been trying to find a series that was philosophically heavy because of my academic interests, and this was what I found. I think this is some of the best fantasy I've ever read, and the series is one of my favourites. It's unabashedly dark. But Bakker is also an expert writer and his prose is wonderful. The world the stories are set in are also incredibly deep a là Tolkien, which for me is exactly the sort of thing that I love. I find a lot of series or books can be a bit 'one dimensional' in that there doesn't seem to be anything beyond the story. This, along with Book of the New Sun, Terra Ignota, and Teixcalaan are other excellent examples of worlds with history and depth. There are references to previous in-universe authors and other media, sports, etc. Another thing I loved was the way Bakker decided to show past history. Instead of pure exposition, he has a certain group of individuals literally re-live the past during dreams.
10. Book Club
M. and S. Dyachenko Vita Nostra
I originally started Ancillary Justice for this square, but at some point, I just wasn't feeling the narrative style. I will finish it eventually but it’s on hold. So I moved Vita Nostra from another square (subbed self-pub for dark academia originally) and read Spin for the sub-square. I really liked this. Interesting mix of philosophy and linguistics, but with totally incomprehensible academics. The main character does her totally non-sensical schoolwork and we are left in total dark about what on earth is going on. I started the second book, but only made it one chapter in. I will finish it eventually, but I wanted to read other things more.
11. Parents
Andrzej Sapowski The Witcher Series
I really liked the first season of the show and, like everyone, became more and more unhappy with the show as it progressed. I totally lost interest when Cavill left. So I found the entire series (before the newest one came out) on marketplace and read them over the summer. The short stories were great. I found the main 5-novel series pretty good, though I am unsure about the ending still. I think the series was good, but not great and am over all happy that I read it instead of waiting for the show to finish. I don't think I'll re-read the series though.
12. Epistolary
Augustina Bazterrica The Unworthy
A diary of a nun(?) living in post climate catastrophe and governmental order world. A bit esoteric in meaning. The first half-ish started out interesting but got pretty repetitive. The back half-ish of the story, with the greated focus on Circe and Lucía were much better. The two sections seemed to be totally disjoined with no or very little aspects of the other in each section. Not the biggest fan.
13. Published in 2025
Robert Jackson Bennett A Drop of Corruption
I read both of these books and really enjoyed them. They've been talked about ad nauseum here, and I don't have much else to add. Mostly a fun book but will be interesting to see how the world is fleshed out as the series continued to expand.
14. Author of Colour
Kazuo Ishiguro Klara and the Sun
Been wanting to read this since it came out and finally got around to it. And even got the exact version I wanted (Hardcover with the 'hand' cover). I really liked the story, and it was very emotionally evocative. It deals with the personhood status of sentient AI. But it does so in a way that only the reader really has to grapple with that question, while the characters are mostly oblivious. It did a very good job I think of eliciting sympathy with the non-human (but a person I'd say) Klara, while creating hatred for the human characters.
15. Novel with a One Word Title (substitute for small press/self-pub from previous bingo)
Robert Charles Wilson Spin
A friend recommended this, and it was great. It's about an event in which the Earth is spontaneously encircled by the "Spin membrane". We hear about the investigation of what the membrane is and follow the three main characters from being teens to 40-somethings as the world
10. Book Club
M. and S. Dyachenko Vita Nostra
I originally started Ancillary Justice for this square, but at some point, I just wasn't feeling the narrative style. I will finish it eventually but it’s on hold. So I moved Vita Nostra from another square (subbed self-pub for dark academia originally) and read Spin for the sub-square. I really liked this. Interesting mix of philosophy and linguistics, but with totally incomprehensible academics. The main character does her totally non-sensical schoolwork and we are left in total dark about what on earth is going on. I started the second book, but only made it one chapter in. I will finish it eventually, but I wanted to read other things more.
11. Parents
Andrzej Sapowski The Witcher Series
I really liked the first season of the show and, like everyone, became more and more unhappy with the show as it progressed. I totally lost interest when Cavill left. So I found the entire series (before the newest one came out) on marketplace and read them over the summer. The short stories were great. I found the main 5-novel series pretty good, though I am unsure about the ending still. I think the series was good, but not great and am over all happy that I read it instead of waiting for the show to finish. I don't think I'll re-read the series though.
12. Epistolary
Augustina Bazterrica The Unworthy
A diary of a nun(?) living in post climate catastrophe and governmental order world. A bit esoteric in meaning. The first half-ish started out interesting but got pretty repetitive. The back half-ish of the story, with the greated focus on Circe and Lucía were much better. The two sections seemed to be totally disjoined with no or very little aspects of the other in each section. Not the biggest fan.
13. Published in 2025
Robert Jackson Bennett A Drop of Corruption
I read both of these books and really enjoyed them. They've been talked about ad nauseum here, and I don't have much else to add. Mostly a fun book but will be interesting to see how the world is fleshed out as the series continued to expand.
14. Author of Colour
Kazuo Ishiguro Klara and the Sun
Been wanting to read this since it came out and finally got around to it. And even got the exact version I wanted (Hardcover with the 'hand' cover). I really liked the story, and it was very emotionally evocative. It deals with the personhood status of sentient AI. But it does so in a way that only the reader really has to grapple with that question, while the characters are mostly oblivious. It did a very good job I think of eliciting sympathy with the non-human (but a person I'd say) Klara, while creating hatred for the human characters.
15. Novel with a One Word Title (substitute for small press/self-pub from previous bingo)
Robert Charles Wilson Spin
A friend recommended this, and it was great. It's about an event in which the Earth is spontaneously encircled by the "Spin membrane". We hear about the investigation of what the membrane is and follow the three main characters from being teens to 40-somethings as the world
learns what has happened and how to deal with it. Ultimately the book is a great psychological study in maladaptive coping in the fact of a traumatic event. Different ways that they all suffer "Spin paralysis" as the father of one of the characters says has affected their generation. From obsession to total apathy. It's a very prescient take on what has happened during the COVID pandemic in many people, myself included.
16. Biopunk
Peter Watts Blindsight
Loved this. A story about the role of consciousness in evolution. It includes a bunch of weird people sent to meet an alien 'invasion'. One of these is a genetically cloned vampire from an extinct race (like taking genes from a Mammoth and re-creating the species). The main character is a hemispherectomy recipient. The author includes a series of references meant to convince the reader he is not crazy. I think it fails. The author sounds like someone who is just a bit too into conspiracy theories, but in the best way. The writing is very good, but the ideas are often difficult. I have the "sequel" Echopraxia and am looking forward to reading it.
17. Elves and Dwarves
J. R. R. Tolkien Beren and Luthien
I have been making my way through everything else Tolkien's written over the last few years, and Beren and Luthien was the last thing. It's interesting, but at some point I feel like Harper Collins is just re-publishing material in different packages for more money. This could have simply been the (incomplete) poem collected in a single volume alongside other primary-source texts like songs.
18. LGBTQIA Protagonist
Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries
I watched the Apple TV show and loved it and then went back and forth on buying the books vs. just waiting for more. Eventually I caved and got the whole set on sale (one of the main detractors for getting it was regular price the tiny books were like $40 each in Canada...). The books are fun, quick, and interesting. It deals with the implication of sentient AI. What is their moral and legal status? And who doesn't relate to someone who just wants to consume long-form narrative content all day instead of dealing with your responsibilities? The main character, Murderbot, is what I'd consider to be asexual (not an expert on this), but other characters also participate in polyamory with no clear gender-preferences.
19. Five SFF Short Stories
Jorges Luis Borges, 'The Theologians', 'Emma Zunz', 'The House of Asterion', 'The Sect of the Phoenix', 'The Aleph'.
I liked "The Theologians" and "Emma Zunz" a lot. I will read some more from this collection later. But honestly, I'm not the greatest fan of short stories. The only short story I truly love is The Haunted House by Virginia Woolf, and that maybe only because I've written a short piece on it that I might try to get published later. Blue+Green by Woolf is also a favourite. I really like depth and the stories I've read so far tend not to offer that. But that is probably a problem on my part for not searching out short stories that are more aligned with what I want.
20. Stranger in a Strange Land
Arkady Martine Teixcalaan
Loved it. This is a beautifully written mediation on colonialism. Both books deal with the problems of how people in a colonisation situation think of the other. The most compelling narrative in this mode is examining how the main character is affected by truly loving the culture of the colonial power and how it affects how she thinks of herself in relation to her birth culture and the culture she is enamoured with. She travels to the capital and to a glass-minding planet in the first and second book respectively. The writing is also exquisite. Arkady Martine expertly focalises the third-persona narration in the POV being described, instead of having a narratorial voice that does not assimilate with the characters.
21. Recycle a Square (Multiple POV)
Adrian Tchaikovsky Children of Time
Read the whole series so far. I really liked the first book about the 'uplifting' of some non-primate species
16. Biopunk
Peter Watts Blindsight
Loved this. A story about the role of consciousness in evolution. It includes a bunch of weird people sent to meet an alien 'invasion'. One of these is a genetically cloned vampire from an extinct race (like taking genes from a Mammoth and re-creating the species). The main character is a hemispherectomy recipient. The author includes a series of references meant to convince the reader he is not crazy. I think it fails. The author sounds like someone who is just a bit too into conspiracy theories, but in the best way. The writing is very good, but the ideas are often difficult. I have the "sequel" Echopraxia and am looking forward to reading it.
17. Elves and Dwarves
J. R. R. Tolkien Beren and Luthien
I have been making my way through everything else Tolkien's written over the last few years, and Beren and Luthien was the last thing. It's interesting, but at some point I feel like Harper Collins is just re-publishing material in different packages for more money. This could have simply been the (incomplete) poem collected in a single volume alongside other primary-source texts like songs.
18. LGBTQIA Protagonist
Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries
I watched the Apple TV show and loved it and then went back and forth on buying the books vs. just waiting for more. Eventually I caved and got the whole set on sale (one of the main detractors for getting it was regular price the tiny books were like $40 each in Canada...). The books are fun, quick, and interesting. It deals with the implication of sentient AI. What is their moral and legal status? And who doesn't relate to someone who just wants to consume long-form narrative content all day instead of dealing with your responsibilities? The main character, Murderbot, is what I'd consider to be asexual (not an expert on this), but other characters also participate in polyamory with no clear gender-preferences.
19. Five SFF Short Stories
Jorges Luis Borges, 'The Theologians', 'Emma Zunz', 'The House of Asterion', 'The Sect of the Phoenix', 'The Aleph'.
I liked "The Theologians" and "Emma Zunz" a lot. I will read some more from this collection later. But honestly, I'm not the greatest fan of short stories. The only short story I truly love is The Haunted House by Virginia Woolf, and that maybe only because I've written a short piece on it that I might try to get published later. Blue+Green by Woolf is also a favourite. I really like depth and the stories I've read so far tend not to offer that. But that is probably a problem on my part for not searching out short stories that are more aligned with what I want.
20. Stranger in a Strange Land
Arkady Martine Teixcalaan
Loved it. This is a beautifully written mediation on colonialism. Both books deal with the problems of how people in a colonisation situation think of the other. The most compelling narrative in this mode is examining how the main character is affected by truly loving the culture of the colonial power and how it affects how she thinks of herself in relation to her birth culture and the culture she is enamoured with. She travels to the capital and to a glass-minding planet in the first and second book respectively. The writing is also exquisite. Arkady Martine expertly focalises the third-persona narration in the POV being described, instead of having a narratorial voice that does not assimilate with the characters.
21. Recycle a Square (Multiple POV)
Adrian Tchaikovsky Children of Time
Read the whole series so far. I really liked the first book about the 'uplifting' of some non-primate species
and how that would progress. It follows the POV of the uplifted species, some humans fleeing a dying earth, and the scientist who accidentally uplisted the species. The human classicist that is fleeing aboard a ship is insufferable. I think the series steadily declined in terms of the quality of the ideas. The second book reminded me of the show Pluribus.
The major flaw is the writing. It is so bland and sterile that it does a disservice to the ideas that are being investigated. I don't think I'll continue reading the series.
22. Cozy
Marie Brennan A Natural History of Dragons
A great little book that doesn't have the sort of grand scope a lot of the other stuff I read have. Set in an alternative to 19th century England and the World, it takes the form of a series of memoirs by a natural historian who travels to study dragons. Dragons existing is really the only fantasy element of the book. I like anthropology and have read some founding ones like Mauss and Levi Strauss for my thesis. This reads as if it were written by someone like Mauss or Malinowski, travelling to far away 'primitive' cultures and recording their parctices.
23. Generic Title
Gene Wolfe Shadow, Claw, Sword, and Citadel (Book of the New Sun)
Woah.
24. Not a Book
Hollow Knight
Haven't gotten very far in Silksong yet because I was busy with PhD exams and then reading books. But I love the art style and the lore from the first game very much. What I've seen so far of Silksong is just as intriguing.
25. Pirates
Lucian True Stories
Some very funny satire on the genre of historiography and philosophy in antiquity. It's called the first Science Fiction story ever. Not sure if I agree with this because there generally isn't any advanced technology. At best the moon-people wearing glass is SF adjacent. I think it is more of a fantasy in the vein of Todorov's fantastic. Either way, it tells the story of Lucian-pilgrim getting carried up to the moon and going on some crazy adventures that satirise the clear lies of history writers like Herodotus. One of these episodes involves pumpkin-pirates who sail the seas in enormous pumpkins. Lucian-author opens the story up with the claim that "The only thing I promise is true is that everything I write is a lie" which is a nice little paradox to start with. You can find a lot of echoes of previous Greek literature and things that will be taken up by future authors (e.g. the trip to Hell being similar to Dante with the idea of contrapasso, and the general presentation of an author representing themself in the story)
The writing is excellent, and the author has a very strong command of Attic Greek, but is able to break strict Atticism for his own ideological (=Second Sophistic) goals. The whole story is set up under the premise that literary academics need to take a break from serious study and this completely made up tale is the perfect text to use for that, though ironically it is itself a very serious text!
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The major flaw is the writing. It is so bland and sterile that it does a disservice to the ideas that are being investigated. I don't think I'll continue reading the series.
22. Cozy
Marie Brennan A Natural History of Dragons
A great little book that doesn't have the sort of grand scope a lot of the other stuff I read have. Set in an alternative to 19th century England and the World, it takes the form of a series of memoirs by a natural historian who travels to study dragons. Dragons existing is really the only fantasy element of the book. I like anthropology and have read some founding ones like Mauss and Levi Strauss for my thesis. This reads as if it were written by someone like Mauss or Malinowski, travelling to far away 'primitive' cultures and recording their parctices.
23. Generic Title
Gene Wolfe Shadow, Claw, Sword, and Citadel (Book of the New Sun)
Woah.
24. Not a Book
Hollow Knight
Haven't gotten very far in Silksong yet because I was busy with PhD exams and then reading books. But I love the art style and the lore from the first game very much. What I've seen so far of Silksong is just as intriguing.
25. Pirates
Lucian True Stories
Some very funny satire on the genre of historiography and philosophy in antiquity. It's called the first Science Fiction story ever. Not sure if I agree with this because there generally isn't any advanced technology. At best the moon-people wearing glass is SF adjacent. I think it is more of a fantasy in the vein of Todorov's fantastic. Either way, it tells the story of Lucian-pilgrim getting carried up to the moon and going on some crazy adventures that satirise the clear lies of history writers like Herodotus. One of these episodes involves pumpkin-pirates who sail the seas in enormous pumpkins. Lucian-author opens the story up with the claim that "The only thing I promise is true is that everything I write is a lie" which is a nice little paradox to start with. You can find a lot of echoes of previous Greek literature and things that will be taken up by future authors (e.g. the trip to Hell being similar to Dante with the idea of contrapasso, and the general presentation of an author representing themself in the story)
The writing is excellent, and the author has a very strong command of Attic Greek, but is able to break strict Atticism for his own ideological (=Second Sophistic) goals. The whole story is set up under the premise that literary academics need to take a break from serious study and this completely made up tale is the perfect text to use for that, though ironically it is itself a very serious text!
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Thoughts on Tigana?
I'm just curious to hear everyone's thoughts on Tigana. Back in the 90s when I started reading fantasy, it seemed to be on the top of everyone's list.
I read it around 2003 and it was amazing. It was so good that to me it wasn't just a great fantasy book, it was an incredible book. I re-read it a few times (though not recently) and to me it's still up there. It's something that I keep with me always.
I'm just curious what everyone thinks these days, as to me it's such a seminal work.
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I'm just curious to hear everyone's thoughts on Tigana. Back in the 90s when I started reading fantasy, it seemed to be on the top of everyone's list.
I read it around 2003 and it was amazing. It was so good that to me it wasn't just a great fantasy book, it was an incredible book. I re-read it a few times (though not recently) and to me it's still up there. It's something that I keep with me always.
I'm just curious what everyone thinks these days, as to me it's such a seminal work.
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Long series with a small-ish cast, tight focus, and little sprawl?
It seems like it's all too common for longer series to eventually wind up with casts of hundreds or thousands of characters, and for subplots to sprawl out to the detriment of the pacing of the work. Are there any long (5 books or more) series with a continuous/overarching plot that avoid these problems?
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It seems like it's all too common for longer series to eventually wind up with casts of hundreds or thousands of characters, and for subplots to sprawl out to the detriment of the pacing of the work. Are there any long (5 books or more) series with a continuous/overarching plot that avoid these problems?
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Any recommendations for novels with a Maghreb/ Middle Eastern or Carthage vibe?
I am going to Tunisia for a study trip soon and am looking for some fiction reading material that fits with the area, especially for some of the longer drives I am gonna be taking to some of the ruins there.
Happy to get some non-fiction recommendations as well. Loved the Hannibal novel by Gisbert Haefs for example.
Thanks for the help.
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I am going to Tunisia for a study trip soon and am looking for some fiction reading material that fits with the area, especially for some of the longer drives I am gonna be taking to some of the ruins there.
Happy to get some non-fiction recommendations as well. Loved the Hannibal novel by Gisbert Haefs for example.
Thanks for the help.
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Wizard of Earthsea just revived my love for fantasy (and reading in general)
When young I was an avid reader, and it didn't take long for me to become a big Fantasy fan. I never really finished a Tolkien book (sorry but the denoscriptions take me out of it), but I read and loved some modern big authors like Robin Hobb, Abercrombie and Rothfuss. Needless to say, I really like a good "fantasy prose" and a small cast of very interesting and emotionally rich characters.
As time went by, my reading habit died altogether. College killed it a bit, then covid put the last nail on the coffin. I stayed a big fantasy fan, playing a lot of RPG games, like the old Elder Scroll games and the Divinity Series, and watching a *lot* of fantasy anime, even the shittier ones. Then, recently, I tried continuing one of those anime by reading it's light novels. It was a lot of fun! But as this "reading fever" died out again, I believed I wouldn't be reading again for a few years.
Then, out of an inexplicable whim, I started reading A Wizard of Earthsea. Only a few words, you know, just to know what it was all about. After all, I have a lot of respect for Le Guin in general, but never got to read any of her books. Long (short?) story short, I finished the book on the same day. I'm now starting Tombs of Atuan.
There is something so fundamental that she does right. Her prose is on point, reading like a fairy tale at first but following character growth very closely. It felt like I was discovering fantasy again for the first time.
I've tried to go back to reading before through popular authors like Sanderson, but never succeeded. I think, with all due respect for such an author, that his dry prose doesn't give me anything that anime or games don't already give me. At least not in the realm of Fantasy (I really liked Steelheart). But Le Guin gives me something that is very difficult to achieve in other mediums, and I can confidently say I'm back to reading again.
That's it! If anybody here has book recommendations for someone like me, I'll be sure to give them a try after I finish the Earthsea Cycle.
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When young I was an avid reader, and it didn't take long for me to become a big Fantasy fan. I never really finished a Tolkien book (sorry but the denoscriptions take me out of it), but I read and loved some modern big authors like Robin Hobb, Abercrombie and Rothfuss. Needless to say, I really like a good "fantasy prose" and a small cast of very interesting and emotionally rich characters.
As time went by, my reading habit died altogether. College killed it a bit, then covid put the last nail on the coffin. I stayed a big fantasy fan, playing a lot of RPG games, like the old Elder Scroll games and the Divinity Series, and watching a *lot* of fantasy anime, even the shittier ones. Then, recently, I tried continuing one of those anime by reading it's light novels. It was a lot of fun! But as this "reading fever" died out again, I believed I wouldn't be reading again for a few years.
Then, out of an inexplicable whim, I started reading A Wizard of Earthsea. Only a few words, you know, just to know what it was all about. After all, I have a lot of respect for Le Guin in general, but never got to read any of her books. Long (short?) story short, I finished the book on the same day. I'm now starting Tombs of Atuan.
There is something so fundamental that she does right. Her prose is on point, reading like a fairy tale at first but following character growth very closely. It felt like I was discovering fantasy again for the first time.
I've tried to go back to reading before through popular authors like Sanderson, but never succeeded. I think, with all due respect for such an author, that his dry prose doesn't give me anything that anime or games don't already give me. At least not in the realm of Fantasy (I really liked Steelheart). But Le Guin gives me something that is very difficult to achieve in other mediums, and I can confidently say I'm back to reading again.
That's it! If anybody here has book recommendations for someone like me, I'll be sure to give them a try after I finish the Earthsea Cycle.
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Was T.H. White more influential to modern Fantasy than we give him credit for?
Tolkien gets credit for being the Grandad-King of modern fantasy. Sometimes you see Lewis’ name thrown in there. But I rarely see T.H. White mentioned or talked about. Is he not very influential overall? Or or is he actually more influential than we really give him credit for?
(Should probably add that Ive read LOTR and Narnia but only just starting The Once and future king, so I can’t necessarily contribute but Im here for the takes and conversations)
Edit to say I guess Im just curious where *The Once and Future King* sits in the history/genealogy of modern Fantasy.
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Tolkien gets credit for being the Grandad-King of modern fantasy. Sometimes you see Lewis’ name thrown in there. But I rarely see T.H. White mentioned or talked about. Is he not very influential overall? Or or is he actually more influential than we really give him credit for?
(Should probably add that Ive read LOTR and Narnia but only just starting The Once and future king, so I can’t necessarily contribute but Im here for the takes and conversations)
Edit to say I guess Im just curious where *The Once and Future King* sits in the history/genealogy of modern Fantasy.
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David Weber The Sword of the South
Hello! I picked up this book at the library having never read anything yet by David Weber. I am maybe 20% into the book and I've realized that apparently this is book 5 in a series? Nothing on the cover made that quite clear to me though, and google isn't giving me a clear answer (and I don't want to accidentally spoil something by google searching deeper). Should I put it down and start elsewhere, or am I okay to continue reading?
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Hello! I picked up this book at the library having never read anything yet by David Weber. I am maybe 20% into the book and I've realized that apparently this is book 5 in a series? Nothing on the cover made that quite clear to me though, and google isn't giving me a clear answer (and I don't want to accidentally spoil something by google searching deeper). Should I put it down and start elsewhere, or am I okay to continue reading?
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How to find hidden gems?
I just finished watching Daniel Greene's video on the disappearance of mass market paper backs, and he mentioned that they were a great tool for discovering new authors because the barrier to entry was so low. I often struggle to find new books to read, but I'm not asking for book recommendations. I instead want to know how everyone here finds lesser known books and authors.
I love reading new books, but I've found that reading enough books in a row I don't vibe with really kills my motivation to read consistently. I've traditionally relied on recommendations from this subreddit, trusted reviewers, and friends, but books I find from those tend to all be the same few authors and at this point I've tried most of the popular options.
I'm open to suggestions of other subreddits, specific reviewers, blogs, or other less known mediums. If you feel like you have a unique method of finding vetted books then please share. Thanks!
Edit:
I appreciate everyone recommending the library or used book shops but to reiterate:
I don't want to put in the leg work of reading a bunch of obscure or lesser known books and authors until I find one that suits me. I want a place to go for recommendations, either a person or subreddit or the equivalent that specializes in recommending lesser known books.
The library and used book stores are great places and I often use my local library, but I am specifically looking for resources that specialize in recommending hidden gems. I get burnt out of reading easily if I'm not reading something that's up my alley. Thanks.
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I just finished watching Daniel Greene's video on the disappearance of mass market paper backs, and he mentioned that they were a great tool for discovering new authors because the barrier to entry was so low. I often struggle to find new books to read, but I'm not asking for book recommendations. I instead want to know how everyone here finds lesser known books and authors.
I love reading new books, but I've found that reading enough books in a row I don't vibe with really kills my motivation to read consistently. I've traditionally relied on recommendations from this subreddit, trusted reviewers, and friends, but books I find from those tend to all be the same few authors and at this point I've tried most of the popular options.
I'm open to suggestions of other subreddits, specific reviewers, blogs, or other less known mediums. If you feel like you have a unique method of finding vetted books then please share. Thanks!
Edit:
I appreciate everyone recommending the library or used book shops but to reiterate:
I don't want to put in the leg work of reading a bunch of obscure or lesser known books and authors until I find one that suits me. I want a place to go for recommendations, either a person or subreddit or the equivalent that specializes in recommending lesser known books.
The library and used book stores are great places and I often use my local library, but I am specifically looking for resources that specialize in recommending hidden gems. I get burnt out of reading easily if I'm not reading something that's up my alley. Thanks.
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Book Bingo 2025 Reviews: My Third Five Completed Squares! SPOILERS!
HI ALL I am back with my third set of reviews for five completed bingo squares! Life got in the way of me actually attempting to write somewhat comprehensible reviews so I’ve read several more than these since I last posted but I will get to those in the next chunk. We are getting to crunch time bingo-wise ahhhhh lol. Sorry this post is going to be pretty long! I'VE TRIED TO TAG ALL SPECIFIC SPOILERS THOROUGHLY BUT BEWARE in case I've missed something.
For reference, I rate based on my own kind of personal rating system (which again I do not take feedback on lol, it works for me and it's not that deep):
0-1 stars: fuck this shit
2 stars: not for me but whatever
3 stars: okay yeah i like this fine
4 stars: i really really like this
5 stars: i LOVE this!!!
8: Gods and Pantheons
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
FOUR AND A HALF STARS
I love Pratchett and this book did not disappoint. The Discworld is always such a lovely place to return to that I’ve been reading his books as slowly as possible for years, trying to spread them out, and this was this year’s pick. It follows a young novice in the Omnian Church of Om, a god whose followers are heavy on punishment for nonbelievers, sinners, and basically anyone that gets in the way of Omnia’s conquering expansion. It also follows a turtle >!named Om, who may or may not be Om himself, depowered and!< unable to do anything other than cause static electricity and eat lettuce. Pratchett does such a good job of illustrating both the realistic and the absurd in the Church of Om as a religious and societal institution that, as usual, you’d have to be blind to miss the points he’s trying to make about the inherent flaws of institutionalized religion. Of course, the worst part is that everything is just as realistic as it can be absurd. Brutha, our main character, is immediately lovable. One note I wish more authors would take from Pratchett is that characters don’t need to be perfect to be likeable. In fact, the more weaknesses a character has, the more I tend to gravitate toward them. Brutha, of course, is a prime example of this. His strengths lie in his moral character, rather than in some kind of typical-fantasy-protagonist badassery. He starts out with a very flawed worldview, limited to the religious indoctrination he’s lived within his whole life, first with his grandmother and then within the actual structure of the Church of Om. But once he starts to have new experiences, he starts to understand how much he doesn’t know, and can start to come to new conclusions about the world. Om, meanwhile, is another fantastic character. As >!a god,!< he’s out of touch with >!his followers!< and the world around him, and like Brutha, has been working off of an incredibly limited (but far more privileged and self-serving) understanding of the world. He, too, learns and starts to grow in new and different directions as the story progresses. And I have a soft spot for Pratchett’s Death, who makes somewhat of a limited appearance and yet is amazing as always. Vorbis, a high up administrator/torturer in the Church, is great/awful as the antagonist, and serves the perfect narrative purpose as the judge, jury, and executioner of what he purports to be the will of Om. This is probably not my favorite Discworld book thus far, but it’s pretty high up there. If you like Pratchett’s style, and especially if you have a background growing up religious but have either a) moved away from that or b) take part in religion through a critical and discerning lens, you would very likely enjoy Small Gods.
11: Parent Protagonist
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
FOUR STARS (I THINK)
This was a recommendation from several coworkers who have also recently read it for a book club, and I haven’t read much horror recently so it was a bit of a shock to my system. The story follows a struggling actress who works as a waitress, and a small boy who she finds outside her apartment. All she wants is to do the right thing and help the
HI ALL I am back with my third set of reviews for five completed bingo squares! Life got in the way of me actually attempting to write somewhat comprehensible reviews so I’ve read several more than these since I last posted but I will get to those in the next chunk. We are getting to crunch time bingo-wise ahhhhh lol. Sorry this post is going to be pretty long! I'VE TRIED TO TAG ALL SPECIFIC SPOILERS THOROUGHLY BUT BEWARE in case I've missed something.
For reference, I rate based on my own kind of personal rating system (which again I do not take feedback on lol, it works for me and it's not that deep):
0-1 stars: fuck this shit
2 stars: not for me but whatever
3 stars: okay yeah i like this fine
4 stars: i really really like this
5 stars: i LOVE this!!!
8: Gods and Pantheons
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
FOUR AND A HALF STARS
I love Pratchett and this book did not disappoint. The Discworld is always such a lovely place to return to that I’ve been reading his books as slowly as possible for years, trying to spread them out, and this was this year’s pick. It follows a young novice in the Omnian Church of Om, a god whose followers are heavy on punishment for nonbelievers, sinners, and basically anyone that gets in the way of Omnia’s conquering expansion. It also follows a turtle >!named Om, who may or may not be Om himself, depowered and!< unable to do anything other than cause static electricity and eat lettuce. Pratchett does such a good job of illustrating both the realistic and the absurd in the Church of Om as a religious and societal institution that, as usual, you’d have to be blind to miss the points he’s trying to make about the inherent flaws of institutionalized religion. Of course, the worst part is that everything is just as realistic as it can be absurd. Brutha, our main character, is immediately lovable. One note I wish more authors would take from Pratchett is that characters don’t need to be perfect to be likeable. In fact, the more weaknesses a character has, the more I tend to gravitate toward them. Brutha, of course, is a prime example of this. His strengths lie in his moral character, rather than in some kind of typical-fantasy-protagonist badassery. He starts out with a very flawed worldview, limited to the religious indoctrination he’s lived within his whole life, first with his grandmother and then within the actual structure of the Church of Om. But once he starts to have new experiences, he starts to understand how much he doesn’t know, and can start to come to new conclusions about the world. Om, meanwhile, is another fantastic character. As >!a god,!< he’s out of touch with >!his followers!< and the world around him, and like Brutha, has been working off of an incredibly limited (but far more privileged and self-serving) understanding of the world. He, too, learns and starts to grow in new and different directions as the story progresses. And I have a soft spot for Pratchett’s Death, who makes somewhat of a limited appearance and yet is amazing as always. Vorbis, a high up administrator/torturer in the Church, is great/awful as the antagonist, and serves the perfect narrative purpose as the judge, jury, and executioner of what he purports to be the will of Om. This is probably not my favorite Discworld book thus far, but it’s pretty high up there. If you like Pratchett’s style, and especially if you have a background growing up religious but have either a) moved away from that or b) take part in religion through a critical and discerning lens, you would very likely enjoy Small Gods.
11: Parent Protagonist
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
FOUR STARS (I THINK)
This was a recommendation from several coworkers who have also recently read it for a book club, and I haven’t read much horror recently so it was a bit of a shock to my system. The story follows a struggling actress who works as a waitress, and a small boy who she finds outside her apartment. All she wants is to do the right thing and help the
kid get somewhere safe, but that isn’t exactly possible with the kinds of horrifying and nightmarish monsters that are coming after him. I was immediately gripped by the story, and didn’t want to put it down at all out of sheer need to find out what happens next. That being said, did I enjoy it….? Difficult to say. I found the level of violence and gore engrossing in an I-can’t-look-away-from-this-trainwreck kind of way. More importantly, the mystery of the cause behind the monsters coming after our main characters was compelling, and while I immediately had theories, I kept wanting to know more. To be clear, it was generally pretty easy to work out what was going on (at least for me), but as soon as Cassidy confirmed one thing about the plot, it seemed like there were three or four other details that had come up that were new mysteries to unravel. It walked what was for me a nice line between keeping me interested enough that I wanted to keep reading, and then giving me a chance to feel vindicated about being able to solve those mysteries by confirming them. I can’t say that I exactly loved the main character Jess, but I felt sympathetic toward her for the most part. There were moments when I found her a tad annoying, but if I’d been having the kind of day she was, I too would not be at my best. She does a lot of navel-gazing. The kid who propels the plot forward was heartbreaking, and I really did find him very sympathetic, and wanted the best for him. I will warn that this book deals very heavily with themes of (CONTENT WARNINGS CONTAIN SPOILERS) >!child abuse, trauma, neglect, and on Jess’s part, parental abandonment by her father.!< If any of those themes, or likewise, depiction of >!graphic gore, violent death, body horror, needles and/or imagery of infection from dirty needles!< bother you, I would steer clear of this book. The end of the book was pretty good, though I did see some of it coming. As I said, horror is not my most-read genre, but I thought this was a good horror book and a fast-paced, gripping read. I would definitely pick up another Cassidy book after reading this.
12: Epistolary
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
THREE AND A BIT STARS
This is a novella by a sci-fi author that I really enjoy. I read a digital copy from my library’s Libby catalog, so frankly I was surprised that it was a novella, since I didn’t realize how long it was without holding a physical book in my hand! I really enjoyed it nonetheless, and my only (and still just half-real) complaint is that I wish it was longer. The main characters are the members of a scientific exploration crew sent out from Earth, and the novella takes place on their ship and on the planets they set down to do research on. The crew, especially Ari, who narrates the dispatches that we read, were three-dimensional and instantly likeable to me. I enjoyed Ari’s narration, and liked the balance of introspection to actual scenes with the other characters. I really like Chambers’ character-focused approach to science fiction in general, and I think this was the work I’ve read from her that dealt the most with science that feels realistic (or most within grasp of our near-ish future, rather than a future several hundred or a thousand years advanced from us). I really enjoyed the denoscriptions of what the minutiae of incredible scientific discovery might be like on alien worlds! And because I like Chambers’ prose, the whole novella was a treat. The denoscriptions of >!the lights under the ice!< stuck out to me in particular, but I always feel like I can really visualize what Ari and the other characters are seeing and experiencing. I have to say I didn’t quite predict the twist at the end. The epistolary structure of the novella becomes plot relevant because >!Ari and the crew have decided to send a communication to Earth. They make the decision to allow the survivors of the human race to choose their fate: whether they should keep exploring for the sake of discovery, stay in comas until they die, or return to an uncertain future on Earth and share
12: Epistolary
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
THREE AND A BIT STARS
This is a novella by a sci-fi author that I really enjoy. I read a digital copy from my library’s Libby catalog, so frankly I was surprised that it was a novella, since I didn’t realize how long it was without holding a physical book in my hand! I really enjoyed it nonetheless, and my only (and still just half-real) complaint is that I wish it was longer. The main characters are the members of a scientific exploration crew sent out from Earth, and the novella takes place on their ship and on the planets they set down to do research on. The crew, especially Ari, who narrates the dispatches that we read, were three-dimensional and instantly likeable to me. I enjoyed Ari’s narration, and liked the balance of introspection to actual scenes with the other characters. I really like Chambers’ character-focused approach to science fiction in general, and I think this was the work I’ve read from her that dealt the most with science that feels realistic (or most within grasp of our near-ish future, rather than a future several hundred or a thousand years advanced from us). I really enjoyed the denoscriptions of what the minutiae of incredible scientific discovery might be like on alien worlds! And because I like Chambers’ prose, the whole novella was a treat. The denoscriptions of >!the lights under the ice!< stuck out to me in particular, but I always feel like I can really visualize what Ari and the other characters are seeing and experiencing. I have to say I didn’t quite predict the twist at the end. The epistolary structure of the novella becomes plot relevant because >!Ari and the crew have decided to send a communication to Earth. They make the decision to allow the survivors of the human race to choose their fate: whether they should keep exploring for the sake of discovery, stay in comas until they die, or return to an uncertain future on Earth and share
the survivors’ fate, whatever it may be. The ambiguity of!< the ending, >!and the fact that neither Ari and the crew nor the reader gets to know what happened on Earth, who survived, and what they will choose for the main characters,!< was delicious, and just made me wish more that the novella was longer. Of course narratively the right decision was to leave it where it ended; as in so much classic sci-fi, the reader’s imagination fills in the most satisfying resolution.
21: Recycle a Bingo Square
Square recycled: 2024: 19) Survival: Read a book in which the primary goal of the characters and story focuses on survival. Surviving an apocalypse, surviving a war, surviving high school, etc. HARD MODE: No superviruses or pandemics. (EDIT: edited to be a less spoilery square from a different year so that the square noscript could be left visible!)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
FIVE STARS
I really loved this book. Probably practically everything that there is to be said about it has been said on this sub, especially recently because the movie is so close to being released, but I too also loved it. I read this for a book club and liked it more than I liked The Martian, which I read several years ago and deeply enjoyed. >!Rocky is amazing as a character, and one of the highlights of the novel for me was the development of his language and the Eridian culture.!< I also really enjoyed the natural progression of Grace’s character that occurs as he slowly >!regains his memory. In a way he’s learning who he is right alongside us as the readers, which was very interesting.!< The Big Twist was somehow absolutely wild to me and also I felt like it totally made sense: the whole time while reading, I was thinking, so how the hell did he even end up here? By the time Weir reveals that >!there’s a test for if you can safely enter the coma and that Grace is a person who could potentially survive it, I had an inkling that something might happen to the science specialists,!< and therefore assumed I had that mystery safely figured out. But because I thought I had it all figured out, the fact that >!he was actually physically forced into going on the mission!< was doubly surprising. This hit the perfect sci-fi spot for me: a great cast that I grew to care about deeply, interesting relationships, mystery, the joy of discovery, and a main character who is just trying their freaking best. I’m excited for the movie and really hope it lives up the spirit of the book as much as an adaptation can!
23: Generic Title
The Deep Dark by Lee Knox Ostertag
THREE AND A HALF STARS
This was a graphic novel mystery with horror flavors that weren’t exactly overly graphic, but still filled me full of dread. Mags, the main character, has a dangerous secret that she will do basically anything to hide. The actual monster in the story, however, is >!her huge burden of responsibilities, coupled with her inability to accept herself.!< Her personality didn’t immediately click into place for me, but as we are introduced to her routine and everything that she has taken on, in caring for her grandmother, working, going to school, and more, it was easy to feel a growing kinship with someone who is doing a lot without getting much (or any) credit. I have personal experience working multiple jobs while trying to care for an elderly and ill relative, and Mags’s situation and isolation are familiar not only to me but to many young people across the world. It’s the feeling of desperately trying to do your best while feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances and unable to allow yourself to reach out to others. Nessa, the returning childhood friend, I liked fine as >!a love interest and!< rekindled friendship, and I was rooting for her to succeed in getting Mags to relax a little and let down her guard. One thing I will say is I didn’t get the impression that Mags and the other characters were still in high school at first; I assumed they were in college. That just emphasizes how adult Mags is forced into being, rather than just being allowed to be a kid. The
21: Recycle a Bingo Square
Square recycled: 2024: 19) Survival: Read a book in which the primary goal of the characters and story focuses on survival. Surviving an apocalypse, surviving a war, surviving high school, etc. HARD MODE: No superviruses or pandemics. (EDIT: edited to be a less spoilery square from a different year so that the square noscript could be left visible!)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
FIVE STARS
I really loved this book. Probably practically everything that there is to be said about it has been said on this sub, especially recently because the movie is so close to being released, but I too also loved it. I read this for a book club and liked it more than I liked The Martian, which I read several years ago and deeply enjoyed. >!Rocky is amazing as a character, and one of the highlights of the novel for me was the development of his language and the Eridian culture.!< I also really enjoyed the natural progression of Grace’s character that occurs as he slowly >!regains his memory. In a way he’s learning who he is right alongside us as the readers, which was very interesting.!< The Big Twist was somehow absolutely wild to me and also I felt like it totally made sense: the whole time while reading, I was thinking, so how the hell did he even end up here? By the time Weir reveals that >!there’s a test for if you can safely enter the coma and that Grace is a person who could potentially survive it, I had an inkling that something might happen to the science specialists,!< and therefore assumed I had that mystery safely figured out. But because I thought I had it all figured out, the fact that >!he was actually physically forced into going on the mission!< was doubly surprising. This hit the perfect sci-fi spot for me: a great cast that I grew to care about deeply, interesting relationships, mystery, the joy of discovery, and a main character who is just trying their freaking best. I’m excited for the movie and really hope it lives up the spirit of the book as much as an adaptation can!
23: Generic Title
The Deep Dark by Lee Knox Ostertag
THREE AND A HALF STARS
This was a graphic novel mystery with horror flavors that weren’t exactly overly graphic, but still filled me full of dread. Mags, the main character, has a dangerous secret that she will do basically anything to hide. The actual monster in the story, however, is >!her huge burden of responsibilities, coupled with her inability to accept herself.!< Her personality didn’t immediately click into place for me, but as we are introduced to her routine and everything that she has taken on, in caring for her grandmother, working, going to school, and more, it was easy to feel a growing kinship with someone who is doing a lot without getting much (or any) credit. I have personal experience working multiple jobs while trying to care for an elderly and ill relative, and Mags’s situation and isolation are familiar not only to me but to many young people across the world. It’s the feeling of desperately trying to do your best while feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances and unable to allow yourself to reach out to others. Nessa, the returning childhood friend, I liked fine as >!a love interest and!< rekindled friendship, and I was rooting for her to succeed in getting Mags to relax a little and let down her guard. One thing I will say is I didn’t get the impression that Mags and the other characters were still in high school at first; I assumed they were in college. That just emphasizes how adult Mags is forced into being, rather than just being allowed to be a kid. The
resolution of the story’s mystery hurt my heart more than a little, but I felt hopeful at the end of the book that Mags’ acceptance of herself would finally allow her to grow and continue on to better days. This was overall a good and enjoyable graphic novel, and I always enjoy Ostertag’s work and of course LOVE the art. It wasn’t my absolute favorite thing he’s written, but I had a good, quick, interesting read nonetheless.
OKAY that’s it for me for now!! I will be back probably in the next couple of weeks with the next five as soon as I finish editing those reviews into semi-readable walls of text rather than incomprehensible walls of text. Lmk if y'all liked or didn’t like any of these books and if you have recs! <3
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OKAY that’s it for me for now!! I will be back probably in the next couple of weeks with the next five as soon as I finish editing those reviews into semi-readable walls of text rather than incomprehensible walls of text. Lmk if y'all liked or didn’t like any of these books and if you have recs! <3
https://redd.it/1rhryvf
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Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
I made a post on this sub asking for recommendations for books with noble characters doing noble deeds, emotional stories, and wholesome friendships, and someone suggested The Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce.
For some reason, I can’t find that comment anymore - either I’m somehow overlooking it, or the redditor who recommended the books deleted it.
Whatever the case, I just want to thank the person who suggested this series to me. I’ve just finished First Test, and I absolutely loved it. It was exactly what I was looking for.
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I made a post on this sub asking for recommendations for books with noble characters doing noble deeds, emotional stories, and wholesome friendships, and someone suggested The Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce.
For some reason, I can’t find that comment anymore - either I’m somehow overlooking it, or the redditor who recommended the books deleted it.
Whatever the case, I just want to thank the person who suggested this series to me. I’ve just finished First Test, and I absolutely loved it. It was exactly what I was looking for.
https://redd.it/1rhssky
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Raymond Feist Essential Read Order (Where origins of Gods and the Universe are concerned) Should I read past Rage of a Demon King?
There are a few reddit threads already out there similar to this, but none answer my specific question.
Firstly, the list I've deemed essential reading goes as follows-
* The Magician Trilogy
* Krondor the Betrayal
* Prince of the Blood
* The Kings Buccaneer
* The first three books of the Serpent War Saga
After reading all of the above books in that order, I feel like the main story has been wrapped up rather nicely. (I also read the Empire Trilogy but have since learned it has little to do with the main story, it's more standalone.)
The bits of intrigue I really loved, like all the mystery and questions surrounding the origin of magic, the gods and the universe were all explained quite well in The Rage of a Demon King and left me with no want to continue the series.
Are the gods and the magic system explained in any further/meaningful detail in Shards of a Broken Crown and Magicians End? Are they worth a read for that reason alone or are they just story expansions?
Thankyou in advance : )
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There are a few reddit threads already out there similar to this, but none answer my specific question.
Firstly, the list I've deemed essential reading goes as follows-
* The Magician Trilogy
* Krondor the Betrayal
* Prince of the Blood
* The Kings Buccaneer
* The first three books of the Serpent War Saga
After reading all of the above books in that order, I feel like the main story has been wrapped up rather nicely. (I also read the Empire Trilogy but have since learned it has little to do with the main story, it's more standalone.)
The bits of intrigue I really loved, like all the mystery and questions surrounding the origin of magic, the gods and the universe were all explained quite well in The Rage of a Demon King and left me with no want to continue the series.
Are the gods and the magic system explained in any further/meaningful detail in Shards of a Broken Crown and Magicians End? Are they worth a read for that reason alone or are they just story expansions?
Thankyou in advance : )
https://redd.it/1rhrfhf
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looking for fantasy that balances politics and personal stakes
The Curse of Chalion and The Goblin Emperor both managed to keep political intrigue closely tied to character growth. I want adult tone and focused character arcs with limited POV shifts, and please avoid sprawling war epics; I recently finished a politics-heavy novel, which books maintain that balance effectively?
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The Curse of Chalion and The Goblin Emperor both managed to keep political intrigue closely tied to character growth. I want adult tone and focused character arcs with limited POV shifts, and please avoid sprawling war epics; I recently finished a politics-heavy novel, which books maintain that balance effectively?
https://redd.it/1rhurh6
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r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - March 01, 2026
https://preview.redd.it/l2cosnpoixbg1.png?width=3508&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb9f4a2807499edc796351cc28ec39b3aea4d7c2
**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](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/)'s [2025 Book Bingo Card here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1joxlrr/official_rfantasy_2025_book_bingo_challenge/)!
As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The [r/Fantasy wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/recommendations) 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)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ITpGPzWOOd7MHhCY2d6Zv_6MWsntfT3s/view?usp=sharing)
art credit: special thanks to our artist, [Himmis commissions](https://himmis.carrd.co/), 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.
https://redd.it/1rhwr0n
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https://preview.redd.it/l2cosnpoixbg1.png?width=3508&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb9f4a2807499edc796351cc28ec39b3aea4d7c2
**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](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/)'s [2025 Book Bingo Card here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1joxlrr/official_rfantasy_2025_book_bingo_challenge/)!
As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The [r/Fantasy wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/recommendations) 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)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ITpGPzWOOd7MHhCY2d6Zv_6MWsntfT3s/view?usp=sharing)
art credit: special thanks to our artist, [Himmis commissions](https://himmis.carrd.co/), 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.
https://redd.it/1rhwr0n
@r_fantasy
City of Stairs (The Divine Cities Trilogy Book 1) by Robert Jackson Bennett - eBook on sale for $1.99 (US)
https://www.amazon.com/City-Stairs-Divine-Cities-Book-ebook/dp/B00J1ISJFA
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https://www.amazon.com/City-Stairs-Divine-Cities-Book-ebook/dp/B00J1ISJFA
https://redd.it/1rhx7lb
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Grounded Fantasy Books Like 'A Song of Ice & Fire'?
I'm not much of a reader but would love to get more into books. I've always thought fantasy is my favourite genre and yet it's so often too much for me. It is clear that I prefer a more grounded fantasy world. My favourite books to date are anything from the World of Ice & Fire by GRRM. Perhaps I could detail the key aspects I like so much from it and people can recommend accordingly:
1) Characters. The single most important important aspect to any story for me. If I'm not drawn to the characters then I struggle to stay invested. For example, ASOIAF has literally hundreds of characters throughout its history that are all fascinating to read about, from the POV leads, even down to the most insignificant side characters that come and go quickly. Would love more of this.
2) Worldbuilding. The setting is essential for me. One that I can escape into in my own mind and think about for hours. For example, ASOIAF is so detailed in history within the world that every town has a great story behind it, and even places that you never even get to visit are fun to read about and imagine.
3) Grounded Fantasy. When the fantastical elements of a series are so different to our own, I simply struggle to get invested as much. For example, ASOIAF has dragons and white walkers riding giant ice spiders, I know, but they are not commonly found throughout the world. Westeros is essentially people living in medieval England, and these great fantastical elements are believed to be extinct. Characters are mostly motivated by human emotion and politics and are shocked when they witness the dragons, or magic, just as they would be in ours. So I am not against fantastical elements, I would just prefer them in moderation. I also love the Harry Potter books, which I know revolve entirely around magic, but because Harry comes from our ordinary Muggle world, all his reactions to this new world are very believable and relatable. I hope I explained this point okay.
Please try and recommend as closely to my criteria above. That would be greatly appreciated. I have been recommended the Brandon Sanderson books before, but they sounds very heavy, is that true? My mum recommends 'The Pillars of the Earth', which I do plan to read, although that is literally just historical fiction. 'Dune' is already on my list, although that is more Sci-Fi. The only other book series that has caught my eye is 'The Faithful and the Fallen Series' by John Gwynne, do you think this fits my criteria?
Thanks all.
https://redd.it/1ri5s58
@r_fantasy
I'm not much of a reader but would love to get more into books. I've always thought fantasy is my favourite genre and yet it's so often too much for me. It is clear that I prefer a more grounded fantasy world. My favourite books to date are anything from the World of Ice & Fire by GRRM. Perhaps I could detail the key aspects I like so much from it and people can recommend accordingly:
1) Characters. The single most important important aspect to any story for me. If I'm not drawn to the characters then I struggle to stay invested. For example, ASOIAF has literally hundreds of characters throughout its history that are all fascinating to read about, from the POV leads, even down to the most insignificant side characters that come and go quickly. Would love more of this.
2) Worldbuilding. The setting is essential for me. One that I can escape into in my own mind and think about for hours. For example, ASOIAF is so detailed in history within the world that every town has a great story behind it, and even places that you never even get to visit are fun to read about and imagine.
3) Grounded Fantasy. When the fantastical elements of a series are so different to our own, I simply struggle to get invested as much. For example, ASOIAF has dragons and white walkers riding giant ice spiders, I know, but they are not commonly found throughout the world. Westeros is essentially people living in medieval England, and these great fantastical elements are believed to be extinct. Characters are mostly motivated by human emotion and politics and are shocked when they witness the dragons, or magic, just as they would be in ours. So I am not against fantastical elements, I would just prefer them in moderation. I also love the Harry Potter books, which I know revolve entirely around magic, but because Harry comes from our ordinary Muggle world, all his reactions to this new world are very believable and relatable. I hope I explained this point okay.
Please try and recommend as closely to my criteria above. That would be greatly appreciated. I have been recommended the Brandon Sanderson books before, but they sounds very heavy, is that true? My mum recommends 'The Pillars of the Earth', which I do plan to read, although that is literally just historical fiction. 'Dune' is already on my list, although that is more Sci-Fi. The only other book series that has caught my eye is 'The Faithful and the Fallen Series' by John Gwynne, do you think this fits my criteria?
Thanks all.
https://redd.it/1ri5s58
@r_fantasy
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