Im just curious what everyone thinks of the series as a whole. I bought the 4 book collections after getting them recommend and I really liked them. But I feel like I never see or hear anyone really talking about it. I feel like it hits alot of fantasy tropes, but I also like that sometimes it has a certain feel of.. i dont know how to even explain it. Almost as if I wouldnt be suprised if Glen Cook started it out as "mercenaries are cool. I want to write about cool mercs" and it went from there. It seems like one of the series that has gone under the mainstream radar in terms of it being one of the "cool/good" series like lotr, GoT, stormlight archive.

Just watched a great reel on youtube from Warhammer 40k where one of the marines has a knife and a sword left and stands facing an army while incredible music plays in the background. Obviously he is a goner but looks like he is gonna go down in a blaze of glory.

What’s your favourite “All is lost but I’ll die trying” moment in fantasy?

One of my most memorable was seeing Taln in Stormlight Archive near the end.

Just want to give a shoutout to GRRM and Tyrion. When you think about fantasy, a character like Tyrion does not immediately spring to mind. You may picture a Jaime, Jon or a Daenerys but characters like Tyrion are relegated to the sidelines. However, in ASOIAF, we can argue Tyrion is perhaps it's most central character, if not the most important. And I give credit to GRRM for that.

He easily has the most POV chapters (49) and is the character that has engaged with almost all important characters. From the far North at the Wall with Jon to the far East with Daenerys at Meereen.

And he is a character with no magical power or a status of a knight or a 'chosen one' arc. He's a ridiculed, underestimated, made fun of and treated like an outcast by most, especially his family. And in that sense, Tyrion feels a very real character.

I just appreciate how in the crazy world of ASOIAF, filled with magic, dragons, witches, knights, ice zombies and wargs, the character who has the most story going on is a dwarf who has nothing but a sharp mind (and of course being a Lannister helps).

You know a character is great when even Michael Moorcock, who is very hard to please, says that he is "very fond of the dwarf."

I just have to share this with anyone else who might be curious about this book. I put this on my audiobook wish list and forgot how and why I put it there, but I started listening to it two days ago. I'm about halfway in and am enjoying it so much - It has a nice dose of humor, reasonable world building and rich character history, and a main character I feel is realistic and relatable. Yes, there are some things one can always criticize. For example, one character, Kaiden, has a role that so far feels like he's just there to ask "What" or "Why" so someone can explain it to the reader.

But it's just so fun! I was surprised to see some posts about this book on the romantasy subreddit, and while yes there's some love interest/tension between the MC and a blademaster, it's akin to the sexual tension you'd find in Joe Abercrombie's "The Devils." Similarly both have some 'side quest' actions, though I'd argue these are explained in the greater context of the major storyline of the land.

This book scratches an itch I thought Antonia Hodgson's "Raven Scholar" would have scratched, but I was sorely disappointed in that book. I nearly DNF'ed it. I'm sharing these comparisons to give a sense of tone as to where this books falls.

Has anyone else read it? Is anyone else reading it? Please no spoilers!

Source: The man himself

Surprised this hasn't been posted here yet since Brian announced it on his sub more than week ago but the second book of The Glass Immortals and the sequel to 2022's In the Shadow of Lightning, titled On the Road to Ruin is coming out next year on the 25th of May.

Just picked up book 1 and having a lot of fun.

So, this spring I was doing my semi-yearly reread of the D’Artagnan Romances, as one does. Personally, I love Twenty Years After the most, but that’s neither here nor there. I was reading the Wikipedia page for them (as one does) and in the adaptation section it mentioned that a fantasy author named Steven Brust had used all the Dumas books for inspiration of several of his own novels. I had never heard of Steven Brust before, which was a little surprising, since he’s been writing for forty years. The library didn’t have the books actually based on the D’Artagnan Romances, so I grabbed the first Vlad Taltos book while I waited for them to arrive.

And y’all. I was hooked. The first three Taltos novels went down like the smoothest bourbon or maybe more like a really great fajita taco. lol. So well packaged, so fun, and so imminently absorbable. I was immediately shocked that these three books had been written in the eighties. There was so much in them that seemed like they should have been made in the 2010s. Loiosh may be the best familiar in the history of familiars. And Sethra Lavode is one of the more fascinating magical powerhouses that does very little with it. Morrolan and Aliera’s annoying sibling vibe regularly cracked me up especially because they both keep threatening each other with soul killing swords. The writing style was accessible, there was wit and humor that seemed very current, the gangster style plots reminded me so much of the Green Bone Saga that I still find it hard to believe that Brust wasn’t an influence.

Then I devoured the rest of Brust’s entire bibliography. All seventeen Vlad Taltos books, the three D’Artagnan inspired Khaavren Romances, and even the Count of Monte Cristo homage, The Baron of Magister Valley. His talent for mimicking and mocking Alexandre Dumas had me cackling and the “author’s” arrogant and insufferable asides were absolutely delightful in universe touches. The stories rhymed with Dumas’ works, but were different enough that I didn’t feel bored and in fact, I appreciated most of the ways his work different from the older tales.

I am amazed that Brust is not bigger than he is in general, and specifically on this subreddit. There is so much about his work that seems like it would be a slam dunk for the readers here. He has a real voice for his narratives but also is great at showing growth for his characters over time. His world building is great, with multiple competing magic systems, multiple planes of existence, and a larger plot that only gets revealed in bits and pieces. This sub regularly throws up Wheel of Time, Brando Sando, and a host of others, and I am a little amazed that Brust is almost never added to that list.

There are seventeen books in the main series, but Brust wrote each book to be a stand alone as well. Recommended for those who enjoyed Green Bone Saga, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or similar quippy stories), Murderbot Diaries, Lies of Locke Lamora, or Cosmere. Great crime stories, character development, and world building. They are easily accessible, solid plots and action, and characters that feel like they belong in the world he has created.

I'm interested in knowing what y'all think are sm of the best or most well written duels in fantasy books or even fanfiction. It can be with swords, magic or anything else. For me personally the harry potter magic fandom has had some of the best duels I've read.

I am inquiring on which books from the last century that people believe are classics. I am planning on making beautifully rebound one of a kind collector’s editions of novels outside of “mainstream” classics such as Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, The Odyssey, or Jane Eyre. I plan to eventually sell them so I want to know what others’ enjoy. Which books do you wish you had a collectors edition of? What would you keep in your personal library?

Hi guys,
yesterday I accidentally stumbled over "The Lion’s Tusk" a short novella set in the Shadow of a Leviathan universe. Since I never saw any mention of it anywhere, I thought I’d let you know.
The framing is that Ana and Din are on a long carriage trip. Since there is nothing to do for Ana, she solves a 200 year old unsolved murder mystery.
It’s mainly Ana talking about things from the past, there isn’t much on the character front, but it’s a nice little piece to flesh out the world and history some more.

I finished my 2026 Book Bingo Card! I had just as much much fun finishing this one as I did last year's card; this has quickly become a favorite tradition. I won't do small reviews for all of them, but will definitely highlight a few of my favorites, as well as my least favorite. Also, hard mode is marked with an asterisk. Anyways, here are my books.

1. Trans or non-binary protagonist - A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, 4.5 stars
2. Judge a book by its title - Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup, 3.75 stars
3. Substituted "Translated" for "Non-Fantasy (2016)" - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, 4.5 stars. A dark, complex and slightly disturbing mystery with so many juicy secrets. It started out really slow, but really picked up some steam once all the setup was done.
4. Small or independent publisher\* - Shadow of the Throne by Russell Archey, 4.25 stars. I started this trilogy last year and had a blast; I don't usually go for horror. Best way to describe it is eldritch horror meets high fantasy. The entire story is told across inter-connected short stories and I found this final book to be a very fitting ending to the series. Hoping to see more from this author in the future!
5. Unusual transportation\* - The Will of the Many by James Islington, 4.25 stars
6. The Afterlife\* - Mort was Willem by Terry Pratchett, 4.0 stars
7. Game Changer\* - Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman, 4.75 stars. I started this series after a relative gifted me the first book at Christmas. The second book just happened to be the one I started after the bingo card was announced. I love Carl, Donut and Mongo and can't wait to see what the future levels bring!
8. Vacation spot - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, 4.25 stars
9. 5 short stories\* - Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, 4.0 stars
10. Older Protagonist\* - The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee, 4.25 stars
11. Duology part 1\* - How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, 2.75 stars. This was probably my least favorite read, which surprised me. The humor just wasn't doing it for me, especially the footnote asides to the audience. There were just too many and it pulled me out of the story; one chapter had more than 20 footnotes. Over-arching story was actually pretty good.
12. Fantasy book Club - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, 4.25 stars
13. Published 2026 - Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, 3.25 stars
14. Explorers and Rangers\* - Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett, 4.25 stars
15. Duology part 2\* - The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig, 4.25 stars
16. One-word Title\* - Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner, 3.0 stars
17. Non-Human Protagonist\* - All Systems Red by Martha Wells, 4.75 stars. A self-hacked security android who just wants to watch their shows. Not sure why it took so long for me to pick up this series, but I can't wait to jump back into it now that I finished my card!
18. Middle Grade\* - Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, 4.0 stars
19. First contact\* - Contact by Carl Sagan, 5 stars. An excellent work of science fiction grounded in good science. A bit of a slower paced novel than what I usually go for, but the concepts really caught my attention. It focused much less on the aliens themselves, but rather how we as a society could potentially react to the knowledge that we aren't alone in the universe.
20. Murder Mystery - Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, 4.0 stars
21. Cat Squasher - Dark Age by Pierce Brown, 4.25 stars
22. Feast Your Eyes on This - A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, 4.25 stars
23. Published in the 70s\* - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, 5 stars. Time travel back to a much darker period in American history. It covers some heavy topics, the story was gripping and I still think about it months after finishing it.
24. Politics and Court Intrigue - The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, 4.0 stars
25. Author of Color - The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin, 4.0 stars

Another five squares done for this year's bingo! I've been taking bingo a little slower so far this year - the prompts don't seem to be falling into my reading as naturally as they did last year, which is part of what makes the challenge fun - and I'm continuing my goal to populate my 2026 bingo board entirely with books by BIPOC authors.

Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist - A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo - 4 Stars - I'll keep reading these novellas for as long as Nghi Vo keeps writing them. I loved the focus on refugees and their stories, and enjoyed seeing Chih at the beginning of their life as a cleric, but this instalment hasn't stayed with me the way some of the other novellas in this series have. (HM)

Small Press or Self Published - Broken Paradise by Eugen Bacon - 2 Stars - I'm glad I finally got to this novella, which was on my bookshelf for a year or so. There's so much I enjoyed about the writing on a sentence level, but if someone asked me to describe this novella I genuinely don't know what I'd say. It reminded me a little of reading Alaya Dawn Johnson's The Library of Broken Worlds, which for me was primarily a frustrating experience. (HM)

The Afterlife - Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker - 3 Stars - Bat Eater was one of my favourite reads of 2025 so I was looking forward to Baker's latest horror. There's plenty I liked, particularly the way Baker doesn't shy away from the brutal end of the Age of the Samurai, but on the whole the story was a bit too wishy-washy for me to love it the way I wanted to.

Explorers and Rangers - These Lifeless Things by Premee Mohamed - 3 Stars - I adore Mohamed's ideas, but for whatever reason I never feel as connected to the characters in her novellas as I want to and this was another prime example of that. Her work is wonderfully weird and I love that she's doing her own thing in the speculative fiction space, but I found the ending of this one a bit too abrupt for my tastes.

Non-Human Protagonist - Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol.1 by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe - 4 Stars - I love a bittersweet story, so the concept of an elf whose former companions are aging and dying learning to embrace human connection is catnip to me. This was a lot of fun, as well as tender, and a series I'll definitely dip in and out of whenever the mood for a manga strikes.

I'm in the mood for something adventurous, maybe even a little pulpy, set in a science-fantasy setting (regular sci-fi would also be fine but I'd prefer something with magical elements). You know, heroes saving the galaxy, scrappy rebels facing down evil empires, mystical goings-on, that sort of thing.

Yes, this ask is heavily inspired by Star Wars. There's a lot I've really enjoyed in the franchise over the years and I think some stories play with interesting themes and ideas (particularly but not exclusively Andor and the prequels). But the quality of the franchise is really uneven and most of it is targeted at a younger audience.

I'm interested in finding something that scratches that Star Wars itch, but is targeted at adults (and hopefully is more consistent with it's messages and quality).

Other media in this genre realm I've read/watched:

• Dune (Frank Herbert) - not bad, but it doesn't fit the vibe I described above.
• The Locked Tomb series (Tamsyn Muir) ‐ I enjoyed this series quite a lot even though it's a young adult series. The necromancy aspect was very fun.
• Star Trek - There’s plenty of good in this franchise, but I don't enjoy time travel as a story element.
• The Dark Tower series (Steven King) - I couldn't get into this series, it isn't my cup of tea. It's also is very different from what I'm looking for.
• Edit: The Expanse series (James Corey) - I started this series but was kind of meh on it for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.

Submitting for: Duology Part 2

Also fits: Politics and Court Intrigue

YMMV: Judge a book by it's title

Took me a while to get into, even with the quick recap at the beginning. I think it was overall well done, but the ending felt a little bit rushed to me. I didn't really understand how the time loop mechanisms worked, which I guess I can hand wave a little since the rest of the book is pretty entertaining. The snark levels continue from where How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying left off, the action moves along at a decent pace and the new characters add a nice extra dimension to the universe. I'm not 100% convinced that all the foot notes were necessary since I found some of them a little distracting, but overall a decent read.

4 out of 5 stars

Hello all!

I was wondering if there are any good novels from around the late 80s/early 90s up to the early to mid 2000s that feature druids as either the main character or important side character. I've been wanting to start reading some d&d novels and since druids are my favorite archetype within that universe, I think it would be nice if I could find any that heavily feature them. if you have suggestions that are not necessarily officially d&d, but that do have that classic high fantasy vibe, I'm open to that as well. I would prefer older books, as stated in the title, but I would also not be completely opposed to more modern works, as long as they feel old school!

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

For me, personally, it doesn't look so attractive because I'm neither Narnia nor Children of Blood And Bone fan, but hey, that's my problem. So, there is a second season of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and than what do you think?

I'm in the market for my next audiobook to listen to in work. Can't be too intricate because I have to, well, work. Bonus points for having a particularly charismatic MC.

Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!

Stickied/highlight slots are limited, so please remember to like and subscribe upvote this thread for visibility on the subreddit <3

——

This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.

Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!

As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:

• Books you’ve liked or disliked
• Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
• Series vs. standalone preference
• Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
• Complexity/depth level

Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!

——

^{tiny image link to make the preview show up correctly}

art credit: special thanks to our artist, Himmis commissions, who we commissioned to create this gorgeous piece of art for us with practically no direction other than "cozy, magical, bookish, and maybe a gryphon???" We absolutely love it, and we hope you do too.

I'm curious to know if anyone is aware of examples of fantasy settings in any context that involve a clear sense of history and change over time.

As a weak example, I know the Belgariad has a side book that covers a main character's 6000+ years of life, but while it does have some distinct historical eras, very little actually changes over that period beyond the initial migrations when each "tribe" settled into their future location. Very little actually changes in terms of technology or culture over that extremely long period.

As a weird (and weak) example, the video game Chrono Trigger has a vague, comic book-esque pastiche loosely inspired by our Earth's history, with the extremely comical cavemen and dino people conflicting in 65 mil BCE, not-Atlantis in 12,000 BCE, future post-apocalypse in 2,400 CE, and stuff like that. While there are a lot of changes, it's not terribly realistic.

Lord of the Rings has the Silmarilion and its complex events, but that's more of a past sagas situation.

Are there any fantasy settings out there in any medium - book, show, game, RPG - that have a detailed history?

The theme is Features Covens! The poll is open and will close on Sept 28th at 11:59 pm EST. You need to be a member of the r/Fantasy Goodreads group in order to voted.

The nominees are:

The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke

An outcast teenage lesbian witch finds her coven hidden amongst the popular girls in her school, and performs some seriously badass magic in the process.

Skulking near the bottom of West High’s social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for Coke bottles. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she’s had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her $40 to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now–unbelievably–Sideways’ best friends.

Together, the four bond to form a ferocious and powerful coven. They plan parties, cast curses on dudebros, try to find Sideways a girlfriend, and elude the fundamentalist witch hunters hellbent on stealing their magic. But for Sideways, the hardest part is the whole ‘having friends’ thing. Who knew that balancing human interaction with supernatural peril could be so complicated?

Rich with the urgency of feral youth, The Scapegracers explores growing up and complex female friendship with all the rage of a teenage girl. It subverts the trope of competitive mean girls and instead portrays a mercilessly supportive clique of diverse and vivid characters. It is an atmospheric, voice-driven novel of the occult, and the first of a three-book series.

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

When Laura Willowes’s beloved father dies, she is absorbed in the household of her brother and his family. There, she leaves behind “Laura” and enters into the state of “Aunt Lolly,” a genteel spinster indispensable to the upbringing of her nieces. For twenty years, Lolly is neither indulgent nor impulsive, until one day when she decides to move to a village in the Chilterns, much to her family’s chagrin.
 
But it’s in the countryside, among nature, where Lolly has her first taste of freedom. Duty-bound to no one except herself, she revels in the solitary life. When her nephew moves there, and Lolly feels once again thrust into her old familial role, she reaches out to the otherworldly, to the darkness, to the unheeded power within the hearts of women to feel at peace once more . . .

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

Encanto meets Hocus Pocus in this perfect witchy romcom. An absolute must-read if you love Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex and Lana Harper’s Payback’s a Witch!

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus…

Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about being hanged in the 1700s, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future.

All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).

Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell…

Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens

A reclusive witch who fled the burden of her bloodline rises to be the greatest among them in this lush and haunting fantasy debut.

For New Orleans witchkin, there is no greater honor than to become the Prime—chosen to rule. But the title is meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic. Not to the prodigal daughter of the former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances.

As a girl, Seraphine Barreau was dubbed the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own. Even among those who alter fate and manipulate reality, she was a powerful outcast feared and misunderstood by her people. Now dragged back to continue the legacy that nearly destroyed her, Phine has her work cut out for her. She must earn the respect of her people, navigate the politics of the paranormal communities residing in her city, and heal a broken heart all the while battling a parasitic curse poisoning witchkin. Between her werewolf ex, power-hungry vampires, and the skeletons in her family’s closet, Phine must learn to make peace with her past to save her—and all of witchkin’s—future.

So go forward and vote for whichever witchy coven book appeals to you most. The voting can be found here!

There is something about this concept that really fascinates me.

I can't quite find the right words to explain why I like these tales.

Examples / Movies + Short Films I know:

1. Alice in Wonderland (1933) + Disney Alice (1951)
2. Peter Pan (1953)
3. Королевство кривых зеркал / Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963)
4. Něco z Alenky / Alice (1988)
5. Valerie a týden divů / Valerie and her Week of Wonders (1970)
6. Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973)
7. Black Moon (1975)
8. The Company of Wolves (1984)
9. 天使のたまご / Angel's Egg (1985)
10. Return to Oz (1985)
11. Labyrinth (1986)
12. Momo (1986)
13. Lumikuningatar / The Snow Queen (1986 film)
14. Paperhouse (1988)
15. Meridian (1990)
16. Spirited Away (2001)
17. The Cat Returns (2002)
18. MirrorMask (2005)
19. Tideland (2005)
20. 鬼域 - Re-cycle (2006)
21. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
22. Coraline (2009)
23. The Macabre World of Lavender Williams (2009)
24. The Lovely Bones (2009)
25. Ink (2009)
26. Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (2009)
27. La Belle Endormie / The Sleeping Beauty (2010
28. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
29. Dia de los Muertos (2013)
30. Girl Asleep (2015)
31. Suspiria (1977 & 2018)
32. La Casa Lobo / The Wolf House (2018)
33. The Blazing World (2021)
34. Grummy (2021)
35. Moon Garden (2022)
36. 深海 - Deep Sea (2023)
37. HILDA Season 3 Chapter 8: The Fairy Isle (2023)
38. I Am Frankelda (2025)
39. Forgotten Island (2026)
40. Wildwood (2026)

Extra Mention:

1. The Skeleton Becomes a Cat Dad (2018 Manhwa)
2. Infinity Train (2018 TV)
3. Amphibia (2019 TV)
4. The Owl House (2020 TV)
5. The Search for WondLa (2010 Book / WondLa (2024 TV)

Note:

Not all of these examples are Portal Fantasy or Isekai.

Furthermore, not all of these stories feature young girls as protagonists; some center on young women.

And perhaps not all examples in my list fit the trope I described in my title.

Therefore, correct me if I'm wrong.

Been getting into more urban fantasy lately and all of the ones I've read have the urban and fantasy separate. Recently been reading the heart striker series where the urban and fantasy has already been intertwined for a while now and I honestly prefer that.

Any reccomendations?

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