Collider has published a ranked list, written by Dawson Nyffenegger, of the ten fantasy novels it considers to have the finest worldbuilding. The piece argues that convincing, well-paced worldbuilding is difficult to achieve and can make or break a fantasy story, and it celebrates books that create vivid, original settings without overwhelming readers with information.

The available portion of the list runs from number ten to number six: S. A. Chakraborty's "The City of Brass" (2017), praised for its 18th-century Egyptian setting and Middle-Eastern-inspired djinn culture; Terry Pratchett's satirical Discworld opener "The Colour of Magic" (1983); Robert Jordan's "The Eye of the World" (1990), the first Wheel of Time novel; Robin Hobb's "Assassin's Apprentice" (1995), noted for revealing its world through the story rather than info dumps; and the Australian YA series "Deltora Quest" (2000), collected in one volume. The higher-ranked entries are not included in the supplied text.