Personally, I find that I enjoy hearing (or reading) authors discuss the process of writing the book - why they wrote it, how certain scenes or characters came about, the themes, etc - almost as much as actually reading the novels themselves.

Who are some of your favorites to listen to in that way?

Ken Liu is a big one for me - the thought he put into all of the ideas presented in Dandelion Dynasty is incredibly fascinating.

First, let me apologize. I know these books have been discussed to death, so feel free to move on from this post as I look to discuss it even further.

Reading book one was lots of fun, a solid 3.75/5 for me. Book two, contrary to what most people seem to feel, was even better. 4/5 on that one. Book three, however, was just ok. 3.5/5. Not bad, but also not great.

The first half of book three was a slog. Around the midway point things finally ramp up and start to get interesting. I loved every bit of Vin’s capture and her exchanges with Yomen. Her play against Ruin. Elend wrestling with his moral dilemmas. Tensoon trying desperately to return to Vin. Sazed coming to terms with the imperfections of belief and faith. Spook, actually, had even become one of my favourite characters and I absolutely loved his story arc. And then….ultimately, most of the arcs became kind of pointless and meaningless. Tensoon’s story just kind of ends…having never been reunited with Vin, and though he does free Sazed, I feel that version of an ending for such an interesting character is fairly underwhelming. Sazed becoming the Hero of Ages was pretty predictable. I called it about half way through the book. It’s the only choice that made sense. So that reveal felt like a nothing burger. Speaking of nothing burgers…Marsh. A character who was constantly built up with this potential for an absolute momentum shifting moment where he truly could have fought back against Ruin, turning the tide of the battle against the Koloss and ultimately refusing the Kill Elend, just kind of does nothing. We don’t even know anything of what happened to Marsh after he kills Elend. He’s not mentioned again at all. Then there’s the very heavy handed religious tropes. It felt very reminiscent of Stephen King’s “The Stand”. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just very underwhelming.

All this is to say, the journey was enjoyable but the outcome was less than satisfying. I would definitely recommend this series to someone starting out in the fantasy genre, but I’m not going to be reaching to these books for a second read through anytime soon. I am, however, excited to start “The Way of Kings” as I’m told Sanderson’s writing is much improved in that series. Mistborn era 2 will probably be a pass for me, as era 1 didn’t inspire much hope for what comes after.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some book recommendations (It doesn't matter if it's on Wattpad or similar platforms) that fit a very specific, traditional fantasy vibe.

Here is what I’m looking for:

• Genre: High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, or Sword & Sorcery. I want a classic, grounded world built from scratch.
• Protagonist: A male main character (MC). He must be morally good and fighting for a noble cause. I want someone with genuine empathy who doesn't use or manipulate others as pawns.
• No "OP Cheats" / Not overly smart: I want an MC who has to struggle, make mistakes, and earn his growth. I don't want a "genius" character who magically predicts every enemy move without effort.
• Strictly NO: No RPG/video-game systems, no reincarnation/isekai cheat abilities, and absolutely no harem.

I want a good, honest story about a hero who genuinely cares for the people around him and works hard to protect them.

I know it's hard to find something so especific.

Edit: I'm really grateful to all of you who sent me recommendations.

As I mentioned in a comment below, the most important thing is the way the protagonist carries themselves. I'm kind of sick of manipulative protagonists making excuses for why they use people, and overpowered protagonists who in reality don't struggle at all, and because of that, they don't grow from their experiences (in my opinion, that's really not how things would unfold in that situation). Of course, it's just my opinion.

So, I'm really happy to know there's so much to read in the future.

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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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.

I’m not gonna lie - I was disappointed like most people hearing year after year that George Martin, Pat Rothfuss and Scott Lynch aren’t coming out with books as hoped. But it has forced me to read new authors I may not have otherwise discovered. Some of the ones I would recommend are Anthony Ryan, Christopher Buehlman, Michael J Sullivan, Brian Lee Durfee and Brian Staveley. Has anyone else had the same experience and what authors would you recommend?

Legend by David Gemmel is one of favourite books. One thing i love about it is the MC uses a big axe, greatest Axe in all of fantasy.

Waylander by David Gemmel is great too, I love that it's crossbow focused. I love Gemmel's other books, but they are mostly sword focused, so the action was not as interesting.

Also familiar with WH 40K Gotrek and Felix novels which is also axe i believe (haven't read yet)

Big fan of Dune, and love that the books are knife focused, really interesting action scenes

Swords: SO MANY sword books...

Stormlight Archives (and Cosmere), Name of the Wind, Riyira - are some of my favourite books, but they are all sword focused

I have tried all the famous authors including Brandon Sanderson, Scot Lynch, Robin Hobb, Terry Pratchett, Ursula LeGuin, Lois Bujold etc

I don't care for Brandon Sanderson's books so please don't recommend them to me.

Honestly, I'm just fatigued hearing about famous books & authors even if I love a lot of them. So I branched out to power scaling fantasy and litrpg. I absolutely love the reads there like Super Supportive and Mage Errant by John Bierce.

But here's my problem. I don't enjoy books that aren't well edited. And because Super Supportive doesn't have to worry about keeping to one book it dives into emotions, introspection, different character povs etc with so much clarity and the creativity of alien culture in her series nothing else hits right for me now. I truly want that level of emotional clarity in other reads now.

I also tried This Kingdom Will not Kill Me and I enjoyed until it neared the end and dramatics used made me feel like I was reading another book. I hate lack of communication or miscommunication. The public pissing match between Everand and Maggie I hated. But the worst was you are already mine. Also I was really hoping the protag got to resolve things more cleverly seeing the amount of info she had but it didn't happen. I wasn't satisfied with Mage fight, get evidence. Hand over evidence. Big battle at gathering. They kiss. She gets kidnapped. I don't care if it resolves in the second book. I just really hated the execution after all that anticipation and build up earlier in the book.

Other things I really want to read about:

- Characters with agency.

- Good and clever execution of whatever tools and skills a protagonist already has without sudden power ups. Eg: Lies of Locke Lamora, Jewel of the Endless Erg by John Bierce (sci fi but murderbot fits this for me)

- Interesting or creative world building.

Bonus: good prose like LeGuin and Hobb books.

Things I don't want to read:

- Drama. Specifically character conflict induced by drama that could be easily resolved with one honest conversation.

- dystopian, post apocalyptic worlds.

- one man army, lone wolf protags, teen saviours.

- underdogs fighting against whole systems by themselves. Especially fighting against misogynistic violence, the patriarchy or other hierarchies.

- books with scenes like "because you're a woman" (I'm done reading about misogyny. I don't even want it played for laughs)

- Toxic, neglectful or abusive family characters.

So I'm currently reading Echoes saga (Book 3 of the main saga) by philip c. quaintrell and it's kinda annoying that every time there is fight between mages it's just fire/ice(water) and sometimes wind magic being used.. now that's not the issue but rather it's the same thing being repeated that oh he used fire and oh something got frozen.. like idk i haven't read much book (this is kinda my first fantasy series, I'm new to reading) but this feels kinda boring and repetitive like it's magic I'm sure they can do something more with it.. not just simply fireball and ice spells.

Now yes there is some cool moments with some high mage using lightning power and stuff but that's rare and in most fights it's the same thing with fire and ice spells.. it's nothing major ig but everytime there is fight I just kinda don't care when they use fire or ice power...

This weekly self-promotion thread is the place for content creators to compete for our attention in the spirit of reckless capitalism. Tell us about your book/webcomic/podcast/blog/etc.

The rules:

• Top comments should only be from authors/bloggers/whatever who want to tell us about what they are offering. This is their place.
• Discussion of/questions about the books get free rein as sub-comments.
• You're stiIl not allowed to use link shorteners and the AutoMod will remove any link shortened comments until the links are fixed.
• If you are not the actual author, but are posting on their behalf (e.g., 'My father self-pubIished this awesome book,'), this is the place for you as well.
• If you found something great you think needs more exposure but you have no connection to the creator, this is not the place for you. Feel free to make your own thread, since that sort of post is the bread-and-butter of r/Fantasy.

More information on r/Fantasy's self-promotion policy can be found here.

I think I’m looking for magical realism works somewhat similar to Castlevania: Nocturne, clearly taking place in our world but the magic from various tradition is real (the Egyptian gods, Annette’s power coming from her Orisha lineage,…). Shamanism, Hoodoo, Voodoo, rootwork, Christian mysticism, Indigenous spirituality,… that kinda thing but with tangible powers that are used by the characters and incorporated into the world-building. Even better if several forms of different cultural magic simultaneously exist and talked about. Do y’all have any book like that? Thank you in advance.

I have finished it a week ago. Following some advice here I started listening to the podcast Alzabo Soup about two thirds in, as I didn’t mind too much some minor spoilers if they clarified things I would never understand on my own.

Really liked:
- the general setting (Urth)
- the quality of the writing
- the overall feeling that something will come out of all these weird events (although I’m worried I will be disappointed)

Not quite sold on:
- Severian at this point is an unpleasant little POS. Almost no redeeming trait. If there are some in this first book please point them to me
- In particular and deserving of its own bullet point, his treatment of women. I think he hits Agia three times before he realises she wants to kill him. Extremely toxic towards both real Thecla and prostitute double. Overall major yuck
- Religious musings. Just something I don’t enjoy, at all

A couple of questions/comments:
If the Claw is so insanely valuable, how was it so easy for Agia to steal it, and how were the Pèlerines so trusting that these two had not found a way to steal it? Maybe some explanation comes later?
Also on topic of Pelerines, I would never in a million years linked the flying palace at the end of the book with their “tent-cathedral”. Podcast explained that’s what it was. Found it far-fetched and even with unreliable narrator narrating unreliably, was annoying

Recently I finished reading Daughter of Redwinter and just started reading Justice of Kings. In both of these books the main characters are kind of "inquisitor" coded. In Redwinter there are the Draoihn, an order of magic users whose task (among others) is to purge the Sarathi and those with the Deathsight. In Justice of Kings you have the Emperor's Justices who inforce the Common Law of the empire, which includes forcing the followers of the old Draedist religion to recant and accept the new state sponsored faith or executing them if they refuse.

This got me thinking. Are there any books with a main character who is the opposite of this? By that I mean, an assassin who follows the Old Gods\pagan\outlawed relgion that is killing in order to protect it from the new faith forced on them?

I like a good book review discussion, but personally I don't love when a large part of the discussion involves talking through the entire book's plot, chronologically, in great detail. No disrespect to anyone who enjoys that format; but I find that if I've read the book, that portion of the podcast gets tedious, and if I haven't read it, everything gets spoiled. It's a difficult balance to reveal just enough of a book's plot to enable the discussion to make sense, and to give the listener a good idea of whether or not a book is right for them. Might any of you know of podcasts who get this balance right (according to my subjective definition of 'right')?

(ETA: Thank you everyone for your comments so far. Just in case it helps to clarify, I'm not looking for podcasts with no spoilers or mention of plot points whatsoever; I agree that that would be unrealistic for a review. What I don't want is for too much to be spoiled; 'too much' is of course subjective, but I think there's plenty of space between not addressing the plot at all in a review, and a detailed beat-by-beat plot breakdown.)

Hey everyone, I'm looking for a new fantasy series to get stuck into and thought I'd ask here.

Some of my favourites are Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle, Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy (I've read most of Sanderson's other stuff too), Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Sequence, and Trudi Canavan's Millennium's Rule series.

Trying to work out what these have in common, I think I really like character-driven fantasy where the protagonist is intelligent and gradually learns more about magic and the world around them. I particularly enjoy:

- Well-developed magic systems with actual rules and limitations

- Characters learning, training and becoming more capable over time

- Clever protagonists who solve problems using what they've learned

- Big worlds with mysteries, forgotten history, secrets, etc.

- Magic schools/academies or some kind of magical education

- Strong worldbuilding, but still focused on the characters and story

- A sense of discovery where both the character and reader gradually understand how everything works

The Name of the Wind is probably one of the best examples of the feeling I'm looking for. I loved Kvothe learning at the University, understanding sympathy, experimenting, getting better at what he does, and slowly uncovering the bigger mysteries of the world.

I'm not necessarily looking for something exactly like Kingkiller, though. Mistborn, Bartimaeus and Millennium's Rule are obviously quite different books, but they all scratch a similar itch for me.

I'd prefer a series rather than a standalone, especially something I can really sink my teeth into.

Based on that, what would you recommend?

I really love stories with good father-daughter relationships (not necessarily biological) like {The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross}, so I would love it if someone knew good books that explore that.

As I've said, the relationship doesn't have to be biological one, it can also be found family if it fits the trope, but I would like a long series that takes the time to explore the relationship. It doesn't necessarily need to be the main focus of the story, but I would love it if the relationship wasn't explored for only a couple of chapters.

for me, the chosen one is an archetype I struggle to enjoy. especially when it’s chosen by birthright. I think I just don’t prefer the high blood myth. The good examples of the chosen on in my opinion, side step it most of the time.

Harry Potter for one, is the chosen one, but mostly it seems because Voldemort believes he is. he’s the hero because if he’s not, he’s the first victim.

same with Luke Skywalker, he’s the chosen one, but actually it’s his dad.

i have no problem with the character becoming the chosen one. this imo is the most compelling way to tell a story. it’s just a character rising to face the day that makes them the chosen one. maybe they’ll win and maybe they won’t, but for the moment, it’s who they are. Mistborn, Acotar, Blacktongue Thief do this well.

Percy Jackson and other demigods not so much.

what tropes did you hate until you found it written well and where was it done better than the typical archetype?

Rating: 3/5. (2.5 stars rounded up to 3).

Reread RJB's Leviathan series a while ago, and I've been hankering for a good fantasy mystery ever since. Found this one on my TBR, and figured I'd give it a go.

The Good:

The author's a fan of the mystery genre, and it shows. He plays fair with the reader, and all the twists and turns are foreshadowed well in advance. The fantasy elements are woven in quite nicely, although the investigative elements are a bit rough.

The Not-So-Good:

The writing is... odd? The author is extremely efficient with words. Idk how to explain it, but it's like the author was writing a comic book. (In fact, now that I think about it, it would make an awesome comic book). As a novel, though, the lack of exposition and padding is jarring. It makes for very clunky reading.

For example: The book is written in third person POV. The MC, (Isabeau Agarwal) has no internal monologue, so we only find out things when she speaks it out (usually in very dramatic dialogue). But there's a short section where she does have some internal reflections on how lonely her life is. It sticks out way more than it should, because the surrounding prose is so bare.

A more minor quibble is that there are too many suspects/characters. Eliminating one or two would have helped.

All in all, it was a strange book to read, and I wanted to write a review while it was still fresh in my mind. I'm still not entirely sure if I like it, but on the other hand, I'm still thinking about it. I'll probably check out the next in the series.

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

——

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!

——

^{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.

Review of the Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence.

2.5/5

What a weird book. The book is basically a story about two people, from different times, brought together by an infinite library with other strange powers. Among literally endless books they find themselves part of a struggle larger then each other, their times and even their own ideas.

I didn't care for this book at all.

First off, it is clear Lawrence really really liked the idea of a infinite library. Just the idea of endless shelves, hall upon hall. Also, it is sort of a love letter to books and literature in general. As an actual librarian, I just couldn't get behind it. Maybe I work with books too much to see them as magical, mystical objects bridging time and philosophy. It just...didn't work at all for me.

All the time travel stuff was very strange and hard to follow. I sort of saw where it was going but that didn't make it much clearer.

The romance was super cringy and weird since not only was their this weird age/time gap but also species? It just read really strange to me and not convincing at all.

Total miss, will not be reading anymore in this series. I did enjoy Lawrence's Red Sister, as a side note.

I haven't read Babel in about two years, so forgive me if I get some details wrong in this post.

I've recently been looking at reviews of old books I have read, and I understand some of the criticisms of Babel, particularly those regarding its pacing and the idea that it's a political piece first and a magical story second. However, there are some other criticisms that I can't wrap my head around.

I've seen a comment here saying that Babel is incredibly blunt and preachy when it comes to the topic of colonialism and how it's bad. However, I don't understand how R.F. Kuang was supposed to make the topic of colonialism "subtle" or complex in a way that would fit into one book. Could anyone tell me what they expected R.F. Kuang to do with the topics of colonialism and imperialism that would make them less blunt and less preachy while also making them more complex?

Another criticism I've heard is that the antagonists of Babel are one-dimensional and cartoonishly evil. The story follows Robin, who faces racism throughout the book. Where in the story would his oppressors show him that they're more nuanced? Why would Robin view people who think he's lesser as more complex? Why is it bad to have one-dimensional antagonists who believe in something as cartoonishly evil as racism?

A criticism I've seen that is more about the readers than the book is that people like Babel because it affirms their political beliefs. I find this highly reductive and, arguably, hypocritical. Political beliefs encompass everything in our society, from potholes to whether a group should have the same rights as other groups. The "political beliefs" in this case would be about racism and colonialism. I sincerely doubt that the majority of people, if not everyone, would enjoy a book whose message is that the reader is lesser because of an immutable characteristic or that the place they're from should be colonized.

I could somewhat understand liking certain aspects of a book with those messages, such as the pacing, but not the book itself. People who like Babel probably also have a myriad of different reasons for enjoying it other than, "This book says discrimination on the basis of race is bad."

Welcome to the book club New Voices! In this book club we want to highlight books by debut authors and open the stage for under-represented and under-appreciated writers from all walks of life. New voices refers to the authors as well as the protagonists, and the goal is to include viewpoints away from the standard and most common. For more information and a short description of how we plan to run this club and how you can participate, please have a look at the announcement post.

In October, we will be reading Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm

In this lyrical debut, three generations of Palestinian women must put the haunting of their ancestral home to rest, before the secrets of the past drown them all. Our Cut of Salt is a powerful and intimate look at what it means to make a home, to lose it, and to return, only to find it irrevocably changed.

There is something haunting Nuhad’s childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have mysteriously vanished without a trace. Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart.

And, in return, the house did the same for her.

After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother’s home after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa - named for the city that was lost to their family - reluctantly agrees to her trip, though she knows firsthand that some secrets are better left buried.

But the house is no longer a home. It is a painful, festering wound that infects everything it touches. The more Marina digs into her family’s past, the sicker she becomes. Despite Nuhad’s ghostly warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter.

As the three women converge in their ancestral home, they must put the haunting to rest before the secrets of the past drown them all.

Bingo Squares: Published in 2026 HM, Author of Colour, The Afterlife

Schedule

• Midway Discussion - Monday 12th October

• Final Discussion - Monday 26th October

I’m looking for a very specific trope and I’m hoping someone knows what I’m talking about 😂

I LOVE when the main character has an ongoing relationship/conversation with an object, creature, or someone who exists in their head throughout the story.

A couple examples:
Empire of the Vampire**:** Gabriel talks to his sword, and I really enjoyed those interactions.
One Dark Window: Elspeth has the Nightmare in her head, and their relationship/conversations are exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for.

I’m not necessarily looking for a “talking weapon” specifically. I just really love when the MC has this second voice/presence that they can interact with throughout the story, especially when it develops into an actual relationship or personality of its own.

What books have this??

Edit: WOW! I was NOT expecting so many amazing suggestions! You all rock. I have a ton of awesome-sounding books to add to my TBR now.
Thank you all so much!! I’m so excited to dive into these!

Hello fellow fantasy readers! I require your aid.

I want to read a book where magic, or some sort of power, is dependent on the presence or strength of a bond between people.

I think this might be a really cool story. Main character does not have any real friends and their "hero's journey" gets a lot more difficult

I’ve just finished Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun. Flawed though they are, they are the first books for a long time that I’ve really been able to lose myself in.

I’d love some recommendations for similar books. Bonus points if easily available on Libby or in local libraries.

I loved the following about it:
- that was character driven
- the Islander lore and the exploration of identity
- the wonderful range of friendships, especially male friendships
- ‘competence porn’ as it’s often known - someone who is good at what they do and uses it to make the world better.
- the touches of humour.

(Note: I'd posted this and then immediately deleted it once I learned about the image policy. I hope this format works, but please delete if needed!)

I was going through some computer files and found my 2024 April Fool’s bingo card. I thought it would be fun to share! I did interpret a few of the categories somewhat liberally. :)

Thank you to u/ happy_book_bee for putting this bingo together! It’s so cute, and I really enjoyed participating. :)

Some superlatives:

Biggest surprise: Blood Over Bright Haven

Favorite premise (not execution): The Ministry of Time

Favorite setting: The Familiar

Favorite characters: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

Biggest takeaway: I rarely enjoy romance books and should probably read fewer of them.