Top 10 Books I’d Like to Visit

As a homebody, I don’t feel the need to travel often, especially since it can be expensive once you get a pet. He’s the light of my life, but he’s also a money pit. Anyways, instead of talking about places I’ve visited, I thought it would be more fun to focus on speculative worlds that I’d enjoy visiting instead!

Unfortunately, most of the worlds that I categorize as cool are also terrible places to live. Fantasy and Science Fiction loves dystopian societies, and usually the cooler the world is, the worse it would be to live there. However, there are some truly delightful settings out there that I wish I could step through a portal and live for … well in some cases forever.

1. The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee: this was the easiest choice, but was also a bit of a cop out. A collection of flash fiction that I’d describe as aggressively cozy, magical, and heartwarming. Celestial dragons and friendly foxes and tiger generals. One of my favorite adult bedtime books, but its generally very kid-friendly as well!
   
2. Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen: historical figures come back to life and take on modern projects, such as Harriet Tubman writing music? Yes please! The story itself isn’t always the happiest, but the world would be a historian’s dream.
   
3. Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland: small fantasy towns during festival times are always a delight. This is kind of the idealized village that doesn’t exist in real life. Plus it has a God of Temptation, which would have made coming out sooooo much easier. Good vibes all around.
   
4. Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger: This series focuses on an intergalactic music industry. While I’m filing off some rough edges (people literally go crazy if the music is too good), I’d love to experience music in such a radically different way than is possible on Earth.
   
5. The City That Would Eat the World by John Bierce: This whole book is a love letter to how fucked up imperialism is … but the world is damn cool. A truly infinite number of gods to worship and build relationships with, to the point where most people have a personal god they interact with and few others do. So many options!
   
6. Siren Queen by Nghi Vo: another story that is very much not a happy one, but a magical realism Old Hollywood would make for a delightful experience for those just watching the film. Vo is the queen of atmospheric writing, and she captures magic in this book.
   
7. Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo: this is a police story, which I definitely wouldn’t want to step into. However, it was one of the more captivating urban fantasy settings I’ve seen, and I really want Yoo to write more in this setting.
   
8. Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers: I anticipate she’d be all over this list if I’d read more of her works. Yes this setting is post climate apocalypse, but it was such a delightful little utopia that refused to morph into something dark and twisted. How could I not pick this?
   
9. The Labyrinth’s Archivist by Day Al-Mohamed: ignore the murder mystery plot and focus on the setting. An interdimensional city with an archive that serves the travelers of different planes? Coolest library ever.
   
10. Super Supportive by Sleyca: this is one of the better Superhero worlds to live in, I think. Supervillainy seems like a relatively small problem, and if you get powers you aren’t forced into dangerous situations if you don’t want to be. You are forced to live on superhero island and have to jump through hoops to leave … but you also might get interdimensional contracts based on your skills. All in all, I think I’d take that bargain.