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How explicitly "non-Earth" do the novels have to be? Virtually every fantasy novel is set in a world that has nothing to do with life on earth as we know it (that's after all the starting point of fantasy as a genre), but often the authors are vague as to whether they are describing a wholly different universe, or merely some alternate version of our own planet. I'm assuming the books actually have to make it clear that what is being described is life on a planet different from Earth -- whether real or invented?

I was imagining a book obviously not set on Earth, like if it's set in space, like the Sector General books, or an obviously extraterrestrial places, like the Abhorsen books (which are made-up) or the Darkangel trilogy (which is set on the Moon). Books like Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrel would not work, because though it's an alternate Earth, it's still Earth. I am starting to wonder if adding the LOTR books was a good idea, because it seems like they were just set on a past version on Earth . . . Well, whatever. I hope that answers your question in a long a convoluted fashion;)

Yes, it does! :) (And incidentally, it had been the addition of LOTR (and The Hobbit) that had made me wonder ...)

Alright, I see. Sorry, I just added it because it didn't really resemble any Earth maps (that I know of), and I wasn't sure if he wasn't talking like he lived on a different planet too. (and sorry about the comment. I always make the mistake of not checking whether my sister is signed in before doing something:P)

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_e...

"Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.

Tolkien prepared several maps of Middle-earth and of the regions of Middle-earth where his stories took place. Some were published in his lifetime, though some of the earliest maps were not published until after his death. The main maps were those published in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. [...]

Tolkien wrote many times that Middle-earth is located on our Earth. He described it as an imaginary period in Earth's past, not only in The Lord of the Rings, but also in several letters. He put the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time, and the environs of the Shire in what is now northwestern Europe (Hobbiton for example was set at the same latitude as Oxford), though in replies to letters he would also describe elements of the stories as a "... secondary or sub-creational reality" or "Secondary belief". During an interview in January 1971, when asked whether the stories take place in a different era, he stated, "No ... at a different stage of imagination, yes." However, he did nod to the stories' setting on Earth; speaking of Midgard and Middle-earth, he said: "Oh yes, they're the same word. Most people have made this mistake of thinking Middle-earth is a particular kind of earth or is another planet of the science fiction sort but it's just an old fashioned word for this world we live in, as imagined surrounded by the Ocean." He continued to make references to its being "... a brief episode of History" of Earth as late as Autumn 1971."

Thanks for explaining that. I'm not sure how to remove it, though . . .

I can do that, Aida. Do you want me to remove LOTR and The Hobbit?

That would be lovely, thanks!

No problem.

Anything else you want removed, just tell me.

Susanna wrote: "No problem.

Anything else you want removed, just tell me."

Phil Bradley says he meant only to add Dante's Inferno. Can you remove the other three books on his list ? Thanks in advance.

I guess I can remove Blue Mars and then vote for it again. Yeah, sure. Does he want just the Purgatorio to remain?

Susanna wrote: "I guess I can remove Blue Mars and then vote for it again. Yeah, sure. Does he want just the Purgatorio to remain?"

Just the Inferno, and thanks again.

Actually, he can just remove his own votes - where it says "remove" on the book in the list, or by removing it from his voting list. Very easy.

Thom wrote: "Susanna wrote: "Actually, he can just remove his own votes - where it says "remove" on the book in the list, or by removing it from his voting list. Very easy."

Philip is even more tentative than..."

Yeah, I'm tentative, partly because I'm an internet wuss, and mostly because I really have not been that active on GR and therefore don't know how it works at all.
Meanwhile, someone took off all the versions (different editions, individual books [i.e., Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso]) and left only the one Divine Comedy. Thank you, whoever it was! One of these days, I'll learn how this thing works!

my only complaint is that Madeline L'Engle's books are not on this list!! Those were and still are some of my very favorites

Amy wrote: "my only complaint is that Madeline L'Engle's books are not on this list!! Those were and still are some of my very favorites"

Good point, Amy. And this list is not closed. You can add L'Engle's books, or I will.

Go for it!

The Chronicles of Narnia are set on earth...