World building fantasy not inspired by medieval Europe?

Hey, spoilers! I haven’t gotten through the fourth season yet! :mad:

…kidding :wink:

Sean Russell’s The Initiate Brother and Gatherer of Clouds borrows from both medieval Japanese and Chinese cultures. Excellent books.

Glory, glory. Tekumel is awesome.

And really good, I loved that series (and own the whole thing, it may be time for a re-read…)

Well there’s Steampunk.

Full Metal Alchemist has a Pre WWI European setting. Mushishi and Usagi Yojimbo have maybe 18th century Japanese settings. Hunter x Hunter is contemporary I guess, as is Negima! Some of these works do more world building than others.

I recall that in India, their used to be an incredibly popular tv series, not surprisingly about the Hindu gods fighting and machinating against each other.

The Indian TV series was probably based on the Mahabharata. It’s an oldie but a goodie…

Returning to Gregory Keyes, whose *Chosen of the Changeling *series I mentioned earlier. He also wrote The Age of Unreason, four novels set in an alternate 17th & early 18th century Europe (& America)–where alchemy (& even weirder science) worked; historical characters play parts…

He also wrote The Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone, which does appear to be set on a Europeanish, Medievalish/Renaissanceish world. But the people remember their liberation from the monstrous race that had ruled them–and might still lurk. Freedom was won by Virginia Dare & her Virginians. Was this really a science fiction world, in which aliens had transported & enslaved various Earth groups over history?

Inspired by non-medieval times

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: the Russian revolution
Illusion by Paula Volsky: the French revolution