The novel is set in a fictional world with its own rules and history.

fictional 是形容词，由名词 fiction（虚构作品）加上后缀 -al 构成。fiction 来自拉丁语，本义是"塑造、编造"，指"虚构的事物"。 fictional 表示"虚构的、不真实的"，用来描述小说、电影等创作作品中想象出来的世界或人物。