The greatest Landmarks in Science Fiction and fantasy

[Ancient_Hunter]

Hello all

I have recently began to compile a list of the greatest landmarks in science fiction/ Fantasy, and I'm looking for suggestions (as I have not read every book of fiction).

Basically to make the list, the landmarks have to have been created by some form of being (I neglect to say "man made" as humans arnt the only beings who populate the worlds of Sci-Fi and fantasy)

I'm still only brainstorming but the big 2 I have right now are
-The Monolith (2001)
-Minas Tirith (LotR)

I'm also considering the Time Release Vault from Foundation, but its really not that "marvelous" when compared to the other 2.

Any Ideas?

 

[Urien]

Ooh that's a good idea... by landmarks you seem to mean actual physical things as opposed to seminal works. So...

100 places to see in the SFF world before you die.

The Dark Tower, Barad Dur or Stephen King's version.
The Time Tombs in Hyperion
An Iain Banks GSV.
Dros Delnoch

 

[gully_foyle]

Great idea for an illustrated book!

My contributions:
Ringworld, of course.
I'd love to see a Culture GSV too. Do spaceships count?
The Gateway in Fred Pohl's gateway.
Rama.

 

[clovis-man]

How about Saturn's moon, Janus. In Alastair Reynolds' "Pushing Ice", it's not a moon, but a giant machine/spacecraft.

Jim

 

[Pyan]

Good idea for a thread!

Can I suggest:

• Milliways, the restaurant at the End of the Universe
• Trantor, or its Star Wars equivalent, Coruscant
• The Death Star
• Castle Mount, on Majipoor
• Ankh-Morpork
• Hogwarts
• The Lost City of R'lyeh
• Lankhmar
• The Emerald City of Oz

Oh, and Welcome to the Chrons, Ancient Hunter!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The castle in Gormenghast is the first suggestion that comes into my mind.

 

[Talysia]

Rivendell perhaps? This is a good question indeed - I'll have to give it some thought.

 

[Harpo]

Riverworld

 

[Aleksei]

The castle in Gormenghast is the first suggestion that comes into my mind.

Yeah, thats a good one.

 

[Ragnar]

Tanelorn (if you can find it)

 

[Nesacat]

The Cemetary of Forgotten Books from Shadow of The Wind
King Arthur's round table
The castle of Dream from Sandman
Destiny's garden also from Sandman
The House of Usher
Hill House from The Haunting of Hill House
Titus Crow's home Blowne House from the Lumley books
The Unseen University
Y'ha-nthlei off the Innsmouth Coast

 

[iansales]

There's a Dictionary of Science Fiction Places by Brian Stableford (see here) which might prove useful. Unfortunately, my copy is at home, and I'm not.

However, I will add:
* thr shells about Sol (from the Colin Kapp novels)
* Helium (from ERB's Barsoom novels)
* Arrakis, or the Imperial Keep at Arrakeen (from Dune)
* the space station about Pell's World (Cherryh's Downbelow Station)
* Bellona (Delany's Dhalgren)
* Plenty (Take Back Plenty, Colin Greenland)
* Viriconium

 

[Aleksei]

I would not mind seeing the world Virga from a Sun of Suns, by Karl Schroeder, either.

The world known as Virga is a fullerene balloon three thousand kilometers in diameter, filled with air, water and aimlessly floating chunks of rock. The humans who live in this vast enviroment must build their own fusion suns and "towns" that are in the shape of enormous wood and rope wheels that are spun for centripetal gravity

 

[Ancient_Hunter]

Wow, thanks for the responses guys!

I've done some research on a few of these places and have been convinced from the descriptions alone to read the books they come out of!

I've been especially taken by "Dros Delnoch" and although I have not read the book its the inspiration (along with the idea of course) that really draws me to it. David Gemmel got the inspiration when he was being tested for cancer, The fortress and its attackers, the Nadir, were metaphors for him and the cancer.

This "landmark" therefore satisfies the 2 criteria I'm looking for (perhaps I should have mentioned these in the first post )

1) It comes from a highly acclaimed, well received piece of fiction.
2) It has a definite, metaphorical, inspiration.

Keep em coming guys, great selections thus far!

 

[Connavar]

Having read about Dros Delnoch in Legend , i say its much more interesting and gripping idea when you read the story.



These i add as landmarks :


Dros Delnoch, from Legend by D.Gemmell
Milliways, the restaurant at the End of the Universe
Trantor , at The Galactic Empire high from Foundation
Luna City , from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Luna Cityi choose cause it was an interesting place to live they made for themselves.

 

[Ash]

I'd so buy a book about this stuff!

How about Earth - The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy

 

[Briareus Delta]

Orthanc - Lord of The Rings, Tolkien
Torre delgi Angeli, Citagazze - The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman

 

[iansales]

I'd so buy a book about this stuff!

There is one. This one.

 

[Riselka]

There is one. This one.

There's also this one.

 

[rol7805]

I'd like to see the planet destroyer machine built by the Inhibitors in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space saga. From a safe distance.