You said no.10 and I was afraid there would be only ten !! 😆😆

#1 indeed! I enjoyed your top 10-I mean top 15- worlds!

Already cracking up from the first 5 seconds alone lol. Appreciate ya, Mr. Durfee!

I have read extensively - fiction, nonfiction - what have you. And when I pause to rank fantasy writers, two immediately come to mind. JRR, and Tad Williams. I don't know why, but there is such a lyrical quality to Tad Williams' writing, that I find amazing. I know rhere are others - B. Sanderson, with his trillion page monsters, RR Martin, with his trillion readers/tv viewers, but the writing style of Tad Williams, always gives me pause when I read one of his books. An aside, absent from your list, a massive three vol set by some guy who shamelessly is resting on his laurels: You.

Thank you Brian!! Very interesting worlds!! Added more books to read to my TBR!

The Land. I bought Lord Foul’s Bane with a gift certificate I I was given in my first year of high school. Thomas Covenant brings me back to being 11.

They do have a game that is detailed involving Middle Earth---Lord of the Rings Online. It's very detailed in story and geography. The game is constantly adding new areas to explore, and it is already HUGE.

For me, it's a two way tie between Middle Earth and Osten Ard. I would most certainly love to live in either of those worlds.

Brian you must read Daughter of the Empire by Feist/Wurts, Kelawan might be added to this list! It is such a great book, most similar to GOT than anything else I have read so far.

Thank you Brian, fantastic video, so fun and entertaining. I thought you would put Realm of Elderlings also to the list because it is turned Alaska😊

Its incredible to me how you real all thoae books, truely impressive. My mother is also a very avid reader, and i must say i may not hvmave read as much as either of you but im just about done with the dark tower series and im gerting into fantasy now. Ive been looking on utube for recommendations on what series i should read next and i found alot of runner ups but i really dig ur taste in genre. So ima start your trilogy next, im sure i wont be dissapointed

Love this list!! 🥰

The Paksanerrion world by Elizabeth Moon is amazing, after have read all the 8 novels, also Videssos by Harry Turtledove, in my opinion

I have some overlap with your list, but only a little. I'd definitely include Steven Brust's Dragaera, Roger Zelazny's Amber/Chaos world-thingy (no map; good luck making one 8-) ), Rick Cook's Wiz Biz world, Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame world, David Weber's Oath of Swords (Bahzell Bahnakson) world, the world of Lyndon Hardy's Master of the Five Magics, Midkemia (Raymond Feist's world), Tekumel (which is arguably SF and also arguably used in Raymond Feist's novels), .... And if you like Urban Fantasy, you have to include "Earth". It has some really good maps available as well. 8-)

LOTRO Lord of the Rings Online is that game

I was listening to this debating the next fantasy world to fall into when I was suddenly struck - why don’t I read your series? Getting book one today.

Bob Howard INVENTED the sh/t.

I'm a great fan of The Five Isles, myself.

Dude, hearing you talk about a Lord of the Rings videogame the size of Skyrim and GRRM's Westeros, just sounds like you need to play Elden Ring! GRRM helped to develop the mythos of that world and the lore is super fleshed out. It's really alive and beautiful and there are strange and meaningful discoveries around every corner. Also the lore of the characters and factions is just fantastic. That's where you see Martin's influence most. You should really check out some videos and see if that's something you could be convinced to try.

Discworld!

Well obviously you love huge maps and I do too. The bigger the better. I remember Rothfoess complaining every fantasy series has to have a map, just cause Tolkien did it--- and in this case the Hobbit has a map in the story--- Not true, Wilderland, is in the back, also by Tolkien, when on a panel with George rr Martin, and George said "It's so people can know where things ARE>" Lol. Maybe he questions this, but he has a map himself.

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Should read age of fire series there's 6 books but they are short and u read from the dragon's point of view

👍📖😃📚

Just imagine how many videos have bern lost to history because the camera wasn’t on 😢

Has Brian read the Narnia books?

No Five Isles? 👀 also there IS a lord of the rings game like that called Lord of the Rings online

Someone bished about his volume lol😂 DO YOU HEAR ME NOW‼️⁉️

If I don't see the five warrior angels, stormlight archive and malazan on here I'm canceling my subscription

I think Malazan is deeper than Tolkien, as his stuff is mainly a creation myth/cosmology, then rambling background thoughts filling books. It is not cohesive or complete, and his world lacks contrast. As well, I would assert that the background and lore presented in only the written narrative of Lotr and the Hobbit is very topical. To gain knowledge of the depth and breadth of his world one has to read the Silmarillion, history of middle-earth, and nature of middle earth. Tbh, these works mainly show that he rewrote shit over and over, and really cared about the elves (really only the Eldar, he could give a cats piss about the Telari). The in-narrative scope of the lore of Tolkien’s Legendarium is surpassed by much modern fantasy fiction in my opinion. And I do not give much credit to 50 years of rewrites of the same thing. What about the east, JRR?? What about the Men corrupted by Melkor the adversary, known as Morgoth to the Eldar, who retain the gift of mortality as well as free will and choice?? Have you forgotten or do not care about the human race as a whole, and only for the 3 tribes of human who migrated west to Belariand?? Are all other humans corrupted trash?? We are all blinded by nostalgia.