25 Awesome Fantasy Universes in Literature

Posted by , Updated on January 2, 2024

If there’s one great thing about reading, it’s awesome fantasy universes in literature. They fuel our imaginations, taking us to places we’ve never been before. There’s no other feeling like it. From worlds that are opposite of our own to those that are eerily similar but with a shadowy presence, fantasy universes give readers a thrill and temporary escape from reality.

With the power of imagination, audiences use the words to create their own magical images. This is why many are disappointed with their favorite book’s movie-makeover; it can never compete with their imagination. It’s never like you envisioned. From novels, to picture books, to children’s stories, here are 25 Awesome Fantasy Universes in Literature.

25

Middle Earth, Arda

Middle_EarthSource: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Canon

Arda is home to Middle Earth and central to much of Tolkien’s universe. It was artfully created to leave just enough to the imagination. His books cite many details like the flora, the fauna, creatures of all kind, and even venture beyond the planet to describe the celestial bodies and activities. There are few literary examples that can compare to the Tolkien universe!

24

The Wizarding World

Wizarding World

Filled with seemingly “normal” things like owls, trains, books and shops, the Harry Potter universe is close enough to our own world that everything presented seems possible, but with an abundance of the supernatural and fantastic.

23

The Stephen King Universe

The Dark TowerSource: https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/4/17815798/stephen-king-interconnected-shared-universe-ranking-the-dark-tower

In case King’s stories weren’t terrifying enough, all of his books are connected. Each work is independent but many noticed that several villainous characters make appearances in other books, like Easter Eggs. The Dark Tower is the epicenter of the Stephen King universe and is where the curtain is pulled back on the multiverse he created.

The worlds, monsters, and systems across his books are complex and expansive. Although it dips into both sci-fi and fantasy, this universe is so incredibly twisted, in perfect Stephen King fashion, that it had to be mentioned.

 

22

The Known World

The Known World The Dark TowerSource: https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire

“The Known World” is similar to our own with islands, seas, continents and ice caps, but the author of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of books indicates his universe was intended to be completely separate and alternate from our reality. It is far different in many ways, including that the seasons are governed by magic, dragons are real, and two-headed men exist!

21

Amber Multiverse

Chronicles of AmberSource: https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/family:19213

Unending parallel worlds define the Amber Multiverse from Roger Zelany’s “Chronicles of Amber.” Some worlds have blue suns, others green skies. If you have the right magic in your blood, you can will things into existence around you as you travel from one world to another. The possibilities are endless.

20

Fillory

Fillory ContrastSource: http://levgrossman.com/magicians-trilogy/the-magicians-a-novel/

The enchanting land of Fillory from “The Magician” trilogy by Lev Grossman is often compared to that of Narnia. The main character loves this magical land because it was in the books he read as a child. He then grows up to learn that Fillory is a real place and he has the magic to get there! It’s every child’s dream and a true respite from the urban world the character knew too well.

19

Terabithia

Swing to Terabithia

The land of Terabithia is an imaginary kingdom ruled by friends who were simply playing in the woods, oblivious to the tragedies and cruelness of life. A land of imagination created by children and used for their own escape and to create a bond of friendship.

18

The Land of Oz

The Land of Oz

Each territory of Oz is marked distinctly by its own color and is overflowing with wealth. Witches, flying monkeys, mean sisters and weird ways to die are all a part of the realm that Dorothy was transported to. Many ordinary things that do the remarkable live in Oz. Of course, if you have only seen the movie, there is so much more to see of this wonder-filled place!

17

The Golden Compass Universe

Golden CompassSource: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/136447/the-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-by-philip-pullman/9780440238133/readers-guide/

The Golden Compass universe is only one of several that Philip Pullman reveals to his readers. It is home to humans like the 12-year Lyra, but also to witches, gyptians and giant polar bears. The children have spirit-creatures that depict their internal state. The fantasy deepens in subsequent books of the series!

16

Jumanji

jumanjiSource: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/thepolarexpress/tg/jumanji.shtml

Originally released as a picture book, Jumanji leads your imagination with its black and white illustrations. Your quickly drawn in to the home of Judy and Peter, but the stark drawings leave out enough detail to allow your mind to paint wildly in the gaps. The Jumanji game unleashes several mischievous jungle inhabitants into our world and the adventure begins!

15

Alagaësia

AlagaesiaSource: https://inheritance.fandom.com/wiki/Alagaësia

Any land with an umlaut in its name deserves some attention! But once you read the series, you’ll find it to be rich and full of wonder: elves, dwarfs, and dragons!

14

Narnia

Narnia

Narnia had children everywhere checking the back of their wardrobes (or closets) for the cold draft of the snowy entrance to Narnia. We hoped, of course, to find Mr. Tumnus and he would invite us back to his cave to warm up with a cup of tea.

13

Shangri-La

Shangri-laSource: https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/64/8/james-hilton-and-shangri-la/

Shangri-La was first introduced nearly a century ago, but it has become an icon of paradise and utopia. It is a gentle oasis thought to be inspired by the lush mountains of the Tibetan landscape.

12

Wonderland

Wonderland

Less about being wonderful and more about the wonders that lie within, Alice’s Wonderland is a peculiar place where things are never quite what they seem.

11

Neverland

neverlandSource: https://www.tor.com/2015/06/18/the-unpleasant-side-effects-of-never-growing-up-j-m-barries-peter-pan/

This place is even more appealing as an adult than it is as a child! The magic of flight through happy thoughts and fairy dust takes you to an island lagoon where adventure awaits around every turn. Feasts of imaginary food and fights with pirates are not unusual activity for Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, and their guests.

10

The Island of Lilliput

Gulliver In LilliputSource: https://www.shmoop.com/gullivers-travels/summary.html

Gulliver unintentionally visited the island of Lilliput that sits not far from Australia. There he had a long nap and an abrupt encounter with its six inch tall inhabitants!

9

A Wrinkle in Time

Wrinkle In Time

“A Wrinkle in Time” is heavily focused on light versus dark, but there are few other fictional universes with quite so much electricity and exuberance. Only here will you encounter the three celestial sisters that travel through the fifth dimension to save the universe, and meet furry beasts that care for strangers.

8

Camelot

camelot

Chivalry and equality are alive and well with King Arthur and his knights of the round table in the land of Camelot. It’s an earth-like world where love and ideals remain true, and magic is still very, very much alive.

7

Asgard

AsgardSource: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Asgard

Asgard has appeared in many works since ancient times. It consistently houses powerful gods, like Odin and Thor, and offers a heavenly reward to slain warriors in Valhalla.

6

Vanity Fair

Vanity FairSource: https://www.shmoop.com/vanity-fair-thackeray/title.html

A fair in the town of Vanity told by John Bunyan that hosted all things ostentatious and extravagant. The same theme was carried on in the later work of William Thackeray not-so-plainly entitled “Vanity Fair.”

5

Fantastica

FantasticaSource: https://people.com/archive/an-irate-michael-ende-blasts-the-disgusting-film-made-from-his-best-seller-the-neverending-story-vol-22-no-9/

“The Neverending Story” is a book-within-a-book that features the creative land of Fantastica. Remember, they are still depending on your imagination and belief in your own dreams to keep their world alive!

4

Centre of the Earth

Centre of the EarthSource: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/journey-to-the-centre-of-the-earth

The Centre of the Earth is a subterranean world of adventure and unexpected encounters. Jules Verne’s science fiction classic is filled with giant mushrooms, its own ocean, and ferocious beasts.

3

Whoville

WhovilleSource: https://www.nv.k12.wa.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=748&dataid=1269&FileName=Horton_Hears_a_Who.pdf

Some fictional universes span hundreds of galaxies, while this one is so itty bitty the whole town can fit on a speck of dust on a clover that Horton found. They’re a full-blown town with grocery stores, a mayor, and great furry neighbors in Dr. Suess’s Whoville!

2

Wonka's Chocolate Factory

Wonka's Chocolate FactorySource: https://www.nme.com/news/film/heres-much-willy-wonkas-chocolate-factory-cost-real-life-2246660

Grab your golden ticket and head to Willie Wonka’s factory! There you’ll find edible wallpaper, golden goose eggs, and a river of liquid chocolate! While you gorge yourself on all things sweet and edible, the Oompa Loompas will serenade you with moralizing songs.

While this heavenly place was Roald Dahl’s fantasy, you can make it a reality for only $224.6 million dollars.

1

Hundred Acre Wood

Hundred Acre WoodSource: https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/where-is-the-hundred-acre-wood

In Milne’s 1926 classic, “Winnie-the-Pooh,” introduced us all to the Hundred Acre Wood, one of the first fantasy universes children meet. While the landscape mimics the Ashdown Forest in Sussex, England near the writer’s home, the idea that toys can come to life and have a world all their own, is a natural fantasy for most children.



Photo: Featured Image - Shutterstock, 1. Gyula Aggházy [Public domain], Agghazy Gyula-Hundred Acre Wood (Public Domain), 2. Pablo RM from Madrid, Spain, ExpoSYFY - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, CC BY 2.0, 3. Gunther Hagleitner, Whoville, CC BY 2.0, 4. Édouard Riou [Public domain], English: An illustration from the novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne painted by Édouard Riou. (Public Domain), 5. Michael Kleinhenz from Bonn, Germany, NeverEnding Story, CC BY-SA 2.0, 6. Internet Archive Book Images, Image from page 130 of "Vanity fair" (1900) (Public Domain), 7. Johannes Gehrts [Public domain], Odin with Gunnlöd by Johannes Gehrts (Public Domain), 8. Gustave Doré [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, Idylls_of_the_King_3 (Public Domain), 9. TheDigitalArtist, Fractal (Public Domain), 10. Pughe, John S., The Boer Lilliputia[n] - the British Gulliver (Public Domain), 11. Rossano aka Bud Care, Peter Pan's Flight - Fantasyland, CC BY 2.0, 12. Maxpixel, Vintage Alice in Wonderland Book Illustration (Public Domain), 13. Hasanijaz [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons, Shangrila Lower Kachura Lake, CC BY-SA 4.0, 14. Ian Burt, Lion's view - Narnia, CC BY 2.0, 15. FluffyDstroyrofSouls, My Alagaesia, CC BY-SA 3.0, 16. elicesp, Book Jungle Fantasy Game of Table (Public Domain), 17. anonymous donor [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons, Churchhill Wildlife Management Area polar bear 21, 18. Insomnia Cured Here, The Wizard of Oz (1939), CC BY-SA 2.0, 19. Patrick Feller, Secates Road Crossing, Fayetteville, Texas 1008111326, CC BY 2.0, 20. Franck Michel, New York facets - Marcy av. station, CC BY 2.0, 21. CHRISTO DRUMMKOPF, chronicles of amber 2, CC BY 2.0, 22. BagoGames, Game of Thrones "Battle of the Bastards" Review, CC BY 2.0, 23. Andrew Moore, The Dark Tower, CC BY-SA 2.0, 24. Karen Roe, The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012, CC BY 2.0, 25. Pixabay.com (Public Domain)