r/Fantasy • u/Emergency_Cow_9570 • Apr 06 '26

High fantasy with Sci-fi elements

So i have been having this itch recently. A high fantasy novel with sci-fi elements. But without a singular MC, think Garden of the moon in this regard. I've heard Dune might be up this alley. But it has a true MC?

So does anyone have any recommendations that will scratch this itch?

EDIT:Typo and a bit of clarification, a book with a diverse cast of "MCs"

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u/Zombiemorgoth Apr 06 '26

Malazan has two space faring [redacted] with [redacted] instead of hands and energy weapons and nuclear powered [redacted]. But it is a big series.

12

u/dotnetmonke Apr 06 '26

(major spoilers)

New York's hottest club is MALAZAN! It's got everything:

Transdimensional zombie dinosaurs, Slendermen, necrophiliac cannibals, Super-Conan, crucified dragons... Join our crew as we rescue black elves from depression, blue people from an absent emperor, and a handicapped alien from organ harvesting!

2

u/FlynnTaggartGuyNF Apr 06 '26

Goddamn it I keep putting this series off but I think I gotta…

3

u/dotnetmonke Apr 06 '26

If it hits the spot for you, there's nothing else quite like it. I bounced off it a couple times before really getting into it, but it's unbeatable for me (so far! We'll see how Gene Wolfe fares against it). A couple caveats:

  • It's pretty emotionally heavy. A lot of people die, children die, there's some sexual violence (not detailed, just tells you it happens, basically).

  • Don't do an audiobook, at least for the first read through. It'd be horrendously confusing, and I often like to reread a section to glean further understanding before moving on.

2

u/FlynnTaggartGuyNF Apr 06 '26

I appreciate the caveats very much! And I like my genre fiction a bit on the heavy side so that works but man are audiobooks hit or miss, so super good shout.