▲ 13 r/Fantasy
Mini Bingo Reviews - 2026
I finished Book Bingo! (much earlier than in past years). I do mostly audiobooks and I've had some top tier listening experiences this year.
Here are my top listens of the year:
- The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman, read by Christopher Buehlman. Hands down, my #1 listen of the year so far. I got an early copy, but I think I'll listen to it again once it's out on Audible (which is in just a couple of days).
- Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker, read by Joe Ehre. A suprisingly engrossing & entertaining book. Started out not liking the MC at all! but I ended up loving him. I'm listening to it again now.
- A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, read by Andrew Fallaize. This series is one of my favorites and, for me, this one was the best one so far.
- The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan, read by Lawrence Neale. This was quirky and funny and charming and kind of wholesome despite the dungeon setting. The narration by Lawrence Neale was top tier.
Big surprises of the year: there were some books I wasn't sure I'd like, but ended up enjoying, and other books I thought I'd like, but didn't. These were the top surprises for me:
- The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup, read by Moira Quirk and Will Watt. I am not into romance or sex in fantasy, but I really enjoyed this one. It was predictable, but I loved the Shrek/Princess Bride mashup. And the narration was so good.
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I thought I'd love it (I loved the story idea), but it fell flat for me.
- Malice by John Gwynne, read by Damian Lynch. I thought I would love this book and I did enjoy it, but the horrible narration killed it for me, so I switched to reading it. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series.
Here are all the books for my completed bingo card (see image at the bottom of the post).
Row 1:
- Myths and Retellings (HM) (2023 square, as a sub for Trans and Non-binary): Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I did NOT listen to this one because I couldn't stand the narrator. It was just OK. Other Squares: One Word Title (HM), First Person POV (sub square from 2021)
- Judge a Book by Its Title: The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan, read by Lawrence Neale. I was surprised by just how good this DnD-inspired re-telling of Kipling's The Jungle Book was. The narration was excellent: it was a delightful listen. Other bingo Squares: Myths and retellings (2023 square), Published in 2026, Explorers and Rangers, Middle Grade, 1st Person POV (2021 square), Dragons! (2017 square)
- Translated: Ahren by Torsten Weitze, read by Gildart Jackson. Classic "chosen one" story, but still very enjoyable. I love Gildart Jackson's narration as always (he was great on the Alex Verus series). Other bingo squares: Explorers and Rangers (HM), One word title, Small Press or Indie,
- Small Press or Self-Published (HM): The Weaver's Loom by Jessi St. John. Enjoyable gaslamp fantasy murder mystery set in London in the 1890s where witches are "out" of the broom closet and their use of magic is restricted. It's a bit on the "cozy" side of things, but the magic system is cool and I would definitely try a sequel. Other bingo squares: Vacation spot (HM), the Afterlife (HM), Murder Mystery, Published in 2026 (HM).
- Unusual Transportation (HM): High Mage by Terry Mancour (Spellmonger #5), read by John Lee. Another excellent installment in the Spellmonger series. I love the narration by John Lee. Other bingo squares: Small press or self-published, Cat squasher, Politics and Intrigue.
Row 2:
- The Afterlife: Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker (HM), read by Joe Ehre. A surprisingly engrossing & entertaining book. Started out not liking the MC at all! but I ended up loving him. The narration is superb. Other bingo Squares: Unusual transportation (HM), Politics and Intrigue (HM), Murder Mystery (HM), and Published in 2026.
- Game Changer (HM): A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman, read by Jeff Hays. Spectacular narration by Jeff Hays as always, but having race after race after race wore thin for me. Other bingo squares: Unusual transportation (HM), Published in 2026, Cat squasher, Politics and Court Intrigue.
- Vacation Spot (HM): Pagans by James Alistair Henry. A great read for fans of British police procedurals. This murder mystery is set in an alternate version of modern day London where Europe was never converted to Christianity, the United Kingdom was never united, African & the Americas were never colonized. Sadly, it's not available in the US (I ordered a physical book from the UK). Other bingo squares: Murder Mystery, Politics & Court Intrigue, Small Press.
- Five Short Stories (HM): Tales from the Territory by Travis Baldree, read by Travis Baldree. This is a collection of stories set in the same world as Legends & Lattes. A very entertaining audiobook. I got an early review copy (it actually comes out in a few days). Other bingo squares: Published in 2026, Feast your Eyes, Non-human protagonist
- Older Protagonist: The Truth by Ryan Cahill. Going into it, I wasn't even sure I wanted to read it because it's a prequel to the main series that takes places mostly before the other sequel, The Fall. But, OMG. It was so good. I think Ryan's books just keep getting better & better. Other bingo squares: Politics and Court Intrigue, Published in 2026, Dragons (2017 square)
Row 3:
- Duology Part 1: Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher, read by Khristine Hvam. Very enjoyable & fun duology. I did listen to both (the 2nd book is The Wonder Engine). It's a very engaging & funny series with great characters with some light romance. Other Bingo squares: Small press
- Book Club Book (HM): The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, read by Daphne Kouma. I enjoyed this book a lot, but it wasn't my favorite. Other bingo squares: Cat squasher, Court Intrigue, Murder Mystery (HM), Game Changer.
- Published in 2026: Engines of Reason by Adrian Tchaikovsky, read by John Lee. A great sequel to Elder Race, this sci-fi/fantasy mashup is a great short read/listen. The narration by John Lee is great, as always. Other bingo squares: Politics and Court Intrigue.
- Explorers and Rangers (HM): The Infinite Extent by Dennis E. Taylor, read by Ray Porter. Another excellent installment in the Bobiverse series. Other Bingo squares: Published in 2026, Non-human protagonist.
- Duology Part 2 (HM): Out Law by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters. I enjoyed this (and thank the audiobook deities that Marsters narrated rather than Butcher). This is the sequel to The Law, which was narrated by Butcher (sorry, I did NOT enjoy his narration).
Row 4:
- One Word Title (HM): Malice by John Gwynne, read by Damian Lynch. I enjoyed the book, but hated the narration. I'm not sure which other bingo squares this would fit.
- Non-Human Protagonist (HM): Platform Decay by Martha Wells, read by Kevin R. Free. I freaking love Murderbot and this book did not disappoint. It's fast-paced and exciting. I liked it so much I listened to it twice in a row. Other bingo squares: Published in 2026, First Person POV (2021 square).
- Middle Grade (HM): The Hobbit by JRR Tokein, read by Rob Inglis. I actually switched between listening to the Andy Serkis & Rob Inglis versions. I ended up preferring the Inglis version because I felt like Serkis over-acted in scenes that didn't really need it. Other bingo squares: Dragons (2017 square)
- First Contact: The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton, read by Barrie Kreinik. Trippy book about a human who's entire job is making first contact with other aliens on behalf of Earth's alien overlords. The narration was excellent. Other Bingo Squares: Court Politics (HM)
- Murder Mystery: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, read by Andrew Fallaize. This series is one of my favorites and, for me, this one was the best one so far. Other bingo Squares: Published in 2026, First Person POV (2021 square)
Row 5:
- Cat Squasher (HM): Mark of the Fool 10 by JM Clarke, read by Travis Baldree. There were a few books along the way in this series that I thought about dropping it (a little too slow & slice-of-life-y at points), but I'm glad I stuck with it. I loved the strong found family vibe and I loved Alex, the MC. Also, it was a good final book for a series: it wrapped things up nicely (if maybe a little too neatly??) but was still very satisfying despite that. The narration by Travis was excellent as always. Other Bingo Squares: Author of Color.
- Feast Your Eyes on This: The Pumpkin Bridge by Fiona Buttercup, read by Will Watt and Moira Quirk. Pretty predictable, but it was still an enjoyable listen. I LOVED the Shrek/Princess Bridge mashup aspects of the story: I thought that part of it was well done. Great narration by Will Watt & Moira Quirk.
- Published in the 1970s: The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson, read by Eric Burgher. This was my re-read for book bingo. I'd read this book a LONG time ago so I thought I'd listen to it. It's a kid-friendly story with a man ensorceled into the body of a dragon, a damsel in distress, a talking wolf and a grumpy old wizard with digestive issues. It was fun! Other bingo squares: Middle Grade, Knights & Paladins (2025 square), Dragons (2017 square)
- Politics and Court Intrigue: The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman, read by Christopher Buehlman. I got an early listening copy through NetGalley and it's my #1 listen so far this year. I love Buehlman's humor, his prose, Kinch na Shannack and his narration. Other Bingo Squares: Published in 2026, First Person POV (substitute square from 2021).
- Author of Color: A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, read by Samara MacLaren. I got this one as an impulse buy (it was on sale!) because i liked her previous book. I'm not normally into romance books, but I think I've grown to enjoy a bit of romantasy as a palette cleanser between other heavier fantasy reads/listens. I liked it.
u/spike31875 — 3 days ago
