r/Fantasy

I started rereading "The Darkness that comes before" by R. scott Bakker cause last time life forced me to put it down midway.

And I read the openings and remembered again. That dark and horrifying prologue + The introduction of Anasurimbor Kellhus and the dialogue and the manner Bakker introduces his world's elements, it just hit me that the author has a different level of intelligence and I knew that I'm going to enjoy reading every line of dialogue and rest.

The concepts seem the the same. Schools of magic, holy wars, and grimdark, but the way Bakker writes it just feels different and satisfying.

What about you? How did you feel when you read the book? And what book did you read and have the feeling that this author is operating on a different level?

I'm looking for middle‑grade fantasy reads for my daughter (she's interested in reading, as is getting int it.

My main challenge is that she likes books with a girl leads, and I don't know many.

Preferences: female protagonist, target age about 7–14, very light or no romance, minimal gore, and generally wholesome/adventurous tone. She liked Narnia (we've read the first two) and Harry Potter as bedtime stories and I'd like books she can read on her own. Any recommendations?

5/5 ⭐️

I thought I could do anything. And maybe I could have, but I tried to do everything, and that isn't the same.

I’m in absolute awe of this whole series but especially of this book. This is not your usual fantasy, it’s full of original ideas and very well thought out execution. It is as character driven as plot; one not compromised for the other. I want to write a proper review but I’m still shaking from that conclusion.

&gt;!for some reason, not the deaths. Not the Price. Not the breaking of relationships. But the destruction of that last library and Otah making up stories to read to his sick son because he didn’t have books anymore hit me the worst. It reminded me of the Library of Alexandria and I’m just sitting here in heartbreak over those books.!<

I really don’t know how to describe it in a way to give it justice but it’s one of the most underrated gem I’ve read and I would like more people to read it. Every single decision these characters make has a price to pay. Even the first chapter of the first book had consequences and pay offs here. This story doesn’t feel very fantasy, it doesn’t feel like happening in a far off place. These characters feel very very real, their motivations understandable, their fears valid.

Otah has grown so much from that first book but at his core he is true to himself. Maati’s story hurts me and at the same time I still understand why everything that has to happen, happens. Kiyan and Liat shine in this book (I really didn’t like Liat’s character in book 1), the children a reflection of their parents’ decisions. This book has one of the best antagonist (is he even an antagonist) I’ve read in a while. Balasar Gice does what he thinks is right and most of the time it IS right. He’s such a breath of fresh air. The one character I never thought I’d love as much as I did was Sinjas’. His and Balasar’s moments were some of my absolute favourite of this book.

"For her sake, sir, I'd betray the gods."

I would also like to appreciate just how beautifully and full Of details Daniel had chiseled this world. As someone living in a place with harsh winters, Machi was straight put of a fairytale. With it’s high towers rising above the clouds, it’s carnival filled streets, it’s maze of tunnels and underground city, the bathhouses, the river that freezes enough in winter that an entire army could pass through, it’s bird songs, mines and so much more. I felt like I was living there with all these characters and it was a lovely time.

After binging the first three books in 2 weeks, I think I’d now like to pause and give this book the breathing and contemplating space it deserves before starting the last one. But it really has been a great journey.

Bingo Squares:

vacation spot (definitely Machi), older protagonist, non human protagonist (the andats: stonemade-soft was definitely my favourite), muder mystery(book 2), political and court intrigue

I don't mean like story cliches like "the chosen one" I mean what do we constantly see fantasy heroes doing? For example: sneaking into the bad guys compound/camp/etc., knocking out a guard, then using his clothes as a disguise. Or being attacked by bandits when there's a tree across the road. What are other examples that you see all the time?

I didn’t know a ton about If Found Return to Hell coming into the first page, but I had assumed it would be a fairly standard horror story featuring a possession. Look at the cover! It’s actually a lot more like Penric's Demon, though a bit goofier: this book is a big marshmallow with a gooey center. It finds a better balance in tone than a lot of cozy fantasy does, however, which made me like it a lot more than one of the many Legends and Lattes clones. However, I was kind of hoping this would be a nice accompaniment to The Haunting of Hill House, which my partner forced me to watch (though I’m now largely a fan). The second book of this readathon to underdeliver horror yet provide great cozy vibes, which is odd considering this is only the fifth book I’ve read for the challenge.

Read If You Like: found family, late stage capitalism + magic, cozy fantasy that doesn’t overplay itself, developed platonic relationships

Avoid If You Dislike: second person narration, asshole parents, stories with relatively low stakes

Does it Bingo? Trans/Nonbinary Protagonist, Judge a Book by its Title, Small Press (HM), The afterlife, Book Club, Feast Your Eyes on This (eggs, dumplings), Author of Color

Comparable Media: House on the Cerulean Sea, Penric's Demon

https://preview.redd.it/2mv8gwzwvfbh1.jpg?width=1523&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1563196c221071bb4fcde772a6a41a69cc6e0236

To the other reviews in this readathon, see my announcement post.

Elevator Pitch:
Wen works for One Wizard, a megacorporation to solve all of your wizarding needs! Unfortunately, they mostly answer phones, listen to complaints, and transfer customers to other departments. When a young man calls in with a massive sigil on his wall and no memories of what happens, Wen gets clearance to investigate. Soon, they end up playing host to a man possessed by a Prince of Hell, and Wen doesn’t know what to do about that.

What Worked for Me
My favorite Superhero movie of all time is The Incredibles, and the glue that holds that story together (in my opinion), is Bob’s time in an insurance company. It’s tedious, repetitive, and draining for the soul. Liu perfectly captured that feeling in If Found, Return to Hell, because Wen’s time in the call center is delightfully shitty. Sometimes I think authors can overplay realistic scenarios transposed into a fantasy context (don’t get me started on how Teacher Professional Development sessions are to be written in fantasy books), but Liu gets it just right. There’s a sprinkle of absurdity with how stupid some of the callers are, the cloud of quotas hanging over your head, and the knowledge that you’re not actually making any change in the world. Wen is but a hamster on the wheel of corporate greed and mediocrity. I should note that this portion of the book has some fairly glaring plot holes for those whom this will bug: there’s some governmental licensing worldbuilding at the start that conveniently vanishes later in the story, and Wen gets away with far too much with far fewer repercussions than I’d expect from a high-turnover job like a call center.

As with The Incredibles, this mundanity is essential for the rest of the novel to work. Wen’s hatred of their job fits nicely with the fear Shine has as he calls in to help. This is an opportunity for Wen to actually do something. However, as the story shifts away from the office and into the home, that layer of frost thaws into something sweet and silly. Wang Ran is a bumbling and jumpy demon, fascinated with everything human. A highlight was him complaining about how inaccurately video games depict hell, and his comfort in hissing like a snake at animals. Liu does a great job of capturing the feeling of watching a shared body. There’s vocal bickering, the grabbing of one’s own hand to stop the vacuum cleaner from being turned on, and a friendly shadow war for control over the body that is all in good fun. Even when Liu didn’t tell me which character was driving Shine’s body, I could usually tell from their dialogue, which is a sign of high quality character writing. The story quickly develops into a Found Family storyline that feels earned and genuine. The developing platonic relationship between Wen and the others was treated with as much care as other novels treat romantic bonds, which isn’t something we see much. I don’t think this book is going to make ‘best characterization’ lists, but it’s a good step above most writers in the genre, which is probably why I think this book succeeded where so many cozy books fail.

Finally, I’m a fan of 2nd person narration. It used to be that I enjoyed it when used for a clear and innovative purpose - such as the narrative looping in How to Survive this Fairytale or Jemisin’s exploration of trauma in Broken Earth. This book has convinced me that I like 2nd person more generally, and I no longer will expect any justification for its use moving forward. Wen has a clear personality; they aren’t just a blank slate. The ‘you’ helped settle me into the call-center bits of the tale nicely. Wen is also given a gender-neutral name, and Shine/Wang Ran use female/male language for Wen respectively. I’m choosing to read this as Wen being nonbinary, but I don’t think this is explicitly confirmed in the text. If you hate 2nd person, ignore this book, because it could have been written in first or third person without much shifting thematically. For those who don’t mind the main character being ‘you’, however, this is worth picking up. Heartwarming but not drowning in sappiness.

What Didn’t Work for Me
I am a bit of a stickler for endings. I’m not the type of reader that thinks a bad ending ruins a story - except for Shoestring Theory; that was a train wreck - but I generally think it's easier to create interesting challenges than to resolve them. If Found Return to Hell’s climax was mediocre. It pulled together a few Bureaucracy and Sigil Analysis plotlines, but Liu had foreshadowed this ‘reveals’ so heavily that the climactic legalese monologue actually ended up feeling like a recap rather than a reveal. The compromise Wen had to make didn’t have any teeth to it. Actually, it seems like the ‘bad’ part of Wen’s bargain ends up being more of a positive. I think this all loops back to the novella’s identity as a cozy novel before all else, so perhaps I’m applying metrics to the story that aren’t fair considering its subgenre.

Final note, and I will acknowledge this is 100% a ‘me’ problem. I’m kind of burned out on asshole dads (parents in general, but dads in particular). I’ve read a lot of them recently. They’re prominent in queer fiction, Romances, and adventure stories, all of which I read a lot of. So when two-thirds of our main cast had asshole parents - Sine’s mom is really delightful and was one of the highlights of the book - I’m starting to feel it as a shorthand to create a sense of sympathy for our protagonist. To a certain extent, this extends to Shine and Wen not having siblings, and are ‘alone’ in the world. Wang Ran has many, but we don’t hear about them at all, which is strange because it feels like it might be pertinent to why he’s running away from Hell. Actually, we get very little about why he wants to hang out in the real world vs where he was raised, and that feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Conclusion: A sweet and enjoyable found family story, one of my favorite cozy stories from recent years

Novella Bingo Card:
I plan on having a novella-themed bingo card this year. However, I generally wont' be picking my books with this in mind. Instead, I'd like to read what I want to read and slot things in as they fit. I'll have 8 months to fill in the gaps. Here's where I stand so far

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I'm just dipping my toe back into reading. I was a big fantasy reader as a kid (Dragons of Pern, various Merlin stories, Tamora Pierce is what I remember as well as other YA) but haven't read much in adulthood.

I'm reading Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher and I'm enjoying the adult (30+ aged characters) and the romance, but I'd love something with a bit more plot in between romantic beats or even with more separation between the love interests. Like where the romance is the B plot.

I like books where the characters seem to have a full life outside of each other and we get to see that side, vs where we just get to see the bits that have to do with the main romance.

For this reason I'm thinking more fantasy​ books vs romantasy may be more what I'm looking for? But I'm open to suggestions! Not against smut or romance being a significant plot point. Prefer female main character, don't care about sexual orientation though.

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.

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Forgive me if this has been mentioned before, but I just noticed the following passage in Lackey's Eye Spy.

>"And what were you going to do to her?, Mags continued.

>"Grab her booby, give it a twist" said Dudley[...] "I grab boobies all the time, to show girls who's in charge of them[...] When you're rich, you can do anything, and they just let you." [p. 35 of my pbk.]

Does this not sound like a certain Access Hollywood audio tape? The speaker's name, Dudley Remp, is also somewhat redolent. He's the son of a slum landlord. The 2019 copyright date checks out.

https://preview.redd.it/l2cosnpoixbg1.png?width=3508&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb9f4a2807499edc796351cc28ec39b3aea4d7c2

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

Regrettably, I've been moved to write this post by bad writing rather than good. I decided today to give up on my attempt at Final Fantasy 7 remake (never played the original) because the writing in that game is, frankly, beyond bad. The target audience is clearly adolescent boys, and it tries so hard at that that I think I would have bounced off of it even had I found it when I actually was one.

Now obviously video game writing is very different from novel writing, and is designed to accomplish different things. In some guys the writing is very subtle or almost absent, like Souls-like that build atmosphere through visuals, music and some lore text on items. However, some of my absolute games of all time are these that gave me the kind of feel that the best SFF books do: as if I just shared an adventure with real people in a different world. They're full of solid dialog, they have deep and complex world building, and a meaningful story that has more conventional pacing, twists and plot threads for the various characters. Prime examples are Mass Effect (first two games especially), some of the Telltate series, Warcraft 3, Portal, Arkham City, and of course some others.

I'm really looking for a game that scratches that each: basically a novel in video game form that feels more visceral due to having played through it rather than just read it. Any recs?

That’s disappointing. I wonder what happened.

People here are always saying that certain authors are bad at writing romance, or that they just don't know how to write it.

That feels interesting since romantasy is so huge, and this sub seems pretty critical of a lot of the popular romantasy authors.

So if those fantasy authors aren't getting romance right, who is?

Which fantasy authors write the best romance, and what makes their romances work for you? Is it the chemistry, the dialogue, the emotional payoff, something else?

As a follow-up, which fantasy authors who write "open-door" romances or explicit sex scenes do you think also write great romances?

I'd love to hear some examples and what you think sets those romances apart from the rest.

Hi!
I’m really craving a MF fantasy story with:

Strong political intrigue / court politics / war / large external conflict

I want emotional depth where the political/war plot is heavy, and the characters gradually lean on each other, care for each other, and build emotional dependence over time as trust develops

MCs should be king and queen (preferably from different kingdoms). Crown princes and princesses are okay as well.

Forced alliance vibes: arranged marriage, political treaty, or being forced to work together

Romance that develops slowly over time after trust and friendship builds, not the main driving force at the start. Simple Attraction can exist early, but should not be overly emphasized or focused at the start.

I’m okay with enemies-to-lovers or “we don’t trust each other yet but aren’t enemies”

I like banter, but I don’t love characters who are overly sarcastic/snarky or rely on that as their main personality trait

I like sensitive, intelligent, strategic characters with fighting/warrior skill and female characters with agency, especially leads who aren’t overly dependent on the male lead

spice is okay, but only later when it actually makes sense for the characters (together/in-love)

Can include magic/powers

I am open to series or standalone books

What I don’t want:
Contemporary settings
insta love or lust
demons, underworld, or hell-related fantasy elements
Creature/shifter romance
Huge age gaps between MCs
Pregnancy trope
Overly possessive “alpha male” type leads
Heavy found-family focus
MCs having secret identities from each other (okay if it’s only for a short time in the beginning of the story)
Time travel

I’ve read books like Reign and Ruin and the Bridge Kingdom already, so looking for other novels besides those. I’ve seen the Queens Thief as well.

Thanks!

There are tons of fantasy works about "ordinary" people ending up in an extraordinary world, whether it's through some sort of summoning/reincarnation to that planet/dimension, discovering that world hidden in plain sight amongst ours, or having it brought to us to replace everything we know.

Examples of the reverse - of some individual or group with otherworldly powers or abilities getting brought to the "real" world - are much more scarce. Only one I'm aware of is the anime The Devil Is A Part-Timer, though I have no doubt there are others I just haven't seen or read yet. Suggestions in any medium or subgenre welcome.

Hi there,

I recently watched "a knight of the seven kingdoms" and it has become my favorite tv show ever. I have not watched game of thrones entirely or read ASOIAF but this show is something else. Basic plot but just done so well, about a good man doing good things and standing up for what is right.

Other examples I've read would be Lord of the Rings, Ave Xia Rem Y, Cradle, Wheel of Time (Rand, Mat and Perrin)

I don't mind any setting (urban, historical, mythical etc). I prefer a single protagonist. I'm also fine if it's a female protagonist though I'd prefer a male protagonist.

Thank you so much. Have a nice day/

I find that most of the time when someone talks about a book that made them cry, it's because of the death of a character. Are there any books that have made you cry for reasons unrelated to death?

Note: Haven't finished the story yet.

Question: Why did Lamora antagonize the mercenary mage when he was kidnapped by the grey king?

I really loved the book up until the story shifted when Lamora met the Grey King, and the shift wouldn't dampen my enjoyment if I could make sense of why Lamora deliberately antagonized the bondsmage.

After completing business for the con, he's magically overpowered and loses consciousness. He's aware that he's not in control and something's off. Then he comes to, and the Grey King is there with the bondsmage.

Lamora listened to and watched men tortured in a gruesome way because their story of having no memory of the previous night wasn't believable. He knows people have been murdered and there's a lot of unrest.

The book also takes time to show a flashback where Chains emphasized how impossibly stupid it would be to piss off or murder a bondsmage, because they're a nest of hornets that will erase every person you've ever cared about in addition to killing you.

One of the defining lessons of his life occurred when Chains explained that his arrogance and overestimation of his cleverness had killed more than just two unintentional victims. He had to wear the the death mark around his neck, pay an extravagant amount for every lost life, and swear loyalty at a very early age. When Chains explains how dangerous the Capa is, he takes the warning seriously.

He's learned to be cautious and show respect to the Capa. Chains taught him that he may never know what qualities will be an advantage or disadvantage, that he will be forced to navigate problems that could be entirely ill suited for his skills.

I can understand that being kidnapped would be irritating, and that having a total loss of control would be scary, but we know that current day Lamora is capable of enduring stress, and uncertainty while still playing a particular role. He had the shit beat out of him and then convincingly played the role of a midnighter. Pain, powerlessness, and unpredictability are all things he's had to juggle.

He knew to placate and please the Capa (I think he would have done that even without the daughter's warning); but then decided to be as confrontational as possible with the Grey King's bondsmage? He knows the grey king is directly responsible for the Capa's unhinged behavior and paranoia, and he's just learned the grey king has a bondsmage....why was he so impulsive and thoughtless?

I understand that he lost people because of the grey king, but trying to become an ally or a willing accomplice would have been better. At the very least, the bondsmage wouldn't actively hate him.

When he told the bondsmage and the bird to fuck off, I thought it was because he knew something, had leverage, or some kind of anti-magic countermeasure that would allow him to get away. But he was just being reckless.

The grey king was always going to fuck him over, but the bondsmage is a mercenary. If he had listened to the plan, he could have attempted to hire the bondsmage to protect him for 10 hours (cover the meeting and his safe return). He could have also asked for or hired a bondsmage of his own. There were over two days until the meeting, which seems like enough time? If the mages are all located far away, then maybe not.

And if the mages can mindjack people (he forces the woman in the tower to extend an invitation to the grey king AND to be happy about knowing him), why wouldn't the grey king mindjack the Capa?

The grey king knows Lamora is breaking the silent peace, so he's not actually obedient and loyal to the Capa, wouldn't recruiting him in earnest be more worthwhile?

I don't necessarily mind the con getting swept up and derailed by larger plans, It feels as though Lamora stopped thinking as soon as he met the grey king.

I don't believe he'd be so arrogant and careless about his own safety or the safety of his fellow bastards. They'd already won and made a lot of money from the con, and the bastards know how important it is to stick to their own lane (repeated comments about how small the gang is etc).

Derailing the con was okay, losing everyone except Lamora and Tannen really sucked and made everything leading up to that point feel like a bit of a time waste. I enjoyed the characters and the planning, then almost all the characters I enjoyed were removed in addition to the planning...but Lamora keeps going after people that have more power, resources, and allies. I dunno, Lamora as a character feels inconsistent for the sake of plot at certain times.

Hello all!

Recently got done with both Realm of the Elderlings as well as The Osten Ard books. These are now my 2 favorites ever.

I’m looking for a longer series to start that compares to those. So looking for the following elements primarily:

High quality prose

Complex characters

Rich layered history to the world that gets unraveled more as you go along

More melancholic tone

Not TOO crazy on the magic use (Sorry Sanderson/hard magic fans)

Grand/Epic scope

One that’s been recommended to me is The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts, but have heard that the prose in that series is actually maybe a bit TOO much.

Other favorite authors include Guy Gavriel Kay, Lois McMaster Bujold, and GRRM for reference.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!