The past decade has been a renaissance for fantasy lovers, gifting us with imaginative worlds that rival the classics from J.R.R. Tolkien or George R.R. Martin. But let's skip the nostalgia for the Shire and Westeros and take a look at the freshest, most inventive fantasy worlds that redefine epic storytelling.
Here's our picks of the five best fantasy worlds created in books in the last 10 years, delivering everything from magical realism to deep, unsettling atmospheres.
Welcome to the Broken Earth (N.K. Jemisin)
If tectonic activity could win awards, it would be this. N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy didn’t just take home three consecutive Hugos; it shook the foundations of fantasy storytelling itself.
The world of the Stillness is an unrelenting spectacle of seismic catastrophes, where orogenes (humans with the ability to manipulate the Earth’s energy) are more feared than loved. Epic in scale, personal in emotion,...
Here's our picks of the five best fantasy worlds created in books in the last 10 years, delivering everything from magical realism to deep, unsettling atmospheres.
Welcome to the Broken Earth (N.K. Jemisin)
If tectonic activity could win awards, it would be this. N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy didn’t just take home three consecutive Hugos; it shook the foundations of fantasy storytelling itself.
The world of the Stillness is an unrelenting spectacle of seismic catastrophes, where orogenes (humans with the ability to manipulate the Earth’s energy) are more feared than loved. Epic in scale, personal in emotion,...
- 7/31/2025
- by Justin Brayton
- Winter Is Coming
Earlier this month, the Hugo Awards took place at the 82nd annual Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland. The Hugos are one of the most prestigious award ceremonies for genre fiction, meant to honor the best and brightest working in fantasy and science fiction and its fandom. If you're into speculative fiction, it's a pretty safe bet to say that you probably want to keep an eye on the works, writers and artists who are nominated for and win Hugos each year.
In past years, the Hugos have been plagued by multiple controversies, such as the preemptive censorship of several entrants during last year's ceremony in Chengdu, China, which resulted in the censure and resignation of several World Science Fiction Society (Wsfs) members who played a prominent part in facilitating the awards. Even this year, there was an attempt to stuff the ballots, which resulted in the disqualification of 377 fraudulent votes after...
In past years, the Hugos have been plagued by multiple controversies, such as the preemptive censorship of several entrants during last year's ceremony in Chengdu, China, which resulted in the censure and resignation of several World Science Fiction Society (Wsfs) members who played a prominent part in facilitating the awards. Even this year, there was an attempt to stuff the ballots, which resulted in the disqualification of 377 fraudulent votes after...
- 8/19/2024
- by Daniel Roman
- Winter Is Coming
Stars: Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong, Simon Bubb, Andy Blithe, Charlie Eales, Ryan Enever, Raphel Famotibe, Joe Gallucci, Pamela Cook | Written and Directed by Matthew Holness
“Can you spy him deep within? Little Possum. Black as sin.” That’s just part of the creepy children’s poem that accentuates the sheer bloody terror in Possum, a supremely disturbing British horror flick from writer-director Matthew Holness, creator of Darth Marenghi’s Darkplace.
Based on Holness’ own short story, Possum stars Sean Harris as Philip, a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a suspiciously large leather bag. Inside the bag is Possum, perhaps the scariest puppet ever committed to celluloid. The frankly terrifying poster for the film (google it at your peril) gives some idea of the horror, but the finished article is guaranteed to give you nightmares for weeks.
On the surface, the plot is deceptively simple:...
“Can you spy him deep within? Little Possum. Black as sin.” That’s just part of the creepy children’s poem that accentuates the sheer bloody terror in Possum, a supremely disturbing British horror flick from writer-director Matthew Holness, creator of Darth Marenghi’s Darkplace.
Based on Holness’ own short story, Possum stars Sean Harris as Philip, a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a suspiciously large leather bag. Inside the bag is Possum, perhaps the scariest puppet ever committed to celluloid. The frankly terrifying poster for the film (google it at your peril) gives some idea of the horror, but the finished article is guaranteed to give you nightmares for weeks.
On the surface, the plot is deceptively simple:...
- 3/7/2019
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Stars: Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong, Simon Bubb, Andy Blithe, Charlie Eales, Ryan Enever, Raphel Famotibe, Joe Gallucci, Pamela Cook | Written and Directed by Matthew Holness
“Can you spy him deep within? Little Possum. Black as sin.” That’s just part of the creepy children’s poem that accentuates the sheer bloody terror in Possum, a supremely disturbing British horror flick from writer-director Matthew Holness, creator of Darth Marenghi’s Darkplace.
Based on Holness’ own short story, Possum stars Sean Harris as Philip, a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a suspiciously large leather bag. Inside the bag is Possum, perhaps the scariest puppet ever committed to celluloid. The frankly terrifying poster for the film (google it at your peril) gives some idea of the horror, but the finished article is guaranteed to give you nightmares for weeks.
On the surface, the plot is deceptively simple:...
“Can you spy him deep within? Little Possum. Black as sin.” That’s just part of the creepy children’s poem that accentuates the sheer bloody terror in Possum, a supremely disturbing British horror flick from writer-director Matthew Holness, creator of Darth Marenghi’s Darkplace.
Based on Holness’ own short story, Possum stars Sean Harris as Philip, a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a suspiciously large leather bag. Inside the bag is Possum, perhaps the scariest puppet ever committed to celluloid. The frankly terrifying poster for the film (google it at your peril) gives some idea of the horror, but the finished article is guaranteed to give you nightmares for weeks.
On the surface, the plot is deceptively simple:...
- 7/9/2018
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
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