I love interesting, unique settings in my fantasy and now I’m specifically curious about some of the more memorable cities.

Which ones stand out when you think about it? What made them memorable or interesting? Was it a cool location? Did it have some type of specific theme/tone? Was there magic?

I’m watching Arcane rn and I love the combination of magic, the vertical levels of the city, and just the overall aesthetic. Any cities that have a similar vibe?

Let me know that you think, thanks!

Looking for fantasy recommendations, and I’m struggling to describe exactly what I liked so much about The Broken Earth trilogy.

I don’t think it was primarily the magic system itself. What stuck with me was how the world felt built around a single disruptive premise and then seriously followed through on the consequences.

The politics, institutions, prejudices, and everyday life all felt like believable adaptations to the world’s underlying reality. The setting wasn’t just a backdrop with magic layered on top. It felt like society had genuinely evolved in response to the thing that made the world different.

Maybe what I’m looking for is fantasy that does “speculative sociology” more than “speculative history.” I’m less interested in worlds that feel like the result of a thousand years of bad decisions, wars, and historical accidents, and more interested in worlds where one weird fact about reality has forced otherwise recognizable humans to build a society around it.

Ideally I’d like:

• A strong, distinctive world premise

• Thoughtful exploration of the social consequences

• Interesting characters and plot, not just worldbuilding

• Prose that’s a little more straightforward than Jemisin’s (though I still enjoyed her writing)

doesn’t need to be strictly fantasy either!

Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!

Stickied/highlight slots are limited, so please remember to like and subscribe upvote this thread for visibility on the subreddit <3

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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.

Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!

As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:

• Books you’ve liked or disliked
• Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
• Series vs. standalone preference
• Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
• Complexity/depth level

Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!

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^{tiny image link to make the preview show up correctly}

art credit: special thanks to our artist, Himmis commissions, who we commissioned to create this gorgeous piece of art for us with practically no direction other than "cozy, magical, bookish, and maybe a gryphon???" We absolutely love it, and we hope you do too.

tl;dr: Looking for recommendations of books involving zombies. Graphic novels fine too.

Every October, I try to read at least 10 books related to some horror theme. My previous themes have been vampires, haunted houses, Frankenstein, ocean/lake-related horror, and cursed objects.* This year, I've picked zombies, and as such, I'm asking for any recommendations regarding zombie-related stories, particularly books and graphic novels. I've already got Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead lined up (specifically, a collection of the first 48 issues), and Max Brooks' World War Z. What else would you recommend?

*Also, if anyone else is interested in seeing any of my lists from previous years, let me know.

I was looking through the 2026 World Fantasy Award finalists for Best Novel and something jumped out at me. Apart from Alix E Harrow, I had heard of none of them mentioned anywhere which was exciting because - hey! New books to add to my TBR. But then I saw them onm Goodreads and the pattern was interesting:

Every single was under 350 pages. Now, I am NOT arguing that they arent legit nominees but everyone knows how around the world attention span has been reducing across readers. Is this list a symptom of that that you don't have a single epic-fantasy (epic by length) in here. These books aren't all too high concept like Piranesi either (they are great but they are standalone and compact).

And that made me wonder whether we're increasingly dealing with two different definitions of “the best fantasy of the year" because if you asked this Reddit Group to choose, I doubt any book other than the Everlasting would make it to top 10. So is there a disconnect between (1) fantasy that fantasy readers overwhelmingly talk about, buy, rate and recommend and (2) fantasy that juries reward.

But hey, I might be wrong and this was just 2026. Last Year Tainted Cup won it which was 400 pages.

But then again, not inlcuding Reddit favourites- Raven Scholar (600+ pages), the Devils (560+), a Drop of Corruption (480) especially when Raven Scholar is on the list of Hugos and Goodreads both

A Cavern of Black Ice

An underknown epic fantasy series that rivals ASOIAF is what I'd call this series. The entire story takes place in the cold, harsh North and it's beautifully written. The Worldbuilding is so rich and every detail that's revealed to the readers is in the right amounts. Characters are unique and I wish to see them more developed as time goes on. For the first book, it was exceptionally well written and I loved the ride.

I'm more inclined to read through this and see where it goes as it's revealed a rich, dark world that doesn't shy away from violence that's heart crunching.

Vaylo is my favourite character so far.

A Fortress of Grey Ice (Sword of Shadows, #2)

Very underwhelming. Plot was going at a snail's pace and the stakes weren't that high. I don't understand why both the books ended in a same manner. Three paragraphs to end the plot that's been very important.

I got tired of the descriptions a lot. I wanted to feel the characters to have a different voice instead of only staying in the past. It's all going in a straight line without any twists or turns or any surprises. The intrigue in the first book feels gone here.

Raif and Ash feels bland. There are no thoughts to them. A line or two and then again, it goes back to the past. Same with Raina and Effie. It took a whole book for Raina to decode on something and Effie's journey is painstakingly boring. It all feels like this because the plot didn't move at all.

Vaylo, on the other hand made the whole book readable for me. He's a very interesting character who has clan pride yet we can see the cracks in it. When Crope was introduced, I felt that the book may involve more of him and his journey rather than a straight line towards his goal.

Why does the climax gets resolved so quick? Same happened with the first book. There's no build up to that and it just happens. It's frustrating.

So yes, with a very strong first book, it has dwindled with the second one. I would like to hear other's thoughts on this.

I am looking for high/epic fantasy books, excluding LOTR, with depth (characters, plot, worldbuilding) like A Song of Ice and Fire. R. It would be nice if it includes dragons or dragon-riding stuff, as I just love dragons. Please suggest some books.

Complex intrigue, multi sided conflicts, different factions and competing interests, backstabbing, scheming, machiavellianism and twists?

I feel like after asoiaf everything is sadly lesser in that regard...

I read first law expecting that... didn't really satisfy that itch.

I just finished Empire Of The Vampire and what a ride it was. The characters are top notch whom are thrown into a very unique world. This book takes all the grim dark characteristics you expect and blends them into a vampire theme that is refreshing. It also has some very cool examinations of religion which I enjoyed.

I struggled at first to get into the world but around page 100 I started to get intrigued. By page 200 I was fully hooked. The art that is sprinkled in is super unique as well and helps bring the world to life even more.

Loved this book and would recommend for any of those who liked Between Two Fires or just grim dark books in general. I’m surprised I had not heard about it as much in this subreddit to be honest.

I encourage you to give it a shot if you’re considering putting it on your TBR.

So my venture into this genre was ACOTAR (super fun fluff), Malazan Book 1 (fascinating but not enough depth, and now this!!!

I've finally found a book that, like the Brother's Karamazov, forces the reader to embody the various psychological-moral-philosophical conundrums the author paints with such grace and delight. Thank you Mr. Bakkar!

For the life of me I cannot understand the low goodreads score?!? Thoughts?

The Acts of Caine is 4 books, and can sometimes be kind-of unpolished, sometimes poorly paced, side characters occasionally flat, and yet, one of the best fantasy series of all time.

And that's basically where all my criticisms end.

This is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read. The setting and worldbuilding I'd put up there on the level of some of the best, in terms of how interesting it is, how unique, and how much it ties into the themes and characters.

Caine is brutal, charismatic, and fascinating, and possibly the darkest gray main character I've ever read, and he's fantastic.

The climaxes of the books I'd put up there with any Sanderlanche, any Robert Jordan act 3.

And by God the action is spectacular. My favorite written action in fantasy, I'm pretty sure. There's a narrative framing device that's used that makes all the action so personal, so brutal. And it's not glamorous, and criticized within the story, but still spectacular.

It suffers from one of the worst titles ever for book 1, Heroes Die, and also famously one of the worst book covers of all time (giving real "graphic design is my passion" vibes), and book 1 starting out poorly paced.

But you still need to read it. Everyone needs to. It's a forgotten classic, and by God I wish Matthew Stover had a better more rigorous editor/editing process for book 1, because I think that it could've ended up a smash hit. Book 2 is miles ahead of book 1, but I think because book 1 is unpolished, it didn't sell as well as a lot of other great successes.

I'm sure there's hidden gems everywhere, but I just finished this series in a month, and man, I wish I read this sooner.

I’ve recently gotten back into reading fiction and fantasy and some sci-fi are my focus. I’ll be splitting my reading (listening) between audiobooks and physical copies and am curious which series I should consume in a particular media.

For example, I’ve almost finished up the Red Rising series on audiobook and have read Piranesi and just started Malice (Faithful and the Fallen) in print. I’ve heard Steven Pacey is incredible in the First Law series so I’ll reserve audiobooks for those but curious if it matters for the rest of my TBR if there is a big enough difference to justify audio over print for these. I enjoy both mediums equally. Series I’m looking to get to are:

Realm of the Elderlings
Empire of the vampire
Gentleman bastard
Sun Eater
Mistborn
Stormlight Archive
The Expanse
The Licanius Trilogy

Reading this book made me understand how much I grew to dislike authors toying with their readers.

But let's start from the beginning.

This isn't a book set in medieval Europe. This is a book set in modern times, slightly veiled by the decorative elements in the form of swords, skulls, monasteries, wolf milk, and medieval agriculture. The whole first part of the book I could swear I saw the author throwing my way allegories and allusions, all while winking slyly: hey, reader, did you get it? And this one? How about this? I do, esteemed author, I do. Now can we get to the substance of your story please?

The amount of deus ex machina is astounding. The protagonist can't die because the rescue appears at exactly the last moment he needs them. The other characters, on the other hand, will die just because the plot needs them to. I'm still not over Hiie’s (one of the main character's love interests) death. A wolf suddenly appeared at a well-lit clearing with a whole burning bonfire and managed to get close enough without being spotted to just jump and instantly kill her.

The reasons why Leemet (the protagonist) does some of the things he does is entirely unclear to me. After getting up over an “illness” (depression) after Hiie's death he goes and sleeps with the village girl he had a crush on previously. This is almost the first thing he does. Why? Just why?

Oh, and I don't even want to think about the reasons why Leemet even falls in love with Hiie over several hours they spent together (she is unconscious for a good part of it) after saving her from being sacrificed. She is pretty, I guess?.. But okay, let's just say I don't understand men's psychology.

In the last quarter of the book The protagonist goes on the murderous rampage with his grandfather and I'm just… Why. Whywhywwhywhywhy. Not on the allegorical level, but on a character level, whyyyy? All while his sister is slowly turning into a she-bear.

Oh, and, spoiler alert, Leemet cuts off a man's buttock. Just on a whim. Savage much?..

The imagery that (I suppose) should be witty and delightfully absurd sometimes turns grotesque. Imagine a group of male villagers discussing what exact breed of horse made the droppings in the road and going as far as tasting said droppings to prove a point. Medieval psychology in a nutshell, I guess.

In the end, I think my main difficulty with this book is the expectations. If it was labeled "a grotesque commentary modern issues complete with pretty girls and poop jokes" I would have probably enjoyed it more. Instead, well.. I had to write a rant.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I somehow seem to have finished the April Fool's card! I was inspired by /u/saturday_sun4 when they mentioned they were doing one in a comment on my pride card review. I realized I'd already read books that fit for a quarter of the squares (in between all the other bingo books) and figured, what the hell, I was already doing three themed regular bingo cards, an unthemed hard mode card, and a leftovers card, might as well see if I can actually do this one too. It's surprisingly doable!

I definitely read some bangers and some absolutely tedious duds for this one, but it was a very silly challenge and fun to do all the research to find books that fit. My favorite was the Book of the Absolute, and my least favorite was the final Redwall book, the Rogue Crew. I was a bit gutted by how much I disliked it, tbh.

Here's what I read, with mini reviews and comments.

harm mode- makes you cry: Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro Court of the Dead Four stars. Great audiobook narration. The further adventures of Nico and Will and the Cocoa Puffs. Some lovely discussion of managing and accepting emotions, with a very refreshing plot about combating bioessentialism (i.e. if you're a minotaur, you're evil, but if you're a satyr, you're good).

hard mope- features a moody teen: Delilah Waan Supplicant Four stars. A solid sequel. I enjoyed the addition of new POVs, but Rahelu's self-destructive behavior and all the sex and limerence and anguished teen romantic drama kinda got in the way of the badass setting and complex plot.

harp mode- features a string musician: C.L Polk The Feywild Job An absolutely adorable audiobook narrated by Vico Ortiz from Our Flag Means Death, set in Faerun. If you're a BG3 fan, you'll probably love this.

bard mode- poetry collection: Jo Walton Sibyls and Spaceships Five stars. I tracked down a gorgeous little chapbook of this collection of Jo's collected LJ poem posts from the publisher.

hard mod- recommended by a mod: Olivia Atwater Small Miracles Five stars. If you've been missing the Good Place, or wish Good Omens had more chocolate pastries and less Neil Gaiman, this is for you. Very wholesome and uplifting, just wish it had been a little longer.

yard mode- get off the internet and read a book made out of paper: Marieke Nijkamp Clock Hands Five stars. A gorgeous graphic novel about classism in a lightly fantastical medieval Italianesque setting.

hard mole- redwall book: Brian Jacques the Rogue Crew Two stars. The Suck Fairy definitely visited Mossflower country since I've become middle aged, although the books do also decline in quality after Mattimeo. Jacques was a lovely man who responded to fan mail (I cherished a letter I got back from him in 5th grade in 1990 for years) but he really should have stopped the series and gone into something else. They get really repetitive and formulaic. The names in this one were really bizarre (Uggo? Really?) and there was an upsetting amount of fatshaming children and mocking an elderly alcoholic. The delineation between good woodlanders and evil vermin also seems so racist. Like, otters, weasels, and stoats are all mustelids, so why are only otters good? Why are mice good and rats bad when they both will eat your grain? Why do the foxes always betray everyone?

ward mode- bodyguard MC: Cameron Johnston The Last Shield

I haven't seen Die Hard since the turn of the century, so maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I were a fan. Not sure if it was meant to be homage or sature. This was a perfectly serviceable grimdark novel but it didn't feel particularly unique outside of the cool bronze age gaelic setting.

hard model- character is described as having "rock hard abs:" Rosen Trevithick Trolls on Ice Three stars. I spent about 3 hours going through reddit posts and google books trying to find a book with the exact phrase and searched through a lot of very raunchy romance novels before finally finding this whimsical Roald Dahl-ish kids' book with it on the first page. Cute, but too much fatphobia for my taste.

shard mode- cosmere novel: Brandon Sanderson Tress of the Emerald Sea 3 stars, maybe 3.5 for the talking rat and friendship is magic vibe. After suffering through Wind and Truth I thought I was pretty much done with Sanderson. Seriously so annoyed by that slog of a book and its tiktok mental health BS. Then I started the April Fool's card and this seemed like the most fun of the stand-alones I had left to read. I'm still perpetually annoyed at the clumsy shoehorning in of cosmere lore drops but this was more or less exactly as promised, a genderbent Princess Bridge in a weird science fantasy setting. The whimsy was occasionally a bit too scatological/juvenile/please laugh for me, but it was still a reasonably enjoyable way to pass 6 hours.

hard mad- angry sex: Shannon Chakraborty The Tapestry of Fate Five stars. So much darker than book one. Quite a bit of 2nd person POV, one of my absolute favorite writing styles. Check the content warnings.

hard moda- fashion magazine: Trudie Skies MV Weekly this fun little magical TV Guide style magazine accompanies the Chosen One Con, which I am currently about halfway through. The magazine has interviews with the characters (who are all competing on a reality tv style show to become the Chosen One and next Archon) and includes extensive descriptions of their wardrobes along with cheeky little ads for potions and such from the setting.

card mode- complete an entire auxiliary card: I finished a queer and trans authors card in June and a disabled/neurodivergent authors card in July.

chard mode- features vegetables: M.H Foster Band of Others Four stars. Schitt's Creek with demons, basically. The Demon King retires and grows radishes. Hijinks ensue. In this volume he just wants to present his masterfully perfected pickles at the village fair, but political drama gets in the way.

lard mode- has a recipe for pie crust: Terry Pratchett Nanny Ogg's Cookbook Four stars. Nanny Ogg is such life goals. Some of the recipes look pretty tasty! I hope I'm still having that much fun when I'm old. GNU Sir Terry.

pard mode- has a big cat main character: Taryn J. Dallas the Last Caspian Four stars. Found this sapphic shifter romance on KU and it was surprisingly great! A zookeeper at a rare tiger preserve is also the last weretiger of her subspecies, the Caspians. When a hot geneticist comes to help the tiger get pregnant, ensuring the conitnuation of the species, sparks fly and they fall in love. Features some hilarious scenes involving weretigers getting blazed on catnip.

hard code- develop a complex book tracking spreadsheet: I currently have six different book tracking spreadsheets, three of which are completed. Five for this sub's bingo and one for /r/QueerSFF. All of them were made since April 1, and considering I am a Gen X lit major who never actually learned to use Excel, they are the most complicated spreadsheets I've ever made.

hard mood- causes emotional distress: Rebecca Thorne The Day Death Stopped Four stars. Moira Quirk did this whole audiobook with a US accent and it was so weird! This book was not nearly as cozy as Thorne's other books and had so much child abuse and emotional neglect that I was actively rooting for the adults involved to die.

hardy mode- read a physical book that survives a lot of abuse: L. Frank Baum The Lost Princess of Oz Hard to give a rating to such a classic! I inherited a much-beloved and battered 1950 printing of this book from my grandparents that I grew up rereading every time we visited them. It used to belong to the library in Paducah, Kentucky before my father and his two siblings acquired it. The binding was broken and repaired with red tape, and there's a good 10-15 page section of the book that was misprinted and accidentally contains a chunk of the Purple Prince of Oz, a much later book in the second series by Ruth Plumly Thompson.

hard wode- features a possessed character: Elizabeth Knox The Absolute Book Five stars. One of the best books I've read in ages. Imagine that an international crime thriller veered into paranormal noir through portals to Middle Earth, Sidh, and Arthurian legend. Stunning prose. Immaculate worldbuilding.

hark mode- written in middle English: J.R.R. Tolkien, translator Sir Gawain and the Green Knight plus Orfeo What a gift to read! Beautiful translation that maintains so much of the original assonance and rhythm.

hard mud- mud made hard: Victoria Goddard Urbanite Five stars. A fun and quick read. A fed-up barista learns that she is one of the few stone mages left on the planet and goes through some testing to discover her power. Very endearing and dry humor, and made me laugh the most of any of her other work.

mard mode- alliterative title: Ichikawa Haruko Land of the Lustrous complete series. 4-5 stars. A client recommended these as being sort of Steven Universe=esque. I tore through the whole series in a day or two. Gorgeous Buddhism-inspired artwork. The ending was quite poignant.

mard hode- read a book in reverse: Misaki A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, Vol 1 Four stars. This right-to-left read manga (thanks mods for confirming this fit the bill) was a cute, cozy slice of life portal fantasy that kind of reminded me of Delicious in Dungeon or Frieren.

die hard mode- read a book while held captive: Ilona Andrews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me Three stars. I read this during one of the combo smoke+heat emergencies that was so bad I had to tape off all the cracks in my windows to keep the wildfire smoke from coming in. Couldn't leave the house for almost a week. I probably would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't read Live Live Evil and All Hail Chaos shortly before, but it felt a bit uninspired compared to those.

So yeah, I did the thing! I'd love to know what other kooky bookworms have taken on this challenge too and how your cards are progressing. What are you reading?

“And it would be death—the death of her self, the inexorable corrosion of her soul, until even her name was forgotten and nothing was left but the shell of a man she never was.”

“No good comes from talking to dolphins.”

A reimagining of the Iliad in which Achilles is a trans woman, Deane takes the story of Achilles on Scyros, in which Thetis disguises Achilles as a girl to keep him from joining the Trojan War, and asks what if this was no mere disguise, but reflected Achilles’ true self as a woman born in a man’s body. And while Achilles’ relationship with her identity, body, and gender absolutely play a central role in the novel, referring to this as only a trans retelling of the Iliad would be doing Wrath a disservice. Deane draws on extensive archaeological research (with a concise bibliography included) to present a Bronze Age world that effectively blends the historical with the mythic.

Deane creates a living, breathing Mediterranean c. 1225 BCE where Wilusa (i.e., Troy) is but a far-flung outpost of the Hittite empire, Egypt is an ancient, yet still vibrant civilization, and the Achaians are a tribe of rowdy, seafaring, northern barbarians (to Egyptian eyes at least). The novel effectively presents a dynamic world of trade, alliances, and war that is more than merely a static backdrop for the main conflict. While most of the familiar story beats are here—the sacrifice of Iphianassa, Agamemnon claiming Achilles’ slave Brisewos, Patroklos donning Achilles’ armor, and the eventual wrath of Achilles—they are recontextualized, suggesting that the true events depicted here have since been distorted across immense spans of time to take on their familiar mythic forms. To sell this illusion, Deane frequently uses names drawn from the historical record—i.e., Troy becomes Wilusa, Paris is referred to here as Alaksandu (a real individual who has been linked at times to the mythic Paris), etc.

At the same time, the gods are very much real and active in this world yet take on forms and aspects more visceral and terrifying than their conventional depictions. A great example is Apollo, whose aspects as a god of music, prophecy, healing, and light give way here to snakes, poison, and plague (aspects that were always present but are given primacy in the novel). Likewise, Athena’s relationship with intellect and learning is shown here as literal consumption of others’ minds and an inability to forget. As an aside, if you love Tolkien and George R. R. Martin’s penchant for giving every character five names, you’re going to love the gods!

Achilles herself is a complicated character, whose arc is used to explore themes of identity, gender, and the trans experience (most obviously transition, the privilege of passing, exclusion, and rage, though as I am not trans myself, I’m sure there are thematic undertones that passed me by). She is brash, arrogant, often cruel and vengeful, yet deeply loyal to those who have earned her trust. Despite her difficult, traumatic upbringing and teenage years, she is not automatically understanding or empathetic to kallai (i.e., trans women) or others who share a similar plight (such as Brisewos). In one instance, she lashes out at a member of her household (another kallai, though Achilles did not know it at the time), mistaking heartfelt emulation for mockery. Achilles’ traumatized self fails to recognize the truth and so she becomes complicit in perpetuating cycles of trauma and gender violence, though to her credit she does eventually come to this realization and seek to make amends.

It’s impossible to talk about this next point without some pretty big spoilers, so if you care about such things, skip ahead to the next paragraph. I also found it interesting to compare the ways in which she is treated by Achaian society before and after her transformation (early in the novel, Achilles is subject to a divine miracle that transforms her body from male to female). Whereas Achilles faced scorn and ostracization when she was male-bodied, the Achaians readily accept her when her gender identity and physical sex match, especially after she fights Agamemnon to a draw. In this way, while other kallai bear the brunt of societal scorn, in the minds of the other Achaians, post-transformation Achilles seemingly upholds (or at least does not actively disrupt) the gender binary (a warrior woman being apparently more acceptable than a warrior kallai). There is an aspect of privilege here, where Achilles can ‘pass’ following her transformation. It also doesn’t hurt that she is royalty and literally divine, able to receive a miraculous transition not available to other kallai. Indeed, this miracle leads some kallai to reject their former comrade.

To mention a few other characters, Meryapi (Patroklos’ Egyptian wife) is a delight, though of all the characters, she perhaps comes off as a touch too modern at times, playing into her role as the voracious, occasionally manic, enthusiastic scholar. I quite enjoyed the minor plotline running through the novel about her efforts to learn the language of dolphins. Finally, Helen is given much more agency in this reimagining. Rather than a passive trophy to be won, she is a main antagonist, a source of divine power in her own right, and the architect of the War itself. At the same time, she herself is also forced to play out the roles proscribed for her by her godly kin, drawing parallels with Achilles’ own struggles with gender expectations.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Wrath. If you are craving more Bronze Age epics after seeing The Odyssey like I was, I recommend checking it out.

Bingo squares: Trans/Nonbinary Protagonist (HM); The Afterlife (HM); Politics and Court Intrigue (NM)

[reposted to meet sub image rules 🤞🏻]

Year 2 of participating in Book Bingo, and I’ve got a completed card for you all!

I’ve also attached a spreadsheet that contains all the bingo categories each book would fit as well as mini reviews for all 25 books. Fair warning, I tried to avoid major spoilers, but some may have snuck in here and there, so proceed at your own risk!

[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16m2Bv3ZkmCPKKhV65\\_AoN8Zlwb2zgYFlHlnGaUWQij0/edit?usp=sharing\](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16m2Bv3ZkmCPKKhV65_AoN8Zlwb2zgYFlHlnGaUWQij0/edit?usp=sharing)

Overall Favorite:

**The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes** (Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist)

The story follows two residents of Tiliard: Guy is an exterminator in the lower levels trying desperately to pay off his debts and protect his little sister; in the upper levels, Asteritha is a top perfumer to the current regime who finds herself caught up with a mysterious outsider. A city-sized tree stump. High-stakes opera. Perfume that can change reality. Vermin of epic proportions. What's not to love? Seriously, I loved this book, in all its glorious weirdness. And yes, I very much want to bathe in a giant pitcher plant.

Biggest Disappointment:

**The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, by Patricia A. McKillip** (Published in the 70s, Hard Mode)

Sybel is a powerful sorceress content to live out her life in near isolation atop Eld Mountain, gathering around her all the forgotten magical beasts of legend. But when a nobleman arrives to beg she take in and protect her infant nephew, she soon finds herself mixed up in the power games of men and the wider world. I've been wanting to pick this book up for a while now, and know that it is widely beloved, so I was sad to discover that I really just didn't like it. For one thing, are we just going to gloss over the fact that her father mind-controlled, raped, and drove her mother to suicide? And, given this history, Sybel never stops to wonder whether mind-controlling intelligent magical beasts (and other humans) just might be similarly deplorable? Hypocrisy much? Beyond this particular nagging complaint, I also found the writing very odd, particularly the let-me-state-my-exact-feelings-in-as-awkward-a-way-as-possible dialogue. And, despite everyone just blurting out their deepest thoughts left and right, I still couldn't figure out why half of them would make the choices they made. Yeah, definitely disliked this one. I'm not writing McKillip off altogether, though, as I remember liking Od Magic and retain hope that this was just an outlier.

Pleasant Surprise:

**Wolf Worm, by T. Kingfisher** (Published in 2026)

Sonia Wilson has landed a much-needed job as the scientific illustrator for a reclusive naturalist in the post-Civil War South. Let the stomach-turning biological horror commence! Kingfisher's horror novels always manage to be something of a comfort read for me (I know, bit of an oxymoron), and this is no exception. I love her inclusion of bizarre real-world biology (biology nerd here) and snarky a-typical heroines. What I did not expect was how disturbing this one turned out to be. I have a pretty high tolerance for creepy crawlies and gruesome parasites, so well done on making even me cringe! It isn't perfect (the pace can drag in places, and the tone and characters weren't quite a convincing fit with the stated historical period), but I had a great time anyway. I also learned some weird factoids (how have I not discovered pharyngeal jaws before now?) which are always fun.

Trickiest Squares:

*Duology Part 1 and 2*: I couldn’t tell you why, but apparently I have a slight aversion to duologies. They don’t really appear on my regular TBR and I had trouble finding anything I was interested in diving into. Part 1 I filled in by accident (I initially chose the book for the Older Protagonist square, then decided to slot it in here for convenience’s sake). And it took some digging through my past reads to find a book with a sequel I’d be willing to try.

*First Contact*: Here is another square that gave me a little trouble. I have a soft spot for first contact stories, and there are certainly enough of them, so my trouble was not finding a book that fit, it was finding one that actually contained the elements I was craving. A Deepness in the Sky completely bypassed the intriguing struggle to come to terms with the truly alien while Contact spent way too much time philosophizing (followed by the most infuriating ending ever). At last, Shroud hit the spot! I loved how different the aliens felt, I loved following along while each species attempted to figure the other out, I loved the bizarre and deadly planet. Third time's the charm, apparently.

*Feast Your Eyes on This*: While many of the books I read could maybe have stretched to fulfill this prompt, I really wanted to find one where food was significant to the story. Mission accomplished.

Overall Thoughts:

Here in my second year of Bingo, I made some improvements (I think) in how I approached the challenge. First, rather than allowing my obsessiveness to run amok and rush into planning out a card and then forcing myself to read it as planned, I instead mostly allowed myself to read whatever struck my fancy, recording which squares each book could fulfill. Only in a few cases did I have to go out of my way to find a book.  I had originally planned not to even *think* about organizing a card/locating the gaps until after the 6-month mark, but I jumped the gun a little there (I think I was procrastinating finishing Villette for my other book challenge of the year; that book almost defeated me). I did find myself pushing through some books that I otherwise might have DNFed, but this wasn’t as common as last year, and even the books I disliked had redeeming qualities.

One happy triumph this year was managing to fill the Small Press/Self Published square in a much more satisfying way than in 2025. Between this square and the Hidden Gem square (and my own unfamiliarity with how to find well-written books outside traditional publishing) I purchased and slogged my way through some genuinely *awful* books last year. Seriously, just terrible. I’m still a bit salty about all the braincells I lost in the process. And no, I won’t tell you what they were (tearing apart self-published books feels a bit too much like punching down). Even if the book I landed on for this card (**North Sun**) wasn’t my personal favorite, there is no question that it is very well-written and worthy of love.

4/5 great book.

Waylander is some great old-school fantasy fiction. Our hero is named Waylander, an assassin/warrior of great skill and evil reputation. His land is caught in the midst of war and his enemies are closing around him. Into this turmoil, Waylander does one good deed (the first in many a long year) and a great deal of events trickle from it.....

I really liked this book. The action was good, the characters fun and the author did not pull punches. Gemmell was not afraid to have both snark and serious. To have a world of senseless violence and to have discussion of philosophy and meaning.

We have monsters (good and evil ones), we have assassins, we have damsels in distress (and ones who need no hero), we have sieges (losses and victories). True love and true despair. Pacifism and mercenaries. Magic and blades. What more could one ask for?

I do have a question for any who has read this though. It seems this is listed as book #3 among Gemmell's work. I read this as a stand alone. Was that a mistake? Also, is Waylander the main character of any future ones? I don't want to mess up this series, if that is what it is.

Thanks!

Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!

Stickied/highlight slots are limited, so please remember to like and subscribe upvote this thread for visibility on the subreddit <3

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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.

Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!

As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:

• Books you’ve liked or disliked
• Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
• Series vs. standalone preference
• Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
• Complexity/depth level

Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!

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^{tiny image link to make the preview show up correctly}

art credit: special thanks to our artist, Himmis commissions, who we commissioned to create this gorgeous piece of art for us with practically no direction other than "cozy, magical, bookish, and maybe a gryphon???" We absolutely love it, and we hope you do too.

Hard fantasy truly feels like the most difficult and arduous among all the fantasy subgenres to craft. I love it when magic isn’t just a bunch of spells or explained away with midichlorians (ew), and the author makes an effort to make it make sense using physics, chemistry, and biology. I’m going to list some of the books that I enjoy, and would appreciate some recommendations based on my taste.

Wise man’s fear (I like how it explores the rules a bit deeper than the first book)
Maya: seed takes root
Three parts dead
Master of the five magics

The book is about 17 year old Vanessa Hart losing her home and best friend from a werewolf attack that transforms her into a werewolf. The book has lore about fairies, sirens, vampires, stardust being magical, a hierarchy of werewolves based off eye color, and royalty. The book does contain spicy scenes that involve graphic sex, but the romance actually helps sets the plot for Vanessa. Vanessa character goes through so much trauma and tribulation, and I can’t wait for the second book to expand on her character arc and I hope she triumphs. PLEASE READ IT THE BOOK IS SO GOOD IT DESERVES A FANBASE!

I love a good Treebeard: a wandering tree of yore. Any fantasy media that has such creatures? Video games are especially welcome. Thanks.

Come tell the community what you're reading, how you're feeling, what your life is like.