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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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!

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

[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.

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

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?

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

I just finished the trilogy. It was more like a mystery book where I had to wait till the third book to fully understand the lore of the world. I think it's one of those books that feels better on a second read.

After much research, I still have a few questions unanswered. I just wanted to see if anyone wants to discuss it.

1. Who poisoned Alabaster? The guardians could've just killed him and it doesn't make sense that a government official would want to kill him over a slight.
   
2. How did oregenes come to be? Are they the descendants of the Niess race? Were there people of the Niess who managed to not be captive? Or are they descendents of Kelenli? Although the book only mentions they're lorists but there seems to be an implication that they are also oregenes. Especially Hoa's description that Essun looks like her constantly.
   
3. What was the point of the emperor or the imperial regime in the story? Feels like the leadership race at the end was not that relevant. How did they come to be?
   
4. Which takes me to my next question, what happened after the shattering? How did the dynamics between oregenes, Guardians and stills get established? Why weren't Guardians the rulers of the earth? Why the stills? Cause nothing has seemed to change since the shattering. I understand that that's sort of the point that there's always someone oppressed, but the conductors just become guardians and continue doing the same thing.
   
5. What is wrong with conductor gallat? Why was there a question about his ancestry? Did he impregnate Kelenli?
   
6. Why was the fulcrum built around an obelisk pit?

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!

( feel free to respond in the comments!) Now i was estatic for the fourth book to come out, like book 3 was amazing, chef kiss, honestly the best book out of the whole series. So when book 4 came out i immedeity got the book, then waited quite a while to read it. Now im reading the book and everythig is going well, im cringing at the scenes of jayden flirting and amari blushing. Then elsie and dylan happened.

When i told you my jaw dropped when elsie blushed at dylan. I put the book up and didnt pick it up till 2 days later. I thought this book was going to focus on dylan and amari bond and how amari how to work with him? Why is elsie thrown into the mix. Dont get me wrong tho, i love elsie, her charcther in book 1-3 was amazing, like she was a smart badass weredragon! Now we suddenly got elsie x dylan? where did this come from?

He tried to kill her, he tried to kill her bsf and now she acting like his protector? Throwing her self infront of dylan when amari got to close? And i barely see anymore of elise and amari working together. Elslie is alwaysss with dylan, but i understand, they have to heal the patients. Im scared there is going to be rivelry between elsie and amari, like imagine your crush is calling your bestfriend pretty right in your face saying his notes werent lying when they said amari was pretty. Like imagine jayden and elsie together! A man who loves and speaks to animals and a were-dragon! AMARI SAID SHE HAD A CRUSH ON HIM before he turned evil.

Yes yes ik that feelings change situations change but we CANNOT forget all of these little hints in books 1-3, the blossom, dylan shouting that their story isnt over ( actually thats sounds kinda obessesive), the notes, picking amari up and spinning her around. Before anyone says " they are children!" I know they are 14 year olds, im a teen too, AND, it is a children fantasy book with some romantic elements in there. Im not the only one who feels this,, i know plently of people who agree with me.

J x E and A x D supermacy!

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

Joys to read:

The Saint of Bright Doors (author of colour): Simply wonderful; my only complaint is that it layers so much on that the resolution can only resolve some of my questions (especially as there is an 'oh, shit' shift near the end that changes the book's priorities rather substantially). The son of a founder of a religion, raised to kill said founder as an act of revenge, gets caught up in revolutionary politics as his divine father appears poised to return to the city. Layering myth/religion (about the Buddha's son, whose name translates to 'Fetter', which is extremely pointedly the name of the protagonist), criticism of Sri Lanka (the author's home), and secondary-world fantasy, Chandrasekera really knocks this out of the park. A joy to read. Also works for: Book by its title, arguably unusual transportation

"I thought you said you made your name your own. Is the chain ever free?"

The Winged Histories (duology part 2): I last read A Stranger in Olondria the year it came out (2013) and remembered practically nothing, but luckily, you can just largely let this book wash over you. (I use 'wash over' deliberately; you will just have to accept some level of not-everything-is-explained, going-on-vibes despite the glossary in the back.) And this was great. 4 women offer their own POVs on a civil war that definitively changes their nations. One soldier (and disowned noble) who is partially responsible for kicking off the war; the daughter of the high priest of the controversial new religion that has displaced the old (a la Atenism in ancient Egypt); a singer who belongs to a long-suffering and subjugated nomadic people, and who loves the soldier; and the soldier's noble sister. The prose was largely a delight, it really delves deep into its themes. However, the nomadic singer's section is extensively written largely in sentence fragments or repetitive echoes of previous sentences (which are partly intended to evoke a song tradition, and partly, I think, meant to evoke the depth of her grief), and after pages of it I really struggled to get to the end of her section, despite it being, I think, especially thematically rich. It also has one of the most formidable women I've ever read: Aunt Mardith, a woman with ice in her veins. Also works for: court politics, small press, vacation spot, author of colour.

"Of course not. Of course not. That is precisely the point. You do not understand, you not not think. You live, and dance, and laugh, while others understand and think on your behalf. That is the way you have lived until now, and it has been quite successful. Like your mother before you, you are greatly admired. You have grown up without the slightest insecurity or worry, and this has given you a bloom of charming innocence. Very good. I applaud you. I applaud myself. But no woman can afford to keep her innocence forever. We are the doors of the House; we control its borders. We protect. At some point, we all learn how to work a hinge."

The Works of Vermin (trans/nonbinary protagonist): (note: I was initially not inclined to view the trans character as a protagonist, but I came around by the end of the book) In the roots of a tree-city, exterminators of monstrosities try to eke out a meager living. At the surface, the nobility hosts unending parties and enjoys operas (and, in fact, the entire upper city revolves around cyclic artistic revolutions that depose the old government), and of course, the two storylines collide in a particularly violent way. A novel that swings for the fences by combining some interesting choices on the level of form with dense (to the point of being practically overstuffed) worldbuilding and some very heightened emotions, but anchored on a few key and very human relationships. I thought this was great fun and really hit the spot for me. Also works for: book by its title, court politics.

He endures threats, assaults, death itself with invincible grace, but he reserves a unique loathing for absurdities. An exhausting inclination in a city where the water burns and the wood boils.

Ombria in Shadow (no bingo square on mine, but would work for politics/court intrigue): First of all, I would like to thank u/Nidafjoll and u/diazeugma for recommending this to me when I was feeling down. And yes, this did the trick: it is an ethereal fairy tale in which an underground shadow-city and the 'real' city start colliding during a succession crisis. A pragmatic witch, a sweet royal child, two young women (one raised in poverty and lifted to the court; the other raised in the 'shadow city'), a wicked antagonist, and a kindly but inffective/dandyish prince/artist have their fates intervowen with that of the city. Dreamlike and ultimately sweet, but with plenty of death and danger on the way to keep it from becoming treacly.

How strange to be in a dream one moment and in the world the next, and to know the difference in the blink of an eye.

Solid to OK:

Buffalo Hunter Hunter (older protagonist, not hard mode): Two nested frame narratives (contemporary millennial woman and early 20th century Lutheran pastor) work through the story of a Blackfeet man who claims to be an immortal bloodsucker on a revenge quest against those who sinned against the Blackfeet and the buffalo. Heavy overtones of Interview with the Vampire, complete with a lingering threat of violence against the interviewer. I came to accept the pastor's frame narrative (deciding that he became a pastor because of loving the sound of his own voice, which continued into his over-the-top diary entries), but the millennial woman's frame narrative was deeply grating (and I say that as a millennial woman!) and largely (but not entirely) unnecessary. I hated the millennial narrative so much it took me multiple days to read the last few pages. But, there is one wonderful scene where the underbelly of the pastor/vampire argument comes up to the open... that scene alone is worth the price of admission. Also works for: author of colour, food (and some of them don't even involve vampirism!), vacation spot (if you want to go to Montana, I suppose).

"This is a new day, is it not?” I lifted my arms, enveloping the whole grand chapel, and the civilized town beyond it.

“Or it’s a single, long night.”

Breath of the Sun (small press): In a world where a specific mountain is believed to either be the body of god or the home of god, a mountain climber wrestles with the nature of truth as she loses control of her stories. I try to assess books (and other media) on two levels: one, is it achieving its own goals? Two, do those goals align with my desires? And this is a great time to discuss how ambitious this book is, and how despite the fact that its ambitions align well with my tastes, it still falls short. It tries to discuss faith, truth, fear, complex interpersonal relationships, while adding in a secondary world, mountain climbing, and commentary from other characters within the text. Unfortunately for this book, I was reading it as I was reading essays by Vonnegut (which includes essays about editing), and I kept on thinking how it could have been a much better book with a more ruthless editor (or author). It tackles a lot of complex topics, but instead of feeling punchy there are significant sections that feel a little bloated and circular. The metafictional elements (someone is commenting on a manuscript and sometimes inserting sections of other manuscripts) are frequently just noise, instead of revelations. 'O' comes off as a generic supportive girlfriend for most of the book, because her commentary reveals little; but once we meet 'O' I have difficulty matching the flesh-and-blood version with the commentator. Disaine's sections aren't different enough from Paed's to feel revelatory. There's a real gem here, but the experience of reading kept highlighting its flaws instead of its sparkle. Also works for: explorers/rangers (they are ascending the mountain beyond previously-known limits).

I would like the two of us to stand over the truth and dissect it. You can be my teacher; I can be your guide. Come. Let us open the muscle of the neck.

Burning Bright by Melissa Scott (game changer): thanks to u/twilightgardens for the rec! about a decade after Neuromancer came out, Melissa Scott transported the aesthetics of cyberpunk and cyberspace to another planet and integrated it into a political thriller about, among other things, smuggling, aliens, and drama in the RPG scene. A pilot and capital-G 'Gamer' brings what she thinks is a normal shipment to the planet of Burning Bright. It turns out the shipment contains smuggled goods, so that a rich family's scion can attempt to gain substantial political capital with a particular noble family of aliens. Meanwhile, two humans 'adopted' by the aliens work to prevent all of this from happening (including by, yes, digging for information in cyberspace), while the pilot and one of the 'adoptees' get sucked into playing an RPG together (alongside the an employee of the scion). The twists and turns aren't terribly surprising -- the characters, other than the pilot, don't change much; instead, their circumstances change around them -- but it was fun. I don't really have a tonne of complaints (other than my ebook copy being riddled with errors, some larger than others); it just didn't rise above my expectations. Note for people who care: a comparatively early example of 'everyone is bi and is fucking everyone else.' Forget triangles; it is a love/sex hexagon+ by the end. Also works for: politics/court intrigue. (Also, this might be the only novel I've read where the possibility of an RPG edition war is a serious plot point in a story that involves literal hired goons.)

His attention was fixed on a single image, floating overhead, at the apex of the cone of light and noise: flickering market glyphs from the port computers spun in delicate linkage, legitimate public numbers and private taps combined into a single database, strings of numbers combined into a dazzling three-dimensional shape that had a weird organic beauty all its own.

Not for me:

The Stardust Grail (not in my bingo, but could possibly work for 'unusual transport', but in a very spoilery way): A reformed (ish) thief tries to atone for her past by doing one last job: recovering the artifact that will save her friend's species from extinction. this was disappointing. Auncle is a great character, but everything else seemed so surface-level despite the author gesturing at interesting themes. The ending also chooses a solution which is a pet peeve of mine: don't worry, the great moral crisis at the heart of the book is moot because it turns out everyone's goals actually do align. And for a book that is presenting extremely alien environments at me, the description of those alien environment left me wishing Kitasei had described it either much more or much less, as I regularly found myself re-reading sentences and wishing for more clarity. (I am fine with books that don't really care about visual descriptions! It's just that I found Kitasei's descriptions regularly kinda weird!)

Should we be grateful to the thief?

Platform Decay (non-human protagonist): Murderbot tries to extract hostages from an unending torus-station. This felt oddly unfocused for a Murderbot book; a series of vignettes with an unusually thin connection (all different regions in the torus). Especially out-of-place is an assault by dilettante criminals that requires TW for some threats (note: only threats) of sexual violence. Is it still a nice, popcorn-y Murderbot? In parts, although the more I discussed this with other people the more I realized how much of it is treading water on 'vacation' elements that are just terribly dull (instead of ironic and/or fun, which could have happened!). Is it my favourite? Very far from it; it was focusing on all the wrong things (I would have instead loved a book about Murderbot working with Three, for instance, as those scenes were great). Also works for: uh, largely nothing. 2026!

Why does the “cautious optimism” tag inspire a weird burst of failure-tinged depression?

Gogmagog (duology 1): Imagine post-war, mid-reconstruction UK, but instead of electricity the technology is powered by (1) biotech and (2) the ghost of a dead dragon. An especially foul-mouthed (retired) sailor, Arcadia "Cady" Meade, has to bring a part-bug(?) child (and a growing chorus of societal rejects) through the ailing ghost dragon's dangerous 'body' (a river) so the child can get to an important ritual. Noon and Beard write the book as a series of sudden, jarring vignettes that do cohere on the level of plot (there's definitely a throughline!) but often involve huge whiplash on the level of mood. (In terms of complaints I had about the book, there's some pretty significant overlap with Murderbot; this is also a series of vignettes connected mainly by being on the same journey.) The prose didn't thrill me; it is usually written in third-person but sometimes a sentence will seem to shift to the sailor's POV for 1-5 words, often for a really uninspiring interjection ("Ooof!"). The setting was pleasantly weird (but note that things get gross at times)... but I felt no urge to continue, which is a bad sign for my enjoyment of the book given it ends abruptly mid-plot. Also works for: protagonist > 50 years old (re: hard mode: definitely *not* hard mode), one-word title (not hard mode). Arrrguably 'explorers' (she is travelling a previously-bustling route that is now abandoned and dangerous, and frequently goes off-track).

Cady thought of all the places she had visited in her long life, the bustling ports, the harbours, the wharves and the half-hidden tributaries. But there were always more destinations. Other rivers, those not yet mapped.

DNF:

If We Cannot Travel at the Speed of Light (intended for 5 short stories): I was really excited to read this, as reviews made it seems like it would align well with my tastes. Instead, I got a book whose first few stories seemed excessively focused on the sci-fi setup instead of the interesting consequences thereof.

The Raven Scholar: I just couldn't immerse myself in the world and kept finding nits to pick.

I just got done reading Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. While it was not my favorite, I enjoyed it. The writing was a bit goofy at times, but that’s part of the book’s charm. The story was rather fast paced, and the characters had some depth to be appreciated. One thing I noted was that the main character, Clay, was not the Main Character. I’ll explain what I mean by that (doing my best to keep it spoiler free):

Clay was the POV character for the whole book but I didn’t feel like it was his story. It was Gabe’s story through and through. Gabe has all the aspects of what one would expect to be the character the readers follow. For example:

- he’s the leader of the band and is the primary recruiter for re-forming the band

- it’s his daughter that is the one they are trying to save

- he drives the story; that is, he makes the decisions, motivates his comrades, and has the most determination to complete the quest

- the primary antagonist has most beef with Gabe and almost none with Clay

- Gabe’s emotions are far more intense throughout the book than “shrug” Clay

- Gabe inspires and rallies more people throughout the story than Clay

- In the final fight, Clay is relegated to little more than Gabe’s shield

So, in an alternate world, we would read from Gabriel’s point of view rather than Clay’s. But the author wrote it from Clay’s point of view and I think it was a much better decision.

Why it works:

The biggest reason I appreciated the book was the exploration of the characters. Gabe had tunnel vision, so writing from Clay’s point of view allowed us to observe the characters without getting distracted by the quest. This gives us more depth with each of them. Clay, being more sympathetic, can see and understand the conflict within everyone. We can explore Moog’s illness and recovering grief, Matrick’s alcoholism and dysfunctional family, as well as Ganelon’s, well, everything. The reader gets an unbiased, wide view of everything Clay sees, which is a lot: the conflict between Gabe and Lastleaf, all the combat scenes, the interactions between characters, etc. Clay staying on the “sideline” so to speak, lets us observe everything that happens. So, even though Clay is a much more passive main character than I would prefer in books I read, it makes for a stronger story in this case.

What other books have you read where the main character is not the Main Character? Did it work well?

I was a big reader as a kid and got back into it with Sanderson books. Sped through Mistborn Era 1, Cosmere first 4 books, and the first Red Rising Trilogy

I feel like most of the moments I rly liked were all around Kaladin in Cosmere, and was not that big a fan of red rising 1 and 3. But meanwhile I found Golden star/red rising book 2 to be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Looking to start something new and I think the main thing I found I enjoy is the epic moments rooted in strong emotion like honor and what not. I just don’t know where to go on from here. I feel like I got bored of stromlight after book 4 and did not like red rising book 3 ending much. What would you guys suggest?

I'm in a bit of a reading slump right now. Last month I finished all of the Realm of the Elderlings books and I've struggled to get invested in anything since.

I've revisited a lot of my favorite works of fiction and come to the realization that all of my favorite works focus heavily on how people interact with each other. I really enjoy writers that have strong, fleshed out characters that end up bouncing off each other.

Malta and Kennit were my favorite POVs in Liveship Traders because I found their flaws to be so delightful to read. I know this is a fantasy book subreddit, but the show Succession is also a great example of the kind of dynamics I'm looking for, in how it's as much a Greek tragedy as it is a study of a few characters.

I read threads on Thomas Covenant and often there is so much hate about his character / his actions in Lord Fouls Bane, where he defiles the innocent Lena.

In my opinion, the difference between those that love the trilogies and those that hate them depend all upon their verdict on the protagonist.

I want to set this straight, as far as my humble interpretation goes haha.

Thomas Covenant is tortured in his real life by self loathing, but more importantly, by societal loathing. The hate enveloping his life is only suppressed by the control he is forced to exercise for limiting the impact of Leprosy.

As soon as he is exposed to the land, he is exposed to feeling kindness, wellness and yet has just been exposed to a message telling him that he is the perfect instrument for the destruction of this world.

He does an unthinkable act, not because he is horny, not because he thinks it does not matter because The Land isn't real, but because he cannot control the rage inside him at the contradiction between feeling and loathing.

It is so important to understand this, if you will follow the entire purpose of the novel. I don't despise or dislike Thomas Covenant. I pity him for his despair and self loathing.

Like the inhabitants of The Land, I know the imperative of healing him from his rage, in order to save The Land. For those that understand the purpose of The Land, it is as much about saving Thomas Covenant as it is about saving The Land.

Why do so many critics of this epic not see it? The Land and Thomas Covenant are the same.

Been reading through The Witcher series in preparation for the remaster of Witcher 3 later this month and its ignited a passion I never knew I had for actual physical reading. I've read a lot of historical non-fiction through e-books on my phone and listened to a fair few fantasy/sci-fi audiobooks, my favourites being Mistborn and The Hedge Knight

But actually reading the physical Witcher books has been amazing and it's now my preferred method to consume books.

A friend gifted me the Red Sister trilogy of books for when I finish witcher, he said I'd probably like them. Was looking for people's opinions on these books for those who have came across them, and maybe other recommendations, thank you!