The Most Immersive Worlds

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  • Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
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Комментарии • 416

  • @merphynapier42
    @merphynapier42  4 года назад +349

    So I realized as I was getting this video ready this morning that I didn't have Harry Potter on this list! So this is me officially adding it. This is the world I grew up in and still love to visit as an adult. It's one of the most immersive worlds I've visited and one I can't seem to get tired of. What are your most immersive worlds? :)

    • @sophiaanna7458
      @sophiaanna7458 4 года назад +5

      Me too! My most immersive world is probably The Hunger Games and of course Harry Potter! Would you recommend reading Divergent? (you probably won't see this but if you do)

    • @thisuser1728
      @thisuser1728 4 года назад +8

      My most immersive world has to be Harry Potter for sure. Since my childhood it has been my safe place. Especially with my latest reread, I'm totally (and kind of obsessively) immersed in it.

    • @gaybowser4648
      @gaybowser4648 4 года назад +3

      Of the series that I have 100% completed, I would say Skulduggery Pleasant.
      The Lord of The Rings is bloody amazing and I’m reading King Henry the Sixth part 1 by Shakespeare and honestly, I have to put that on the list as well.
      Then there’s the Stormlight Archive.

    • @SirZeu
      @SirZeu 4 года назад +1

      more amazed that you didn't put mistborn in the list. i love the world of mistborn. i know that you didn't love era 2 but i loved how it expanded the world and showed us how close it is with ours while still being different and magical

    • @mikecoyne5216
      @mikecoyne5216 4 года назад +3

      I was getting ready to comment saying how dare you exclude Harry Potter from this list haha. Harry Potter is the first series I got lost in and loved as a kid

  • @A.H._
    @A.H._ 4 года назад +150

    I need a "Dear Authors" worldbuilding edition

    • @Little.Less.Normal
      @Little.Less.Normal 4 года назад +1

      Ann Gómez Would love one of those

    • @TheWilyx
      @TheWilyx 4 года назад +2

      Yes Please!

    • @mindlessscarecrow4886
      @mindlessscarecrow4886 4 года назад +2

      I'd love it, I'm currently trying to build a fantasy world and I really need some feedback to understand what works and what doesn't TT___TT

  • @ihavenoname8628
    @ihavenoname8628 4 года назад +87

    Inheritance with Alagaesia: “ok let’s slowly get you into the world in a creative way through having Eragon explore with a father-figure”
    Stormlight Archive With Roshar: “alright sir/ma’am, please keep arms and legs in the cart at all times and enjoy the ride.”

    • @amd9130
      @amd9130 4 года назад +10

      I am Nobody YES, Alagaesia is probably one of the best written and developed worlds I’ve ever read about. The Inheritance Cycle is the one series I’ve ever reread more than twice thus far in my life, and it’s so under appreciated.

    • @eviekujak8393
      @eviekujak8393 4 года назад +7

      @@amd9130 It's a great world to be sure but honestly the writing itself is pretty immature -- it's like the YA of high fantasy.

    • @amd9130
      @amd9130 4 года назад +7

      David Kujak To be fair, Paolini did start writing it when he was 16 and then Eragon was published when he was 19. So, while that may be true, it’s also a little understandable as to why it feels that way.

    • @matheusvmoraes
      @matheusvmoraes 3 года назад

      I love Alagaesia!

  • @yanamariarassy3359
    @yanamariarassy3359 4 года назад +43

    I love lyra’s world in his dark materials

    • @zoeb3871
      @zoeb3871 4 года назад +1

      I've just stated reading his dark materials and the work is so magical!

    • @aidansevern3134
      @aidansevern3134 4 года назад +1

      Yes! I really hope Merphy reads it

  • @ShadowRoxas10
    @ShadowRoxas10 4 года назад +34

    I would love to watch a "Dear Authors" on immersive worlds and what readers especially appreciate (or dont appreciate) with regards to world building/building immersion!
    And my immersive world is the space academy in Ender's Game - one of my all time favorites.

  • @catalinamunteanu4414
    @catalinamunteanu4414 4 года назад +79

    I love the world in A song of ice and fire.
    The amount of details George RR Martin uses to build the world is just amazing. 🔥

    • @rick3269
      @rick3269 4 года назад +4

      Agree!

    • @neondemon5137
      @neondemon5137 4 года назад +1

      Yep, gotta love 3 pages describing how shiny Lord Muffins buttons are.

    • @rick3269
      @rick3269 4 года назад +3

      @@neondemon5137 lol, but at least it's described in such a way that it's still fun to read.

  • @pretendtheresaname9213
    @pretendtheresaname9213 4 года назад +81

    10:31 If you like short middle grade books I recommend reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, there's a lot of mystery, comedy and over the top situations. It's a series about these three orphans who lost their parents after their house burns and now they're being chased by an actor who wants to steal the money, but there's something off about the hole situation. It's very underrated even though it has a netflix series and a movie adaptation.

    • @richardgurney1844
      @richardgurney1844 4 года назад +5

      Yes!! I loved that series growing up!
      It's been a while, but I do remember everything after book 8 being a complete drag though

    • @pretendtheresaname9213
      @pretendtheresaname9213 4 года назад +2

      @@richardgurney1844 Yeah, I didn't like 9-12, but I liked the last one.

    • @Noname-il1qm
      @Noname-il1qm 4 года назад +1

      Those are my FAVORITE! I loved every single one. They’re really witty and easy to read

    • @SergioRamirez-mq8qk
      @SergioRamirez-mq8qk 4 года назад +2

      Idk why but I never enjoyed the series. occasionally I felt like the author was lazy because of his failure to describe scenes and how formulaic the story line felt. I only read the first 3 books so maybe I am wrong and this was fixed, but this is just my opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️

    • @Noname-il1qm
      @Noname-il1qm 4 года назад +1

      Sergio Ramirez That was done on purpose. Some scenes don’t need over the top describing and that was his writing style. But I completely get it. I just thought the story was really creative and the books just got better imo.

  • @patidr7605
    @patidr7605 4 года назад +57

    Also Harry Potter. Every time I read them I feel like I’m in Hogwarts with them

  • @davidsebastianmuller6868
    @davidsebastianmuller6868 4 года назад +27

    I Love the world of Percy Jackson since I‘ve read the Books the first Time I reread them so often just becouse of the world

  • @honkmandeluxe
    @honkmandeluxe 4 года назад +36

    I'm always really excited to hear what people find immersive in fictional worlds bc it's so interesting as a writer!

    • @stephecho5916
      @stephecho5916 4 года назад +7

      Eyyyyy, writer squad

    • @darkdream1469
      @darkdream1469 4 года назад +1

      Right?! It's really interesting and helpful

  • @edmoncleos7800
    @edmoncleos7800 4 года назад +28

    The Dune Series has a really immersive world. Especially the original trilogy by Frank Herbert.
    Keep on Rock'n Merphy.

    • @tilzo_9752
      @tilzo_9752 4 года назад +1

      Samuel Wiebe I’ve just started dune and it’s sooo good, can totally agree with you.

  • @alejandroelcid
    @alejandroelcid 4 года назад +13

    Another immersive series is The Ranger's Apprentice, I read the series along with my nephew. The characters have a strong bond and the world is very similar to our own, for example they have a nation called Nihon-Ja which is similar to Nippon (Japan) or Skandia (similar to Scandinavia) which is home to a race of berserk warriors (Vikings). There are so much similarities that it is easy to lose yourself in it and forget that it is a fictitious world and not something that might have happened in medieval times.

    • @qzamap3870
      @qzamap3870 4 года назад +2

      I loved Ranger's Apprentice as a kid, but as an absolutely huge history buff, I think the names detracted a little bit for me as I got older - even in like 4th and 5th grade. Even still, loved all the books.

  • @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
    @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 4 года назад +15

    Beautifully said about Tolkien’s world! My favorite part of the video is the story of you in the grocery store - you never know what part of a story will hit you like that.

    • @cinthiagoch
      @cinthiagoch 4 года назад +2

      For me it was Frodo singing about Gandalf's death. I had read it 2 times before and then heard the whole audiobook last year, where the narrator did a great job with the voices and songs. I was doing the dishes at the time and had to stop and go sob on the couch for a while.

    • @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
      @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 4 года назад

      That part always stops me too.

  • @jozlynngray6774
    @jozlynngray6774 4 года назад +2

    The 13th Tale by Diane Setteefield. This book is gorgeously written and so captivating. I was on the edge of my seat till the very end of the book and did not see the ending coming which I just thought added so well to the plot. Please read this one Merphy! 💜

    • @DanielFletcherFlute
      @DanielFletcherFlute 4 года назад +1

      Jozlynn Gray This. Hard agree. One of the best books I read last year!

  • @natasagajic1061
    @natasagajic1061 4 года назад +8

    Favorite fantasy worlds? World of One Piece (easy pick for me 😁 ), Pokemon, Log Horizon...
    Places that I'd (safely) love to visit: Cittàgazze from His Dark Materials, Valyria (at the peak of its glory), Abyss from Made in Abyss, Hogwarts, Orzammar (at the peak of its glory) from Dragon Age series, City of Braavos, Howl's Moving Castle...

  • @gio2142
    @gio2142 4 года назад +5

    You’re right about that random part in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: “Wow Father Christmas 🎅! You got here just in time!” lol

  • @lilifane
    @lilifane 4 года назад +28

    I literally just finished The Night Circus (yeah, I'm late) and was gushing about how I felt immersed into the story/setting, which I actually never experienced this intense before. Naturally I want to experience this again and your video came in the right moment, I guess. Broken Earth, The Name of the wind and The Wayward Children have been on my list for some time but now I have another reason to read them soon(-ish).

    • @lostschedule51
      @lostschedule51 4 года назад +3

      I am halfway done with The Night Circus and yes, it is brilliant. It's like the circus itself is a fascinating character.

    • @MicahAndersenNeverStopWriting
      @MicahAndersenNeverStopWriting 4 года назад +1

      I LOVE the Night Circus and I'm starting The Starless Sea now!

    • @raiinefall
      @raiinefall 4 года назад

      I'm afraid to start the Night Circus because I'm afraid that I won't enjoy it

    • @lilifane
      @lilifane 4 года назад

      @@raiinefall That's why I was putting it off for such a long time as well. And I have to admit, the beginning was very slow for me and I feared I would DNF it. But then the writing and the immersive effect got to me and I couldn't put it down until the end.

    • @raiinefall
      @raiinefall 4 года назад

      @@lilifane I plan to pick it up again after my reread of the Pegasus series
      Edit-Its a younger kid book series but I still enjoy it lol

  • @TikiDragon1
    @TikiDragon1 4 года назад +1

    I'm currently listening to Cloud Atlas and can say the details that didn't make it in the movie make it just as entertaining as the movie itself.

  • @remycris2108
    @remycris2108 4 года назад +7

    Well definitely the Kingkiller chronicles, so immersive almost to a fault.

  • @grimreads
    @grimreads 4 года назад +7

    Dresden Files is probably the one for me. The characters feel so familiar by now that I want to return and see what is going on with their lives

  • @kendra5781
    @kendra5781 4 года назад +2

    Mistborn is also an amazing and immersive world❤️
    Great video Merphy!

  • @shamitsharma7304
    @shamitsharma7304 4 года назад +75

    For me they are:
    Rick Riordan's world
    Wizarding World
    Narnia
    Earthsea
    Middle Earth
    Panem

    • @KFoxtheGreat
      @KFoxtheGreat 4 года назад +2

      Earthsea ❤ especially in the later books!

    • @thebooknerd7914
      @thebooknerd7914 4 года назад

      I totally agree but I'd add the Grishaverse to that list.

    • @shamitsharma7304
      @shamitsharma7304 4 года назад

      @Atharva Deshpande Ya

    • @phantomfae_2323
      @phantomfae_2323 4 года назад

      Same!! Also Eastern Commonwealth/Luna.

    • @gloop7458
      @gloop7458 4 года назад +1

      Shamit Sharma
      I can’t believe no one’s mentioning Avatar: The Last Airbender
      One for the best categories was probably world building in that show. It was 👌🏻
      Edit: unless we’re just doing books... then oh well

  • @catbowserfantasytherapist3132
    @catbowserfantasytherapist3132 4 года назад +3

    Middle Earth is the only story to this day that make me homesick. Whenever I finish any book in his universe, I feel like I’ve just said goodbye to a childhood friend and am watching them disappear in my rear view window as I drive away. Middle Earth feels as real as my own childhood town. If I am feeling stressed, down or otherwise drained, I can always return to Middle Earth

    • @cgphotoandfilm
      @cgphotoandfilm 4 года назад

      Cat Bowser Fantasy Therapist god this is so true. I want to add on but I can’t cause this comment is true and perfect.

  • @VoidSplendor
    @VoidSplendor 4 года назад +8

    This is a pretty interesting video topic. I haven't read many books with expansive worlds so I'm definitely going to pick up a couple of these.
    Have a great day, Merphy, and everyone. Hope you're all staying safe.

  • @ajmalaika1287
    @ajmalaika1287 4 года назад +7

    I felt the same about pacing with the His Dark Materials Series I read when I was a lot younger and got annoyed at the time he was taking to build let's say the kidnapping in the first but then I read it again and saw the value of all the time he took to build the world and characters as part of the general trilogy

  • @flamingcourtstudios
    @flamingcourtstudios 4 года назад +4

    I love any book set in the past. Like The Witch of Blackbird pond or The infernal devices. Most ppl like “I wish I could live in the future” and I’m over hear wishing I was alive during the Victorian era.

  • @KG-lr7sw
    @KG-lr7sw 4 года назад +4

    I found the series Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan to be totally immersive, as well as Inkheart.

  • @sophiaanna7458
    @sophiaanna7458 4 года назад +1

    Love your video and your library. I watch you every day!!!! You make reading so much better!

  • @billshears6062
    @billshears6062 3 года назад

    Thank you SO much for linking the books you show in the description!! it’s a little thing but it helps so much!

  • @amaresuify
    @amaresuify 4 года назад +3

    It's called Portal Fiction. Knowing the correct term for these types of stories might help you find more of them, it's a prolific subgenre even if it tends to wax and wane in popularity.
    For immersive worlds; a recent one is the world from the Eli Monpress books by Rachel Aaron. It's so rich and well described that it's only as the books move on that you start to realize that something is very subtlety wrong.

  • @noua8086
    @noua8086 4 года назад

    I just love Lynn Flewellings world building, it's so well thought out in both the night runner series and the Tamir triad. I know some are not too into a lot of the romance that is happening there, but I just loved it because all of the relationships are actually building up so nicely and most of the time from friendships and mutual trust.

  • @aurelienellena8138
    @aurelienellena8138 4 года назад +1

    I really want to see this cat more often in your videos !

  • @wwfix3224
    @wwfix3224 4 года назад +4

    Jurassic Park is an excellent read, one of my favourites. He writes most of his books in that style, my favourites being Dragon Teeth and The Lost World (sequel to Jurassic Park).

  • @Lioralon1
    @Lioralon1 4 года назад +5

    Hey Merphy, would you do an updated bookshelf tour? Curios to hear about the changes to the background we see in every video!

  • @jamessmith8233
    @jamessmith8233 4 года назад +1

    The Harry Potter universe will always be my place of refuge. It feels like you're unlocking the front door to your house and seeing your family. Although the plot and the world are important, for me character is everything. They are incredibly layered and I love how their personalities evolve over the course of the seven books.
    Another favourite is the world of Cormoran Strike, J.K. Rowling's detective. I love the relationship between him and his sidekick, Robin Ellacott. The stories are set in London and other parts of the U.K, and the sights, cafes, pubs and restaurants that they visit throughout the books are real places. There's something so satisfying about being immersed in the actual physical world. It's so different to Harry Potter and it's wonderful.
    You know you're reading a great book when you don't even notice yourself turning the page.

  • @AMiniki
    @AMiniki 4 года назад +1

    Agree with Tolkien being enjoyed better the second time. The first time I read it I couldn’t finish because it felt too slow, I read it all from The Hobbit a few months ago and it was amazing.

  • @marioksmith
    @marioksmith 4 года назад +2

    The last time I was fully immersed in a world was in Made in Abyss. Especially the anime. It has the most unique atmosphere I've ever seen or read. Before that Fullmetal Alchemist, Avatar and Korra series, Martin's Westeros, Harry Potter and, of course, Tolkien.

  • @mattjshea
    @mattjshea 4 года назад +2

    I know you didn’t love this book but I think Dune has an incredibly immersive world: The amount of detail that went into the politics, economics, religion, culture, and ecology of Arrakis is mind blowing.

  • @nonfictionfeminist
    @nonfictionfeminist 4 года назад

    Glad you picked up the Wayward Children series again! I just finished book 5 and LOVED it. I can see myself on the Moors or in Mariposa.

  • @LaurensNerdyFunStuff
    @LaurensNerdyFunStuff 4 года назад

    Nice to hear about Jurassic Park! I haven't started it for the buddy read quite yet, but I'm certainly excited to get started!

  • @JessWest118
    @JessWest118 4 года назад

    This is just the video I wanted, I love immersing myself into a world, that’s why I love reading so much. Some of these worlds/books I haven’t even heard of sound so intriguing, looks like my TBR list has got a bit longer.

  • @uptown3636
    @uptown3636 4 года назад

    Last night, I was googling this very topic trying to find good books for quarantine. This morning, I woke up to an awesome video with great recommendations. Just ordered the whole Wayward Children series (used the affiliate link) on your recommendation!

  • @MatiZ815
    @MatiZ815 4 года назад +5

    Harry Potter. I'm just transported whenever I read any of these books.

  • @violetadaguiar9776
    @violetadaguiar9776 4 года назад

    Merphy I totaly get what you said about LoTR! I was reading on the train and when the Ents decide to take action and March on Isengard I just started crying because it was so moving and so epic :) One of my favourite books. Hope you are well and staying safe!

  • @leninvillacis8221
    @leninvillacis8221 4 года назад +1

    J.J. Benitez does such a great job portraying biblical times and mixing it with the technical aspects of time travel that it feels real!
    And the great Gabriel Garcia Marquez makes you feel like Macondo was always part of history, almost as general knowledge that lives in the back of your mind.

  • @raquelmarcalsantos
    @raquelmarcalsantos 4 года назад +1

    Can’t believe you didn’t mention Scadrial! I loved being in the Mistborn world SOOOO much! Especially because of the magic system, but imo it’s all in the same package...

  • @Luigigirl17
    @Luigigirl17 4 года назад +1

    A narnia review series would be amazing to see now you’re wrapping up Harry Potter

  • @phillipmorin2905
    @phillipmorin2905 4 года назад

    I always feel so drawn in by Neil Gaimans worlds. The ocean at the end of the lane somehow made me feel nostalgic for a time and world I never lived through.

  • @TrainerJames88
    @TrainerJames88 4 года назад

    I love Isla Nublar! Jurassic Park is such an amazing book. I remember reading it in high school and I couldn't put it down. I grew up on Jurassic Park and I fell in love with dinosaurs because of it.

  • @themetalpig7613
    @themetalpig7613 4 года назад +1

    I'd agree C.S. Lewis might be the first to do the doorway trope into a land you feel like you belong. But I think Alice in Wonderland may have a claim also, even if the world was a bit more hostile.

  • @kevinvodochodsky
    @kevinvodochodsky 4 года назад +2

    The most immersive worlds for me that I’ve read have been: LOTR, WOT, Stormlight Archive, Narnia, The Jungle Book, Harry Potter series, and Jeff Shaara’s many historical fiction novels.

  • @alechenning
    @alechenning 4 года назад +1

    Arc of a Scythe series has such an immersive world for me.

  • @mikeh720
    @mikeh720 4 года назад +1

    Jack Whyte's "Camulod Chronicles" is crazy immersive in the world setting, among my favorites. LotR, HP, Narnia, and Magicians are all in there too.

  • @booneh
    @booneh 4 года назад +1

    Michael Chrichton was so good at introducing the world of his novels, the science, and the background of his characters in a way that helps you understand the complexity of his ideas and be engaged in the story at the same time. Airframe was an eye-opener for me when I was younger. It’s kind of a shame he’s considered an airport novelist.

    • @jbcrazy
      @jbcrazy 4 года назад +1

      Agree 100%
      Crichton was a good writer who could also inform/teach a reader extremely well.
      And his novels cover a wide variety of topics which makes it educational also.

  • @samauthor342
    @samauthor342 4 года назад

    Your channel is good for readers but, to be honest, it’s an incredibly invaluable world of information for writers!! I actually find myself taking notes from a ton of your videos so I can improve my writing. My best immersive world? Your channel. It’s this awesome thing you’ve created where readers and writers can just dive into to collaborate on the creation of the best books. I also like K.A. Applegate’s Alien worlds, especially the worlds she created for the Hork-bajir Chronicles. The Animorph books were a huge part of my childhood, so it might just be nostalgia. And how can I not mention everything Enid Blyton wrote?! The magic faraway tree! How awesome was that world?!

  • @thethiccdictator7481
    @thethiccdictator7481 4 года назад +2

    Michael Crichton, in my opinion, is my favourite world builder, his newest post-humous book is also really good, it’s a archeological western thriller, and it’s great, also his pirate book is amazing as well, def recommend!

  • @jayscheer5529
    @jayscheer5529 4 года назад

    Narnia is a great world! Shannara is a well done world as well. lot of things going on there in a pretty small place. Amber ! Chronicles of Amber is a very cool chaos vs order world with endless lands in between. old books but one well done. glad to have you up and healthy Merphy!!!

  • @zoeb3871
    @zoeb3871 4 года назад

    The night circus was the world I got lost in! Not necessarily the most detailed but the I haven't yet met a atmosphere that's rivaled it
    Hope your staying safe Merphy 💕

  • @davidstone4826
    @davidstone4826 4 года назад +1

    Earthsea from Ursula Le Guin's books
    The Land, and Mordant, from Stephen Donaldson's books

    • @danasalinger5247
      @danasalinger5247 4 года назад +1

      David Stone yesssss mordant!! Favorite books of all time!

  • @fuzzylumpkin49
    @fuzzylumpkin49 4 года назад +1

    Gene Wolfe's Wizard Knight series is my favorite fantasy world and my favorite fantasy book. I'd recommend buying the collected volume and reading it all in one hit. It's a masterpiece.

  • @danamytereads5304
    @danamytereads5304 4 года назад +1

    I'm so glad you're loving Jurassic Park!!! An all time favorite! I picked up an entire stack of Michael Crichton books at a $5 bag of books sale. I wont get this exactly correct: he was in medical school (I can't remember if he finished or not) and decided to be a writer instead! I think that's why most of his books are sci fi/ medical sciencey based and it's done so well!

  • @emilycress6368
    @emilycress6368 4 года назад +4

    If you like doorways, I think you’ll like the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. Specifically the second book The Subtle Knife

    • @Philistine47
      @Philistine47 4 года назад +1

      OTOH, if you like Narnia you might not like a trilogy of novels which only exists to be a hate letter to C. S. Lewis.

    • @purpleghost106
      @purpleghost106 4 года назад

      @@Philistine47 Honestly for that type of scenario I think we should just invoke Death Of The Author.
      If a book it has internal coherency, even if it started off as a kind of dark parody, it can take on a life of it's own and be super awesome, no matter why it was initially made.
      This is true of sayings too "I stood on the shoulders of giants" was a veiled insult directed at a short man who was a scientific rival of the speaker. He wanted credit, and he got it mingled with that insult.
      But there is meaning in the viel that resonates far beyond the intended purpose.
      The cloak the barb hid under has become it's generally understood meaning, because we do all benefit from our shared human history, our shared knowledge--- and stand on the shoulders of giants.
      The only time it matters that it was once an insult, is an example for situations like this, where it proves that insults can fade while the work remains.

    • @Philistine47
      @Philistine47 4 года назад +1

      @@purpleghost106 It might not matter - at least, it didn't for me. I read the books a couple of years before I learned about Pullman's obsession with "correcting" Lewis, and I disliked them intensely purely on their own merits.

  • @theatlascomplex2052
    @theatlascomplex2052 4 года назад

    The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, Jurassic Park/Lost World by Michael Crichton, and the Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix are the fictional worlds that I found myself the most immersed in. Especially Earthsea, which is probably the most lovingly constructed world I’ve ever had the joy of exploring.

  • @snehshah4973
    @snehshah4973 4 года назад +1

    I'd love every single video of yours as a podcast on Spotify..... It would be amazing.....

  • @danecobain
    @danecobain 4 года назад +1

    I've had Jurassic Park on my radar for a little while now, must get to it soon!

  • @connorcoltrane1777
    @connorcoltrane1777 4 года назад

    It's technically a roleplaying game (though it does have a really good book in its 'verse called "Fable of the Swan"), but Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine has one of the best settings that I've ever read. The setting just consists of a single area called Town, mostly because the rest of existence has been drowned in a primordial chaos of sorts, but Town is so rich and immersive. There are so many different fantastical regions in Town, all of them with their own stories and mysteries, and all of them suffused with so much personality as to be almost alive (both in-universe and out). Even the chaos outside Town that doesn't objectively exist (the Outside) is given such a vivid and unique nature of its own.

  • @isacantonio4355
    @isacantonio4355 4 года назад

    Ohh God, thank you for mentioning Jurassic Park (just my favorite book of all time btw). The movies are well known, but most people didn't even know that there is a insanely astonishing book that originated everything.

  • @danaleicruz6993
    @danaleicruz6993 4 года назад

    Your videos always make so happy. Stay safe and healthy.

  • @clementdenis4212
    @clementdenis4212 4 года назад

    The Edge chronicle is a serie that is sadly not very well known but has one of the most original, intriguing and well developed world that I've ever seen. It's more of a children/teenagers book to be honest but my God the world is so, so, so extraordinary...

  • @jonathanschnapp9989
    @jonathanschnapp9989 4 года назад

    My wife and I have fallen in love with the Mirror Visitor Books by Christella Dabos. So anxious for book 3 to come out!

  • @nothing23145
    @nothing23145 4 года назад

    Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is awesome Cyberpunk.
    Neal Stephenson's Seveneves is outstanding. Especially part 3.

  • @DESERTP1
    @DESERTP1 2 года назад

    The Hounds of Ash: And Other Tales of Fool Wolf is just short stories, but they make up my favorite world. There are a couple of other books set in that world(and they did come first), but the short stories are my favorite.

  • @onfaerystories
    @onfaerystories 4 года назад +1

    Love the topic of this video!
    I found Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo incredibly immersive as he had to do a lot of research to depict an accurate 16th century France. It was beautifully written, hilarious and painful at the same time (towards the end). I loved it and I admire him so much. I feel the same about Les Misérables, but without the comical elements. It was mostly touching and deep and I loved spending time in 19th century France (between the Battle of Waterloo and the June 1832 Rebellion).
    I'd add as well The Perfume by Patrick Süskind with all these amazing details surrounding how 18th century France smelled like. :P Historical fiction is usually quite immersive when it's well executed. But there's so much more to that book. I wasn't expecting the ending at all and it still haunts me today.
    I haven't read many immersive books (HP, Narnia...). There were a series I loved as a teenager (I think only a few ones have been translated into English) which is called The Emerald Knights, but it's low fantasy, you wouldn't like it. I don't think I would enjoy it as much today apart from general nostalgia. ^^"
    I haven't read LOTR yet because I have a three-in-one book that I couldn't bring with me anywhere, but now that I'm stuck at home... :)

    • @eliasapollo4131
      @eliasapollo4131 4 года назад +1

      Hugos books are really incredibly immersive! I love how he delves into culture and how the people lived and interacted with each other. Though sometimes he goes too much into detail... I really didn't need to know about the parisian sewer system, Victor. Show me more of les amis or the thénardier siblings lmao

    • @onfaerystories
      @onfaerystories 4 года назад +1

      @@eliasapollo4131 I know what you mean, but something strucked me in Notre-Dame: he referred to himself as an historian. He didn't want his books to be mere fiction, he wanted to accurately depict the world he lived it. I respect that a lot. :)

  • @ShootinMyWayOut
    @ShootinMyWayOut 4 года назад

    Spiderwick Chronicles, the Inheritance series, and the Inkheart series are my main ones.

  • @Leonum1860
    @Leonum1860 4 года назад +1

    I just finished Jurassic Park and wanted to recommend it to you. What a great book!

  • @ShootinMyWayOut
    @ShootinMyWayOut 4 года назад

    I've just rewatched all of the Narnia movies and holy crap are they BETTER than I remember! So much so, Prince Caspian is now my favorite medieval fantasy movie to date. I suggest giving them a rewatch (the first 2 are on Disney+ if you don't own them)

  • @JennFaeAge
    @JennFaeAge 4 года назад +2

    I mean, I have a soft spot for the world of Redwall, but I basically grew up reading that series (from about age 8 to...whatever age I was when Rogue Crew was released) so I may not be an unbiased judge lol

  • @saragouveiaa
    @saragouveiaa 4 года назад +1

    The most immersive book I've ever read is the Night Circus. Say/feel what you might about the story and the characters and whatnot, but that circus feels SO REAL! It felt like I was in there experiencing all those weird and magical things and I honestly wish it existed for real. Really looking forward to your opinion of it, whenever you end up reading it :)

  • @Nether4ce
    @Nether4ce 4 года назад

    A Song of Ice and Fire portrays the most immersive world I've ever read about. The attention to tiniest details that George pays is admirable. Every character has a story, has a unique physical appearance, has a unique personality. The world described is so vast and full:
    1. ''You hear of a character 500 pages (or even two books) before he is actually introduced'' - this is one of the most immersive things a writer can do. BUILD-UP to something. Don't bombard us with a completely new character that rose from nowhere. Have him mentioned in conversations, whispers, stories. Then when we finally meet that character from someone's perspective (or his own) it brings so much satisfaction and at the same time desire to know more that You can't stop reading (which is a good thing, right? Right? :o ). Of course a brand new character that we know nothing about also brings mystery to the story (and such characters also appears in these books), but luckily we get a healthy dosage of both these cases (as opposed to lots of other books/book series).
    2. ''Someone mentions of an unnamed character (but maybe already known to us readers ?) that has been seen somewhere else'' - the reader needs to figure out the identity of mentioned character on his own by the information he already has. It makes perfect sense that not everyone knows everyone in the world. But we, as readers, get the privilege of seeing the world through so many eyes that we can figure out things on our own without it being handled to us on a silver platter. Again - more satisfaction if we guess correctly (and just pure fun of trying to guess on our own) or a great shock value when the book itself finally explains it. And then we wonder if we could have seen that coming based on the clues George left behind earlier.
    3. We get one piece of the information about something from a character at the begining of the book, and we get the second piece of that information from a different character 500 pages later (or even in a different book). When given to us in pieces, they don't mean much. But when we merge those two pieces of information together we get the message that the author tried to give you, and sometimes that message means A LOT and changes our perception of a character/event etc.
    Through all of ASoIaF books such fragmented pieces of informations are scattered so heavily that the reader needs to pay attention to every detail that George writes. Sometimes You need to read the books again (and again, and again) to even catch such details, and man it feels good then. EVERY. WORD. MEANS SOMETHING. THAT is the real beauty of these books. These kind of things make the world real, complicated nad FULL. Every small detail as much as those big reveals are interconnected with each other. The perfect balance to a perfect story.
    Ah, I got carried away again. (I wonder if anyone will read the whole comment ^^)

  • @W0RDFARER
    @W0RDFARER 4 года назад

    The world I've found most immersive is definitely Roshar from the Stormlight Archive. The consistency and atmosphere of the landscape, plants and creatures alongside the affects of climate and the storms on life in Roshar really immersed me in the world. It felt real, logical and lived in, so I felt like I was living in the world with the characters.
    Scadriel from Mistborn also earns a spot on my list, though it is really the magic of the world that draws me to it and the characters who make Luthadel in particular feel real and immersive.
    The world of Harry Potter will also hold a place in my heart. It feels like coming home, and gives me a very special sort of longing and excitement to enter the wizarding world. It is such a full world that has so much in it, and really feels like it is some place I can visit and be part of.
    Middle Earth definitely needs to be on this list too. As it stands I haven't read the books as I struggled to get through The Hobbit, which I picked up to read before the main trilogy, when I first tried to read it, but am currently giving the books another go. Regardless the world presented even in the movies alone will always feel like a special place. All I need is the theme of the Shire to start playing and I am pulled into that world.

  • @markjackson5707
    @markjackson5707 4 года назад

    So glad you enjoyed Jurassic Park! It's one of my all time favorites. You should give Sphere a try if you get the chance. It's probably my second favorite Michael Crichton book.

  • @daftbanna7202
    @daftbanna7202 4 года назад

    I don't even like books but I really like how much passion you have for it.

  • @ducotedechezpou9059
    @ducotedechezpou9059 4 года назад +1

    It's interesting to me because I never fully understood what people meant by "immersive" world. But when you say you "visited" those worlds I understood that, I feel that way very easily. I think maybe I'm an easy reader that feels like every book is immersive because I feel like every book is somewhere I belong in a way, like every book is home.
    Also I wanted to mention I'm currently reading the Priory of the orange tree and loving the world. I know this was your patreon buddy read quite some time ago, I don't remember what you thought of it.

  • @annaf5184
    @annaf5184 4 года назад

    My favourite world was always Narnia, from when I was a kid right up until a few years ago when I read The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. It's the fictional world I can most easily visualise, peppered with a bit of religion (think ancient Greek goddesses) and folklore, and I just love it.

  • @fridaorchidea
    @fridaorchidea 4 года назад

    When I was a kid I got the entire Narnia Series in one big and beautifully illustrated book. I read it over and over again... I never got invested in the movies but I felt like I belonged in the books and in that world. Surprisingly I've never reread it as an adult but this video made me want to go back and read them again! Harry Potter is also one of those worlds that I could just visit over and over again. I´d like to add the hunger games, I wasn't completely happy with the third book but a love the way the world is portrayed.
    I also have a Swedish author that I recently came across. Elisabeth Nemert. She's a historian and writes about actual historical moments but always from the perspective of a onlooking woman. There're elements of magic and other supernatural things but the main focus is the portrayal of the historical environment thru the woman's eyes. Very beautifully written!

  • @Jojo-kq1zw
    @Jojo-kq1zw 4 года назад

    I love, love, love the mortal engines series. The ideas the author implemented with such ease as if they just belonged made me call in love with the world. It tugged at my heartstrings, it made me feel fear and care for the characters. There isn't as much world building as lotr however, it more than makes up for it with brilliant imagery and incredulous places that make you feel right in the moment. I've said my piece.

  • @renunit1503
    @renunit1503 4 года назад

    Jurassic Park is my favourite book. I try and read it every summer along with the sequel. It's so good!!

  • @sophiad9365
    @sophiad9365 4 года назад +8

    Have you ever read Outlander?
    Edit to add my most immersive worlds: Middle Earth, Harry Potter World, middle age era as described in The Name of the Rose

    • @onfaerystories
      @onfaerystories 4 года назад +1

      Yes, I loved that in The Name of the Rose!

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42  4 года назад

      I haven't! It's been recommended to me a lot but I'm not sure I'd like it. 😔

    • @pipitameruje
      @pipitameruje 4 года назад

      @@merphynapier42 I got the first two books right there, looking at me. They are huge. My only concern is that they may end up being what in my language is described as "Writing by the metre" or "for the metre", meaning that you're writing for length instead of content or plot. I mean, there are what? Seven books? And they are larger than GRRM books in ASOIAF, but the plot seems to be much simpler... I guess I'll find out during quarantine. Escapism is needed, right?

    • @cussundriakneal9904
      @cussundriakneal9904 4 года назад +1

      @@merphynapier42 I don't recommend it for you, because you usually hate selfish characters, and the main character from Outlander is the most ignorantly selfish protagonist i have ever come across. And among other romance crap that drove me up the wall and scream with fury, sooooo, i really don't think you'll enjoy this.
      But my opinion is in the minority, so. ^~^

  • @theskyisteal8346
    @theskyisteal8346 4 года назад

    The only second person narrative I ever liked was in 13 Reasons Why. Not only does it drag you into the story to make you so intimate with the characters, it also make s narrative sense.
    Narnia and Lord of the Rings are obviously on my list too but I think Malazan would definitely fit there as well as, I would even say, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. It's hard for me to come up with a list because I get so immersed in anything I read that this list just becomes a list of my favourite books.

  • @damianpook8576
    @damianpook8576 4 года назад +1

    No Honorable (heh) mention of Roshar from the Stormlight Archives? There's a lot of Investment in that one.

  • @FATIMAPECHI
    @FATIMAPECHI 4 года назад

    OMG!! I can't believe that you included Jurassic Park!! It's one of my favorite books of all time!!! 😍❤

  • @PeterCrighton
    @PeterCrighton 4 года назад

    So happy to see Michael Crichton on this list, he was an amazing author. Do make sure to read his other works; Timeline is my favourite, I think.

  • @stevegoldston1225
    @stevegoldston1225 4 года назад

    My TBR is so long right now and I just added like 3 books haha good problem because I get nervous as soon as that list gets low

  • @vrededromer8955
    @vrededromer8955 4 года назад

    I'm glad to hear someone speak lovingly about the Narnia movies. I love those movies so much, but the series of books do not resonate with me as much as I wish they would. Still the world of Narnia presented (especially in the movie) is pretty much at the top of my list of fantasy places I would want to visit

  • @laurieanngaudreault886
    @laurieanngaudreault886 4 года назад

    Hi, I really enjoy this video! I love when authors manage to capture us into their world! Two of my favorites are the Fablehaven and His Dark Materials world(s). I am surprise not to see the Mistborn world in this as I am currently reading the Final empire ;-)
    Also, I'm happy you're enjoying Jurassic Park. Do you plan on reading The Lost World?

  • @deanneekstrand4128
    @deanneekstrand4128 4 года назад

    Not technically a different world, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the most immersive books I've ever read. Because of the narrative style of being told through letters, and every writing voice being fully developed and full of beautiful personality, and it makes me feel like I'm really on the island, living with the characters in a way that many other stories never achieve.

  • @iridescentdemon
    @iridescentdemon 4 года назад

    I would also love a "Dear Authors" for worldbuilding!!

  • @Mariak82
    @Mariak82 4 года назад

    I haven't read Lord of The Rings yet. 😮 I grew up with Narnia and now as an adult Harry
    Potter. It was reading The Hobbit at school when we was about 8-10 that started my love of books. 📚

  • @catrionainglis5483
    @catrionainglis5483 4 года назад

    I find storm light to be the most immersive world I've read. Its internal consistency is really great so I'm not distracted by contradictions. And the intricacies of the plants, the weather and everything that goes with that means that I feel like I live in Roshar for the whole time I'm reading one of the books

  • @stevemcevilly6762
    @stevemcevilly6762 4 года назад

    The best world's I've read about are Erilea from throne of glass. It is built up slowly for the first 3 books before truly diving all the way in, Alagsia from the inheritance series as well as the Riordan verse that is still growing but includes the gods of Greece, Rome, and the Norse gods