Fictional universe

A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. Fictional universes are most common in, but not exclusive to, the science fiction and fantasy genres. Many universes written in one or both of these genres feature physical and metaphysical laws different from our own that allow for magical, psychic and various other types of paranormal phenomena. Although these laws may not be completely internally consistent, they do allow the author to provide some textual explanation for how their imagined world differs from our own.

References

• Alberto Manguel & Gianni Guadalupi: The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
• Brian Stableford: The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places
• Diana Wynne Jones: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland explains and parodies the common features of a standard fantasy world
• George Ochoa and Jeffery Osier: Writer's Guide to Creating A Science Fiction Universe (Writer's Digest)