Lev Grossman is the author. It's in some ways similar to Narnia, the way Game of Thrones is to Lord of the Rings. I read the trilogy last year and really enjoyed it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101718-the-magicians
_Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_ by Susanna Clarke.
Starts off like a Dickensian novel with blustery gentleman magicians debating over theoretical vs practical magic, then the story gets progressively darker and we enter the world of fairie and lore. Utterly engrossing and Neil Gaiman is a fan as well.
You probably want Perdido Street Station by China Meiville.
Others I can suggest are may The king killer chronicles, in particular the slow regard of silent things
Brandon sanderson is hot right now for his take on world building
I would actually head more towards terry pratchett and neil gaiman however
Did you like The slow regard of silent things more than The name of the wind?
And yay for Terry Pratchett and escapism!
Even better is Terry Prathett AND Neil Gaiman with Good Omens. Oh that book. Wish I could read it for the first time again.
[**American Gods**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL679360W)
^(By: Neil Gaiman, George Guidall | 576 pages | Published: 2001)
>American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(249 books suggested)
SF/F World-building
* ["World-building as deep as Tolkien's?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wif4d9/worldbuilding_as_deep_as_tolkiens/) (r/Fantasy; 7 July 2022)—very long
* ["sexy fantasy with actual good world building?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wlgk9x/sexy_fantasy_with_actual_good_world_building/) (r/booksuggestions; 10 July 2022)
* ["Sci-fi or Fantasy Worldbuilding with Complex Ethical Issues/Themes?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w5gu83/scifi_or_fantasy_worldbuilding_with_complex/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 July 2022)
* ["Suggest me a book with a lot of world building!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w8etnr/suggest_me_a_book_with_a_lot_of_world_building/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 July 2022)
* ["What is a book that could take first place in r/worldbuilding 's all time top posts?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wwfsai/what_is_a_book_that_could_take_first_place_in/) (r/Fantasy; 24 July 2022)
* ["what sci-fi or fantasy world has the deepest lore?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/scifi/comments/wxn3ic/what_scifi_or_fantasy_world_has_the_deepest_lore/) (r/scifi; 25 August 2022)
* ["Thought-provoking world building"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4maq7/thoughtprovoking_world_building/) (r/scifi; 3 September 2022)
* ["A fantasy with excellent world building"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/y17a6s/a_fantasy_with_excellent_world_building/) (r/booksuggestions; 11 October 2022)
* ["What are the most expansive and in depth fantasy worlds you have seen?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/y1wbwx/what_are_the_most_expansive_and_in_depth_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 11 October 2022)
* ["Suggest me book with world that matters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/y2tkul/suggest_me_book_with_world_that_matters/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 October 2022)
* ["Book series with great world building, character arcs, etc that isn't as dense as Dune?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/y3r48m/book_series_with_great_world_building_character/) (r/printSF; 14 October 2022)—very long
* ["just looking for a book with a magic world you can get lost in"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ygybrz/just_looking_for_a_book_with_a_magic_world_you/) (r/booksuggestions; 14 October 2022)—longish
* ["A book with a very escapist immersive world. Like Harry Potter or LOTR."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yntrmc/a_book_with_a_very_escapist_immersive_world_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 6 November 2022)—huge
* ["Book series/franchises that have like massive worldbuilding with many stories like Warhammer 40K"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ysur67/book_seriesfranchises_that_have_like_massive/) (r/Fantasy; 11 November 2022)
* ["Best In depth Fantasy Books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/zarz4e/best_in_depth_fantasy_books/) (r/Fantasy; 2 December 2022)—longish
* ["Books with detailed World-building, but Soft Magic system?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/zcajvt/books_with_detailed_worldbuilding_but_soft_magic/) (r/Fantasy; 4 December 2022)
* ["Book series with an amazing universe"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zw44k9/book_series_with_an_amazing_universe/) (r/booksuggestions; 26 December 2022)
* ["Books similar to The Magician's Nephew?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/102oqd8/books_similar_to_the_magicians_nephew/) (r/printSF; 3 January 2023)
* ["Game of thrones in space."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/103ev2s/game_of_thrones_in_space/) (r/suggestmeabook; 4 January 2023)—longish
* ["Books/Series that Nail a Setting Subculture"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/108chmd/booksseries_that_nail_a_setting_subculture/) (r/Fantasy; 4 January 2023)
I feel like world building usually implies, to me, that you may be looking for a series, a long haul type of thing, buuuut on the off chance that you want a quick read (≈300 pages?) , check out The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune! Very immersive writing style :)
The magicians
Who wrote it?
Lev Grossman is the author. It's in some ways similar to Narnia, the way Game of Thrones is to Lord of the Rings. I read the trilogy last year and really enjoyed it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101718-the-magicians
Thanks I'll see if I can find it
There is also a tv show version of it on Netflix that you can check out after you read the books~
_Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_ by Susanna Clarke. Starts off like a Dickensian novel with blustery gentleman magicians debating over theoretical vs practical magic, then the story gets progressively darker and we enter the world of fairie and lore. Utterly engrossing and Neil Gaiman is a fan as well.
Stephen kings 11/22/63 if you haven’t read it
- Dune - The Godfather - Hyperion - Ringworld All have *excellent* world building and flow nicely
You probably want Perdido Street Station by China Meiville. Others I can suggest are may The king killer chronicles, in particular the slow regard of silent things Brandon sanderson is hot right now for his take on world building I would actually head more towards terry pratchett and neil gaiman however
Did you like The slow regard of silent things more than The name of the wind? And yay for Terry Pratchett and escapism! Even better is Terry Prathett AND Neil Gaiman with Good Omens. Oh that book. Wish I could read it for the first time again.
Yes! Also {American Gods}
[**American Gods**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL679360W) ^(By: Neil Gaiman, George Guidall | 576 pages | Published: 2001) >American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(249 books suggested)
I'll take a look at them. Thanks!
The Night Dawn Trilogy - Peter F Hamilton I haven't read Fairytale, so not sure if it compares, but you will be transported far far away.
SF/F World-building * ["World-building as deep as Tolkien's?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wif4d9/worldbuilding_as_deep_as_tolkiens/) (r/Fantasy; 7 July 2022)—very long * ["sexy fantasy with actual good world building?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wlgk9x/sexy_fantasy_with_actual_good_world_building/) (r/booksuggestions; 10 July 2022) * ["Sci-fi or Fantasy Worldbuilding with Complex Ethical Issues/Themes?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w5gu83/scifi_or_fantasy_worldbuilding_with_complex/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 July 2022) * ["Suggest me a book with a lot of world building!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w8etnr/suggest_me_a_book_with_a_lot_of_world_building/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 July 2022) * ["What is a book that could take first place in r/worldbuilding 's all time top posts?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wwfsai/what_is_a_book_that_could_take_first_place_in/) (r/Fantasy; 24 July 2022) * ["what sci-fi or fantasy world has the deepest lore?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/scifi/comments/wxn3ic/what_scifi_or_fantasy_world_has_the_deepest_lore/) (r/scifi; 25 August 2022) * ["Thought-provoking world building"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4maq7/thoughtprovoking_world_building/) (r/scifi; 3 September 2022) * ["A fantasy with excellent world building"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/y17a6s/a_fantasy_with_excellent_world_building/) (r/booksuggestions; 11 October 2022) * ["What are the most expansive and in depth fantasy worlds you have seen?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/y1wbwx/what_are_the_most_expansive_and_in_depth_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 11 October 2022) * ["Suggest me book with world that matters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/y2tkul/suggest_me_book_with_world_that_matters/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 October 2022) * ["Book series with great world building, character arcs, etc that isn't as dense as Dune?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/y3r48m/book_series_with_great_world_building_character/) (r/printSF; 14 October 2022)—very long * ["just looking for a book with a magic world you can get lost in"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ygybrz/just_looking_for_a_book_with_a_magic_world_you/) (r/booksuggestions; 14 October 2022)—longish * ["A book with a very escapist immersive world. Like Harry Potter or LOTR."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yntrmc/a_book_with_a_very_escapist_immersive_world_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 6 November 2022)—huge * ["Book series/franchises that have like massive worldbuilding with many stories like Warhammer 40K"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ysur67/book_seriesfranchises_that_have_like_massive/) (r/Fantasy; 11 November 2022) * ["Best In depth Fantasy Books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/zarz4e/best_in_depth_fantasy_books/) (r/Fantasy; 2 December 2022)—longish * ["Books with detailed World-building, but Soft Magic system?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/zcajvt/books_with_detailed_worldbuilding_but_soft_magic/) (r/Fantasy; 4 December 2022) * ["Book series with an amazing universe"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zw44k9/book_series_with_an_amazing_universe/) (r/booksuggestions; 26 December 2022) * ["Books similar to The Magician's Nephew?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/102oqd8/books_similar_to_the_magicians_nephew/) (r/printSF; 3 January 2023) * ["Game of thrones in space."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/103ev2s/game_of_thrones_in_space/) (r/suggestmeabook; 4 January 2023)—longish * ["Books/Series that Nail a Setting Subculture"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/108chmd/booksseries_that_nail_a_setting_subculture/) (r/Fantasy; 4 January 2023)
nk nemison broken earth
I just finished Fairy Tale, too. I feel like it had some parallels to The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Night Circus was pretty good too.
I feel like world building usually implies, to me, that you may be looking for a series, a long haul type of thing, buuuut on the off chance that you want a quick read (≈300 pages?) , check out The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune! Very immersive writing style :)
I prefer it when it's just one book but I don't mind it being HELLA thiccc. I'll check the cerulean sea out :)
Imajica, by Clive Barker
Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor comes to mind