Originally when I read today’s topic, I thought I’d focus solely on futuristic settings. Then, going through some of my favorite books, I realized I had quite as many historic settings that I love in them, despite not really reading a lot of historical fiction. I decided to split my answers into the two categories, and give them equal weight!
Historic
1. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
2. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
3. Germinal by Emile Zola
4. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
– Runners up: The Quick by Lauren Owens and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Futuristic
6. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
7. The Giver by Lois Lowry
8. the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
9. the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
– Runners up: the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and Nekropolis by Maureen McHugh
What are some of your favorite historic/futuristic settings?
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Love The Hunger Games books!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/top-ten-tuesday-42/
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I’m not a big fan of futuristic books — I tend to read a lot more historical settings. I also love Zola’s settings — I love how he makes the settings almost another character in the books. Willa Cather is really good at that too. For Zola, I think Germinal, The Belly of Paris and La Bete Humaine were my favorites.
And I LOVED Jonathan Strange! I think I could do a whole post on this topic myself! Hmmmm. . . .
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I’m not generally a fan of historical fiction, probably because I read too many classics, heh. Pretty much the only time I like historical settings are 1) when they’re done by classic authors, and 2) when they’re historical fantasy.
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I’m with you on Germinal and Hunger Games! I also quite like the settings of Uglies and Cinder. I would add Steven Saylor’s Roma to the historical category, but Ancient History is one of my favorite subject so it’s no surprise!
I have no idea what I would add to futuristic though. Even though I read a lot of speculative fiction, it seems none really left its mark as a favorite except maybe Hunger Games.
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Yeah, I think I find “other world” or “contemporary magical world” settings better than future.
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