Top Ten Most Vivid Literary Worlds & Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten list features what I think are some of the best-built and most vivid worlds and settings from stories. Here they are, in no particular order:

  1. Middle Earth (The HobbitThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien) - I'm not sure how this could possibly not be included, considering all of the obsessive detailing that Tolkien put into creating the world.
  2. Hogwarts (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) - Another world that must be included in this list. I feel that I have come to know this place and its moving staircases and hidden rooms, as well as the people who inhabit it.
  3. Wonderland - (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll) - It would be nonsensical of me not to include this one. (See what I did there?) This world full of "stuff and nonsense" definitely belongs on the list.
  4. Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis) - This is the point in my list where I'm thinking that I need to be less predictable, as Narnia is yet another obvious choice.
  5. Le Cirque des Rêves (The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern) - The atmosphere created by Morgenstern in this book is phenomenal! Reading about this circus sent me into sensory overload and I completely fell in love with the setting.
  6. The Moors (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and/or The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab) - These two books are both set beside the moors, and both authors make great use of the atmosphere that the moors provide. I love the wild and haunting mood that the moors create in these stories. I'll just say it: I have a THING for moor settings.
  7. Prague & Elsewhere (Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor) - Laini Taylor does a great job of capturing a magical sort of city, and Prague felt like it came to life on the pages. Then she shows us Elsewhere and it is even more magical, and also completely engrossing.
  8. Westeros (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin) - This one may be another unsurprising choice since the show has recently made many people into new fans of this series, but I wanted to include it anyway for its unapologetic harshness, its Wall, its rivers, its castles, its food, and its Winter.
  9. Thisby (The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater) - Maggie Stiefvater does an amazing job of making the danger and magic of this place swirl together. I love it because it is mysterious and wild, enchanting and ominous at the same time. The characters really love this place, and I think that only added to my love for it.
  10. Dustlands (Dustlands series by Moira Young) - The setting is one of the things that I really liked about Blood Red Road. The old western vibe of the lands is enhanced by the characters' dialects and makes for an engrossing post-apocalyptic world.

Honorable Mentions:
  • Tortall in Tamora Pierce's books - I love this world and its characters. After all of the adventures to be had there, it feels very real!
  • The Maze in The Maze Runner by James Dashner - How cool is a killer maze?
  • Howl's Castle in Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones - Walking castles with portals to various places are awesome.
  • The Leviathan in the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld - It's a whale-slash-airship. The setting is actually alive. I'm not sure it gets more vivid than that.
  • Crystal Cove in Moonglass by Jessi Kirby - This is an incredibly vivid and well-written beach setting.

And there you have it! My noteworthy vivid, must-visit literary worlds. Do you agree with my picks? What are some others that you think deserve to be on this list? Let me hear about it in the comments!

44 comments:

  1. Narnia is on my list this week. I didn't think about the Night Circus, but that is a great answer. That book had such a magical setting.

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    1. The Night Circus setting totally made the book for me, so I had to include it on my list. :)

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  2. Awesome list :-) I had 4 of them in mine.

    I really need to read the Night Circus.

    This is my first T10T come check it out!

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    1. Thanks! You should definitely read The Night Circus. One of the most amazing atmospheres I've ever read.

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  3. This is a very interesting list, Jenny. I think Tolkien's descriptiveness is a little bit too much at times, but THE NIGHT CIRCUS very nearly made it onto my list. It's such a great book, and Morgenstern's descriptions are very atmospheric.

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    1. Tolkien's descriptiveness does go on a bit haha, but it also makes for a very detailed world which is why I felt I had to include it. The Night Circus is definitely one of my favorite atmospheres in a book. It's a place that I'll probably want to visit over and over again. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Alice keeps popping up - can't believe I forgot to put it on my list!

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  5. Yes I'm so with you on all the Potter places and the night circus, I wish visit I could so bad!

    marissa
    http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

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  6. haha, I really like how you had honorable mentions. I totally concur with a lot of yours, and really just wish I could get on a flying whale!

    Here's a link to mine!

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    1. Hahaha, I wish I could get on a flying whale as well.

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  7. Books w/ moor settings are good!! Wonderland was a great choice!! Cool List!

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    1. Yay for moor setting love! Thanks for commenting. :)

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  8. While Hogwarts and Narnia are obvious choices...they are on the list for a reason! They are the best world creations out there. Nobody has done it better. And until they do, they will always be on the list!

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    1. They ARE on the list for a reason! Worlds like those raise the bar for other settings.

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  9. Narnia is one I wanted to include but didn't have room for. I haven't read the books but I've seen Game of Thrones and from that I have to agree Westeros is a great setting.

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    1. I love Westeros. I'm glad that the show is exposing these characters and this world to a broader audience because they totally deserve it.

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  10. Completely agree with you on Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Taylor writes of Prague so vividly I feel like I'm back there again.

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    1. Right?! I loved her style. It's a wholly engrossing type of descriptive.

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  11. I agree with everything on your list, but I'd also add a couple of newer book worlds: Throne of Glass and Shadow and Bone. It didn't take very many pages before I felt apart of both of those worlds. Great list...makes me want to go explore the worlds all over again.

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    1. Dude I wanted to put those so badly but I ran out of room!

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  12. Great list! I had Middle Earth and Narnia on mine, too. Thanks for sharing!
    ~Shelby
    http://gobsandgobsofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-ten-most-vivid-worldssettings-in.html#comment-form

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  13. Your top four all made my list! (Well, except Wonderland, which I am hitting myself on the head for forgetting.) As somebody just getting into Game of Thrones, I love Westeros. Great list!

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  14. Tortall and Howl's Castle! I'm glad they made the Honorable Mentions! :) I completely forgot about Tamora Pierce. I feel terrible now! D: Great list though! Definitely a lot of thought went into this! <3

    And thank you for commenting on mine! <3 New GFC follower!

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  15. "sensory overload" - but in a delicious way - good way to describe the Night Circus! The Daughter of Smoke and Bone is next on my list to read, and I also noticed that you have a picture of Seraphina on your blog. BEST. READ. EVER. this year!!! Will be gushing about that one soon on my blog too.

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    1. Oh, I am reading Seraphina right now and I'm completely in love with it! The writing is absolutely gorgeous.

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  16. You have FANTASTIC choices here. Seriously - love your list and all the honorable mentions too. This is my first time to your blog, but IT IS SO CUTE! Love the layout! :)

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  17. thanks for stopping by mine! great list. I can't believe I forgot Alice!! :[

    xo Stephanie

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  18. Middle Earth and Hogwarts seem to be popular this week - I totally agree with Hogwarts (haven't read The Lord Of the Rings yet) and Wonderland must be amazing, too!
    My TTT:
    http://booksmartie.blogspot.de/2012/07/top-ten-tuesday_24.html

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  19. Ohhh I forgot about The Maze!!! It's soon creepy and foreboding!

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  20. Hogwarts, Narnia, Wonderland.. Totally agree! Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  21. Harry Potter and Wuthering Heights made their way onto my Top Ten as well. I agree that Morgenstern did a fantastic job of transporting readers to the circus. Great list! New follower via GFC :)
    Angela @ AJ Arndt Books Blog

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  22. Some great choices on your list :)

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  23. Wonderland and Narnia!!!!! I totally forgot about those ones!! Great list!

    Thank you for stopping by :)

    Michele | TTT

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  24. Nice picks! And I'll have to look into the ones I haven't heard of. I can't believe I forgot about Narnia! Maybe it's because I only read the first book, and it was a long time ago...

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  25. I have a thing for moors, too! The more haunting, the better. This list is nothing short of awesome. Thanks for the comment love!

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  26. So much love for Hogwarts, Narnia, and Wonderland. I'm realy curious about the worlds in The Night Circus, Scorpio Races, and A Song of Ice and Fire, but they're all on my TBR, so I'll encounter them soon enough! I didn't realize that Daughter of Smole and Bone took place in Prague. Prague is one of my favorite cities in Europe. I'll DEFINITELY have to heck that one out!

    Fantastic list!

    Aimee | my top ten list

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  27. It's interesting that many of us choose the same books. Great minds think alike! :) Great list! :)
    Thanks for stopping by :)

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  28. Tortall! I can't believe I forgot about that one!!

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  29. 1-4 I was totally with you, then 5-10 are like a trip through the highlights of my TBR list. I need to GET ON these books.

    Oh, and I didn't even think of the Maze, but YES, that is fabulous.

    Thanks for stopping by my TTT!

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  30. What a great list! I totally forgot about Wonderland!

    I think you capture a range of things here.

    Thanks for stopping by my TTT! :)

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  31. I totally agree with you. Just looking through the list, I can see all these worlds in my head. Harry Potter being one of the most complex and magical :) I love your blog btw! Great posts. I'm a new book blogger, and so seeing all of this is a great inspiration.

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  32. I didn't even think of the Maze from the Maze Runner series! Great picks for your list! :)

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  33. Fantastic list! =D I totally forgot to add Les Cirque des Reves to my list (I loved The Night Circus).

    Am super late but thanks for dropping by my blog last week! =)

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