Bookish Worlds I’m Dying To Visit

When I say I’m dying to visit these bookish worlds . . . I mean it. No, seriously. I would die. Probably not gloriously. Almost assuredly immediately. But you know what? What’s life without taking a few risks?

Despite my current penchant for cozy fantasy and romantasy, it should come as no surprise that a lot of the worlds I read—and especially the ones that speak to me—are, how shall we say . . . as dark as my pitch-black soul? They don’t exactly lend themselves to those fancy travel brochures. “And here we are, this architectural marvel that is the castle. It’s ancient. Probably haunted. Don’t ask by whom. And from the turrets, you have a rather breathtaking view of the beautiful rolling hills in the distance. Moving along now. Please ignore the screams of pain in the background, thank you.”

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday are books set in a certain place, and since I’m indecisive and couldn’t choose, I figured I would just take you on a tour with me to all the dangerous bookish worlds I would love to visit. Buckle up!

This is actually a topic I’ve done maaaany times before, so I will be doing my best not to repeat anything I’ve discussed before. If you’re curious about other worlds that I would be happy to die in, check out any one of these previous posts:

• Literary Worlds I’ve Always Wanted to Visit
• Bookish Worlds I Want to Live In (And Never Leave)
• Favorite Fictional Places to Visit
• Fictional Places I Want to Visit (Despite the Danger)

With that out of the way, let’s get to the newest literary landscapes that will absolutely terrify . . . errrr, I mean, make you want to live there! Surely. Let me introduce you to ten brand-new fantasy worlds that I think we can all agree are worth visiting.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, Dungeon Crawler Carl is—you probably guessed it—a dungeon crawler book! Also in the genre of LitRPG, which is a concept I’ve always enjoyed in games but haven’t explored as much in books. But you know what? The possibilities are almost limitless. Would I die in this dungeon? Absolutely. But I’m fairly confident I could make it at least to the third floor. Given my gaming history, I think it’s fairly safe to say I’d be tired of it by then, anyway, so it’s all good.

Perks of this place:

• Life is one big game . . . quite literally!
• Snarky, ever-present AI.
• (Hint: Don’t romance the AI. I know what I’ve said before . . . but not this one, okay?)
• Optional animal sidekicks. Sometimes sapient, sometimes . . . not.
• Dinosaurs are one of the options! I assume dragons are, as well. (They should be, at least!)
• I’ve always said life should come with achievements. Well, now it does!
• (Unfortunately, ‘got out of bed in the morning’ isn’t one of them, though I’d still argue I deserve a reward for it.)
• New dangers (and surprises) around ever corner. You’ll never get bored!

Assistant to the Villain

My love for this series is no secret, so it should come no surprise that it would appear on this list. It should also come as no surprise that I am definitely Team Villain. Not only do they clearly have all the fun, but the Villain himself sounds irresistible. Listen, I’m not saying I’d want to date him or anything. He’s obviously a walking red flag (even by my standards), and I am perfectly happy letting Evie have a go, and I wish her all the best. No, I have no romantic notions toward him. I just want to be the cool, no-nonsense Auntie who’s like, “Oh yes, your menacing glare is utterly terrifying, dear. I’m sure men quake in their boots when you glower at them. Now, would you like marshmallows in your cocoa or no?”

Perks of this place:

• You can literally side with The Villain. AND it pays!
• (Joke’s on them . . . I would’ve done it for free!)
• Super cool workplace with unique decor.
• Quirky, built-in squad that is unique and delightful
• For a change, the explosions will not be my fault. Probably.
• Dragons! Allegedly untrainable, but I’m on Blade’s side here. I’m sure we can figure something out.

City of Nightmares

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Somewhere called the City of Nightmares probably isn’t screaming of tourist potential. But you know what? Metropolis sounds all stoic and cheery and look at all the crap that happens there. So maybe we shouldn’t be so hasty to judge a place by its name, hmm?

Nah, I’m just kidding. The City of Nightmares is absolutely terrible. Mostly because the population is at constant risk of transforming into their worst nightmare anytime they sleep. I admit, it’s not a particularly persuasive sort of place. But you know what? Joke’s on them. I have anxiety, which means I am literally afraid of everything and anything at any point. So good luck figuring out my one worst nightmare. For all I know, I’d turn into a perfectly healthy, well-rounded human being. Wouldn’t that be terrifying?

Perks of this place:

• You literally never know what you’ll run into when you step out the door!
• Hey, sometimes nightmares can be cool. One person’s nightmare is another person’s dream.
• There’s a chance, no matter how small, that you turn into something really freaking cool
• Opportunity to become rich, if you’re willing and able to get it on some less-than-legal operations
• People are super suggestive. Start your own cult! You most likely won’t regret it!

Vera Wong

Here’s my one gotcha on this list . . . because technically, this takes place in the real world. I mean, it’s not realistic, so I think it’s still earned its spot on this list, but nevertheless. Believe it or not, this one is actually more about the people than the world. Because I like to keep y’all on your toes.

Vera Wong is the woman I want to eventually grow into . . . by which I mean her personality, of course, and not a Chinese Auntie. That would be weird. She’s no nonsense and charming, while still somehow helping everyone around her by providing exactly what they need. Which sometimes is just a warm meal and a sympathetic ear. It’s inspiring, really. I honestly don’t care which way this goes. I’m thrilled to be adopted into Vera’s chaotic but lovable found family, but I also want to eventually learn to be the sort of person that, like Vera, is able to somehow pull together a loving group of friends and adopted family!

Perks of this place:

• Food. There is always food. And it’s obviously deliciously.
• Oh, and tea! Don’t forget the tea. If that’s your thing.
• Everybody is family, whether they want to be or not.
• Somehow, people keep dying around Vera? Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that one.
• The chance to play detective and solve murder mysteries.
• Chaotic adventures, where you never know what you’ll be dragged into next.

Adventure Zone

Technically, this is almost a microcosm of Dungeons & Dragons in general, but I’m going to treat it as its own thing in its own right . . . mostly because it is. To start off with, I am not against having a Dungeon Master guiding my decisions in life. Would I prefer they make things easier rather than more difficult? Sure. But y’know, beggars can’t be choosers, and I’ll take what I can get.

This lovable squad is obviously the heroes no one wants. Calling them heroes is also likely generous. They are chaotic enough to be interesting, snarky enough to be worth my time, and loyal enough to make me believe they wouldn’t intentionally kill me. And in some of the worlds I’d visit, that’s a huge distinction!

Perks of this place:

• You can be the worst [insert your class here] in this squad, and you would still be the best on the squad
• Suddenly, my clumsiness and chaos doesn’t seem as bad in comparison
• Explosions! Some are even intentional!
• You never know what’s going to happen next. (But if it’s bad . . . one of your teammates probably caused it.)
• On the plus side, you get some form of power! (Effectiveness of said power is not guaranteed. Read the fine details.)
• Have the chance to go on grand (mis)adventures and (sometimes) save people.
• (Okay, maybe doom some people, too, but they probably had it coming.)

The Kaiju Preservation Society

Welcome to my nerdy side. I feel like you should’ve seen this coming. While The Kaiju Preservation Society is terrifying in the sense of giant kaijus existing in a universe only slightly separated from our own and sometimes slipping through . . . I mean, does that not also sound thrilling. Sure, Godzilla wasn’t exactly fun for the Japanese, but surely science and technology have improved since then. It’ll be fiiiiiine.

The whole point of this is to follow the gloriously nerdy people who study these kaiju, and right away, I’d like to say sign me up for this. I want a cushy office job, though. Too many field workers die during this book. I’d like to at least have a chance, no matter how small, to be able to satisfy my nerdy side before shuffling off this mortal coil, thanks.

Perks of this place:

• A world full of Godzilla! (But not necessarily rampaging, so it’s fine.)
• Giant flora and fauna means that much more opportunity for study!
• A science geek’s dream. Imagine all the new things there are to discover!
• Entrance into a secret society. Sure, it may get you killed . . . but it also might make you rich.
• Travel to another dimension. (And probably travel back. Maybe?)
• Live amongst your fellow science geeks and get to learn from them.
• When you inevitably go into a detailed soliloquy about your specific flavor of science, others will be sufficiently interested and hear you out without their eyes glazing over

Fallen Gods

I confess that I haven’t finished this trilogy yet, so I’m reserving the right to change my opinion on this once I do. That being said, I really enjoyed all the different aspects of this world. Would I become a god? Maybe. I mean, I’d certainly try, because why not? Y’all would worship me and sacrifice, like, books and priceless manuscripts in my name, yes?

If that fails, my backup plan is to bind myself to a god. How? I don’t know. Experimentation may be required. Luckily, there aren’t really any laws against human experimentation in this world, so we’re all good! I suppose that technically there’s also the opportunity to become a godkiller buuut . . . short of getting some sort of magic or power, I don’t think I’m qualified for that position.

Perks of this place:

• Theoretically, the opportunity to become a godkiller,
• (Or, y’know, be killed by a god you were hunting, which seems less effective.)
• The chance to become a god, if you get enough followers!
• (Also, the chance to become hunted by a godkiller, so . . . still pretty risky.)
• All sorts of gods, for all sorts of needs (some more popular than others).

Dinosaur Sanctuary

This manga is more along the lines of what my parents should have let little dinosaur-obsessed, paleontologist-bound four-year-old Sammie, rather than Jurassic Park. Despite my insistence that I was a big girl and absolutely would not have nightmares. (Spoiler alert: I definitely did. Regularly. Until I was about six and they let me watch Jurassic Park 2 FOR SOME REASON, which reignited my terror.)

Despite the presence of dinosaurs, this world is probably the coziest and safest on this list. Obviously, there are always dangers when dinos are involved, but the whole point of this series is taking care of and studying dinos, in a zoo-style rescue.

Perks of this place:

• Dinosaurs! Not the kind that will eat you on sight. (Probably.)
• The chance to study, love on, and care for said dinosaurs.
• Research! The really fun, geeky kind.
• Opportunity to be a caretaker for unique species.
• Rescue creatures in need. Feel good about your job, for a change.
• What Jurassic Park could have been with a little more forethought

Nettle & Bone

I’ll be honest, a lot of the aspects of this world are things that aren’t great in our world. Misogyny. Abuse, especially of women. Murder. (Though, to be fair, it’s sometimes justified.) That being said, this world also takes all those terrible things and provides an avenue for solving them: magic. Of course, you have to be willing to put in the work. It isn’t easy. Magic never is.

Perks of this place:

• Three words: demon-possessed chicken. (Yes, I want one.)
• Don’t just be a witch. Be a gravewitch.
• Uncover a quest of your own. Maybe it’s revenge. Maybe it’s assisting someone else’s revenge. Who knows?
• Become a part of your very own fairy tale.
• (Remember, Grimm’s Fairy Tales are also fairy tales. Just saying.)

A Chorus of Dragons

If I’m honest, this world is a little . . . much. Even for me. But would I still be willing to give it a try? Of course. Because what do I have to lose, other than my life? And in this world, I can lose that multiple times, so it’s all good. Given the kill count in this series, it’s a pretty safe bet that I would, in fact, die at some point. The real question is how? And there are so many options. Let me count the ways . . .

Perks of this place:

• The dragons are not a lie! But it is complicated. And probably not what you expect.
• The world is huge, with lots of diverse people. Surely you can find your perfect fit.
• All sorts of magic. Pick your perfect flavor of it.
• Being morally gray is totally acceptable. Actually, it’s rather encouraged.
• Everyone banters. It’s like its own language.
• I’ll be honest . . . I just want to spend all my time with Thurvishar D’Lorus, who is utterly delightful.

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