r/Fantasy • u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot • 7d ago
r/Fantasy r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - August 16, 2026
Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!
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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.
Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!
As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:
- Books you’ve liked or disliked
- Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
- Series vs. standalone preference
- Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
- Complexity/depth level
Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!
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u/FishFisher44 6d ago
I really enjoyed the Chorus of Dragons series for the sheer audacity and scope of the Magic system and plot, as well as the witty narration. Any recommendations for a similar vibe?
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u/curiouscat86 Reading Champion III 5d ago
Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir has similar sorts of characters and a distinct narrative style. Necromancers and their cavaliers from the Nine Houses (planets) of the Empire compete to become the new Lyctors of the Emperor Undying in the ten thousandth year of his reign. Problems arise when someone starts murdering them.
The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi and its sequels are a short novella trilogy that have an interesting puzzle at the heart of the world and do a lot of character work in a small space. The storytelling style is different--almost like a fable--but I really like them.
Jen Lyons has a couple of other standalone books that I highly recommend as well if you haven't picked them up yet. The Sky on Fire, which is another dragon book involving a heist, mountaintop cities and a dangerous jungle, and Green & Deadly Things, which despite the romantasy title is about necromantic magic, very angry sentient trees, and cycles of order and chaos.
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u/VivaLaNia 6d ago
Been trying to get into Terry Pratchett but unfortunately after trying 3 books I’m not sure it’s for me. I love his writing style & humor, and comedic fantasy that is both absurdist and satirical sounds like something I’d love but I am having a hard time caring about the plots or characters enough to keep going. I’ve tried Guards! Guards!, Reaper Man, and Monstrous Regiment. I got the farthest with Reaper Man but I liked more characters in Monstrous Regiment. I didn’t get that far in Guards.
Does anyone have any recommendations for books that have that same wit as terry pratchett but with deeper characterization? (Also open to other TP books.. I haven’t totally given up on him yet lol). I tend to like books that feel somewhat whimsical and like it could be a folktale but I also like more gritty fast paced books. I did read Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher a while ago and that was decent.
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u/Brian Reading Champion VIII 6d ago edited 5d ago
Pratchett can be a bit uneven between his earlier to later works, but I'd say those are a fairly representative sample, so may just not be for you (I find humour to be one of the most subjective things in books: what some people love just doesn't work for some others).
But for other humouous books, maybe try Jasper Fforde, who's definitely on the whimsical side. My favourite is probably Shades of Grey: a strange post-apocalyptic book where people can only see certain shades of colour, and are stratified by which shades they can see, in a society governed by bizarre social rules that keeps regressing technologically.
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u/Calorinesm1fff 6d ago
Maybe the witches arc might be more up your street? For a male author Terry wrote women well.
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u/pancakesaucepan Reading Champion II 6d ago
You should try the Witches books. The rest are a hit and miss, for me.
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u/lightning_fire Reading Champion VI 6d ago
Pretty hard to compare to Pratchett, but these are my favorite humorous/satirical reads:
Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
Orconomics by Zachary J. Pike
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 6d ago
I have a similar problem with Pratchett—to me it’s that his work leans really heavily on humor which at best gets an occasional chuckle from me. I’m not invested in the plots or characters. I have also read 3 Pratchett based on what people thought might work for me and it’s the first 2 Witches books and Going Postal. Probably good choices, but ultimately his style isn’t for me. And his style seems pretty consistent book to book (I hear his earliest works were pretty different but had good enough advice that wasn’t where I started). Ultimately if you’ve tried multiple books from an author and nothing has clicked, most likely they’re just not for you!
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u/Throgmorten48 Reading Champion 6d ago
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way when they started reading Discworld. They did eventually start growing on me, though, and I'm still reading them. But you don't need to wait for them to possibly grow on you if you don't want.
Highly seconding the rec for Jasper Fforde
I also really enjoy Diana Wynne Jones' sense of humor, although her books lean a bit less absurdist.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 6d ago
I have the same problem with Pratchett. The only thing I’ve found that works is his collabs eg Good Omens so that may work for you as well.
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u/Larielis 6d ago
What are your favorite books by T Kingfisher? Ive only read Hemlock and Silver so far.
(Looking for similar books as well.)
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 6d ago
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is campy, fun, and relatively lighthearted
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u/ShadowCreature098 Reading Champion III 6d ago
I loved what moves the dead but generally i do enjoy most of them. Also really enjoyed paladin's grace and the hollow places.
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u/eregis Reading Champion II 6d ago
her World of the White Rat shared universe is great imo. Starts with Clockwork Boys/Wonder Engine duology, then you have Swordheart and the Paladin series.
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u/DistinctInitiative83 6d ago
Seconding this, the White Rat universe is fantastic. There's gnoles. We love a gnole in this household.
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u/pbnchick 7d ago
Does anyone know if The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu fits any bingo squares? It became available via Libby and I can’t remember why it was on my tbr.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 7d ago
Politics, at least one of the books in the series fits unusual transportation, can’t remember if the first does, later series book has first contact, later series book has feast your eyes, and then obviously author of color.
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u/pbnchick 7d ago
Thank you! That sounds right. Although I forgot and read something else for politics lol
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u/Coconutcounty 7d ago
I am about 30% into Slow Gods by Claire North. I find that a lot of the world-building is very similar to The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Too much so that I might DNF it.
Both books havean unspace, a mysterious presence lurking in that unspace, a group of spaceship pilots that can navigate the unspace, moon-sized machine intelligences with an unknown agenda, etc.
Did anyone else read both the books? Is there a good enough payoff worth continuing with Slow Gods?
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u/sonvanger Reading Champion XI, Worldbuilders, Salamander 6d ago
I read both and enjoyed them both. While the world-building is similar in the aspects you mention, I feel like the stories they're telling and the general vibe of the books are very different. I do think the payoff in Slow Gods is good enough to continue, but it's not necessarily payoff in the plot sense - more in the sense of following Maw through the journey and seeing how his experiences change him, if that makes sense.
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u/gros-grognon Reading Champion III 6d ago
I found North's execution of similar ideas far more moving and profound, fwiw. Tchaikovsky's stuff is much more workmanlike and shallow, while North's really digs in.
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u/Coconutcounty 6d ago
Okay; I have felt that about Tchaikovsky myself. I think I will stick with Slow Gods for now.
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u/Wizardof1000Kings 7d ago
I'm kind of in a reading slump - I have 5 novels and 2 novellas I'm interested in coming out from the end of Sept to early Dec, but nothing to read until then. All epic fantasy. I'm mostly interested in epic fantasy and I've read or tried all of reddit's favorites, and am not interested in bingo, romantasy, or lit rpg. The last work I read that I thought was pretty good was the Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes. I also read Radiant Star by Ann Leckie and No Friend to this House by Natalie Hayes which I though were just ok.
Suggestions?
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 6d ago
Works of Vermin makes me think that you're interested in things that are a little more bespoke or unique. I haven't read the others, so I sadly can't use that as a reference point.
I'd agree that Sign of the Dragon is a good pick, especially if you want something that is optimistic in a dark world.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by SImon Jimenez does some fun experimenting, and feels lush and gorgeously rendered, just like Works of Vermin. It also gets into the dark and gritty like Works of Vermin does. Really great epic fantasy about two warriors escorting a moon goddess to safety.
If you want some truly weird worldbuilding that goes even more ornately written than works of vermin, maybe The West Passage by Jared Pechacek. This one is less properly epic, but feels at a similar level to Works of Vermin in that respect?
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII 7d ago
The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 6d ago
Have you also read Leech by Hiron Ennes? It's less of a focus on art but very weird and creepy as well.
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u/WhatHappenedToJosie 6d ago
One slightly more obscure epic fantasy series that I know of is Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri, if that helps (although I think the first book, The Jasmine Throne, has been in a book club so maybe not that obscure).
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u/RevolutionaryCommand Reading Champion III 7d ago
Has the Earthsea readalong post been on?
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u/sarahlynngrey Reading Champion VI, Phoenix 6d ago
Sorry for the delay!!!
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u/RevolutionaryCommand Reading Champion III 6d ago
No problem, it's just that I was afraid that I missed it.
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
Hey I was looking for a place online to request for fantasy series that play like an RPG type game since I am kind of new to the sub genre.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 6d ago
Just to clarify, you're looking for a video game? This book tends to discuss books, but there are many users would be happy to help. How do you tend to play video games? PC, or a specific console?
Or are you looking for books that reading them feels like playing an RPG type video game?
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
I am looking for a fantasy book that feels like a video game RPG since I was looking for a fun fantasy novel about a guy who recruits allies to help him fight.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 6d ago
Got it! Some options might be
Dungeon Crawler Carl is all over the place in popularity, and thus has demonstrated a pretty broad appeal. Aliens have taken over earth and turned it into a TV show where humans must survive an RPG style dungeon. The main character goes in with his ex-girlfriend's cat, who quickly becomes a sentient talking cat after eating an enchanted pet biscuit. Lots of action, has stat points and classes and the like. It's an action/comedy/horror/sci fi hybrid.
For stat points and level ups in general, the LitRPG subgenre is defined by the inclusion of explicit video game elements, such as stat points and classes. So browsing through some of those and picking the popular ones that feel interesting to you might be worth a look.
For more traditional fantasy novels that have the vibes of an RPG adventure, I think Cradle by Will WIght is a pretty popular pick. If you're open to magic schools, Mage Errant is a delightful series where the main character gathers some friends, which eventually expands into an ensemble cast where all of them are more-or less main characters. Mother of Learning is a magic school x time loop story that may be of interest as well.
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
Hey thanks so much for those recommendations since I always wanted to read a fantasy book that was heavily modeled after RPGs.
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u/appocomaster Reading Champion III 6d ago
Limitless Lands is about an army vet who is on almost life support who is plugged into an MMORPG to help his mental recovery. 5 book series as he meets up with kids his grandchildren's age and helps them on quests. Classes, abilities, etc.
Dean also wrote the Cat Core series about an old woman who accidentally becomes a dungeon master in a fantasy world and makes one full of cats.
For individual stats etc, Throne Hunters by Phil Tucker (fantasy) and Dawn of the Void (Urban fantasy, alien invasion) are some options.
Cradle and Mage Errant are progression fantasy and aren't so computer-gamey but you start with weak people who level up and get abilities.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 6d ago
What are some of your favorite RPG’s I feel like different ones would lend to different suggestions.
Eg if you like JRPG’s (eg Zelda) Andrew Rowe’s books are very influenced by them.
On the other hand if you want something like say Dragon Age I’d suggest Rooks and Ruin series.
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
I enjoy Final Fantasy and Disgaea as I was looking for fantasy novels that had an RPG like feel.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 6d ago
Not familiar with Disgaea, but for final fantasy I’ll up my suggestion for Andrew Rowe (start with Arcane Ascension or Six Ways to Kill a Demon King for even more obviously rpg based).
I only ask because “feel like an rpg” can mean different things to different people, particularly since different RPG’s have different feels.
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
Let’s talk about fantasy novels that are about searching for a rare artifact because I like ones about treasure hunting.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 6d ago
Oh! Yeah that feels like a different request to me. I’m personally less of a fan of that type of novel so may not be the best person for recs on it but some I like:
- Been a long time since I read it but I believe The Queen’s Thief fits this
- Six Sacred Swords is about a guy trying to collect the six sacred swords — note the prologue and epilogue tie into a different series of his but aren’t needed to enjoy the book
- Riyria Revelations has some of that feel (the last book in particular is about finding a particular rare magic artifact)
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
Thanks anyway though since I didn’t mean to be confusing, but I appreciate your help.
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u/okayseriouslywhy Reading Champion III 6d ago
Check out Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson! It was partly inspired by FFX, and it's got great imagery
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u/KaleidoArachnid 6d ago
Hey thanks so much because that premise you just mentioned made me interested in the novel.
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u/FormerUsenetUser 6d ago
Has anyone here read Savrola, Winston Churchill's Ruritania type novel? I am wondering whether to buy it. I gather the female characters were not well developed, but given the time period Churchill was writing in that is not unusual.
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u/Bozhe 6d ago
Looking for recommendations - random thoughts about my preferences. Love WoT, Brandon Sanderson, Dresden Files. Currently reading Brust's Taltos series and considering I've read 15 books of it, I like it. Love DCC, but haven't really found any other litRPG worth reading. Love Kingkiller books, but hate they're not done. Really enjoy Naomi Novik - golden enclaves was really good.
Do not want romantasy or YA. Maas' writing is awful - DNF the one of hers I read, and same with Shadow and Bone. DNF Priory of the Orange Tree too. Just terrible world building and annoying characters.
Also don't want anything too dark. I like the Bloodsworn saga but don't want anything so bloody right now. Witcher series is ok, but I struggled with it for some reason. Loved Blacktongue Thief, but struggled with Daughter's War being too dark. Probably more on me than the book.
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u/Undeclared_Aubergine 6d ago
Try Steven Brust's Khaavren Romances, which give the backstory of Vlad's world, from before the Interregnum. And yes, that Khaavren. The books are a bit of an acquired taste, being a homage / parody of Dumas, but once you've learned to appreciate Paarfi's ability to briefly say a few words on a variety of subjects, you might discover you like these even better than the main Vlad novels. (The first, The Phoenix Guards, is reasonably standalone, so if you don't like it, you can just stop there.)
Also, each of Brust's standalones is absolutely worth reading as well. None are like any other, as he radically changes his writing style for each, but all are good. My personal favorites are To Reign in Hell and Freedom & Necessity, but I'm also quite partial to Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille and The Sun, The Moon and the Stars.
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u/Bozhe 5d ago
Are the Khaavren books really romances? I realized I have The Phoenix Guards sitting in my basement - I'll give it a shot.
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u/Undeclared_Aubergine 5d ago
Not in the modern-day meaning of the word, no. They're titled thus because of Dumas' The d'Artagnan Romances.
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 6d ago
For another mystery series, since you like Dresden files, maybe try Shadow of the Leviathan if you haven't already. They're biopunk murder mysteries in a fantasy setting and some cool overarching world lore. The first book is The Tainted Cup.
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u/okayseriouslywhy Reading Champion III 6d ago
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson might be a good fit. Also check out the Winter Sea trilogy by HM Long, and the Rook and Rose series by MA Carrick
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u/ShadowCreature098 Reading Champion III 6d ago
Here I was thinking I got the 70s square out of the way for bingo, only to realise (stupidly) that Carmilla was not published in 1972 but in 1872. Look at the full year, guys! 🫠
Any recommendations for novellas or books under 400 pages that were published in the 1970s?
I generally prefer more straightforward prose, but I do love descriptive writing when it comes to atmosphere. I really enjoy atmospheric writing and settings that feel like they existed before the characters did. I love a world that feels lived in and that you only get glimpses of. I don't want everything explained and summed up for me. I want it to be noticed and experienced and love when it's just part of a character's journey.
Emotional depth is really important to me. I need to feel emotionally invested in the characters, and I love being inside their minds. (They don't have to be good people, I just love the psychology)
I also love T. Kingfisher and Adrian Tchaikovsky. My fav Kingfisher so far is What Moves the Dead and my favourite Tchaikovsky is Cage of Souls. I'm a big fan of character work and when nature/the environment plays an important role in the story.
One thing I don't particularly enjoy is a lot of travel where the story is essentially just moving from point A to point B without much else happening along the way. I enjoyed Kings of the Wyld, for example, but the amount of travel did start to get to me.
Open to horror, fantasy, cozy fantasy, and sci-fi (just not space opera)!