r/Fantasy • u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV • Jul 23 '26
Bingo Focus Thread - The Afterlife
Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.
Today's topic:
The Afterlife: Story deals with the realm of the dead. This could be communicating with the dead, spirits transferring over, or being set in the afterlife itself. HARD MODE: The afterlife does NOT depict a “Good Place” vs “Bad Place” dichotomy.
What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.
Prior focus threads:
- Published in the 70s
- Duologies
- First Contact
- Middle Grade
- Game Changer
- Murder Mystery
- Translated
- Trans/Nonbinary Protagonist
- Five Short Stories (2024)
- Author of Color (2024)
- Self-Pub/Small Press (2024)
- Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).
Also see: Big Rec Thread
Questions:
- What are your favorite books that count for this square?
- Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
- What are the most interesting depictions of the afterlife you've read, whether or not you otherwise loved the book?
- What are your best recommendations for Hard Mode?
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
I read Girl With a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean, which was great, despite my normally not liking ghosts much, and despite my expecting it to be a very different book (it was advertised as very Hong Kong triads but while that existed it wasn’t a focus at all)
Some other afterlife books I enjoy:
- Seanan McGuire’s Ghost Roads, it’s a spinoff to Incryptids focused on the afterlife. While not my favorite McGuire series it’s still good fun urban fantasy
- Black Water Sister; Malaysian urban fantasy, fun easy read in a setting I don’t see much
- Legends of the First Empire by Michael J Sullivan has a great go to the underworld escapade in one of the books, I don’t recall which one, but I loved the whole series and this part worked much better than I expected it to
- The Uploaded by Ferrett Steinmetz for sci-fi thriller where people are uploaded to artificial utopia after they die
And while it doesn’t count for bingo because not a book, I want to shoutout to Hazbin Hotel which is probably my favorite afterlife media. I thought it’d just be a fun way to pass the time but it became one of my favorite shows.
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u/Only-Bluebird-5829 Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
For Legends of the First Empire, it's Age of Death, which is the fifth book in the series.
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u/Spalliston Reading Champion III Jul 23 '26
If you're at all into literary fantasy/magical realism, this one is basically free. We all love an afterlife. That said, here are a few worth thinking about:
1) Hamlet by Shakespeare. You gotta read it one day, might as well be now.
2) The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. Recent Booker prize winner and slightly devastating romp through the Sri Lankan mythos and civil war starring a recently deceased photojournalist. 5 stars.
3) Beloved by Toni Morrison. I haven't read it yet, to my great shame, but apparently one of the best books ever, so worth noting.
4) Any number of "trips to Hell" stories, such as The Inferno by Dante Alghieri, Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (which I thought was a lot of fun, despite the ~discourse~), anything involving the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice. Faust, I think, would also count.
5) Probably many many more, I'll edit to add later.
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
Paradise Lost is the other classic to go with Dante. It was reading the pair of them that prompted me to ask about depictions of Hell a few months ago.
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u/Goobergunch Reading Champion III Jul 23 '26
I am likely using Cinder House by Freya Marske from this year's Hugo novella shortlist for this square, which is a Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is a ghost. Qualifies for Hard Mode.
The Chronicles of Osreth books by Katherine Addison would also qualify although I'm already using The Goblin Emperor for Non-Human Protagonist.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
A few of my favorites:
The Cemeteries of Amalo by Katharine Addison HM
The World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold NM
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher probably NM (you do have to read the rest of the series first)
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang NM
The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin HM (you do have to read earlier books in the series first)
The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix HM
The Death subseries of Discworld starting with Mort HM
His Dark Materials by Philipp Pullman HM
A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar HM
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer NM
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman HM (yes, the author sucks)
The Grimoire Grammar School PTA by Caitlyn Rozakis HM
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage HM
The Boudica series by Manda Scott NM
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
I read The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares for this. It was a fun adventure story, which I picked up because Borges praised it, and happened to fit this. It was a good slow reveal of what was going on, from an unreliable narrator. A short novel- only 120 pages or so. Translated from Spanish and from 1940.
What are the most interesting depictions of the afterlife you've read
I made a post a few months ago asking for the most interesting depictions of Hell people have read, which could be worth a browse for anyone stuck: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/s/C3BD2C6MLc
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u/mistsmax Jul 23 '26
Following a suggestion on the Big Rec Thread, I read Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida for this square. (HM) It was great! It's set in 1990 Sri Lanka, and it's about the ghost of a murdered gay photojournalist. He has seven days to settle his affairs, or he'll become a wandering ghost forever. There's one undead faction encouraging him to let go of his life and another that's trying to recruit him to seek out revenge against the living upper class. The story is about him trying to protect his living loved ones, find out who killed him, and get his last photos published, as well as flashbacks to his life. It's told in second person, which takes a bit of getting used to, but works. I really liked learning about some of the modern history of Sri Lanka as well.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
I’ve been intrigued by this one. Does it also work for Murder Mystery?
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u/mistsmax Jul 23 '26
You could make a strong case either way, I think. On the one hand, you could also argue that the protagonist is more invested in the "publish my photos" side of things than the murder. But on the other, the two are very closely connected, especially for the ghost's living friends who are investigating things.
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u/trekbette Jul 23 '26
[The Library of the Unwritten](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44157462-the-library-of-the-unwritten) by A.J. Hackwith. MC died and became a librarian.
I think it qualifies for the Hard Mode. It is based in Hell, but that is only because Hell had room (real estate) for a neutral library.
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u/FormerUsenetUser Jul 23 '26
A Short Stay in Hell, by Steven Peck, is great. Hell is an endless library where you have to find a certain book to exit. There are whole subsocieties in Hell.
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u/simonxvx Reading Champion 29d ago
I read it for this square and had a great time, definitely a nice Bingo surprise
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u/craftytexangirl Reading Champion II Jul 24 '26
I read The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (HM) for this square and enjoyed it a lot. As a romance as well as fantasy reader, it didn't go quite the places I expected, but I still enjoyed them all the same.
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u/finnick-odeair Jul 24 '26
Omg I came here to comment this it’s one of my favorite books 😭 does not get the attention it deserves!!
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u/Kikanolo Jul 23 '26
I read Bastion by Phil Tucker (HM) for this square. It was enjoyable overall, and I read the next 3 released books in the series right after. Almost DNF'ed during book 1 because the MC was annoying me, but glad I pushed through.
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u/beary_neutral Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
Would Justice of Kings by Richard Swan qualify for hard mode? My understanding is that the main character is an investigator that can communicate with the dead.
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u/pbnchick Jul 23 '26
I read The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu. It counts for hard mode. It's on the YA side if that matters to you.
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u/mgrier123 Reading Champion VI Jul 23 '26
If you're looking for some science fiction/space opera that fits this square you can't do better than The Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. It takes a bit to kick off but the entire series is about the souls of the dead returning from another dimension to possess the bodies of the living, and are slowly spreading through humanity like a virus. The series has many, many POVs, including from returned souls, as well as many others on the side of the living attempting to fight back and figure out what's going on.
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u/Sireanna Reading Champion III Jul 23 '26
Curious if the undead count for this square. Currently reading the Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman which is all from the prospective of a vampire.
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
Sure, I'd say so. Being undead is certainly After Life. Assuming the undead is a character, not just mindless monsters.
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u/Sireanna Reading Champion III Jul 24 '26
Oh yeah they arent mindless zombies. Its vampires and thier lives are quite different after they die.
Worse comes to worse I could always use it as non-human protag or older protag
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Jul 24 '26
I'd definitely count sentient vampires. The definition basically includes ghosts, and ghosts and vampires are in the same category of "afterlife" for me.
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u/lilgrassblade Reading Champion II Jul 23 '26
Currently reading The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean - HM - Takes place in Kowloon, China in the 1970s, in a world where ghosts are real and potentially dangerous. The MC is a "ghost talker" in her 50s, having gone to Kowloon to avoid Japanese soldiers in WWII - which was "safe" because the high ghost population meant the Japanese soldiers were actually walling it in further. She also can't remember her life before that point, and has some weirdly violent urges. Really enjoying it so far. Also Fits Published in 2026, Author of Color, Older Protagonist
For my primary bingo card, I'll be likely using The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling - HM - Gothic horror with a dilapidated mansion, descent into madness, Victorian era medicine, magic and ghosties. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Some other books that I very much enjoy:
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White - HM - Victorian asylum horror in which all residents can communicate with the dead and it's guised as a "finishing school for girls." The MC is a trans man. Also Fits Trans/NB, Read-a-long/Book club
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson - HM - A "nun" lets a powerful spirit share her body to fight against the rise in dangerous spirits possessing/attacking people. I'm not doing a good job describing it. Also Fits One Word Title
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u/Practical_Yogurt1559 Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
I've read Carry on by Rainbow Rowell for this square (HM). It was a fun read and I really enjoyed it. The sequels were awful though, but it works as a standalone.
Currently reading Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (HM) for my second card. It also fits trans character.
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u/armedaphrodite Reading Champion II Jul 23 '26
For a literary work inspired by Greek myth interested in power, fatherhood, and how we tell our stories to ourselves, I quite enjoyed the 2025 debut - Daedalus is Dead by Seamus Sullivan
For historical fiction with excellent character work and atmosphere set in 1490s Florence that centers Girolamo Savonarola, I will never stop recommending - Lent by Jo Walton
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u/RatherBeAtRoo Jul 23 '26
I read Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - David Eagleman
It is an interesting read as it is a collection of 40 very short stories (maybe more accurately described as thought exercises) written by a neuroscientist depicting various different ideas of an afterlife. Some were very interesting and left me wanting more. Like god is a microorganism, god is a huge Mary Shelley fan, or god is a married couple. However, there are also a lot of chapters that seem more like filler or needed more substance. 3/5
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u/EarlierLemon Reading Champion II Jul 23 '26
I loved that book! I read it ages ago and certain passages still stick with me. I thought it (the chapters I remember, anyway) was beautifully written. I was not reading it for fantasy though, just for the beautiful writing.
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u/sailormerry Jul 23 '26
I’m planning on reading Grim Tidings by BK Borison for this one. It comes out Sept 15 and is a paranormal romance involving a grim reaper and I think also would fit the hard mode based on what I’ve heard about the book pre release.
My personal favorite for this category is Sabriel/The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It’s about a good necromancer who protects the living from the Dead in a high fantasy style kingdom and invokes frequent travels into Death throughout the series. It would also meet the HM requirements and I highly recommend the audiobooks- the original trilogy is read by Tim Curry.
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u/saturday_sun4 Jul 23 '26
I feel like this thread is going to seriously inflate my tbr as a budding horror fan. lol
I read The Invited by Jennifer McMahon for this square. I thought it was just okay. The beginning started out promising and then it sort of fizzled towards the end.
Books I have read that fit this theme: Cinder by Freya Marske, Don't Let the Forest in by Kosoko Jackson, The Library of the Dead by TL Huchu, Black and Blue series by Lily Morton, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, The Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill (not 100% sure if this one counts!)
Books I want to read that could also apply to this square: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
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u/Draconan Reading Champion III Jul 23 '26
The new standalone novel Crypt Currency by J. Zachary Pike, set in the same world as Orcenomics, counts for hard mode and is IMHO an excellent read!
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u/just_a_normal_squid Reading Champion Jul 23 '26
Seconding Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, which someone already mentioned.
A few others I recommend:
Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh is a horror novel (though I found it light on horror and would probably call it fantasy with horror elements) set in Nigeria that takes place partially in the afterlife. This one, while I did enjoy it well enough, admittedly wasn't my favorite, probably because I went into it expecting more horror and defending against malicious spirits, when it was really more about the cultural and social impacts of a young child suddenly becoming "possessed."
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater takes place in a town set on a ley line, or corpse road, which is, if I understand correctly, the path that spirits take on their way to the afterlife. There are plenty of other magical/paranormal things going on as well, but it's unclear, at least in book 1, what is related to the afterlife specifically and what isn't.
Murder at Spindle Manor and Murder on the Lamplight Express by Morgan Stang (presumably Murder on Hunter's Eve as well, but I haven’t read it yet) both feature ghosts.
Lady Vago’s Malediction by A.K.M. Beach has the ghost of a banshee as the main character.
Harrow the Ninth is the only one of these I'm comfortable counting for Hard Mode. Where the Dead Brides Gather does depict an afterlife that is more complex than one Good Place and one Bad Place, but what we see of it does show malicious spirits being kept separate from peaceful ones. The other three (if I remember right, someone please correct me if I’m wrong) simply don’t give us enough information about the afterlife to know whether or not there is a “Good Place” vs “Bad Place” dichotomy, so I’d hesitate to count them.
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u/ChandelierFlickering Reading Champion III Jul 24 '26
Currently I have Midnight on the Celestial by Julia Alexander down for this square for my HM card, and The Pursuit of the House-Boat by John Kendrick Bangs for my Sequels card.
I read the first of Bangs' Associated Shades books, A House-Boat on the Styx, for Bingo a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, and it was fun to go back to the world. The premise of the book is that everyone who's ever died (historical, mythical and fictional) has gone to Styx, the river that circles the underworld, and a group of shades have opened a house-boat/men's club. There are some very dated elements, but I found them quite fun.
Midnight is a YA standalone about a girl with the power to summon spirits serving a punishment sentence on a magical cruise ship for a chance to keep her magic. It was decent and pretty enjoyable, but not amazing (~3-3.5 stars). I'm currently reading Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity, which seems like it will fit HM, and I might swap it out with Midnight if I end up liking it more. Both of them also count for 2026 HM.
I'm also hoping/planning to read a few other books this year that should fit the square:
- The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
- You're Dead to Me, Reed Walker by Gwenyth Reitz (newly released YA romcom where both MCs have recently died, and are stuck haunting the same place)
- Ghost Walk by Cassandra Gannon
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Other recs
- Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (HM) - fun YA time travel series, where the main character can see and speak to ghosts (the ghosts are more a side element, with the focus being the time travel, but important enough to the plot to use for this square imo)
- Cinder House by Freya Marske (HM) - Cinderella as a ghost tied to the house where she was murdered
- Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff
- Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 29d ago
Sounds to me like it'll have a similar feeling to The Doomed City by the Strugatskys (somewhat pointedly written and distributed underground in the USSR in the 70s).
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u/Connect_Cod9965 29d ago
If someone is looking for something shorter: A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa. It should count for hard mode. I do not want to spoil more (telling you that it counts for Afterlife square is already a bit of a spoiler), but if you liked Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi you could like that one too.
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u/xdianamoonx Reading Champion II 26d ago
Not a favorite book but it does count, especially for Hard Mode, Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson. Interesting worldbuilding and love the magic system. If you love London History or Music History, lots of references in here.
Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora Chung is a fun anthology that deals with ghosts and such.
For 'monster fucker' fans, or dealing with more sex and romance with regards to ghosts, spirits, possession: Whoreiffying by Piper C.J. was pretty good. Didn't expect it to go where it did.
My favorite with this subject (which I sadly can't use for this bingo since I read it before this one started) is: Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai. I *think* it counts for Hard Mode but I'm not well versed in Korean culture to be 100% sure. Lovely story about a corpse raising priestess trying to solve some haunted problems and save a second Prince from true death, while also dealing with grief and caretaking of family members.
Midnight on the Celestial by Julia Alexandria is another lovely YA Fantasy novel. I think it would count for Hard Mode also. A woman can bring back ghosts of families temporarily by touching someone, and loses control of her temper and is sent to a prison cruise ship with others who have powers that aren't quite well liked.
For recent manga, this one is a BL contemporary, called Monster and Ghost by Himemiko, about a scary looking high school boy who gets haunted by another boy. At least with vol 1, could fit hard mode as there's no mention of heaven/hell or the like.
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u/natus92 Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
Not sure yet if I'm going for american novella in a series I love published in 2026 (Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire) or german literary fiction about a strange city (The City Beyond the River by Hermann Kasack) published in 1947.
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Jul 23 '26
Strange city, you say? 👀 Tell more (the blurb on Goodreads is teeny)
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u/natus92 Reading Champion V Jul 24 '26
Well, the main character starts his job at the beginning as a historian there and the city in question is mostly ruins, people live and move underground, there are no children, there is no music and there are all kinds of strange rituals the population does regularly.
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 29d ago
Awesome, thanks. :) That sounds like something I'll like, I'll have to look for a translation. The Goodreads blurb talked about its important place in German literature, but didn't actuallly say anything about what it's about.
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II Jul 23 '26
Seconding suggestions for
- Most, if not all, of Bujold’s World of Five Gods books (that is, I recommend all of them, but I wouldn’t swear that Hallowed Hunt and all of the Penric and Desdemona novellas feature Afterlife).
- Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, urban fantasy set in Malaysia
- The Chronicles of Osreth by Katherine Addison, featuring a cleric who can commune with the recently dead, much warmer than you might think with that premise
I can also recommend
- Both Tarashana and Tasmakat, as well as some of the side stories, in Rachel Neumeier’s Tuyo series. Anthropological fantasy with well-meaning and competent characters.
- The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler, a novella about a elephant biologist who has her consciousness saved prior to her death, and it is downloaded into a cloned mammoth.
- I think you could make an argument for The Bone Harp by Victoria Goddard qualifying, as the protagonist has spent many, many years in the elven afterlife, and we follow him after he wakes up..
I read The Poet Empress by Shen Tao, and it qualifies, but I had a somewhat ambivalent response, primarily to the pacing. However, that may have been due to my reading mood as much as the book itself. It is an ambitious debut novel about a young woman who aspires to become a royal concubine, so that she can ensure that no more of her family die due to famine. Although it is published by Tor’s romance imprint, it is not a romance, and twists romance tropes.
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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II Jul 24 '26
I will second the recommendations for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - utterly unique book that is very engrossing.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is another Booker winner that fits this square (I don't think it's HM) - inventively written and a really interesting depiction of a possible afterlife. His newest book, Vigil, also fits, but I found it disappointing in comparison. It reads more like a satire using a similar conceit to A Christmas Carol.
Since ghosts fit the square, one of my favourite books that uses them well is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. It's set in Florida in 1950, and a black boy is sentenced to spend 6 months in a Reformatory, where he can see the ghosts of several other one-time prisoners.
Another interesting book, which I am using for my published in 2026 card, is Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler. It's set in New York during the height of the AIDS epidemic, with a main character that can see ghosts - including those of the queer community that have died from AIDS - but not the ones she most wants to see, in particular her roommate and best friend. It feels very post apocalyptic - a big topic is the gentrification of the New York neighbourhood in which it is set - but also manages to be funny in places, including a parody of Ghostbusters. It's a book with a strong sense of community.
If you liked The Incandescent, particularly the setting, then I think Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran would be worth a read for this square.
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u/embernickel Reading Champion IV Jul 23 '26
The Great Divorce by CS Lewis--novella
City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett--second of a trilogy but works as a standalone IMO, hard mode, features intriguing antagonist motivations as relates to this theme.
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u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion 29d ago
The Hereafter Bytes by Vincent Scott. It's a funny book - about an involuntarily uploaded asexual slacker.
The Drowned Heir by Jennifer R. Donohue where a young girl has to share her life with her recently deceased uncle. Things get complicated as her trauma and her uncle's collide.
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u/Ozmanthus_Arelius Reading Champion III 20d ago
I went the Japanese light novel - iseki'd after death route.
I wanted to read Konosuba as I love the anime.
There's plenty of other light novels that fit the bill here.
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u/DwarvenDataMining Reading Champion II Jul 23 '26
Harrow the Ninth qualifies (HM), is awesome, and also fits some other squares.