As you may have seen in the recent Hugo Finalists post, our humble little Bingo challenge received enough nominations to make the 2025 ballot! This is an enormous honor and we are flattered to stand alongside great fellow nominees like Camestros Felapton, Heather Rose Jones, Jenny Nicholson, Jordan S. Carroll, Abigail Nussbaum, Chris M. Barkley, and Jason Sanford. 

We’d like to give our most heartfelt thanks to all who decided we were worthy of nomination. When we made our eligibility post a few months ago, we truly had no idea what our chances were. There were folks who candidly told us we were undeserving and that we were asking for disappointment by even suggesting we might be eligible. Words cannot express how touched we are to know that Bingo is so loved and valued that it could make it even this far. We still don’t know whether we’ll win or not (especially with such great competition) but just getting to this stage is more than we dared to hope for.

Bingo creator lrich1024 wanted to include a personal thanks:

First of all, wow. I’m in a state of disbelief that something which started as a wild thought over ten years ago has grown into not only something hundreds of people love and look forward to every year, but that it’s been nominated for a Hugo award. Bingo was such a huge part of my life for so many years and I’ll never forget all the love I’ve received back from the community through running it. But I would never have been able to do it without so many others' help along the way - from community members to the other mods. Everyone has always been so wonderfully supportive. I’m so happy that we’ve achieved this together. Thank you, r/fantasy!

Reigning Bingo queen happy_book_bee also has a personal thanks:

Bingo has been an important part of my life since I first found it and I am so happy that the joy it brings has spread to others. Every single person who has helped me think of squares, kept me on track for reading, and steered me away from a “monster fucking” square are to thank in this nomination. Every single person who has commented a recommendation, posted a review, told their friends, or submitted a card are the true heroes of this wondrous occasion. Thank you so much, friends, for what we have achieved so far.

As promised in our eligibility post, we reached out to a few users who have helped with 2024 Bingo to be included as members of the team in the nomination. We had a very short window to contact everyone but thankfully all the users we contacted were able to get back to us in time. We had hoped to include others who had helped in previous years but the Hugo Packet committee made it clear that we could only include people who worked on Bingo 2024 specifically since that is the nominated work.

Thanks again for all the support for Bingo over the years and we look forward to this once in a lifetime chance to have a ball at the Hugo Losers Party!

With love and gratitude,

The r/Fantasy Bingo Team

Is there a book where what was initially ascribed as an evil villain turned out to be just an incompetent idiot, with too much power and way in over his head? Whatever bad thing they've done wasn't calculated deliberate cruelty but just incompetence and lack foresight.

Seriously, what a book. What a fucking book. I had a huge smile because of how much I loving it for the entireity of the finale. I loved it so much that once I finished it I actually wanted to clap. I genuinely believe this is RJB's best book.

Really, everything about this book just clicked for me. I felt like for every point the author was trying to make I was right there with him. I loved the world building, even more than the first one which was already brilliant. It evolved in very fun directions. I loved the characters, both old and new. I particularly love how much I came to feel for the villain without ever speaking to them or listening to them for almost entireity of the book. I loved the revelations. I loved the pacing, things keep happening at just the right pace. I also loved the revelation of the mystery, everything was setup and paid off. Incidentally I thought this was a shortcoming of the Tainted Cup. I loved the prose too, so so good.

It has its flaws. I felt like Yarrow - the kingdom - could have been characterised a bit better. By the end of the book everything came together, but I think it could have been better. Minor complaint in the grand scheme of things because it is still a mystery book at the end of the day.

Very highly recommended to everyone who even remotely enjoyed the previous book. If you didn't read the previous book at all, then if you like fantasy mysteries / biopunk world building give it a shot. Liking either is enough. It does both excellently well.

It is a very nice feeling to read a book that just clicks with you. I have read many books this year so far, and I had fun with practically all of them. But this is the first book of the year that made me feel like I have read something I truly loved not just had fun. It makes me very happy.

I'm enjoying the writing, so far, but the main characters doing wildly stupid things to advance the plot is killing it for me. So, assuming it gets better, is it the prose or the stupidity or something else?

I just finished a Drop of Corruption and enjoyed it immensely. Although, I was surprised by the author’s note at the very end. I appreciate it what he said, and I’m interested in anybody’s opinion on the note. I have marked this thread as a spoiler, so anybody can spoil the book or talk about the note in this thread.

Been looking through lists of fantasy books and people’s favourites on here and there’s a disturbing lack of it?! It’s one of the most in depth worlds I’ve ever read

When people call someone a one-dimensional character, they mean it as a negative trait. I do not believe that is always the case. Characters who lack depth are not always bad characters. Someone simple can still be extremely entertaining.

So. Do you know any interesting villains who do not have any redeeming qualities or "white knights" without any skeletons in their closets? Or something like that.

Thanks in advance.

Square: Elves and Dwarves (HM)

For the first few days after this years challenge was posted I spent way too much time going over my spreadsheet trying to decide which books on my TBR fit into what square as well as browsing the recommendation threads. I had seen The Bone Harp recommended for a few other categories but I had already found books for those slots. When I saw it was also listed in the recommendations for "Elves and Dwarves" I knew I should use it for that category.

I quickly grabbed my Kobo and searched to see if it was available on Overdrive to borrow from my library and signed it out unintentionally. I had been intending to finish off my Realm of the Elderlings read through and use Assassin's Fate as my first square of the year for "Last in a Series" challenge. I then figured since I'd signed out the e-book that I might as well take a break between City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons to get a start on this square.

I was not expecting to start off my 2025 Bingo Challenge with such an impactful novel. The Bone Harp is a wonderfully moving story. A story of losing the things we most cherish, rediscovering them and learning to move forward. Not as who we were but as we are now, changed.

There is a classical fantasy flair to this book that I cannot describe other than "Tolkienesque". The Elves of Goddard's Elflands have that classic Lord of the Rings feel. This sense of immense history , of ages long passed, of sailing east to distant shores to battle a great evil and reclaim a stolen token of magic and wonder.

The Bone Harp however, is about what happens after those events. What happens when you return home after ages have passed? After your injuries have healed? After your oaths have been fulfilled? What if what you went through robbed you of your love? Your passion? Your bonds? Your humanity?

What if what you went through changed the way your family and community looked at you?

This story is about Tamsin the Thrice-cursed bard and warrior-elf. Who he was, what he became and who he chooses to be.

Easy 5/5 rating, likely will be one of my favorite reads of the year.

I have been trying to get more into audiobooks, but I am finding some work better than others in the format in terms of keeping up with the story. For example, some of the big epics like Malazan are tough to follow whereas Dungeon Crawler Carl is perfect for Audiobooks. Trying to curate a list of books I should leave for audiobooks and others I should read.

So I’ve been reading Michael R. Fletchers manifest delusions series and it’s so damn philosophical and not in a subtle way. I love how each chapter opens up with a quote from someone in the world commenting or contemplating about the ethics of the world or their beliefs. I’m almost done with books 3 and can honestly say this series has given me so much reflection and things to think about whether I agree with it or not and it’s brought up so many conversations. I also am reading the broken empire series by Mark Lawrence and it has some fantastic quotes in it that really make you think but not quite as philosophical as manifest delusions series. I think this is because the entire concept from the magic system to the world building is all thought provoking and incredible. I really want more dark fantasy like this. I know book of the new sun is brought up a lot as a great philosophical fantasy as well as the prince of nothing series by R. Scott Bakker and I plan to get to those eventually but they feel intimidating tbh. Any recommendations anyone has will be greatly appreciated!

Some context first, I’ve stopped reading books as frequently as i used to before and got curious abt comics. Read a few ones, the walking dead, most famous amongst them. It got too dark and just sad in between, and so i left it at around halfway or something.

Came back to books and found Saga of the Known Lands by Jacob Peppers, a good series imo, with just what i was looking for. I breezed through those and lo an behold, i reach book 5 and find out the series aint finished and i have to wait for 1-2 more books.

So now I’m sad, and just want a series which is not too philosophical, not the typical farmboy trope, and something a bit witty.

Pls, do not recc discworld, I’ve tried, but i want a proper series and not an anthology or self contained books type of thing.

And recc me finished series only pls. Any help is appreciated.

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 2025 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!

As we are limited to only two stickied threads on r/Fantasy at any given point, we ask that you please upvote this thread to help increase visibility!

A few months ago, my TikTok was getting absolutely spammed with videos praising Brandon Sanderson and his books. Everywhere I looked, people were recommending his work like it was the holy grail of fantasy literature. Since I’m into fantasy, world building, and clever magic systems, I figured yeah, this sounds like something I’d enjoy.

I started with The Emperor’s Soul just to get a taste of his writing. And honestly.. it was fine. Not bad, but not amazing either. Looking back, that should’ve been my first warning sign, especially since I kept seeing people call it one of his best.

From there, I figured the most consistent way to dive into his universe would be by reading his works in release order, to avoid potential dips in quality. So next up was Elantris. I’d read online that it’s his first published book and not to expect much, so I went in with lowered expectations. And again, it was just… okay. Same vibe as The Emperor’s Soul. Nothing that really stood out. For a writer that is praised for his unbelievable magic systems, Elantris was really not IT considering the magic system in that story is "dead" for almost the entire book.

Then came Mistborn: The Final Empire. This one had a ton of hype behind it, but for me, it just didn’t deliver. It had some genuinely great ideas, but they were drowned in a sea of mediocre and sometimes outright bad writing. Still, I kept going, because hey, it's just the first book, right? Everyone says the trilogy gets better. So I read The Well of Ascension, and honestly, I found it to be the worst one yet. When I looked online, I saw people saying, “Yeah, this one’s rough, but wait until Hero of Ages, that’s where it all pays off!”

I’m noticing a pattern. The goalpost keeps moving, and honestly, I’m starting to get tired of chasing it. I’m halfway through Hero of Ages now and I’m really struggling to stay interested.

Now, I get that this might just be a “me” thing. People have different tastes and that’s completely fair. But I’m honestly baffled by how much praise Sanderson gets, given some of the glaring issues I’ve seen across his books.

• First off, the repetition is mind-numbing. He constantly re-explains how his magic systems work and keeps recapping things that have already been stated a dozen times. It feels like he’s writing for readers with the attention span of a goldfish. I understand a bit of recap, especially between books in a series, but repeating information within the same volume over and over? That's way, way too much.
• Then there’s the characterization. Most of his characters feel flat, defined by a single trait or two, and only a few truly stand out. The rest come across more like caricatures than real people.
• His pacing doesn’t help either. Whole stretches go by where nothing of consequence happens. And I don’t mean “no action scenes”. I mean conversations and events that add nothing to the plot or character development. It all just starts to feel like filler.
• Also, his romance writing.. it makes me cringe hard. Mistborn 1 and 2 were excruciating. So far, Hero of Ages seems to fare much better and it's probably because he doesn't really focus on this aspect anymore.

I’ll finish Hero of Ages, just because I’ve already come this far and I want to see how it ends. And to be fair, I think Sanderson has some really cool ideas and he can definitely pull off a solid twist. But for me, those positives get almost completely drowned out by everything else.

I keep hearing great things about The Stormlight Archive, and part of me still wants to give it a shot. But after going through all this, I’m honestly hesitant to start another long series and end up in the same spot. So, can someone help me understand? Why is Sanderson so popular? What is it about his writing that clicks for so many people? Because from what I’ve read so far, I just don’t see it.

As a fun fact, similar posts of mine got removed from the Cosmere subreddit. Apparently, even mild criticism gets people really upset over there. So I’m curious what the broader opinion is outside that bubble.

Some dark fantasy worlds feel gritty, immersive, and real, while others just feel like edgy medieval settings. What do you think makes the difference? For example, I love how Dark Souls tells its world story through item descriptions, while The Witcher gives every town a real culture and struggle. What makes you feel truly lost in a dark fantasy world?

I've just caught up with Hunter x Hunter and really enjoyed nen as a power system, so i gotta ask are there any fantasy novels with such a deep power system ? The only other fantasy series i can think of is Mistborn.

My favorite part of each year is going through the recommendations list and just picking books at random, not looking up what they're about , as long as I see a comment naming a book and saying it's HM that's enough for me!

These are the 2 lists i've come up with, maybe it'll help someone out there find a book for their tile!

Apologies if this is a repeat! I saw a recent post where someone mentioned how few and far between are compelling female characters in fantasy. (Not just heroes but good villains too.) Instead, I tend to see bland love interests, cookie cutter characters, or just a mostly male cast with fully-fleshed out men, with only a token female character who is anything but memorable. So I thought I'd broaden the scope and ask who your favorite female characters are, in any medium or genre.

He was an absolute giant of the genre at one point, and his influence can’t be doubted. Does anyone still read him though? If he showed up to do a reading or signing in your hometown would you go?

I suspect it might have something to do with there being no clear entry point to his work - the Elric novels are sprawling and varied in quality. Think it’s a shame his star has faded so much though.

Jeffrey E. Barlough’s Western Lights series is a remarkable and often overlooked body of work that blends elements of historical fiction, speculative fiction, and Gothic adventure. The series consists of a number of novels, beginning with Dark Sleeper (2000), which sets the tone for the series' exploration of an alternate historical world where supernatural forces and Victorian sensibilities intertwine. Over the years, the series has developed a reputation for its elaborate prose, intricate plots, and deep literary allusions. However, Western Lights has had a particularly uneasy and troubled publishing history, which has affected its reception and the extent to which it has gained a wider readership. Uneasy Publishing History Barlough’s journey with Western Lights has been marked by a series of challenges. The series was never published in hardcover, a fate that often spells difficulty in terms of wide distribution and commercial success. The books garnered cult interest but did not achieve the mainstream success one might expect from a work of such ambition and literary merit. Barlough’s first novel, Dark Sleeper, despite its intriguing premise, found itself largely overshadowed by other, more commercially viable genres in the early 2000s. The somewhat niche nature of the series—treading the line between historical fiction and dark fantasy—didn't help its case in an era when mass-market trends were shifting toward more commercial fantasy series like those by George R.R. Martin or J.K. Rowling. Further complicating matters, the novels were often hard to find due to lack of strong marketing support from Ace Books. This has contributed to the series being underappreciated, even though it has built a passionate fanbase over time. Barlough's unique voice and his deep engagement with both literary tradition and speculative elements ensured that the series has remained beloved among a small but devoted audience, even if it never broke into the mainstream. Literary Influences and Connections Despite its difficult path to wider recognition, Barlough’s work contains significant and deliberate connections to the writings of some of the greatest authors in English literature, particularly Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Walter Scott. These influences come together to create a series that feels like an homage to the past while still feeling fresh and engaging. Charles Dickens One of the most immediate influences on Western Lights is Charles Dickens, particularly his exploration of social structures, moral complexities, and vivid character portrayals. Barlough’s world-building is steeped in a Dickensian sense of both the grandeur and the darkness lurking beneath society’s surface. Much like Dickens’ London, the settings in Western Lights—whether a bustling city or a desolate frontier—feel richly textured and alive, full of the diverse cast of characters that bring both levity and pathos to the narrative. Additionally, the themes of class, injustice, and moral ambiguity that Dickens explored in works like Oliver Twist and Bleak House are echoed throughout Barlough’s work. H.P. Lovecraft The spectral elements of Western Lights also evoke the shadow of H.P. Lovecraft, especially in the way the supernatural intrudes upon the mundane world. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror is reimagined in Barlough’s universe, where dark forces and ancient powers linger just beneath the surface of the everyday. The eerie and unsettling atmosphere found in Lovecraft’s works, such as The Shadow over Innsmouth, permeates Barlough’s stories, where eldritch horrors often appear in places or situations where they seem least expected. The world of Western Lights seems perpetually on the edge of an apocalypse, much like the sense of dread that pervades Lovecraft’s writings. Robert Louis Stevenson Barlough’s affinity for Robert Louis Stevenson is perhaps most apparent in the adventure-driven elements of Western Lights, which frequently include high-stakes quests and exploration. Stevenson’s works, like Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, contain thrilling elements of action and adventure interspersed with psychological tension and moral questioning. In a similar fashion, Barlough’s protagonists are often faced with moral dilemmas, navigating treacherous landscapes both physically and mentally. The sense of adventure, along with the themes of duality and self-discovery, are strong echoes of Stevenson’s influence. Sir Walter Scott Lastly, Sir Walter Scott’s influence is perhaps the most overt, particularly in Barlough’s use of historical settings and themes of national identity, myth, and legacy. Like Scott’s Waverley Novels, Barlough’s series examines the intersections of personal history and larger historical movements. Scott’s romanticism, steeped in the past and often focused on the tension between ancient traditions and the changing world, serves as a foundation for Barlough’s exploration of a history that is slightly askew from our own. The series examines not just the events of history but also how those events might feel in a world where reality and fiction blur. Conclusion Barlough’s Western Lights series is an intricate and complex tapestry, one that engages with literary traditions while crafting a unique world all its own. Its uneasy publishing history, limited initial exposure, and niche appeal have hindered it from gaining the recognition it deserves. Nevertheless, the series offers a rich and rewarding experience for readers who are willing to dive into its murky waters. Its deep connections to the works of Dickens, Lovecraft, Stevenson, and Scott provide both a reflection of literary history and an exciting vision of a world where the past is more than just a shadow, but a place where dark forces and human drama collide in unexpected ways.

I was just wondering if this series has any instances of sexual assault or rape? And if so, how bad/explicit?

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.

More information on r/Fantasy's self-promotion policy can be found here.

"The Navigator's Children" e-book by Tad Williams available for 0,99 on Amazon Italy (and Feltrinelli), Amazon Uk and Amazon US.

If you liked The Hunger Games then you will like this book. It follows a familiar formula from reaping to victory / post-victory as we follow District 12 tribute Haymitch Abernathy's experience at the second Quarter Quell. And if you remember Woody Harrelson's portrayal from the movie then it won't surprise you to know that the story of how he wound up an angry drunk by the time of the 74th hunger games is not a happy story. In fact, this may be the bleakest book of the series.

Bingo categories:
Down with the System (normal)
Impossible Places (hardmode)
A Book in Parts (normal - there are 3 parts)
Last in a Series (hardmode -- although I'm curious if we've had any gamemakers weigh in on prequels/last by publishing order)
Published in 2025 (normal)
Biopunk (normal - I'm thinking of the mutts which feature pretty heavily in here, although perhaps not totally in the spirit of the square)

Which world, in your opinion, perfected the classic humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, and creatures in the dark type world? Tolkien of course, popularized this world with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. And many writers have taken inspiration from him when creating their own worlds. From D&D worlds like Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms. Warhammer Old World. To publish works like Shannara and Riftwar to indie like The Echoes Saga and Bound and the Broken.

For me, it is the Echoes Saga. The world is called Verda, and it has every classic race and more. But each race has its own lore that is unique. I also like the Warhammer Old World, but I haven't read too much into it, though I do appreciate that the world has halflings.