What is a book's setting?

A book's setting is the place, time and backdrop of the story. Many stories have a central setting, such as a city, town or farm, but others may have unorthodox settings, such as ship at sea or a made-up world.

The more layers of a story's setting, the more engaging and real it becomes to the reader. So whether it is in a city, farm or fantasy world, a good setting often incorporates more than descriptions of the landscape. Other important elements related to setting include the time period characters are living in, the occupations of inhabitants, what animals live there, the weather and the type of plant life that grows there.