Extrapolated Worlds: The Laws of Reality

[peadarog]

 There are dozens of ways to build a world, but my own personal favorite involves a starting point of one or two very simple rules from which everything else can, and must be, derived. I followed this approach with The Inferior, but there are lots of more famous examples out there.

One of the most amazing feats of worldbuilding ever achieved, in my

Comments

[msstacy13]

One feels insipid,
mentioning C S Lewis and Narnia,
yet the example comes to mind
like a lamp post at the back of a wardrobe.

Although almost every detail of Catch-22 was drawn from Joseph Heller's
personal experience in the 15th Air Force,
Yossarian's world is a synthesis of the simple premise/paradox
that no sane person can survive, but only a sane person has the will to survive.

But regardless; if you're writing fiction, you're building a world.
If you're writing "Traditional realist" fiction,
you're just building a world from used parts picked up cheap.

[peadarog]

But regardless; if you're writing fiction, you're building a world.
If you're writing "Traditional realist" fiction,
you're just building a world from used parts picked up cheap.

You'll get no argument from me there...

[msstacy13]

I suppose we could still argue over which of us
is more deserving of the Nobel Prize...

but maybe not today...

[peadarog]

No argument there either. I win, I always win. Everything.

Dying Earth

[zornhau]

"It's really really old."

Or how about the world of the Illuminatus Trilogy: "All those conspiracies are true - ALL of them..."

Re: Dying Earth

[peadarog]

Both great examples. TDE is one of my favorite books of all time -- until the end of time. You could say that Gene Wolfe took the same "rule" and came up with a totally different world.

[bondo_ba]

Hmmm... great question. I guess the obvious one is probaably Dune, where the oone has to explain why the entire water supply of the planet seems to have disappeared completely, which leads to... great stonking worms (!?).

[peadarog]

Stop talking about worms -- you'll make me hungry again. Mmm... spicy!

[eldritchhobbit]

Dune came first to my mind, too!

[bondo_ba]

Great minds think alike!

[xraytheenforcer]

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge. Interesting world(s), fascinating and sympathetic antagonist in Arienrhod.

[peadarog]

Yeah, that was cool, but it all feels so long ago. There was a sequel too, if I remember...

[bogwitch64]

I thought about the coming winter in Song of Ice and Fire. Though, we haven't actually gotten to that long winter yet, it's always on the horizon.

[peadarog]

It is! Although, I wouldn't put the amazing ASOIAF into this category, but I guess you knew that :)