History Main / AlienLandmass

* In Franchise/TheCosmere series:

* Subverted in ''Literature/AndHeBuiltACrookedHouse''. The protagonists finally escape the house only to find themselves in a strange desert landscape with bizarre tree-like vegetation. [[spoiler:Turns out they're in Joshua Tree National Park.]]

** In ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', the planet Scadrial is a wasteland marked by [[AlienSky ever-present clouds]], gigantic volcanoes, and drifts of ash, where the few surviving plants are food crops adapted to the terrible conditions. This is revealed to be the result of [[spoiler: a {{Terraform}}ing effort by a divinely empowered human who really didn't know what he was doing, and his successor returns the planet to a more earthlike state]].

* Most of ''[[Literature/TheSpaceTrilogy Perelandra]]'' is set on the shifting, moving islands of the titular planet. Ransom initially assumes they're part of the ocean he crashes into, since the land rises and falls with the waves, only to realize these ever-transforming masses are physical land holding the Queen of the world. In addition to being cool, the shifting islands represent the immortal Perelandrians willingness to go from joy to joy as [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Maleldil]] wills instead of latching onto and idolizing one transient joy to the detriment of all others, as humans and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent the dark eldils]] are wont to do.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* ''Film/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin'' has recurring dream sequences that take place on an unknown and desolate planet, where (in addition to an AlienSky) the entire landscape is covered with lanky, crescent-shaped landmasses.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* In the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' franchise, planet LV-426 (aka Acheron) has rocky formations which are rounded at the top into smooth nubs. Offhand, the rocks greatly resemble bones.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'':

A hallmark of ScienceFiction, an easy way to signify that a setting is not on our typical Earth is to have strange landmasses -- particularly [[FloatingContinent ones that float]], form odd shapes, or even [[GeniusLoci seem alive in some way]] (for example, a TurtleIsland).

-->'''Ryder''', ''Videogame/MassEffectAndromeda''

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'':
** The Ketrans (the long-extinct species of which [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]] was once a member) lived on massive crystals that floating through the sky of their home planet; the Ketrans themselves flapped their wings to keep it aloft, with most of a crystal's population assigned to that task at any one time.
** The Hork-Bajir homeworld was long ago hit by a meteor at one of the poles, rendering most of it uninhabitable but creating valleys near the equator where life can grow. The Hork-Bajir themselves live in huge trees the size of skyscrapers; the valley floors are hidden by a strange mist that they call "the Deep", which is inhabited by monsters. Get past the Deep, and you can find massive craters that lead to the planet's core. Also, you'll find [[spoiler:the Arn, the species which genetically engineered the trees to revive the planet after the meteor strike, and then made the Hork-Bajir to tend to them]].
* Subverted in ''Literature/AndHeBuiltACrookedHouse''. The protagonists finally escape the house only to find themselves in a strange desert landscape with bizarre tree-like vegetation. [[spoiler:Turns out they're in Joshua Tree National Park.]]

->''We're definitely not in the Milky Way anymore..."

[[folder: Video Games]]

* ''Videogame/HalfLife'': Xen, the final level of the game, is a surreal alien landscape with floating, oddly-shaped landmasses and wonky physics that make it difficult to navigate.

** Things get especially odd in the Dream Bubbles: a combination afterlife, DreamLand, and EldritchLocation with geography shaped by the memories of those inside. As a result, the bubbles combine all other Alien Landmassess in the comic, with crystal formations and pink-leaved trees rubbing shoulders with rivers of fire, fleshy trees topped with brains, gold and purple gothic spires, landscapes patterned like chess sets, giant floating lilypads and regular Earth suburbs.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}},'' the Ketrans (the long-extinct species of which [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]] was once a member) lived on massive crystals that floating through the sky of their home planet; the Ketrans themselves flapped their wings to keep it aloft, with most of a crystal's population assigned to that task at any one time.

** Pictured above is Habitat 7, the first level of the game. Habitat 7 was originally supposed to be the closest analogue the Andromeda galaxy had to Earth, but 600 years later, a NegativeSpaceWedgie, combined with malfunctioning terraforming equipment, turned it into a [[SceneryPorn spectacle]] with bizarre weather and floating landmasses. However, it works well to signify to the player that they've been taken '''very far from home'', in a galaxy that plays by its own rules.

* ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': The manual for the game included a picture of the legendary Golden Realm, the resting place of the [[CosmicKeystone Triforce]]. The picture showed a world with a golden sky and endless planks of extremely thin, twisting landmasses balanced precariously on thin columns. However, the lore itself makes it clear no one actually knew what the Golden World looked like before [[BigBad Ganon]] corrupted it, and later games show it to be just a beautiful, lush world not much different from Hyrule.

** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'''s planet Roshar is scoured east-to-west by devastating "[[WeirdWeather Highstorms]]", which leave the continent bare of earth and marked by large, drift-like sedimentary deposits. The lee sides of those deposits are the only places suitable for agriculture; some are large enough to protect entire cities. Inverted by the country of Shinovar, which is considered quite weird by most Rosharans for being sheltered enough to have soil and free-growing plant life.

A hallmark of ScienceFiction, an easy way to signify that a setting is not on our typical Earth is to have strange landmasses -- particularly [[FloatingContinent ones that float]], form odd shapes, or even [[GeniusLoci seem alive in some way.]]

* Subverted in ''Literature/AndHeBuiltACrookedHouse''. The protagonists finally escape the house only to find themselves in a strange desert landscape with bizarre tree-like vegetation. [[spoiler:Turns out they're in Joshua Tree National Park.]]

** The Hork-Bajir homeworld was long ago hit by a meteor at one of the poles, rendering most of it uninhabitable but creating valleys near the equator where life can grow. The Hork-Bajir themselves live in huge trees the size of skyscrapers; the valley floors are hidden by a strange mist that they call "the Deep," which is inhabited with monsters. Get past the Deep, and you can find massive craters that lead to the planet's core. Also, you'll find [[spoiler:the Arn, the species which genetically engineered the trees to revive the planet after the meteor strike, and then made the Hork-Bajir to tend to them]].

** Kadara is a planet with both alien land and {{Alien Sea}}s, since the water is full of sulfur and is thus poisonous to most forms of life. The land is littered with endless mountains that have holes, much like adder stones.

** The Hork-Bajir homeworld was long ago hit by a meteor at one of the poles, rendering most of it uninhabitable but creating valleys near the equator where life can grow. The Hork-Bajir themselves live in huge trees the size of skyscrapers; the valley floors are hidden by a strange mist that they call "the Deep," which is inhabited with monsters. Get past the Deep, and you can find massive craters that lead to the planet's crust. Also, you'll meet [[spoiler:the Arn, the species which genetically engineered the trees and Hork-Bajir after the aforementioned meteor strike]].

[[folder: Videogames]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

** The Medium of Sburb creates a unique, distinctly alien planet for each player. Examples include the Land of Wind and Shade's glowing blue forests and rock formations and rivers of oil; the Land of Mounds and Xenon's planet-circling canyons, and the Land of Quartz and Melody's crystal mountains.

** Things get especially odd in the afterlife of the Dream Bubbles, as their geography is shaped by the memories of those in them. As a result, they end up being a mix of all other Alien Landmassess in the comic, with crystal formations and pink-leaved trees rubbing shoulders with rivers of fire, fleshy trees topped with brains, gold and purple gothic spires, landscapes patterned like chess sets, giant floating lilypads and regular Earth suburbs.

** Things get especially odd in the afterlife of the Dream Bubbles, as their geography is shaped by the memories of those in them. As a result, they end up being a mix of all other Alien Landmassess in the comic, with crystal formations and pink-leaved trees rubbing shoulders with rivers of fire, fleshy trees toped with brains, gold and purple gothic spires, landscapes patterned like chess sets, giant floating lilypads and regular Earth suburbs.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', the Medium of Sburb creates a unique, distinctly alien planet for each player. Examples include the Land of Wind and Shade's glowing blue rock formations and rivers of oil; the Land of Mounds and Xenon's planet-circling canyons, and the Land of Quartz and Melody's crystal mountains.

** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'''s planet Scadrial is scoured east-to-west by devastating "[[WeirdWeather Highstorms]]", which leave the continent bare of earth and marked by large, drift-like sedimentary deposits. The lee sides of those deposits are the only places suitable for agriculture; some are large enough to protect entire cities. Inverted by the country of Shinovar, which is considered quite weird by most Rosharans for being sheltered enough to have soil and free-growing plant life.