History Main / HollowWorld

* In the world of Creator/DavidEddings' ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' and ''Literature/TheMalloreon'', the Algarian Stronghold plays with the trope in a pretty novel way. It's a ''huge'' castle that's essentially ShmuckBait for any belligerent Angaraks who decide to invade. The trope gets involved because what people would consider the "interior" of the castle is actually a trap; the people who man the Stronghold live ''within'' the Stronghold's humongous walls.

A sub-trope of WorldShapes and, in more modern works, an example of AllTheoriesAreTrue. Compare BeneathTheEarth, DysonSphere. When the inhabitants don't know they're in a hollow world, it may become a CityInABottle or a LostWorld.

* The Fushigiboshi in ''Anime/FushigiboshiNoFutagoHime'', which gives it its name (which translates to "Wonder Planet").

* This is used in ''LightNovel/MaoyuuMaouYuusha''. The "no gravitational pull" aspect is got around by having the ''sun'' be a ''repulsing'' force instead, pushing things away from it toward the ground.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' film series there is an underworld which dinosaurs still roam.

** [[https://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/48472f9d56859 Ederworlds]] are even bigger than gravity balloons, being much larger than even gas giant planets. They're filled with a lightweight gas like hydrogen, which allows the incredible sizes. Unlike the previous examples, the interior of ederworlds isn't used for habitation, just the surface.

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'' has [[https://orionsarm.com/eg-article/484743e9bba99 Symme's Worlds]], which have gravity on the outer surface but not on the inner surface. Additionally, most of these also have openings at the poles to allow mixing of the outer and inner atmospheres.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''. It has a unique configuration in that, instead of two habitable surfaces opposed to each other, the Underworld IS the basic, solid planetary sphere, while the Overworld encases it. As proof, the Tower of Bab-Il rises from the Underworld and continues ''upwards'' through the Overworld. The Underworld is also considerably smaller, and, being located between the solid sphere and its shell, it lacks a Sun. The magma flowing through it is more than bright enough to do the job, though.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' mostly takes place on Cocoon, a Hollow World roughly the size of North America were it rolled up into a ball. Humanity resides on the inside surface area of the sphere, which is comprised of several distinct landmasses and oceans, and a giant freaking hole to nowhere. Cocoon floats in the lower atmosphere of Gran Pulse, a planet somewhat larger than Earth, given the apparent scale of Cocoon in comparison to it. Nothing about Cocoon makes sense scientifically, but it works anyway thanks to [[AWizardDidIt a million-some]] {{Physical God}}s [[AWizardDidIt forcibly willing it to do things like float above Gran Pulse and have a functional atmosphere, gravity, and a day/night cycle]].

Note that its usual configuration, with people walking about on the inner surface, wouldn't work; a hollow sphere has ''no'' net gravitational pull on any object inside it. Although some theorists, such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleves_Symmes,_Jr John Symmes,]] claim that this actually ''could'' work due to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_force centrifugal force]] caused by the planet's rotation. However, it would still have to be very low, otherwise the planet itself would break apart.[[note]]The centrifugal acceleration at Earth's equator is only 0.003g.[[/note]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Fourth Doctor story "The Pirate Planet" gave this an interesting twist. Zanak was a gigantic hollow planet with enormous [[TeleportersAndTransporters transmat engines]] at its core. It could literally materialize around smaller planets and squeeze them of their wealth and energies.

* The iconic example from ''Literature/PerryRhodan'' would be Horror, a hollow world in six distinct layers that at least from the protagonists' perspective seemed to serve primarily as a planet-sized ''trap'' for unauthorized users of the recently-discovered intergalactic [[TeleportersAndTransporters matter transmitter]] network connecting at least the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy (plus some outliers) at the time. The "Mobys" from later in the same arc probably also qualify by virtue of being largely sleeping large-moon-sized anorganic ''[[GeniusLoci lifeforms]]'' whose insides were frequently colonized by opportunistic aliens.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': Queen Atomia's Atom/Subatomic World looks like a sphere but evey action there takes place inside and "underground".

* The indie ''TabletopGame/HollowEarthExpedition'' is all about this, using the fluidity of the pulp genre to meld the hollow earth with Thule, Atlantis, and prehistoric times, and any sort of lost civilization, and the whole thing is discovered on the cusp of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Hey, how else are you going to feed Nazis to dinosaurs?

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', as a nod to ''Pellucidar'', has Deep Tolguth, an inverted vault in its Underdark-analogue, complete with otherwise-extinct animals. It's more like a country-sized mini-world than an actual hollow planet, though; an ancient terrarium made by Sufficiently Advanced... somethings.

* There is some mentions in the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' background material about hollow worlds with the most prominent being the [[EternalEngine forge world]] Lucius. The interior surface of this wonder of [[TheEmpire the Imperium]] is covered by massive factories powered by an artificial sun of mysterious origin that sits at the planet’s core.
* The plane of Mirrodin (formerly [[spoiler:Argentum]]) in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is hollow, and mostly metallic. There are five channels, called lacunae, through which one of the planes five suns emerged from the mana core. There are five lacunae, one for each color of mana, and one for each of Mirrodin's five suns.

* Downplayed with the discontinued world of Tharun in ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'', which was actually an alternate universe (with its own gods and celestial bodies), whose only gates were reached through deep caverns. So it felt like a hollow earth, although it wasn't.

* The early ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' stories take place in a universe that is entirely contained within the body of their creator god.
* Eternia, world of the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'', is a hollow planet with an entire "Subternia" existing below its surface, complete with a multi-armed giant in the center holding everything together.

* The world of La Gias from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' (only visited in the GaidenGame ''LordOfElemental'', but referenced throughout the series) is like this. Its specifically in the center of the Earth, but its more of a magical dimension.

* Atrea, the world in ''VideoGame/{{Aion}}'' was hollow with the Tower of Eternity through the center as the [[PhysicalGod manifestation of the god Aion]] who provided the inside of the world with heat and light. However, after the [[EarthShatteringKaboom Cataclysm]], the center of the tower and a good deal of the planet's equator were destroyed leaving an apple-core shaped world held together only by magic. Although the planet orbits a nearby star, only one half of the planet gets any light from the star.
* Macbeth from the original ''VideoGame/StarFox'' is stated to be a hollow planet, but in truth there ''is'' a core, albeit smaller than the crust that surrounds it. This makes a huge series of caverns that covers the entire planet. Andross had plans to turn Macbeth into a massive base, in other words, a naturally formed ''Death Star'' (without the superlaser).The actual stage even takes place with the Arwings flying around inside the planet.

* The world of ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' may or may not be spherical, but it's hollow alright, as your dwarves may discover [[DugTooDeep the hard way]]. Specifically, [[spoiler:it has a sort of "Swiss cheese" layering of an unmineable rock called slade which is covered in semi-molten rock and adamantine, depending on where]].

* Most of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' takes place on Cocoon, a Hollow World roughly the size of North America were it rolled up into a ball. Humanity resides on the inside surface area off the sphere, which is comprised of several distinct landmasses and oceans, and a giant freaking hole to nowhere. Cocoon floats in the lower atmosphere of Gran Pulse, a planet somewhat larger than Earth, given the apparent scale of Cocoon in comparison to it. Nothing about Cocoon makes sense scientifically, but it works anyway thanks to [[AWizardDidIt a million-some]] {{Physical God}}s [[AWizardDidIt forcibly willing it to do things like float above Gran Pulse, and have a functional atmosphere, gravity, and a day/night cycle]].
* The final area of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV''. Also used in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' [[spoiler:where one of the big plot twists is TheReveal that the first two games took place ''inside'' an alternate Earth]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', [[spoiler:the Battlefield has a very thick crust with a hollow center housing THE TUMOR (before it was removed) in its center.]]

* The website [[http://www.psypets.net/ PsyPets]] has this as part of its FramingDevice; you're a volunteer working for the Hollow Earth Research Group (HERG). However, "Hollow Earth" in this setting is not ''actually'' inside Earth; rather, it's just a ''name'' given to an alternate dimension because the researchers were reminded of the old myth. References to the actual "Hollow Earth" pop up sometimes, though.

* The city of Arkadia and the other "strata" in ''WesternAnimation/SpartakusAndTheSunBeneathTheSea''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In the episode "Bart VS. Australia" the Hindu god Vishnu is seen in the center of a hollow Earth, apparently controlling the universe from there.

* An unfalsifiable (and therefore scientifically irrelevant) [[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Cellular_cosmogony claim]] is that the earth is in fact a hollow sphere with the universe inside and geometry transformed to match (i.e. the closer in you go, the smaller you get).

* ''ComicBook/Valerian'': The inhabitants of the "starless country" live inside a hollow planet. The core is their sun. And yes, somewhere a physicist is crying.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valérian_and_Laureline Valerian and Laureline]]'' [a French comic]: The inhabitants of the "starless country" live inside a hollow planet. The core is their sun. And yes, somewhere a physicist is crying.

* The Franchise/IndianaJones novel ''Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth'' is [[CaptainObvious about]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin this]]. More specifically, Indy discovers Ultima Thule (see "Real Life" examples below).

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* ''Symzonia: A Voyage of Discovery'' by "Captain Adam Seaborn" is a 1820 novel which espouses ideas of John Cleves Symmes, Jr. and one of the earliest literary examples. Its other claim to fame is that was among the sources which inspired short story ''MS. Found in a Bottle'' and novel ''Literature/The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' by Creator/EdgarAllanPoe.

* ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' implies that there is a second sun at the core of our own planet, meaning we live on the outside of such a sphere. At the time, before the discovery of radioactive elements, this was [[strike:the mainstream]] [[PopularHistory one of several speculated]] [[strike:scientific]] explanations for the Earth's internal heat.