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Finishing Andor makes me mad at the state of Star Wars
I hope this is not an abuse of the scope. I personally consider SW to be fantasy.
I finished Andor last night. The whole of season 2 I kept thinking that this is what all of Star Wars could have been, if not from the beginning, since the Disney take over. Well written adult stories with something to say, real world relevance, proper characters properly developed, villains that are more than cartoon characters, heroes of ambiguous character, regular action scenes that are more than just rule of cool.
I imagine what it would look like if Disney had treated the movies and shows with this much care and sophistication from day one. What the sequels could have been. What spinoffs we could have gotten over dross like Solo. I like the Mandalorian, but the rest of the IP is in a sorry state.
Turns out when people who care come at a project with ambition and ideas they can manage better than "Somehow Palpatine returned.".
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The Once and Future King original versions?
I want to start reading TH White's The Once and Future King, but I didn't realize that the versions of the first two books in the collection are different from when they were originally published as standalones. Has anyone read both versions? Should I read the originals or just crack open TOaFK and not worry about it? Also: I plan to read the Merlin book as well if that helps with a rec, since apparently The Sword and the Stone TOaFK version uses elements of that book. Thank you!
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r/Fantasy Monthly Book Discussion Thread - November 2025
Welcome to the monthly r/Fantasy book discussion thread! Hop on in and tell the sub all about the dent you made in your TBR pile this month.
Feel free to check out our Book Bingo Wiki for ideas about what to read next or to see what squares you have left to complete in this year's challenge.
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Just finished the Library at Mount Char and I have some questions
\- How did Carolyn predict everything ? Up to Steve dropping the magazine, and Erwin being able to find it and shoot David ? I thought she read a catalog which allowed here to see the future but it was never mentioned.
\- Speaking of the "future" catalog, there's one girl who could see the future. How come she didn't see what was coming for her and the other librarians ?
There are other questions but i think they're purposefully left unanswered and it doesn't hinder my comprehension of the story.
Loved the book btw !
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Can anyone recommend speculative/fantasy writers who are also poets?
I want to do some background reading for a writing project. Like I said, I'm looking for writers who are also poets, and I'd appreciate it if you could point to one of their prose works and one of their poems (or collection).
I'm looking for writers in the vein of Angela Carter, Hope Mirrlees, Tanith Lee, and Catherynne Valente. These individuals wrote both prose and poetry, and I love their ear for language. I have also read poetry by Tolkien (outside the Lord of the Rings) and most of George MacDonald's and Ursula Le Guin's bibliography—no need to recommend them. As for my taste in poetry I like TS Eliot, and I have a tender spot for the Romantic poets like Keats, Shelley, and Lord Byron—it'd be lovely if you know some prose works that evoke these individuals.
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What are your favorite sieges in fantasy and sci-fi?
Just got blown away by the siege of Alestron in Janny Wurts' Stormed Fortress, and it's triggered a craving in me for more well done sieges. What are your favs?
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If you read the Discworld Books Series, what was the book that introduced to the series?
Mine was Reaper Man, the concept of firing Death from his job is both absurd and fantastic
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Objects with ironic or understated names
I was re-reading Snow Crash and hit the part where a character uses a weapon called Reason, a portable railgun that fires depleted uranium and can destroy aircraft carriers.
That got me thinking about objects or weapons whose names are strangely understated, ironic, or don't fully convey how powerful they are.
The obvious examples are the Minds from lain M
Bank's Culture series, with names like Grey Area or my personal favorite:
"Mistake Not... My Current State Of Joshing Gentle Peevishness For The Awesome And Terrible Majesty Of The Towering Seas Of Ire That Are Themselves The Mere Milquetoast Shallows Fringing My Vast Oceans Of Wrath."
I'd love to hear more examples of objects, weapons, or entities where the name is a deliberate joke, a poetic understatement, or just weirdly at odds with how devastating or important the thing actually is.
Examples from books, movies, games, or even real life are welcome:)
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Fantasy with an invasion through a big portal
Looking for book recommendations here, I'll take all comers, high fantasy, dark fantasy, presumably other varieties
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(besides Suus) and more. Meanwhile I was actually pretty excited to go to Obiteum and Luceum, especially because we meet Caeror right at the end of WotM.
I ended up enjoying Obiteum and Luceum quite a lot, in fact I think even more than I enjoyed Res. Caeror in Obiteum was probably my favorite character in the whole book, and I enjoyed how dark and borderline horrifying Obiteum was compared to the other two realms. Meanwhile, I really liked how Luceum was a mix of classic epic fantasy and modern cozy fantasy with a soft found family trope. I also really enjoyed how Obiteum pulled a bit on Ancient Egyptian aesthetics while Luceum pulled on Celtic aesthetics.
One of the big criticisms I've seen is how the three storylines were cut together and paced, and I would agree that Islington did somewhat of a poor job at this. One thing I found particularly frustrating was that sometimes when we'd go into a dramatic moment, we'd cut away to one of the other worlds. Now this other world might also be having a dramatic moment, but by cutting between we ended up diluting the power and impact of both. One thing I am curious about is how the book would read on a reread if I did each world sequentially—for example, doing all the Res chapters, then all the Luceum chapters, then all the Obiteum chapters. I suspect it would be more enjoyable, even if it's a totally different experience from what Islington was going for. On a related note, I did find this book to be quite bloated; I feel like between a quarter and a third of the content could've been cut from each of the storylines without losing much.
I do think that my relationship to Vis was put in an interesting place in this book where I appreciated the level of craft Islington showed in making the three Vises distinct from one another as the stories went on, but I still did not actually find any of the three versions of him interesting by the end (maybe R-Vis slightly more than the others, but that's it). Part of this is because I think a lot of the distinctions made between the three versions of Vis are external, not internal; each has a different cast, a different aesthetic, a different progression in that specific society, etc. So by the end of SotF, I'd say that I appreciate Islington's writing chops, but Vis is still bland as hell.
Overall, I had a pretty good time with this book. I've been waffling on whether it's a 3 star like I gave The Will of the Many (because while I like it more, it's got more obvious flaws), or if it's a 4 star (because I like it more). I think for the moment I'm going to settle on 4 stars simply because I respect that Islington really went for it with this book and took risks that clearly are not paying off for many but worked quite a bit for me. I'm actually looking quite forward to reading book 3!
Obiteum > Luceum > Res
Goodreads
Bingo squares: arguably Down With the System, Impossible Places (hard mode), A Book in Parts, Published in 2025, Stranger in a Strange Land (arguably hard mode)
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Arthurian or Arthurian-esque books with a scribe (or similar) main character?
Hello! I'm looking for what I described above but I'll provide some additional information (preferences, not requirements).
I want a non male mc (so female, nonbinary, etc) but will accept one since I haven't been able to find anything like what I'm wanting 😭. It doesn't matter to me if it is standalone or a series as long as the series is completed and isn't longer than five books. The most important thing to me is the characters and characterization. I typically enjoy a more lighthearted, adventurous tone but I've liked dark too if it wasn't grimdark. I would prefer the writing not to be dense and there not to be a focus on mystery or horror.
Thank you!
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Where should I start: To Be Hero, To Be Heroine, or To Be Hero X?
I’ve been trying to understand the “To Be Hero” series and I’m still confused. There’s To Be Hero (2016), To Be Heroine (2018), and To Be Hero X (2025).
I don’t care about continuity. I just want to know which one is the best place to start and which one is worth watching first.
Here’s what I’ve understood so far just from Google searches.. I haven’t watched any trailers or clips (tell me if I'm wrong)
• To Be Hero is more comedy with some emotional depth.
• To Be Heroine is more fantasy, surreal, and dramatic.
• To Be Hero X is more modern, with a hero system based on public trust and stronger animation.
What I want to know from people who’ve watched them:
Which one should I watch first if I only want the best experience?
And
Does each season finish its own story, or do they end on cliffhangers???
Any guidance would help. Thanks.
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Bookclub: Let Sleeping Gods Lie by Ben Schenkman Final Discussion (RAB)
https://preview.redd.it/1clbqifr284g1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3e05d43db2940561b8dd0eb0f97a9c11e599164
In November, we'll be reading Let Sleeping Gods Lie by Ben Schenkman (u/cthobbit)
GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241872501-let-sleeping-gods-lie
Bingo Squares: Down With the System, Gods and Pantheons, Published in 2025, Small Press or Self Published (Hard mode), Recycle a Bingo Square (Myths and Retellings, Hard mode)
Length: 268 pages
SCHEDULE
Nov 06 - Q&A
Nov 16 - Midway Discussion
Nov 28 - Final Discussion
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are above the law and whose job is to humanely kill those they see fit, both as a curb to population growth and to remind people that their immortality is not guaranteed.
Like Bob, this had the potential to be more than it was. Unlike Bob, this one was quite good regardless. The first half, which focused on the philosophical and psychological difficulties and questions inherent in a Scythe’s work, was an easy 5/5. How should a person face death, or deliver it? What does it mean to be an ethical executioner? What’s a healthy psychological reaction to that sort of work? Somehow, despite a YA feel, the book put these important questions front and center in a mature, thoughtful way that was well-integrated into the plot. Unfortunately, the second half of the book drops to a 3/5 after the author places the protagonists in conflict with a straightforward, despicable evil. All those interesting shades of philosophical grey are sidelined in favor of a good versus evil narrative. It remains an engaging story, but it does lose something. Regardless, strong recommend.
Also works for: Author of Color (EM)
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9 more Bingo Reviews! Highlights: The Rook, Obsidian Path, Scythe
Hey all! I'm trying two cards this year, 1 all HM and 1 all EM – this is my next batch of EM reviews!
(1) Knights/Paladins (EM) – Death Masks, by Jim Butcher (Dresden #5) – 3.5/5
This is book 5 of the Dresden files, so if you’re new to the series you won’t be starting here. I think this book had ups and downs – I really liked the plotline with the Fallen and Nicodemus, which feels like something that’ll be important going forward. On the other hand, the whole thing with Ortega felt like a contrived, unnecessary add-in which distracted from the main event. I get that Dresden’s life isn’t story-worthy unless he has 6 different life-or-death problems at a time, but I would’ve been happy if this whole B-plot were cut.
(7) A Book in Parts (EM) – There is No Antimemetics Division, by QNTM – 4/5
This is a series of stories (at first loosely connected but increasingly unified in plot) about the Antimemetics Division, a quasi-governmental agency dedicated to fighting anti-memetic threats: thoughts that harm the thinker, hazards which can’t be remembered, etc. Most of these stories follow the head of the division, Marion Wheeler.
These started strong. The first handful are great horror stories, my favorite being Introductory Antimemetics. The later stories, however, felt increasingly hard to follow. Not shocking when the subject matter is unthinkable thoughts. That said, I read the original online version and my understanding is that the print-published version was rewritten and polished. The online version, though, is also full of links to the SCP archive (basically fictional case files on the paranormal), many of which are fun and flavorful and offer a whole new rabbit hole to get lost in.
Also works for: Epistolary (EM)
(8) Gods/Pantheons (EM) – An End to Sorrow, by Michael R. Fletcher – 4.5/5
This is the finale to the Obsidian Path trilogy, a character-focused story about the former Demon Emperor who lost much of his memory/self/soul when dethroned. He spends the series searching for and regaining literal pieces of it one by one, while struggling to avoid turning into the awful person he used to be. Be warned – this series is very dark.
This book (the conclusion specifically) hit me in the same way as No Country for Old Men. I threw it down, I rated it 2/5 stars, and wondered where the hell was the actual ending to the story. But that frustration grew into an appreciation for what (I assume) the author was doing and why. The plot is in some sense unfinished, and almost begs for more books set in this world. But the character arc concludes beautifully, and the act of cutting the story short with the climax of the protagonist’s psychological journey feels like a message to the reader: this was never about all the things happening in the world, the real story was always about who Khraen would become.
Also works for: Last in a Series (EM), Small Press or Self-Published (EM)
(12) Epistolary (EM) – The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley (Chequy #1) – 4.5/5
The protagonist finds herself standing with dead bodies all around and no memory of who she is, then has to bluff her way through her day job, which turns out to be a management position at a branch of british intelligence dedicated to paranormal threats. This book was really excellent, despite the fact that I don’t usually go in for spy thrillers. It reminded me of the video game Control, the way the author peppers the story with paranormal worldbuilding to hint at untold mysteries behind the scenes. As I read, I was actually getting frustrated with the fact that the author had created a fascinating world which could never be explored in a standalone novel – only to learn, after finishing the book, that this was actually book 1 of a series. Strong recommend.
(15) Small Press or Self-Published (EM) – Murder on the Lamplight Express, by Morgan Stang (Lamplight #2) – 4/5
This is the sequel to Murder at Spindle Manor, and follows a similar outline. We have a spooky
Let's judge books by their covers ; an actual discussion
I'm someone who is more prone to go at libraries physically instead of ordering stuff online — and my first interactions with books always start with the cover. The title, the picture, the editor, everything. And I must say, Fantasy has some notoriously shitty ones unless the book is from a big name like Tolkien, Pratchett, Moorcock, Howard or Martin.
Yeah sure, we don't judge books by their covers but my God — there is not a single editor that makes me wanna read their book. It's all just vaguely-fantasy related objects (swords, crowns, roses, eyes of a dragon) or backgrounds lifted directly from Artstation. Which I guess is no better than Thrillers and Romance which have mostly the same covers as well, but this cover gentrification is getting very bothersome.
Minute problems be minute. But if I ever manage to finish my books, I'm holding the editor hostage until we agree on an actually appealing cover.
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r/Fantasy Dealer's Room: Self-Promo Sunday - November 30, 2025
This weekly self-promotion thread is the place for content creators to compete for our attention in the spirit of reckless capitalism. Tell us about your book/webcomic/podcast/blog/etc.
The rules:
* Top comments should only be from authors/bloggers/whatever who want to tell us about what they are offering. This is their place.
* Discussion of/questions about the books get free rein as sub-comments.
* You're stiIl not allowed to use link shorteners and the AutoMod will remove any link shortened comments until the links are fixed.
* If you are not the actual author, but are posting on their behalf (e.g., 'My father self-pubIished this awesome book,'), this is the place for you as well.
* If you found something great you think needs more exposure but you have no connection to the creator, this is not the place for you. Feel free to make your own thread, since that sort of post is the bread-and-butter of [r/Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/).
More information on [r/Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/)'s self-promotion policy can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/rules#wiki_self-promotion_.26amp.3B_karma_farming).
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r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - November 30, 2025
https://preview.redd.it/dpxu3ckyo7af1.png?width=3508&format=png&auto=webp&s=bae1b3b9d4dcf3eeebcd94024f01089bcdddb669
**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.
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Book recommandations for modern Sword and Sorcery
I always had a feeling the genre sort of died by the 1970s with a short revival during the 80s with the Conan movie releasing — but have there been any S&S books released in more recent years?
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Can you recommend me an audiobook (standalone or series) that is neither Grimdark, Romantasy, nor Lit-RPG? Preference given to those which are not recommended often on this subreddit.
Looking for interesting new audiobooks to check out.
Ones that I've listened to and enjoyed include:
Cradle
The Blacktongue Thief
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire trilogy
The Magician
Ones that aren't for me
First Law trilogy
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Murderbot Series
Project Hail Mary
Other books I like yet didn't listen to the audiobook
Octavia E. Butler's Patternist series
A Memory Called Empire
Ender's Game
Dune (although I'm actually listening to the audiobook now)
Can you recommend me anything that fits these parameters? What are some of your faves? Thanks!
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Winter / Christmas Fantasy Books
Looking for some good fantasy books to read in December that give off a strong winter and Christmas vibe. In years past I’ve read A Christmas Carol, The Hogfather, Krampus: The Yule Lord, The Bear and the Nightingale (haven’t read the rest of the Winternight books though, do they hold up?)
Some books I’m looking at for this holiday season are the original Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Spinning Silver, The Dark Is Rising. Hoping for any other recommendations. Thinking snowy, winter, cozy fantasy or Christmas/winter themed folk and fairy tales.
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Book club rec needed
The boys and I are starting a book club in January (workshopping names but leaning towards “The Literary Lads”). Our typical genre is Fantasy/Sci fi.
Collectively the 4 of us have all read Red Rising, Stormlight Archive, Mistborn (both eras), Wheel of Time, Project Hail Mary, and DCC. 2 of us have also read Malazan, The 13th Paladin, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and all of the Riyria novels.
Looking for recommendations on the first book we should read. Standalone is preferred for the first book.
Thanks in advance! I love this sub.
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One Mike to Read Them All: Advance review of “Snake-Eater” by T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher’s (aka Ursula Vernon) latest book is set in Arizona, where the protagonist Selena, along with her dog Copper, have arrived in a poor, remote town after ditching her emotionally abusive boyfriend. Selena is looking for her aunt, whom she hasn’t spoken to in years, and finds out that she died about a year before. But it doesn’t take long for the people of the town to welcome her, and before Selena knows what’s what she’s ensconced in her aunt’s house despite her repeated protestations that she’s only staying a few days.
Selena’s something of a wreck; her self-confidence has been utterly destroyed by her ex’s constant undermining and negging of her, under a veneer of being kind and taking care of Selena. She’s trying to throw off her learned helplessness, but it’s hard; about the only thing she can really make herself be assertive about is the health and wellbeing of Copper.
She’s welcomed and fed (which is good, because she has no money), befriending especially her elderly neighbor Grandma Billy and the town priest Father Aguirre (who feels much better knowing there’s someone nearby to keep an eye on Grandma Billy). She is taught how to garden, how to avoid dehydration, how to watch out for scorpions, what plants to make sure Copper doesn’t get close to. Grandma Billy helps her plant the garden (“But I’m only staying a few days!” “Don’t worry, if - ahem I mean ‘when’ of course - you leave I’ll take care of the garden myself”), with lots of desert friendly plants like squash. And when Selena sees a strange green man in the garden, Grandma Billy calmly tells her that’s just a squash god, he’s harmless and good for the plants, and would probably appreciate an offer of cornmeal.
Things continue to get stranger, especially when it becomes clear that her late aunt had been in some way involved with a god of roadrunners, the titular Snake-Eater. Roadrunners (apparently, I’m not from the Southwest) resemble velociraptors more than the “Meep meep!” guy of Looney Toons fame. They will hunt anything smaller than them, are not afraid of people, and routinely kill and eat rattlesnakes. Given all that, it’s not surprising that Grandma Billy’s unconcern about the squash god does not extend to Snake-Eater.
In the story that follows, Selena’s fledgling self-confidence begins to grow at the same time as the Snake-Eater’s interest in her. It’s a wonderful story: cozy in the parts where Selena learns to value herself and trust that her new neighbors really do like and respect her, and creepy as all hell in the Snake-Eater’s interest in her.
And then there’s Copper. Copper is such a good girl. Ursula, if you read this, please give us a novella or something entirely from Copper’s point of view.
Bingo categories: Impossible Places; Gods and Pantheons; Published in 2025
My blog
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Just finished, Deeplight
Sooo somehow I have three different book series going on right now. So while I’m slowly working on finishing those, I needed some stand alone books. So I read Deeplight on a whim. And honestly? I’m glad I did. I went in expecting something mid to hold me over until I get back to my main reads, but this thing hooked me way harder than expected.
Deeplight felt different. It has this strange, heavy atmosphere where the ocean feels alive in more ways than one, almost like a character that’s been watching you the whole time. The entire setting has this eerie, sunken-god energy that reminded me of the video game Dredge, and I mean that as a compliment. That same vibe of “the sea is hiding something ancient and hungry” is all over this book. Not full horror, but definitely unsettling in a way that kept me turning pages at 2AM.
The characters were surprisingly solid too. Hark isn’t the usual loud, heroic YA lead. he’s scrappy, flawed, and way too good at lying for someone you end up rooting for. The whole friendship dynamic driving the story actually felt real, messy, and human. Plus, Frances Hardinge has this way of making everything feel textured and weird in the best way. Half the time I was reading like “okay what the hell is that thing and why do I want to know more?”
Overall, very enjoyable book. Not a masterpiece, not life-changing, but genuinely fresh and memorable. If you like mysterious island settings, creepy ocean lore, and that slow-burn dread that never fully explains itself… yeah, Deeplight is worth the time.
Btw, I’m open to suggestions on standalone books. Preferably ones with strange vibes, mystery, or a touch of horror. But I’m open to new things too. Hit me with your best reads.
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(Review) I like The Strength of the Few better than The Will of the Many
DISCLAIMER: This book is spoiler-free for The Strength of the Few, but will contain spoilers for The Will of the Many.
That's not to say that it's an objectively better book than the first, because I actually don't think it is. In fact, I probably agree with some of the criticisms I see of the book, but I actually appreciated that in this book, unlike the first, James Islington seemed interested in taking some risk.
Let me back up a bit. When I read The Will of the Many earlier this year, I was pretty underwhelmed and had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I found a lot of the worldbuilding cool and I appreciated how he layered his twists and reveals and properly foreshadowed everything. On the other hand, I rolled my eyes at the academy story, grew bored at how distant we were from the cool magic system, and found the characters frustratingly bland.
Vis was especially egregious to me—bro was a collection of tropes (secret royalty, down on his luck, underdog, etc.) with a tragic backstory who had maybe one compelling personal character moment in the entire book when he visits Suus and grapples with it being turned into just another Catenan province. The only characters I found interesting were all older, like Ulciscor, Lanistia, Relucia, Veridius, etc. (reinforcing my belief that older characters are more interesting than younger characters, even if younger characters are easier to write).
Moreover, while I did find the worldbuilding cool and the plot well constructed, it didn't blow me away like it seems to have done so for a lot of people. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on why, and I think it's this: twists, revelations, mysteries, and the like don't emotionally affect me unless they reveal character or explore theme. When a story has a piece of worldbuilding that is hinted at but missing from our current understanding, if the answer to that missing piece is just a different fantastical element, it won't automatically impress me unless it has a character or theme thing to go along with it, because to me, it's just a different fantasy trope hidden behind a few extra layers of obfuscation here. Most fantasy worldbuilding is stuff I've seen before remixed into different aesthetics and organizations; in The Will of the Many, the reveal that there are three different worlds, not just the one we're in, didn't blow me away like it seemed to have done so for some people because I was like, cool, I've seen that trope before, I wonder how Islington is gonna use it.
That's a lot of why The Will of the Many didn't impress me; I felt so much of it relied on me being wowed by the reveals about the secrets of the world, but those reveals didn't make Vis a more interesting person, nor did they reveal much thematic depth to me. However, the ending made me look forward to The Strength of the Few for one simple reason: it was clear that the sequel would be following three different iterations of Vis in the three worlds, and each would diverge from the others through unique circumstances.
Suddenly, there were promises there that really appealed to me: promises of craft, because Islington would have to pull off some tough writing chops to make the three characters sound similar at the beginning of the book, but different by the end; promises of theme, because how the three characters each evolve in different direction was sure to pull out some ideas of what things define each of them still as Vis and what makes each of them become a different man; and promises of stakes, because now Vis can die twice without the story ending or having to follow someone else.
And for me at least, The Strength of the Few actually pulled it off. I know a lot of people reading this book always wanted to get back to Res, but frankly the first book did not invest me much in Res at all. I ended the first book frustrated that we seemed to have hardly seen anything about Res, from learning how to wield the magic to some of the more complex politics to distant provinces
I need something that will destroy me.
Hi everyone, I'm new to this subreddit. I'd like some recommendations for books that have made you cry, rethink aspects of your life, and left you with an existential crisis. It sounds strange, but I need it.
https://redd.it/1p9lnwu
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HEA Book Club: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare final discussion
Welcome to the final discussion of Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare, our winner for the Time Travel theme! We will discuss the whole book, there will be spoilers ahead.
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> A multiverse novel about two women who fall in love despite living in worlds that are five months apart, as they try to find a timeline that doesn’t end in disaster, in this debut novel by Annie Mare.
> Tressa Fay Robeson has never been shy, which is how she’s made a name for herself as an in-demand hairstylist and social media star. So she can admit that spending her days at her hair salon and her nights with her tight-knit group of friends (and one grumpy cat) is not the kind of exciting life she’d hoped for.
> When a misdirected text from a stranger leads to a flirty exchange, she surprises herself by suggesting an impulsive meetup. But the woman, Meryl, never shows. Tressa Fay brushes it off—until Meryl’s sister and friend show up at the salon demanding to know what’s going on. Because, you see, there’s no way Meryl could have texted her. Meryl has been missing for a month.
> Tressa Fay and her tight-knit group of friends soon discover they aren’t dealing with a catfish, but a temporal paradox. As they come to terms with the idea of parallel universes, they realize how many times their paths have crossed like this before. But even as they understand the multiverse more and more, nothing keeps Meryl from vanishing.
> As it draws closer to the moment of Meryl’s disappearance, there’s only one question left: Have they done enough to change the outcome, or have they done so much that none of them will make it past that fateful day in September?
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In January we're reading Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz. The midway discussion is on Thursday, January 15.
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What is the HEA Book Club? Every odd month, we read a fantasy romance book and discuss! You can read about it in our reboot thread here.
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The Dragonbone Chair…Help
I’m about 430 pages through, which is amazing I haven’t DNFd this book, and I cannot figure out the appeal.
So far, we have spent some time in a castle and a king was killed with some succession crisis occurring. Then our main character, who is a child, spends the rest of the book complaining his way to a castle very far to the north.
This is a bit reductive, I get that. But WOW this book was so highly rated and it just is NOT fun for me to read.
I would say the worst issue is that 14-15 year olds are just horrendous main characters. And props to Tad Williams for depicting and actual adolescent who is whiny any annoying (Looking at you GRRM who has teenagers leading armies, rebellions, and winning duels against much better foes).
Maybe it’s because I’m 29 years old, and the teenager hero’s journey doesn’t really do it for me anymore. But Simon is just an insufferable little bastard. His inner monologue whenever dealing with Miriamele is just weird. I feel like a creep having to witness it.
I don’t think the world building has been that interesting at this point either. Someone help me understand the appeal of this one. I’m 3/4 done, but I’m not sure I’m going to continue with the rest of the series. This feels like it’s a series for 15-16 year olds, not grown adults.
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setting lit by gaslamps, horrors lurking just beyond the light, a murder mystery with a handful of colorful suspects and miscellaneous hidden motives for red herrings, and a classic Holmes-and-Watson pair of detectives. It’s good fun, it’s a page turner, the setting interacts meaningfully with the mystery rather than just adding window dressing, and the mystery is well-crafted enough that you could (but probably won’t) piece it all together before the reveal.
(16) Biopunk (EM) – We Are Legion (We Are Bob), by Dennis E. Taylor (Bobiverse #1) – 3/5
The premise of this book is that the protagonist Bob dies, gets cryo-frozen, and is woken up in the far future as disembodied cyberintelligence. I think this one starts strong, but the author chooses to take the plot in relatively uninteresting directions. It’s not that the book’s base concept is forgotten about (it definitely isn’t), but the focus of the book shifts to standard sci-fi fare like space battles and interstellar exploration. The author doesn’t explore the psychological reality of Bob’s experience in the way I would’ve wanted him to. It’s a fine, entertaining novel, but it had the potential to be something a lot more interesting and unique.
Also works for: Small Press or Self-Published (EM)
(18) LGBTQIA Protagonist (EM) – Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Locked Tomb #1) – 3.5/5
Gideon, an orphan child raised by the Ninth House (AKA, ninth planet in an interstellar empire of necromancers), wants to flee the Ninth and its heir Harrow, Gideon’s rival and childhood enemy. Things do not go according to plan.
I enjoyed this, but struggled with parts of it. The author hooks you with space empire fueled by necromancy, but this is barely developed and quickly sidelined in favor of something like a murder mystery. The author builds this gothic atmosphere and setting, which is genuinely cool, but then sets the reader to wander that setting for hundreds of pages without enough plot to animate the story (see what I did there?). I didn’t love the mystery itself, since the reader isn’t given enough information to put the pieces together ahead of the actual reveal. Gideon is an entertaining protagonist and sometimes genuinely funny, but she also talks like a modern high school student, which sometimes killed the immersion. Gideon and Harrow’s weird, fraught relationship ultimately carries the book, along with a great ending. I might continue onto book 2 on the strength of that alone.
Also works for: Knights and Paladins (HM), Book in Parts (HM)
(19) Five Short Stories (EM):
Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole, by Isabel J. Kim – 4.5/5
This story is a flash flood of dark hilarity and thought-provoking, incisive wittiness. You can agree or disagree with the author’s take on The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, but either way it’s great fun and very well-done.
Five Views of the Planet Tartarus, by Rachael K. Jones – 3/5
Neat, well-done, and as good a story as can be expected from 3 paragraphs … but you can only do so much with 3 paragraphs.
Three Faces of a Beheading, by Arkady Martine – 3/5
A mishmash of ideas, but the story ends before the author can make effective use of them.
Stitched to Skin Like Family Is, by Nghi Vo – 4.5/5
This story really worked for me; tightly written with a good concept and protagonist. Magical realism and a bit of horror as a young Chinese woman searches America for her brother during the Great Depression.
Marginalia, by Mary Robinette – 2.5/5
Meh? Classic fantasy fare in spite of the giant snails, never hooked me and fairly forgettable.
(21) Recycle a Bingo Square (EM)(2022: No Ifs, Ands, or Buts) – Scythe, by Neil Shusterman (Arc of a Scythe #1) – 4/5
Scythe is set a few hundred years in the future, after the development of ASI has resulted in a utopia, complete with medical technology that can reverse aging and heal nearly any injury. Life is perfect, however meaningless peoples’ day to day has become, and mankind is no longer mortal. The only exception is the Scythes, people who
r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - November 29, 2025
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**Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!**
Stickied/highlight slots are limited, so please remember to ~~like and subscribe~~ upvote this thread for visibility on the subreddit <3
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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.
Check out [r/Fantasy](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!
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[^(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.
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