Similar worlds
Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic Worlds
The Broken Empire (Mark Lawrence)
- Fantasy world that’s actually post-nuclear apocalypse in disguise
- Ancient empires destroyed by “atomic fire” (nuclear weapons)
- Survivors living in medieval conditions among high-tech ruins
- Radiation replaced with “the Glow” - magical contamination
- Moral complexity where everyone is morally gray
Earthsea after the Dark Years (Ursula K. Le Guin)
- Ancient magical catastrophe that nearly destroyed civilization
- Lost knowledge and diminished magic
- Archipelago setting with trading cities (like your Port Zephyr)
- Secret organization (Wizards) maintaining balance
- Themes of environmental stewardship and responsibility
The Dying Earth (Jack Vance)
- Far future where civilization has collapsed multiple times
- Ancient, incomprehensible magic left from previous ages
- Scavengers living among ruins of great empires
- Sun dying creates apocalyptic atmosphere
- Focus on decadence and moral ambiguity
Post-Nuclear Fantasy Hybrids
Thundarr the Barbarian
- Post-nuclear world with magic and monsters
- Ancient ruins of technological civilization
- Floating islands and altered geography
- Mix of scavenged tech and magical elements
- Roving warlords and small communities
Gamma World (RPG Setting)
- Post-nuclear world with mutations treated as magic
- Ancient “civilization of the ancients”
- Artifact hunting and dangerous technology
- Environmental hazards and contaminated zones
- Communities struggling to rebuild
Dying Light (Video Game World)
- Post-apocalyptic survival in quarantine zones
- Scavenging culture and resource competition
- Safe zones surrounded by hostile territory
- Day/night cycle affects danger levels
- Community cooperation essential for survival
Dark Fantasy Political Worlds
A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R. Martin)
- No clear heroes or villains, everyone morally complex
- Political intrigue between competing powers
- Environmental threat (Long Night/Winter) looming
- Secret organizations manipulating events
- Realistic consequences for actions and violence
The Malazan Book of the Fallen
- Multiple empires in conflict and decline
- Ancient magical disasters affecting the present
- Gods and mortals struggling with power and responsibility
- Military campaigns with devastating civilian costs
- Archaeological mysteries from lost civilizations
The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson)
- World shaped by ancient magical catastrophe (Desolations)
- Spren (magical entities) tied to environmental damage
- Competing nations with different approaches to magic
- Ancient ruins and lost technology
- Cycles of destruction and rebuilding
Cold War Allegory Worlds
Watchmen (Alan Moore)
- Alternate history where nuclear war nearly happened
- Secret organizations manipulating global politics
- Moral complexity where “heroes” do terrible things
- Environmental destruction and urban decay
- Question of whether preventing catastrophe justifies any means
Metro Series (Dmitry Glukhovsky)
- Post-nuclear survivors in underground tunnels
- Competing ideological factions
- Resource scarcity driving conflict
- Radiation zones and mutant creatures
- Philosophical questions about rebuilding civilization
The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
- Post-apocalyptic father and son journey
- Ash-covered world with environmental collapse
- Scavenging economy and resource competition
- Question of maintaining humanity in inhumane conditions
- Small communities trying to survive together
Closest Overall Match
The Broken Empire trilogy is probably your closest parallel - it’s literally fantasy post-nuclear apocalypse where:
- Ancient empires destroyed themselves with weapons of mass destruction
- Survivors live in medieval conditions among radioactive ruins
- “Builders” (pre-apocalypse civilization) left dangerous artifacts
- Radiation is reskinned as magical contamination
- Secret organizations try to prevent another catastrophe
- Morally complex characters in a gritty, dark world
Key Differences from Your World
Most similar worlds differ from yours in important ways:
Your Unique Elements:
- 300-year recovery timeline - Most are either immediate post-apocalypse or far future
- Successful rebuilding - Many stay in permanent decline
- Hope despite darkness - Many are purely grimdark
- African-inspired setting - Most use European/American analogues
- Magical contamination as radiation allegory - Most keep magic and technology separate
- Secret peacekeepers - Most have secret organizations as manipulators or villains
- Trading hub prosperity - Many focus only on scarcity and survival
Your world is unique in combining post-nuclear themes with African cultural elements, showing successful rebuilding rather than permanent collapse, and maintaining hope while still being dark and gritty. The 300-year timeline puts you in a sweet spot between immediate post-apocalypse survival and far-future forgetting - people remember enough to be cautious but have built enough to have hope.