What separates the good fantasy transportation from the bad? It’s totally subjective, of course, but personally, I think that the major factors are how imaginative the transport is, whether it elevates the story, and, rather selfishly, how much I’d enjoy travelling that way. Some forms of fantasy or speculative transportation score high on imagination points, but lose out because they sound uncomfortable, unsettling, or downright horrifying. (I would definitely be one of those Star Trek characters who believes that the transporter simply kills you and then 3D-prints an unwitting copy.) Based on this extremely sound criteria, here’s my list of the worst to best modes of fantasy transportation for speculative fiction readers to enjoy. If you’re interested in a different kind of fantasy travel, try our list of 50+ Must-Read Portal Fantasy Books. To dig deeper into the concept of worldbuilding, check out our in-depth guide at The Art of Worldbuilding.
