Top 10 Atmospheres from Books I've Read!

There's a lot of components that make a good book. Plot, characters, ending, dialogue, and all sorts of other things that make telling stories exhausting, but rewarding.

But for me, one of the biggest parts of a book is the atmosphere.

By that, I mean the feeling I get when I engage with a story and its world. If the world is foreboding, I want to feel intimidated. If the world is a paradise, I want to feel at peace. Through the use of vivid description and the viewpoint character's senses, authors can achieve a fantastic atmosphere, and that contributes a lot to the reader's experience! So today, I'm ranking my top 10 atmospheres from books!

Of course, only books I've read! And as always, all of this is my opinion, so feel free to disagree! And don't worry, I'll avoid major spoilers for the books and series I cover.

#10: The Ga'Hoole Universe (From the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky): A world where four of the author's series take place in, each filled with animals such and owls and wolves who have complex societies and social lives.

Starting out this list with the only book series on it that I don't really care for. I really wanted to enjoy it, but in my experience, it's weighed down by too many problems like the pacing and poor plot points. But one thing the books (and also the movie) succeed in is the atmosphere, which is especially enchanting.

#9: Narnia (From the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis): The world created by the lion deity Aslan populated by magical creatures, talking animals, and heroes.

My favorite iterations of Lewis' world are from the first two books in the chronological order, The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The former for showing Narnia at its creation and the start of its society, and the latter for its wintry setting caused by Queen Jadis' rule.

#8: Panem (From The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins): A dystopian United States which has become a brutal nation where the elite class forces the children of the twelve Districts to fight to the death.

This world's atmosphere of struggle and fight for hope is best conveyed through the soundtrack of the movies, in my opinion. If you're new to the series and starting with the books, I recommend giving the soundtrack a listen!

#7: The United States mixed with Greek Mythology (From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan): Our world enhanced with beautifying elements from Greek Myths, filled with places as the safe but competitive Camp Half-Blood, the magically-enhanced nature of Polyphemus' Island, and of course, Mount Olympus, the heaven-like home of the gods.

I'd have to say that the two most atmospheric books for me were The Sea of Monsters and The Battle of the Labyrinth, but if you're new to the series and want a taste of its fantastical tone with a hip edge, I recommend you listen to the first song of the musical, The Day I Got Expelled.

#6: Middle-Earth (From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien): Tolkien's world in its earliest published incarnation, containing the peaceful Shire, the dangerous but scenic Misty Mountains, the dark forest of Mirkwood, and the tense Lonely Mountain, home of the dragon Smaug.

To this day, the Hobbit remains the second-biggest landmark work of fantasy, outclassed only by its sequel! I hope I get to that one soon...

#5: The World of the Clandoms (From the Skyborn series by Jessica Khoury): A world where everyone is born with wings. But despite this, its inhabitants don't fly freely, as every cloud in the sky brings the threat of the fearsome creatures made of stone, the Gargols...

Although I've yet to finish this trilogy, it and its world are some of my recent favorites, and its got great thematic elements as well!

#4: The African Plains (From the Bravelands series by Erin Hunter) A stunning setting filled with forests, grasslands, and kopjes as well as a variety of animals who live by only one rule: Only kill to survive.

Although the majority of their works I've read are from the Warrior Cats franchise, my favorite books from the Erin Hunter team are the first three entries in their lesser known Bravelands series!

#3: Vallen (From the Elementals series by Amie Kaufman): The setting of a conflict between two warring clans of shapeshifters — the titular Ice Wolves and Scorch Dragons — containing cities and academies alive with characters and conspiracy.

I really hope I can re-read this series soon, but all my books are at my old house. Here's to hope I can get my own apartment soon.

#2: Finley's Grandparent's House and the Everwood (From Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand): The house where protagonist Finley Hart stays over the summer as she works through her mental health as well as the fictional world she created to find escape.

In this fantastic story about depression and anxiety, the main character experiences her imaginary world in her grandparents' backyard, eventually coming across a mystery involving an abandoned house and her family's ties to it.

Before I get to my number one pick, I have an honorable mention with a brief story to share about it!

The Mountain Home (Moonrise by Erin Hunter): The dwelling of the mountain cats, the Tribe of Rushing Water, that the main group comes across during their journey back home.

Story time! When I was reading this book, I had started listening to video game music while reading and remember listening to one of Donkey Kong Country 2's best tracks, In a Snow-Bound Land, while reading parts of the book taking place in the Tribe's cave home in the snowy mountain. I didn't really enjoy Warriors: The New Prophecy overall, but at least I got a great memory out of it.

#1: Pyrhhia and Pantala (From the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland): Two continents ruled by a total of ten tribes of dragons, each with its own struggles including fierce wars, monarchs rising and falling, and secret plots.

I want to give a special mention to the first two books in this series. In the first, The Dragonet Prophecy, the characters are thrust into dark and brutal situations that effectively convey the sense of danger to the reader, while in the second, The Lost Heir, the characters find themselves in a peaceful aquatic kingdom, though not without its dangers lurking beneath the surface. A contrast, but I think it works well!

Man, Wings of Fire has topped a good few of my lists. I need to pick a subject that shakes things up soon. Anyway, thanks to you all for reading, and tell me what book's atmosphere you enjoy the most!