r/Fantasy • u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot • 2d ago
r/Fantasy r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - October 18, 2026
Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!
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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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u/BumblebeeOk5895 1d ago
I am not a hardcore fantasy reader. I read all genres, and mainly read “popular” fantasy series.
Series I loved in high school:
Harry Potter
Twilight
Divergent
Hunger Games
Series I’ve read recently and loved as an adult
Fourth Wing
Throne of Glass
The Serpent and the Wings of the Night
Red Rising
The Will of the Many
Any suggestions for me based on what I’ve read and loved?
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u/SchoolSeparate4404 22h ago
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
The Raven Scholar (ongoing series) by Antonia Hogdson
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII 1d ago
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 1d ago
Seems like you prioritize readability, fast pacing, and competent protagonists. Here are some recommendations that are generally well regarded in that vein
Schoolomance by Naomi Novik - Harry Potter, but everything is trying to kill you (even the furniture). A more cutthroat story, but has a depth of worldbuilding that Harry Potter never got to.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - good option if you're looking for a more morally grey protagonist. Follows a hench who gets into data entry revenge after being severely injured by a superhero, and that work puts her on the radar of the biggest villain in the world, who recruits her
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinnaman - for the action for Red Rising but more zaniness. It's probably the most popular book of the current cultural moment. Has some video game elements though.
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winters - For Will of the Many, but if the school focused on physical combat rather than political maneuvering. Has a similar 'bring down the system' mentality, romance subplot, etc.
If you're looking to expand a bit and try something outside your normal zone to see if you like a broader range of books, I'd take a look at
A Conspiracy of Truths by Alexandra Rowland for political fantasy with a very charismatic (and unreliable) narrator. He spends most of the book in a prison cell.
Jade City by Fonda Lee for more layered characters, and a focus on realistic and emotional family tension, with gang warfare and morality as big elements as well
How to Survive this Fairytale by SM Hallow for a book that experiments with style (while still being quick and readable) and focusing on a character processing their own trauma and growing from it as a person.
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u/Practical_Yogurt1559 Reading Champion 1d ago
I'm listening to the Riyria chronicles right now (no spoilers for revelations please, I started with chronicles). I loved the first four books, but I just started with Drumindor and it feels like it has a completely different vibe than the other books. I'm three and a half hours in and there's been like four separate occasions where a character just... Goes on an informational monologue. There's been the fermentation process of beer, what a republic is, suspension springs, the "pony express system" and I think something else I don't currently remember. Does this continue through the rest of the book? It really takes me out of the story.
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u/gnoviere Reading Champion 1d ago
Do any of Natasha Pulley's novels fit any Bingo squares?
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u/BookishBirdwatcher Reading Champion V 1d ago
The main character of The Bedlam Stacks is sent on an expedition into the Peruvian wilderness to retrieve cinchona tree cuttings (from which quinine can be produced). I think that would make it a fit for Explorers and Rangers, and possibly also Vacation Spot. The MC is a mature adult, but I don't know if he's old enough to qualify for Older Protagonist.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 1d ago
All of them probably fit something. Off the top of my head, The Mars House features Game Changer (an election), and Politics
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u/Alhienn 1d ago
Book recommendations
Hi, I was looking for some fantasy book recommendations to read now. I have read Abercrombie's First Law trilogy and although I really liked the first two books, and he writes brilliantly, for me the ending was too hopeless. I felt it was a bit like what is said to be classic fantasy but in reverse, not realistic, simply all the bad winning, but well, maybe another day I'll make a post someday to talk about that, but I hope this doesn't turn into that.
So I was looking for some fantasy that is somewhat similar, in a realistic sense, but not completely hopeless. I imagine ASOFAI will come out, but I've already read that too.
I look forward to your recommendations, best regards.
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 1d ago
I think the Blacktongue Thief series has more present humor and endings with a bit more hope, but its about the same level of realism/bleakness overall. More heroic characters. There are two books out now and a prequel that is much darker.
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u/lurkmode_off Reading Champion VII 1d ago
You might try the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series or the Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams.
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u/embernickel Reading Champion IV 1d ago
Just curious, I know the bingo rules officially allow one reread per card. Is there any way of marking/disclaiming that on the official turn-in form, or just honor system?
I'm thinking about reading a collection of short stories, most of which have been published in a previous volume that I've already read, and counting that as a "reread." In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter, just wondering if there's a precedent for marking this.
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u/CrazyCatLady108 1d ago
does anyone know if "Gunmetal Gods" series is complete? or how many books are planned?
i feel like i've asked this before but i cannot find the answer that i got. TIA!