The most creative universe
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Yeesh. Unique settings. Well, I love Anno Dracula, which is basically a world based on the premise that Dracula won in the events of the book Dracula, and went on to marry Queen Victoria and turn a large segment of the population into vampires. The books jump through history, with the first examining the impacts of these events in the years immediately following Dracula's victory (including the ramifications of Jack the Ripper murdering vampire prostitutes), then forwards several decades for the second book, the Bloody Red Baron, to seeing how the presence of vampires changed the First World War (it includes a shapeshifting Baron Mannfred von Richtofen turning into an enormous bat-thing and tackling planes in midair), and then forwards again to something approximating a spy drama in Rome in the 1960s for the Judgement of Tears. Fascinating look at vampires and how they'd actually fit into a society, especially if they came saddled with many of Dracula's inherent weaknesses. It's rather telling that the average lifespan for a new vampire is considerably less than the length of time they would have lived had they stayed human. And this is in a society that isn't actively trying to kill them.
However, I do think the Day After Ragnarok tops it for uniqueness. The basic premise is that in 1945, the Nazis summoned Jorgmundr the World Serpent to bring about the Ragnarok. However, before it could grow to full size, the Americans nuked it in the left eyeball and killed it. The corpse, at that point long enough to wrap around the entire planet, fell to earth and crushed a huge swathe of Europe, including all the armies fighting in Germany at the time, beneath it. The tidal wave caused by the collapse wiped out the entire east coast of the US, not to mention many, many other places. The serpent's rise meanwhile has awakened the magic of the world, leading to many creatures thought to be mere myths to come crawling out of the dark places of the earth. Three years later and the British empire, now based out of Australia (Britain lies almost entirely under the Serpent's bulk) is now engaged in a game of espionage against Stalin who, with the aid of the ice giants, has fashioned an army of ape-men and psychics and laid claim to all of Europe behind the Serpent Wall. In the US, a handful of states are trying to reestablish the country and pull the many rogue cities back into line, while fending off incursions from the KKK slave raiders and the even more monstrous mutant creatures that dwell in the Poisoned Lands. The Serpent's blood has many corrupting effects, but it has been found that it can also provide some interesting technological benefits. It's a fascinating setting with everything from Nazi U-boats still operating out of a secret base in Antarctica to air pirates raiding along the African coast to an island in the Pacific populated largely by zombified US marines, cannibalistic Japanese guerillas, and dinosaurs. Time to go dragon hunting with a submachine gun. Never read anything remotely like it.
However, I do think the Day After Ragnarok tops it for uniqueness. The basic premise is that in 1945, the Nazis summoned Jorgmundr the World Serpent to bring about the Ragnarok. However, before it could grow to full size, the Americans nuked it in the left eyeball and killed it. The corpse, at that point long enough to wrap around the entire planet, fell to earth and crushed a huge swathe of Europe, including all the armies fighting in Germany at the time, beneath it. The tidal wave caused by the collapse wiped out the entire east coast of the US, not to mention many, many other places. The serpent's rise meanwhile has awakened the magic of the world, leading to many creatures thought to be mere myths to come crawling out of the dark places of the earth. Three years later and the British empire, now based out of Australia (Britain lies almost entirely under the Serpent's bulk) is now engaged in a game of espionage against Stalin who, with the aid of the ice giants, has fashioned an army of ape-men and psychics and laid claim to all of Europe behind the Serpent Wall. In the US, a handful of states are trying to reestablish the country and pull the many rogue cities back into line, while fending off incursions from the KKK slave raiders and the even more monstrous mutant creatures that dwell in the Poisoned Lands. The Serpent's blood has many corrupting effects, but it has been found that it can also provide some interesting technological benefits. It's a fascinating setting with everything from Nazi U-boats still operating out of a secret base in Antarctica to air pirates raiding along the African coast to an island in the Pacific populated largely by zombified US marines, cannibalistic Japanese guerillas, and dinosaurs. Time to go dragon hunting with a submachine gun. Never read anything remotely like it.
I don't believe in that nonsense. It is true that it is impossible to make something 100% containing new content. I mean, if you want to be obnoxiously literal, any story will eventually show a 'person', and we've all seen 'people/humans' before lol. But anyone who is that picky about it should have their opinions invalidated from the start. Of course everything will have something familiar in it, but that doesn't mean it isn't original. At some point, when comic books were new the whole 'man in tights saving the day' concept was entierly original. Of course, one could argue that this all dates back much further to stories of Hercules and crap like that, but that's just reaching. They aren't the same thing at all.Casual Shinji said:
The correct answer is Discworld.
With Discworld Terry Pratchett did the near impossible by creating a setting both silly and absurd which also, somehow, had managed to tell numerous serious and enthralling story both as funny as they are emotionally engaging.
It is also the only setting in the known universe where the phrase "Where's my Cow? Is that my Cow?" has been used as for dramatic purposes. Used well too, such an amazing book that!
With Discworld Terry Pratchett did the near impossible by creating a setting both silly and absurd which also, somehow, had managed to tell numerous serious and enthralling story both as funny as they are emotionally engaging.
It is also the only setting in the known universe where the phrase "Where's my Cow? Is that my Cow?" has been used as for dramatic purposes. Used well too, such an amazing book that!
Isn't that whole world on elephants on a turtle thing from Hinduism or something
Isn't that whole world on elephants on a turtle thing from Hinduism or something?The Madman said:
How aboot that Kingdom Hearts universe? Any IP Disney owns is fair game right? In Kingdom Hearts: Battle for the Keyblades (Sony made a Smash Bros knock-off, who's gonna stop Disney?) you could have Deadpool v Sora v Mickey v Obi-Wan. Oh and since all Sqauresoft, Eidos, and Taito IP are likely fair game as well we can let our imaginations run wild.
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?RADIALTHRONE1 said:Im going to have to go with Rapture from Bioshock 1/2.
Pokemon.
In a futuristic society in which we humans are very much in-tune with nature, specifically animals with powers that have some degree of intelligence. We work in a (mostly) mutual relationship to accomplish what we can. Battling is for sport, some have them as pets, others who are EVIL use them for...EVIL purposes.
I know that alot of them are based of tales and spirits or mythology but in reality, it's still fucking creative.
In a futuristic society in which we humans are very much in-tune with nature, specifically animals with powers that have some degree of intelligence. We work in a (mostly) mutual relationship to accomplish what we can. Battling is for sport, some have them as pets, others who are EVIL use them for...EVIL purposes.
I know that alot of them are based of tales and spirits or mythology but in reality, it's still fucking creative.
The only way for stories and fictional universes to be captivating is if they maintain enough of what we are familiar with. So the fact that it isn't totally original is actually a good thing.xPixelatedx said:
It doesn't throw it all in your face, but you see subtle uses of magic. Martin makes you beg for moreXMark said:
Wouldn't really call it subtle. By book 3 pretty much every member of the Stark family is using it every other day, not to mention the plethora of other magical characters cropping up around the place. The only subtlety really is that he never bothers to lay down ground rules for what magic is and how it works.Gregory McMillan said:
The inter solar commonwealth from the commonwealth saga and the void trilogy. There are plenty of futures where we travel from planet to planet by ftl space ship but only one where we do that with a network of trains and wormholes.
I am going to have to agree with this one. Though some of his other worlds are also very unique.....can I just say the cosmere overall?Newtonyd said:
No! says the man in Washington, It belongs to the poor.Owen Robertson said:Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?RADIALTHRONE1 said:Im going to have to go with Rapture from Bioshock 1/2.