Favourite SF or Fantasy City?

[Werthead]

So you fancy taking a weekend break into your favourite fantasy novel. Which bustling metropolis do you enjoy spending time in? Taking it easy in Lankhmar? Strutting your stuff in Minas Tirith? Or ducking for cover in Ankh-Morpork? Some of my favourites:

 

1) Ankh-Morpork: The dominant city of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. A colourful, bustling city where all human life can be found! Although, quite often, only briefly! Also the only city on the list to have been torched for the insurance money and where people can walk across the river's surface. Imports: trouble and tourism. Exports: cabbages and trouble.

 

2) Minas Tirith: The capital city of Gondor from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings may be a somewhat austere fortress-city spending centuries under constant threat of utter annihilation from nearby Mordor, but these people still know how to party. Actually, they don't. Still, if there is a city you want to feel relatively well-defended in, Minas Tirith does have seven walls to protect you and a 700-foot balcony you can hurl yourself off (being on fire is optional) when all seems lost. The book version, unlike the movie one, does actually come with half-decent soldiers and surrounding fields so the populace doesn't starve to death. Minas Tirith is such a great city that it was 'paid tribute' in Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara in the form of the city of Tyrsis which, erm, is virtually identical. Except, instead of being attacked by a horde of evil orcs, Tyrsis was attacked by a horde of evil gnomes. The Dark Lord of Brooks' world obviously has a more limited budget to work with.

 

3) New Crobuzon: The dark steampunk/fantasy/SF crossbreed of China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and its following books is a curious melting pot of insectoid humans, strange creatures who like building sculptures out of water and sentient cactuses (or indeed cactii). How many over fantasy cities have their own tube network? Make sure you avoid political dissidence or having your subconscious eaten by a slake-moth, and you'll be fine.

 

4) Krondor: The Western Capital of the Kingdom of the Isles in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar books is everything you want from a medieval fantasy city, from a trusty thieves' guild to welcoming temples to a curiously enlightened rulership. Also has the virtue of being the only city on this list to have been deliberately blown off the face of its planet by its rulers as part of a military stratagem. Later rebuilt on the cheap and no longer as impressive.

 

5) Camorr: The city-state featured in Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora is an interesting, Mediterranean-esque city of canals and bridges, divided into numerous districts which are battled over by criminal gangs and the nobility. However, vast, ancient and alien buildings dominate the city from an unknown point in the distant past. The city is known for its many uses for horse urine, which is available in industrial quantities at surprisingly short notice.

 

6) Gondolin: The greatest city of the elves in the history of Middle-earth, a settlement which makes Minas Tirith look like a Butlins holiday camp. Built in the middle of a vast volcanic caldera, Gondolin survived detection by the forces of the Dark Lord Morgoth for centuries until it was destroyed. Gondolin was so hard-core that it took a massive combined army of dragons and balrogs to take it down and many of those were slain in the process. Nice.

 

7) Braavos: Greatest of the Free Cities of George RR Martin's world of A Song of Ice and Fire, Braavos spreads across a hundred islands in a vast lagoon defended by tall mountains rising from the sea. The economic powerhouse of Martin's world, Braavos brings the neighbouring Seven Kingdoms to the point of collapse after they default on their loans from Braavos' bank. Braavos is also the home of the uber-badass assassins' guild known as the Faceless Men, is religiously tolerant and has a really cool giant statue known as the Titan to serve as both tourist attraction and defensive emplacement.

 

8 ) Darujhistan: Greatest of the Free Cities of Steven Erikson's continent of Genabackis in The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Darujhistan is a pretty nifty city of merchants and nobles. The entire city is a bit of a character in the books, ducking and diving, playing both ends against the middle and somehow always ending up with money in its pocket. Also known for being powered by natural gas caverns under the city and occasionally being invaded by the odd undead entity of tremendous destructive power.

 

9) Gormenghast: A city-sized castle of immense age, built on the unchanging continuation of age-old ritual. Gormenghast and its various eccentric inhabitants are described with great power and majesty by Peake, who goes on to flood the city-castle and overturn its old rituals when the young lord flees into the wilderness.

 

10) Sigil: Located at the heart of the Multiverse, Sigil is accessible from many different planes and universes, and provides access to many different realities from its infinite battery of hidden portals and doors. Ruled over by the engimatic and arbritarily violent Lady of Pain, 'The Cage' (as it is known) is home to a thousand different species from across all of existence. Sigil is the principal city of the defunct Planescape setting for Dungeons and Dragons and the various spin-off novels, but its finest hour came in the computer game Planescape: Torment, which instantly made it a rival for any of the above.

 

Also in the running but didn't make the grade: Tar Valon from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, Nargothrond and Khazad-dum from Middle-earth, Waterdeep and Menzoberranzan from Forgotten Realms, King's Landing and Oldtown from A Song of Ice and Fire, Malaz City and Capustan from the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Also Leiber's Lankhmar, but I need to read the books first

 

Other thoughts, suggestions?

[Guest Majsju]

Trantor from Asimov's Foundation novels kinda deserves to be mentioned. I mean, a city that covers an entire planet, it doesn't get much bigger than that.

[Kadere]

I love that Gormenghast made the cut! :D

 

Another city, which I think is mentionable, though one could argue that it's not entirely fantasy, and that we don't actually see inside it's walls much, is Homer's famous Troy.

[I Love Semirhage]

Top of the list is

 

I tend to like the darker cities, and I love the idea of underground cities too.

 

Prolgu (Underground city of zealots from The Belgariad).

 

Rak Cthol (Mountaintop fortress-city of the Grolims from the Belgariad).

 

Minas Morgul (Once Minus Ithil, the city that fell to Sauron and became the lair of the Witch King in Lord Of The Rings - skirmishes on that level on Battle For Middle Earth are very nice).

 

Farthen-Dur (Underground city of the Dwarves in Eragon).

 

Moria (The original underground city/giant mine of the Dwarves, from Lord Of The Rings. Complete with resident Balrog - best monster ever!).

 

Shadar Logoth (We all know that one).

 

Cyrga (Hidden city in the desert, home to a race long believed extinct from The Tamuli).

 

London from the Brave New World cover (did a Comms essay on this one - love the vista, one of the main reasons I first got into Maiden, the face of Eddie in the sky is magnificent).

 

Fal Dara

 

Mal Zeth (Colossal city of white marble from The Mallorean).

 

The city from which Domes Of Fire gets its title, forgotten the name.

 

Coruscant (the Star Wars equivalent of the city planet that Maj mentioned).

 

I can't help but feel I've forgotten something major, but can't remember what it is.

 

ILS

[JenniferL]

Tar Valon, of course. Then it would have to be Solace, from the Dragonlance novels.

[Alys Kinch]

sorry, gotta go with ankh-morpork.

[Outlaw_Immortal]

Camelot, the greatest of all cities!

 

Close second would have to be alantis

[Kaznen]

The People's Palace of D'Hara. The entire huge @$$ city is INDOORS. Going to the devotions might be a pain, but the palace, which is accessible to the public, is beautiful and the it would be nice to see the under city.

 

Mennozoberanzean would also be cool, if you're a drow of course.

[I Love Semirhage]

Knew I'd forgotten my favourite - Hyrule Castle Town from The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. Paradise on earth!

 

ILS

[Alys Kinch]

i just love the anything and everythingness of ankh-morpork.

[Direwolf Jon]

Honestly, I would choose Emond's Field or one of the surrounding villages. Now, I live in a city, but traveling to my college, I pass a lot of farms and tiny towns. In these tiny places you know everyone and you can create your own fun. I don't need anything huge and fancy, with bright shiny colors.

[Guest Egwene]

I like Krondor... because the city plays such a large part in the story. We get to know it from the hight of the palace right down to the sewers.

 

If I had to pay money and could see one place only, I'd choose to see Rivendell.

 

And for living in it... I go with Direwolf Jon on that one... Emond's Field all the way *g*

.

[Werthead]

Okay, but Emond's Field before the books or after all the changes Perrin made and the swelling in size of the town?

[Guest Egwene]

Definately before the books. It's really developing into a small town now.

 

Emond's fields in the books is actually loosing its charm. Probably because we share the nostalgia of those that left it. They are coming back to a place they no longer recognize. Perrin is growing with the changes... but for the rest of them 'home' is disappearing.

.

[Illiara]

Here's my huge list...

 

1) Tar Valon

2) Kaitain, from Dune (the equivalent of Coruscant)

3) Bethe Corbair, from the Rhapsody trilogy

4) Caemlyn

5) Teirm, from Eragon

6) Tyrsis, from Shannara

7) Bethany, from the Rhapsody trilogy

8) Ylorc (Canrif) from the Rhapsody trilogy (underground)

9) Tyrian, from the Rhapsody trilogy

10) Ellesmera, from Eragon

 

honorable mention goes to Solace, Qualinesti, and Silvanesti in the Dragonlance novels...

[Alys Kinch]

ylorc is pretty fun too, but only in the top if it can include rhapsody's hideaway.

[Angel of Death]

Wizards Keep in Aydindril from the Sword of Truth would be good.

 

Rhuidian

[Daetirion]

Parve from the Dawntheif series (James Barclay)always intrigued me - wrecked city rebuilt, with a huge black pyramid right in the centre.....

 

Rak Cthol from the Belgariad is another temple city, that IMHO rules - although Riva also seems to be getting close in that series.

 

Just finished the Illiad for Uni, and Troy - well, when you add in Gemmell's portrayal of the city, it goes straight in

 

However, the list is great, mainly cause my personal top two would undoubtedly be Ankh-Morpork and Krondor....

[Alys Kinch]

oooo, the islands of mist and memory in the wayfarer redemption.

[Mystica]

wow, reading this I realised just how little city/place names I actually remember. *shakes head*

 

my favorite to live is Rivendell

 

(based on the movies, which are totally based on the artists from the books according to the artists themselves in the extra's of the extended version).

[Taren]

I like Tar Valon because its home to the Sedai and the Tower but also because its a cool island city >,<

 

I also like A'loa Glen from the Banned and the Banished series by James Clemens. In the series we dont see it loads but i just think its really cool.

[Stevenator]

No one has mentioned Lankhmar? thats the first city that pops into my mind. Also Viriconium and Gormenghast are way up there.

[Werthead]

Reading Viriconium at the moment (the collected edition). About halfway through and only about 5% of the story has actually taken place in Viriconium up to now, so it's difficult to judge how great the city is. It clearly inspired New Crobuzon though (the women with giant inset heads was the dead giveaway).

[RobertAlexWillis]

Gondolin would have to go at the top of my list, especially since I read the description of the Seven Gates.

 

Krondor is good, but it was Jimmy the Hand that made it awesome.

 

I really like the Hayholt (Asu'a). Technically not a city (and Erchester is rather average) but as a stronghold, and a story setting, it's great.

 

The Wall (A Song of Ice and Fire) is a cool setting, although again, not technically a city. I'd love to get a look at what's left of Valyria too.

 

Ishual, in R. Scott Bakker's books, but that's mostly because the Dunyain live there.

 

Ylorc. Just because its where Grunthor hangs out.

 

Trantor, the original world-city.

 

Benden Weyr, and Landing, from Pern. Any place with a few hundred playful dragons is cool.

 

Sthiss Tor would be fun to visit, I've always enjoyed drug-induced architecture.

 

Arborlon, from the Shannara books. It can be shrunk down into an Elfstone for easy transport.

 

And, finally, Mos Eisley. Who doesn't love a wretched hive of scum and villany?

 

For my honorable mention: Menzoberranzan, Ankh-Morpork, Robert Lynn Aspirin's Bazaar (you can't help but love Pervects ,Trollops, and a talented young Klahd), Zelazny's Amber (Corwin is just .... really cool), and Harry Harrison's Alpeasak (the whole city is a set of genetically engineered plants)

 

Of course now that I've thought of the ones for honorable mention, I'd like to bump them up the line some ... lol

 

For ILS

The city from which Domes Of Fire gets its title, forgotten the name.

 

That would be Matherion.

[booklover1]

Tear from WoT.