Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

For me it would be Jack Vance's Dying Earth.

Middle Earth, especially if I got to be an elf :) And if during a time where it wasn't in the middle of a war, perhaps in Rivendell or Gondolin.

Oof, Dying Earth? But everyone there is so nasty and mean to each other LOL. But if you ignore the people it would definitely be a place where you would never get bored of all the weird things you could come across.

My favorite genre is Zombie Apocalypse, so I'll pass on this. :)

The University, across the river from Imre, in the Commonwealth of Temerant (Kingkiller Chronicle). I want to be an arcanist!!!

I would live in Elan, the world of Riyria, by Michael J Sullivan. Even though bad things sometimes happen, most people turn out to be good at heart and there is some humor. There are some powerful women there too. I admire Game of Thrones but I wouldn't want to spend even a day in that world!

Pern

I'd like a nice retirement hole in the Shire, thank you very much.

no one for Willy Wonka?

SO MANY.

I second Commonwealth of Temerant. The Six Duchies and Roshar would round out my top three.

Astro City. It would be -fun-!

Old Kingdom/Ancelstierre from Sabriel. Magic, but also running water, heat, airplanes...

The universe of Empire From the Ashes. Sentient spaceships the size of the moon and a reborn galaxy spanning empire.

beta colony

I want to be able to do magic, so pretty much any world with magic user (who aren't being persecuted as the main story line) is where I want to be! Harry Potter, LOTR (as an Elf) and an Aes Sedai (Yellow Ajah) from Wheel of Time are preferred candidates.

Pern, but only if I went at a young enough age to be a candidate for a queen dragon!

Middle-earth in the Fourth Age

@Silvana Good specification. It WOULD suck to be stuck smack-dab in the middle of the War of the Ring.

Saul wrote: "@Silvana Good specification. It WOULD suck to be stuck smack-dab in the middle of the War of the Ring."

indeed.

Also, I don't mind living in Westeros during Jaeherys I era. Prosperous, improved infrastructure, Lord's first night right abolished, and so on. Still, preferably in Dorne, just to be safe, or slightly more southeast, the Summer Isles. Rhoynar of the old days also sounds great, with all the water mages and the river palaces.

I was always fascinated by David Farland's Runelords Universe, preferably not in the middle of a gigantic war, (and hopefully some day a finished series) but that magic in the books was pretty cool.

@Roger That's a very underappreciated series. I've only read the first one, but the magic IS pretty interesting and original.

Saul wrote: "@Roger That's a very underappreciated series. I've only read the first one, but the magic IS pretty interesting and original."

The unfortunate thing is that he never finished the second story arc, and it doesn't seem like he intends to finish it. His son was in an accident while he was writing the final book, four year ago, and he stopped to take care of him. Now it seems like all his time is taken up doing writing workshops and I can't find a single thing indicating that he's going to be working on the book any time soon.

Wow. Oh, well. So I should stop after the first arc, then. That's book four?

Saul wrote: "Wow. Oh, well. So I should stop after the first arc, then. That's book four?"

That's what I would recommend, I prefer the first four anyway, the story comes to a satisfactory end and the sequel books aren't as good, in my opinion. I was going to stop after the book seven but then realized there was only two more left and figured I'd like to get to the conclusion. Unlucky for me.

Well, good thing I didn't bulk-buy the whole series. I've only got the first 2

The second story arc to Runelords is more dire, and end of the world themed. Very little hope until the end of the last book.

I think Silvana has the right idea, looking for some time period before or after the events of the books that make life "interesting" for the characters!

I'll pivot to sci-fi and say the solar system of the Expanse series right after the invention of the Epstein drive.

The Culture.

No work, all play.

I'm more old school, the hero in me would be jetting around the universe as a lensman. Nowadays, ummm, something less adventurous and more utopian with the Kesh in Always Coming Home, Le Quins sympatico depiction of rural tranquility and harmony.

Book Nerd wrote: "The Culture.

No work, all play."

To expand on my life in the culture: I would live in virtual reality. I would have a nice, big house at the center of my personal virtual multiverse. I would be able to change the surroundings at my whim. In the house I would read and watch movies and play board games and putter around in the kitchen like the old man I am.

From there I would be able to enter any of the other fictional universes I love and have adventures. I could stay there for hours or years, pause, rewind, or make small changes whenever I want.

THAT would be a perfect life.

I'd probably like to live in Two Rivers with Rand, Mat, and Perrin and learn the bow and staff and shepherd sheep, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan lol. Or maybe in the Cosmere universe and be a mistborn or a knight radiance and suck in some stormlight lol Mistborn series and Stormlight Archives both by Brandon Sanderson. Maybe even the University with Kvothe and all them smart women around there, woot woot lol, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I figure the toughest place to live at would probably be in DUNE, imagine that, Brian Herbert is a genius writer.

J.J. wrote: "Brian Herbert is a genius writer."
You mean Frank, of course.

Book Nerd wrote: "J.J. wrote: "Brian Herbert is a genius writer."
You mean Frank, of course."

lol Yeah, I meant Frank, of course. I was probably subconsciously thinking of Brian Lumley at the time, Psychomech trilogy, Necroscope series, great books. The other day I typed Robert Sanderson instead of Brandon Sanderson. I was thinking of Robert Jordan while typing Sanderson's name, ha! lol Thanks for the correction, bud.

My first thought would be Harry Potter (after Voldemort is dead, of course). Looking for something less mainstream, The Witches of Karres might be fun (old school space adventure with psychic "witches"). Much as I love to read LOTR it's a bit grim for me as a place to live.

Planet Acadica from the Aetherverse