What Fantasy Land am I? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pern

'The Dragonriders of Pern' (Parallel Earth Resources Negligible was the description given by the survey ship that discovered the planet) was perhaps the best known of Anne McCaffrey's works. In this series, dragons and humans develop a telepathic bond, allowing them to fight the regular incursions of the all-devouring 'thread' a mindless organism which consumes organic matter.

McCaffrey wrote many series during her lifetime, including the 'Catteni' series (featuring the world of Botany, named in homage to Botany Bay, the original name of Sydney). She was also known for 'The Tower and Hive' (featuring the 'Talents' who can harness the powers of teleportation and telepathy, and featuring the world of Deneb).

'The Crystal Singer' showcases McCaffrey's love of music, while the 'Dinosaur Planet' and the 'Generation Warriors' interconnecting series highlight the darker side of the Federation of Sentient Planets.

While McCaffrey considered herself to be a science-fiction author, many of her books borrowed heavily from the fantasy genre. An influential author, she was the first woman to win both the 'Hugo' and 'Nebula' prizes.

Answer: Riva

Created by husband and wife team, David and Leigh Eddings, the 'Belgariad ' and the 'Malloreon' are two five-book sequences which detail the adventures of Garion and his friends. Garion was destined to become the King of Riva, the Overlord of the West and the Godslayer as outlined by two conflicting sets of prophecies. He was raised in Sendar by his 'Aunt Pol', with his adventures taking him through Tolnedra (home of his future wife) and the haunted land of Mara.

David and Leigh Eddings also wrote several other series: 'The Elenium', 'The Tamuli' and 'The Dreamers'. For most of their writing career, only David was recognised as the author of these books.

Answer: The Kingdom of the Isles

Raymond E. Feist is the author of the 'Magician' or 'Riftwar' series, consisting of 30 books (as of 2014). These books are further divided into their own series, or 'cycles' as they are described. Pug, the protagonist of the first book, 'Magician', features in many of these books. They also feature the Con Doin family through the generations.

Pug grew up in 'The Kingdom of the Isles' before being taken by a rift to Kelewan (a world reminiscent of Shogun Japan). It features in its own trilogy, the 'Empire' series featuring Mara of the Acoma.

Novindus is a continent on the main world of Midkemia, home to the 'serpent men'. 'The Empire of the Kesh' is located adjacent to the 'Kingdom of the Isles' and is a desert nation.

Some sharp-eyed Australian readers may notice that Feist has 'borrowed' the towns of Injune and Taroom (mentioned in 'The King's Buccaneer').

Answer: Hell

'The Black Jewels' is a richly descriptive, yet violent, series. The various kingdoms featured in this series are ruled by the 'Blood', an increasingly corrupt upper class who are able to perform magic. The jewels of the title signify how strong a particular person's magical abilities are. The society is matriarchal in nature; however, many of the women are 'broken' before they can reach their full power.

Jaenelle is the answer to the dreams of the various peoples and races featured in this world of "Witch" who can restore the balance.

Answer: Oz

Frank L Baum wrote a series of books set in the fantasy world of Oz. Perhaps the best known of his works is the classic 'The Wizard of Oz', which was made into a movie starring the young Judy Garland. A colourful movie, it featured the 'yellow brick road', the 'Emerald City' and the beautiful song 'Somewhere over the rainbow'.

Answer: Wonderland

'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' was first published in 1865. Many of the characters are thought to be based on real people, with the title character being named after Alice Liddell, daughter of the Vice Chancellor of Oxford University. The 'Dodo' may have been named after Lewis Carroll himself (real name Charles Dodgson).

The book has proved to be perennially popular with children and adults, and a copy of the book presented to Alice Liddell was sold at auction in 2009, for US$115,000.

Answer: Ankh-Morpork

Ankh-Morpork is the largest and most influential City in the Discworld. It is ruled by Lord Vetinari, the Patrician who manipulates people and events, and who has overseen the regeneration of Ankh-Morpork. Both Lancre and Omnia are states that feature in the Discworld series.

Sir Terry described Ankh-Morpork as being similar to Tallinn or Prague but with elements of 18th century London, 19th Seattle and modern New York.

Answer: Neverland

Peter Pan is the hero whose home is Neverland. Written by JM Barrie, the royalties of these books were donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for children in London. A statue of Peter Pan stands in Kensington gardens.

The Never Never is a name given to the 'Outback' or isolated parts of Australia, although it is not clear whether this influenced the name of Neverland.

Wonderland belongs to Alice, while the Hindred Acre Wood is home to Winney the Pooh and friends.

Answer: Narnia

'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' was the first in a series of books by CS Lewis, a good friend of JRR Tolkien. The series featured a family of two boys and two girls (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with other family members including their cousin Eustace.

The books have featured in stage plays, and more recently, film adaptations.

Aslan, the lion, is the only character to feature in all books.

Answer: Middle Earth

Published in 1954, 'The Lord of the Rings' outlines a quest undertaken by a young hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and his group of friends to destroy the 'One Ring'. Since its publication, it has consistently been on the best selling lists with over 150 million copies sold. Tolkien did not believe that it would be possible to turn the books into movies, however, Peter Jackson successfully managed this.

Many modern authors, including Sir Terry Pratchett, have acknowledged the influence of Tolkien's work on the modern fantasy novel.