (arms crossed): Just saying.
Doors are still closed.
Fan A: So . . . what fantasy worlds are the best, anyway? I mean once you get Middle Earth out of the way?
Fan B: Who says Middle Earth is the best?
Fans A and C: What???
Fan B: Well, what do they mean by ‘best’–most details? Longest worked on? Tolkien’s got it made in the shade there, all right, except maybe for L Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson.
Fan C: And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle–
Fan A: How about Barsetshire? With or without Angela Thirkell?
Fan B: (galloping over them) OR do they mean best stories from, or do they mean would you want to go there? Well, what I’m saying is, I wouldn’t want to go to Middle Earth. There’s nothing for women to do, and was there any mention of toilets? I don’t think so! Just imagine chamber pots being tossed down the levels at Gondor . . . and which level would we plebes be stuck on? The top, with Denethor and the royalty? I don’t think so!
Fans A and C: (noises of gross-out)
Fan B: Well, so what is it? Like, I love Glen Cook’s stories, but I wouldn’t want to spend one second in his world. Not one second. GRRM either. Any vampire novel, or one of those ones with evil faerie going around offing humans. I guess I’d go to Georgette Heyer’s London because everybody is an aristocrat, and there’s the great clothes and–
Fan A: (thumb to chest) Unless you’re a Jew. All Jews in Heyerworld are greasy and money-grubbing.
Fan C: Or if you’re a servant, you just love being in your place. Better be a pretty aristocrat governess, because you are guaranteed a handsome duke or earl. Me, I’d rather go to Robin McKinley’s Damar. Or one of Sharon Shinn’s worlds. Neal Stephenson’s worlds, definitely. Jay Lake’s Mainspring world might be kinda cool, if you’re into the gear thing.
Fan A: There are a lot of worlds I’d go to only if I can be someone else. Heroine for sure, unless it’s somebody’s tragedy. Sidekick’s okay. Just not a redshirt. But there aren’t many worlds I’d want to go to being a pudgy, far-sighted nerd who faints at the sight of blood and is allergic to pollen.
Fan C: Isn’t that more of a cosplaying question than ‘best fantasy world’?
Fan A: (shrug) Just trying to figure out what ‘best’ means. Best cool inventions, best story, best setting, best appendices?
Fan B: Well, my favorite fantasy writer is Terry Pratchett, but I wouldn’t want to be on Discworld–Pratchett keeps going on about how much Ankh Morpork stinks. You ask for a glass of water and you’re dead. And about the only hot guy is Carrot. The rest are all like Nobby Nobbs.
Fan A: There is only one Nobby . . . whatever he is.
Fan C: World to go to…hmmm…I bet Earthsea would be boring, it’d be just like Discworld in the way of better to read about than to be there. I dunno, where do people like to play with other worlds most? You know, fan fiction? That would probably give you an idea which worlds are ‘best’ for a definition of people liking to spend time there.
Fan B: Back to reading or writing about a place as opposed to your very own personal body being there. I’d read about Middle Earth if Tolkien wanted to come back to life and write more about Gondor or the Rohirrim. Especially if he gets some women in this time. But go there? No. And I bet all those people writing Joss Whedon vampire fanfic would sooo not want to live in Vamp America.
Fan C: Unless they could be Buffy?
Fan B: A bazillion twenty-year-olds would probably want Rowling’s world, having grown up with Potter.
Fan A: I think ‘best’ means the worlds that are bigger than the stories. Like our world is bigger than any sense of history any of us have as individuals.
Fan C: Sounds like one of those computer game things that take a million hours just to learn the rules.
Fan A: I meant sense of wonder bigger, not a lot of rules and lists of stuff.
Fan B: Definitely Neal Stephenson!
Fan C: Magic Realism Earth–that is, here with magical powers. I could get behind some powers. I’d begin with getting rid of all the trogs, trolls, and vampires in Washington DC, and then . . .
(Doors open)
**love**
Well, there you go, that’s the panel. Put ‘em up at the head table, hand ‘em microphones and tell them to replay their conversation.
Not quite long enough, but they were still going strong, and besides that’s a good jumping-off point there where they left off.
Much better then all the panels that start with the panelists explaining to the audience that they (each individual) has no idea why they’re on that panel. [wry smile]
Angie
Best fantasy world to live in, and also with an interesting history and a propensity for more interesting history, so that there are lots of good stories?
Randolph: the problem with “best” is, it’s so broad it’s impossible to define, even before one gets to taste.
Angie and Madeleine:
Wow, so many things to think about. I don’t know how this panel could possibly live up to the fun conversations between friends that this topic would spawn.
Best place to live is what I’m stuck on right now. I have no idea, but I recently re-read Half Magic for a kidlit book group, and I remembered exactly why I loved it so as a kid. The idea of living in a world where anyone at any time (even just an ordinary kid like me) might find a magic charm and have exciting and fun adventures was irresistible.
@Julia Rios — so double-very-yes re: Half Magic. Magic in those books was so integral to everyday reality, and yet completely real. And yes re: finding a magic charm, too–I still feel like half the odd items I have are probably charms whose powers I haven’t figured out yet.
I’ve always wanted to go to Zilpha Keatly Snyder’s Greensky. I want to glide, flying-squirrel like, from branch to branch of those giant trees, or travel under the roots and see the caverns.
I think I need an Eager reread–I loved those books so much as a kid!
Greensky, oh yes. Fabulous world.
The best world to live in would be a very bad world to write a book about.
Besides, I don’t think there’s any world where I would want to be anyone whomsoever in — I would need at least some control over my destination to land in any world.
Mary: I think ‘some control over the destination’ is a given, as we’ll pretty much choose comfort and success over the opposites, but one aspect of the question might be: if you were landed in a world, as anyone, which one might furnish you the possibilities of most success, however you define success (which can include comfort and beauty)
All of Edward Eager’s books had that fabulous sense that magic lurked around everywhere in small doses for kids who had the sense to see it. Breathes there a kid who doesn’t think she is the one who will find the magic sprig of thyme or find the way into Ivanhoe…
Remember that Edward Eager’s novels are in a direct line of descent from E. Nesbit’s works. NesbitWorld would be a fun place, full of lurking magic and Edwardian food, and the possibility of glimpses over into the adjoining Holmesland.
I like idealized versions of pre-industrial societies best. Just my preference to visit in my head. I would not want to be there in body given my fondness for indoor plumbing and microwaves.
Pilgrimsoul: give me magical plumbing and heat, and I’m with you!
People who love history are often accused of “wanting to live back then.” Ha! We know better.
Never! Without my opthalmologist, retinologist and optician I would be blind. Without antibiotics and all those childhood inoculations I would be dead of some disease long ago.
The line you have that amuses me is the line about Carrot being the “only hot guy” on Discworld. Because A) it’s true, and B) he’s also based on a trillion “Nice Guy” stereotypes/archetypes.
There’s something to be said for Pratchett’s worldbuilding and characterization that he can break the “only bad boys are hot” trend.
So…my two cents…the “best fantasy worlds” bring something different to the table. Either something “new”, or something “old” that’s nicely subverted.
So what about Sam Vimes?
@Domini: What about Lord Vetinari?
I think it’d be nice to go to Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar. Plumbing, Magic Horses, Magic Birds, constant hedonism when you’re not working… But there are so many worlds to pick from… Just off the top of my head, Mercedes Lackey has at least four, Trudi Canavan two, Elizabeth Haydon two, Terry Pratchett three, Robin Hobb two… and I don’t read as much as I think I can or should.
I think there are two ways of best fantasy world: There’s the ‘I’d have fun there’ and the ‘it would be interesting’. Maybe it’s my D&D experience talking, but those are vastly different. You need to ask yourself: If I was in that world as I am now, could I get around? Do I have enough knowledge to know where to go, what to do, who might help or hinder me? A good fantasy world needs to realistic (according to it’s own rules, of course), and you need to know as much about it as you know about this world (or at least, your corner of this world). That’s why I don’t think Harry Potter is a good world. Arbitrage would be far too easy, as well as getting rich (5 pounds for a solid gold coin the size of a hubcap?!), and I wouldn’t know what to do. If I was born in Israel, what school would I go to? If I was Chinese, would I be using Latin spells? The world simply wasn’t built properly.
So as I said: In my opinion, details and realism are the building-blocks of good fantasy world. Maybe that’s the primary use for fanfiction: how well can you utilize a world you haven’t built.
Koby: that’s an interesting thought about fanfiction
Domini and HelenS; I actually didn’t write up a long ramble about who was hot and who not. (I thought the comment about Carrot being hot was a crackup because Carrot is so oblivious, and when we first meet him, isn’t he wearing a “protector” on his head?)
Well… not exactly head… lower head, maybe. But yes, he’s very oblivious. Still, there are so many hot men in Discworld… Death, Mort, Lu-tze, Lobsang, 71-Hour Ahmed, Inigo Skimmer… the list goes on.
Man, sometimes i DREAM to be in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.. Randland.. yeah, i hate that name too..
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This is one of my favorite discussions because there are so many fantasy worlds from which to choose. There’s literature and TV/movies and video games, even comics and board games. Ranker did a great job with compiling a list of some of the best at http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-of-the-fantasy-worlds/analise.dubner if you’re interested. Personally, I’d put Oz above all others on my personal picks. Something about the classic nature of it just sticks above all in my mind.
Thanks for the link!