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The Well World series is a series of novels by Jack L. Chalker. == Setting == The Well World series is largely set on a fictional planet named Well World. The Well World was constructed by an ancient alien species, known as the Markovians, who felt they had reached a dead end in their evolution. Volunteers were transformed into new, designed species. Once a species was deemed ready, it was sent out into the universe to begin evolving anew. The Well World is a planet-sized, reality-shaping computer that controls and maintains this new universe, which is layered on top of the much smaller, original Markovian one. By the time of the stories in the series, the Markovians have vanished, leaving behind the Well World, continually maintaining the new universe. The Markovian planets themselves contain the gateways leading to the Well World. The Well World's surface is composed primarily of 1560 large hexagonal regions — called "hexes" — each with an independent and often dramatically different climate and ecosystem, that David Langford compares to the hexagonally tiled boards used in "hex-and-counter" forms of tabletop wargaming. Each of these hexes is a prototype environment for a planet that exists in the external universe, half of which, comprising the planet's southern hemisphere, contain carbon-based (or similar) oxygen-breathing life. The two hemispheres are separated by an impermeable wall that extends at least into the stratosphere. In the hexes that are bisected by the wall there is a separate gateway (the "avenue") to the Well of Souls, the control center for the computer. The Well World computer also maintains a "tech level" for each of the hexes, making equipment of a higher level simply fail to work. High-tech hexes work as in the "real" universe, allowing any device to work. Semi-tech hexes allow simple machines to work, up to about the level of the steam engine, and any device using electricity will not work. Low-tech hexes allow no machines to work, and all effort has to be created by muscles. In some of the low-tech hexes, however, the Well World computer allows the inhabitants access to limited manipulation of reality, or “magic”. Vehicles that travel from hex to hex need to be equipped with multiple forms of power. In addition to the hexes, the two polar regions, or "zones" contain maintenance areas, including a series of ambassadorial offices. These can be reached via gateways near the centres of each of the hexes, allowing easy transit from hex to pole for meetings and other duties. Newcomers to the Well World find themselves in the zones, where they are greeted by one of the ambassadors and then sent through a gateway. During this initial transit, the Well World computer transforms the traveller into a member of one of the many races, and sends them on to the associated hexes. From that point, the traveller is treated as a native of that hex. In addition to the Well World, some of the action in the stories, typically the introductions, takes place in the multi-stellar human empire. In the early books this largely controlled by the Community of Worlds (the "Com"), where genetically engineered clones are widely used to form peaceful communist societies. In later books the Community has been replaced by the Realm, a confederation of over forty races. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Well World series」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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