Reddit mentions of Imaginary Magnitude

>...create a fantasy world in which a character is perfectly happy, without any conflicts ... But that would be a very boring book.

You know, I hear this all the time- that stories require conflict- but I'm not sure I agree.

Take a look at something like Invisible Cities, Changing Planes, or Imaginary Magnitude. They're all more descriptions of fictional worlds than traditional narratives, but they still make for extremely good reading, despite having no central conflicts.

In the same vein, I enjoy reading the setting descriptions in tabletop rpg sourcebooks, as well as worldbuilding projects like the SCP Foundation or Orion's Arm, and things like this.

So, if worldbuilding alone can provide enjoyment, then what's to say that worldbuilding in more traditional narratives has to be in service to something else?

You might like A Perfect Vacuum and Imaginary Magnitude by Stanislaw Lem.

Armillaria: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/

The Cyberiad

Imaginary Magnitude, and Amazon