Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Settings I'd Love to See More Of

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Settings I’d Like to See More Of (Or At All)

I'm not sure if this week's topic meant what settings from books I've already read and would like to see more of or just types of settings in general, so I just went with the latter option! As a disclaimer, I am aware that there are plenty of books out there with these settings available, but they aren't necessarily in an overabundance and I'd personally just like to see more options available in new works. I'm including both time periods and specific physical settings, so let's just dive in!


1. Underwater settings
I love the idea of underwater worlds, but the only ones that come immediately to mind are The Little Mermaid and its large array of retellings. The ocean is huge and I'd be thrilled to read more books set somewhere in its depths, whether in a real-world universe or an alternate one.


2. Prehistoric 
One of the best prehistoric series I can think of it the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel (Clan of the Cave Bear), but outside of that this period seems fairly scarce in recent books. Whenever I read something vaguely prehistoric or semi-close to that period I seem to adore it, so I say bring on more prehistory. Dinosaurs are an added bonus if you really want to get crazy.


3. Islamic Golden Age
From my understanding, this period spans multiple centuries from the 4th to 12th century, so there is plenty of room for some great book material. I don't mind if its historical fiction, fantasy, or something inspired by anything from this period, I simply think this is a time period that is rife with ideas and innovations and would make for great stories to share.


4. Medieval Japan
Honestly, any historical period in Japan would be welcome in my book, whether ancient, classical, or medieval, but I've always thought that medieval Japan is an area that isn't often used for book settings.


File:Map of the Achaemenid Empire.jpg
5. The Persian Empire
This is another period of time that has a lot to work with and could provide for so many incredible stories and settings! We often see books set in Ancient Greece that include the Greeks fighting the Persians, but I don't often see books set on the Persian side, whether its during Persian wars or not.


Mud stained British soldiers at rest
6. World War I
I might be sick to death of WWII settings most of the time, but I'm not sure of World War I settings! I'd love to see some books that take place during this time period that incorporate the conflict in some manner. An added bonus would be books that take place during this period that aren't centered in the United States or the United Kingdom.


Image result for the underworld
7. The Underworld
There are various versions of the Underworld in all sorts of different mythologies and even in fantasy worlds, so this is an area that could be majorly explored. There are a decent number of books with the Underworld as a setting that is visited, but I'd love to see one that takes almost entirely in the Underworld where it also plays a large role in the plot.


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8. Fantasy Renaissance
I see a lot of historical periods used in fantasy, but I'm honestly not sure if I've seen very many set in the Renaissance. Medieval European fantasy is one of the most popular settings out there, but again, I'm not so sure about the Renaissance! I'd love to see a creative take on this period's politics, art, innovations, and other elements of the cultural atmosphere.


Image result for underground cave
9. Underground/Caves
Okay, so this is a bit of an odd one. I'm not entirely sure what it is about caves that I enjoy, but whenever I read a book that features any sort of cave digging or period in which the main characters have to stay overnight in a cave or somewhere underground, I always love it! I love exploring areas within caves or new worlds that exist right under our feet.


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10. Castles
I feel like there are a lot of books that feature castles, but how many are actually set in a castle? I demand more castles! I don't even care if the characters ever leave the castle, let it be big enough that everyone can stare there all the time if necessary.


11. The Afterlife
I don't care what sort of afterlife it is, but I just love the idea of exploring a story where the characters have already passed and are now coming to grips with something as crazy as the afterlife. I 'd really like to see that different situations that authors come up with to tackle this topic. And yes, I watch and have really enjoyed The Good Place, though I'd love a darker take on the afterlife as well.


What settings would like to see more if in books?

13 comments:

  1. The underworld would be a very interesting setting for sure!

    This is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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  2. Yes to all of this list! I recommend checking out some Italian-inspired fantasy if you want more Renaissance era fantasy - I get that kind of vibe from The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Katharine Duckett's Miranda in Milan is brilliant, too! I really need to read the Clan of the Cave Bear books and I'd love to read more books set in the Islamic Golden Age and the Persian Empire.

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    1. Ooh, that's a great idea! I do love the setting in The Lies of Locke Lamora. Miranda in Milan is one that's been on my TBR for ages, I guess I actually need to get to it soon!

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  3. African prehistoric settings were on my list this week. Prehistory in general is a fascinating thing to read about.

    (Sorry if this comment shows up twice. I had some trouble leaving a comment here today).

    My TTT.

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    1. It really is! I love exploring those time periods that just feel so foreign to us.

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  4. Underwater settings are a favorite of mine. I loved World of Water by James Lovegrove- that was set on a water world and had such an interesting mer- race. I need more prehistoric settings too (and yes- dinosaurs are a nice extra). Did you read Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh? Those were pretty good.

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    1. Ooh, I'll have to check out World of Water, that sounds super neat! I think I started reading Ivory and Bone but never finished for some reason (?) so maybe I need to revisit that one.. :)

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  5. I've seen prehistoric pop up on a couple lists today - very intriguing!

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  6. I wouldn't say no to more of the afterlife and the underworld. :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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