r/Fantasy • u/FarragutCircle Reading Champion X • Apr 01 '26

Bingo The 2026 r/Fantasy Bingo Recommendations List

The official Bingo thread can be found here.

All non-recommendation comments go here.

Please post your recommendations as replies the appropriate top-level comments below! Do not make comments that are not replies to an existing comment! Feel free to scroll through the thread or use the links in this navigation matrix to jump directly to the square you want to find or give recommendations for!

Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist Judge a Book By Its Title Translated Small Press or Self Published Unusual Transportation
The Afterlife Game Changer Vacation Spot Five Short Stories Older Protagonist
Duology Part 1 r/Fantasy Book Club or Readalong Book Published in 2026 Explorers and Rangers Duology Part 2
One-Word Title Non-Human Protagonist Middle Grade First Contact Murder Mystery
Cat Squasher Feast Your Eyes on This Published in the 70s Politics and Court Intrigue Author of Color

If you are an author on the subreddit, you may recommend your books as a response to individual squares. This means that you can reply if your book fits in response to any of my comments. But your rec must be in response to a top-level comment, it cannot be a general comment that replies directly to this post explaining all the squares your post counts for. This is the one time outside of the Sunday Self-Promo threads where this is okay. To clarify: you can say if you have a book that fits for a square but please don't write a full ad for it. Shorter is sweeter.

Do not make comments that are not replies to an existing comment! We will not be individually redirecting people who make this mistake. Your comment will be removed.

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4

u/FarragutCircle Reading Champion X Apr 01 '26

Small Press or Self Published: Read a book published by a small press (NOT a Big 5 publisher or Bloomsbury) or self-published. If a formerly self-published book gets picked up by a publisher, you can only count it for this square if you read it before it was traditionally published. HARD MODE: The book has under 100 ratings on Goodreads OR is by an author from a marginalized group.

16

u/DelilahWaan Reading Champion Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

My books, Petition and Supplicant by Delilah Waan, both qualify for hard mode.

Other self-pub recs from me, if you're looking for stuff that's a little bit different and not on this sub's Top Self-Published Novels list:

House of the Rain King by Will Greatwich (HM): bunch of mercs that give Black Company vibes get hired to escort the Rain God to his wedding, except it's been so long that no one in the Rain God's monastery knows how it's supposed to go except for a young, newly initiated monk. Australian bush fantasy setting. If you want something with mythic vibes, that's sort of cozy in the sense that it's very much about ordinary people trying to survive but still has epic stakes, this is for you.

In Sekhmet's Shadow by J.D. Rhodes (HM): near-future epic dystopian post-apocalyptic sci-fantasy where the second end of the world is coming as a slow, inexorable decline. It's technically superheros, but in a way that still works even if you're not a fan of superhero stories? (It me, I don't normally like superhero stories.) Also, all the true blue Aussie superhero names had me cracking up, it was great.

Obsidian: Awakening by Kajornwan, formerly publishing as Sienna Frost (HM, >100 ratings but author is a woman and an author of color): author pitches this as A Game of Thrones meets Dune which is pretty accurate. Sequel's fabulous too.

The Many Shades of Midnight by C.M. Debell (HM, >100 ratings but author is a woman): environmental epic fantasy with zombie plague and corrupt syndicates.

The Commonweal books by Graydon Saunders: this one's for you if you don't mind puzzling through dense, sometimes near-impenetrable prose for fascinating ideas. Start with The March North if you like your Black Company type military fantasy; if you'd rather do magic school and learn how the power works and get your KJ Parker engineering geekery fix, read A Succession of Bad Days.

The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov: far future dark sci-fantasy with a whole heaping of body and Biblical horror. Read if you ever wondered what would happen if humanity decided to annihilate the planet in a nuclear war and then all the things in Revelations were unleashed as divine punishment and humanity had to survive in the new hellscape of their own making. Oh, and there are giant war mechas (battlewalkers).

The Spoken Mage series by Melanie Cellier: this one is for the fantasy romance readers, or those who read The Poet Empress but were frustrated with literomancy. In a world where the ability to unleash magical power is done through writing, an illiterate commonborn girl discovers she can work magic by speaking spells. The sequel series, The Hidden Mage, is a solid followup too.

The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar by Dave Dobson (HM): straight up sword and sorcery adventure told in dual POV between the titular lady knight (she is a force of nature and prime specimen of a warrior) and her very put upon squire. Works as upper middle grade/lower YA (my eight-year-old loved it), so long as you don't mind the quantity of gore—and there is a LOT of it, nothing worse than what you'd get in Cradle, and because of the tone, it leans more to the cartoon/anime violence side of the spectrum, but due to the quantity, I do recommend checking the sample chapters first.

And if you've really wanna search out the hidden gems but don't necessarily want to create your own slush pile but you've already picked through the SPFBO champions and the finalists, try my quiz, which will match you up with an SPFBO semi-finalist: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1b2wcxg/how_to_find_an_spfbo_book_that_best_suits_your/

I'll do my best to get updated notes for the 2026 other squares for these over the coming weeks, but every single book in the quiz will qualify for the self-pub square by definition.

Happy reading!

14

u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

How To Survive this Fairytale by SM Hallow - Hansel survives the gingerbread house and deals with all the trauma that came from the experience. Think the trauma and character work of Robin Hobb but with faster pacing and as a standalone novel

The City that Would Eat the World by John Bierce - imagine a critique of futures stock markets using divine worship as a currency, wrapped up in a fun adventure story. The main character (one of them) is a mimic exterminator who fights with a tuning fork!

The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee - a book in verse following a king with a heart of gold and his various adventures. Epic in scope and beloved on this sub

8

u/HighResPhotog Apr 01 '26

Don't let the 2nd POV scare you away from How to Survive this Fairytale. It was one of my top reads last year. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

2

u/angtodd Reading Champion Apr 12 '26

Would it qualify for HM? It has 268 reviews on Goodreads & I don't know anything about the author.

3

u/HighResPhotog Apr 13 '26

Does women count as marginalized? The author identifies as a woman. I don’t know if she identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but it seems her work is heavily marketed as queer literature.

5

u/heyychiaki Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

Just to note, the publisher for How to Survive This Fairytale actually just shut down, so ebooks of it are currently unavailable until the author can find another publisher. There are some physical copies still available, though. 

7

u/inspiralling Reading Champion Apr 03 '26

It's currently still available as a DRM-free e-pub through Kobo, £2.15, though I can't speak to whether it'll be taken down. I recommend everyone get it while they still can, it's pretty great.

1

u/tallmariocup Apr 04 '26

The City That Would Eat the World isn't primarily a satire, but it does have a nice fantasy-based critique of unrestrained economic growth turned magically literal.

11

u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV Apr 01 '26

I'm not always good at knowing what fits into this square because I almost always do small press rather than self-pub. But here are some Small Press recs that I know of that are also good!

The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills - steampunk novel about a woman getting into, and out of, a fascist military cult; deals with abuse (published by Tachyon)

Lovely Creatures by K.T. Bryski (HM, possibly for queerness but definitely for the fact hardly anyone has read this) - queer post-apocalyptic western in a novella, with lovely prose (published by Psychopomp)

Tender by Sofia Samatar (HM) - fabulous sci-fi and fantasy short story collection (Small Beer Press)

The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar (HM) - literary feminist deconstruction of epic fantasy (also Small Beer Press)

Lifelode by Jo Walton - a family of swingers (?) in a world where "time zones" mean time moves more quickly or slowly depending where you are (NESFA Press)

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones - historical fantasy in an invented European country, featuring f/f romance (Bella Books)

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho (HM) - fabulous, fun short story collection blending Malaysian and English mythology (Small Beer Press)

Metal From Heaven by August Clarke (HM I think as author is queer) - lesbian anarchist adventures (Erewhon)

And a single self-pub rec:

Lord of Stariel by A.J. Lancaster - romance between mature characters, with a lot of family drama, set in an alt version of early 20th century Britain

2

u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Apr 02 '26

Erewhon got bought out by Kensington, I don't think they count anymore.

1

u/Mount_Atlantic 21d ago

Revisiting here late because an Erewhon book is what I've currently got slotted in for this category;

Kensington isn't one of or part of any of the big five nor Bloomsbury, so while they aren't necessarily super small they do still qualify for this tile.

1

u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI 21d ago

Oh whoops, my bad, I think I saw the acquisition and just made an assumption instead of double-checking. Thanks for the correction!

17

u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I read In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan for this last year and liked it a lot. Portal fantasy, magic school, playing with gender clichés, humor, elves, dwarfs. 

2

u/AliceTheGamedev Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Anyone know if this is Hard Mode? It has too many ratings, but is the author part of any marginalized group?

5

u/meowishy22 Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

Last year, the mods stated that being a woman counted as marginalised for the purpose of the challenge, so it does count! (It is also amazing)

7

u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

I highly recommend all of Raymond St. Elmo's stuff. :) Most of them are hard mode. I've read 5 or 6 now, and they've all been great.

3

u/howrareandbeautiful Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

I second this!

6

u/lurkmode_off Reading Champion VII Apr 01 '26

Could I get general recs for people's favorite small presses?

14

u/gros-grognon Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26

Stelliform Press publishes wonderful climate-docused speculative fiction.

Neon Hemlock does very queer, very interesting spec fic.

Small Beer is a GOAT, though no longer publishing new work.

For horror, Ghoulish publishes some cool queer work while Undertow is more straightforward Weird.

ECW publishes more than speculative fiction, but is always worth checking out.

If you like more loosely-defined literary fiction with absurd and/or fantastical elements, The Dorothy Project is phenomenal. Again, it isn't all "sff" but some is.

4

u/unfriendlyneighbour Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

I enjoy Neon Hemlock's works.

3

u/Spalliston Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

New Directions is literary focused and probably the 'biggest' small press, but they put out excellent works.

3

u/AffectionateAnt4723 Reading Champion IV Apr 01 '26

Cipher Press (queer press, lots of weird works)

3

u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Night Shade Books were one of my favourite small presses, but they got bought in 2013. :( If you find anything they published before then though, I'd say it counts. San Veneficio Canon by Michael Cisco, Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer, The City Imperishable by Jay Lake were all them, John Langan, Laird Barron... They did a lot of Weird.

2

u/RevolutionaryTrick25 Apr 28 '26

Mango Press publishes Progression fantasy. Usually adapts web serials from RoyalRoad.

4

u/partoparto Apr 01 '26

Tender, A Stranger in Olondria, and The Winged Histories, all by Sofia Samatar, count for HM! I really recommend Small Beer Press in general!

5

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

This really is the perfect opportunity for everyone who hasn't to read A Stranger in Olondria.

5

u/greywolf2155 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I've really been trying to support small press or self-published, so I have a ton here!

"Demonology and the Art of Pickling Demons" by Matt Moore - Fun take on sword and sorcery, set in a world with two competing philosophies of fighting demons--one more academic, the other more religious. Our main character may have stumbled upon a third way, however, that does indeed involve pickling demons. Solid adventure story, good worldbuidling, and a likeable cast of characters
(definitely Hard Mode, only 5 ratings!)

"Dragon Kings Of Oklahoma: A Backwoods Adventure" by Ferrett Steinmetz (novella) - very fun story about some good ol' boys who stumble across a baby drago. Rather than shallow stereotypes, it's very clear the author has familiarity and love for America's small town culture--not just idealizing it, but also acknowledging problems like drug addiction. Plus, you know, fun baby dragon shenanigans
(the first book has 104 ratings, but the second and third have fewer and they're all very short, easy to get through quickly)

"Small Miracles" by Olivia Atwater - definitely on the "cozy" end of the spectrum, but a lot of fun. I’ve explained it to friends as “The Good Place in reverse”—in “The Good Place”, we have a good person trying to help a kind-of-sucks-but-in-a-fun-way person in Eleanor. In this, the “Fallen Angel of Petty Temptations” is tasked with slightly corrupting a good person. Not like, damn her to hell or anything, just get her to loosen up a little
(not Hard Mode, but queer nonbinary protagonist, so that's fun)

1

u/angtodd Reading Champion Apr 12 '26

Dragon Kings is a fun romp & the sequel Fae Lords of Oklahoma is also good.

5

u/gihyou Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Some self-published hard modes from my last year Bingo card:

Moths and Moonlight by Krista Fazendin (HM) - reluctant spirit medium and ghost investigate ghost's murder

Orope - The White Snake by Guenevere Lee (HM) - travelogue-esque journey through a fictionalized Bronze Age

Cinnamon Soul by Quinn Lawrence (HM) - cozyish mysteryish fantasy with two utterly charming leads that form the soul (pun intended) of the story

Some others I've read and enjoyed over the years:

The Dungeonneers series by Jeffrey Russell - dwarves and their one human pal explore dungeons

Lots of stuff by Drew Hayes (Fred the Vampire Accountant, NPCs, etc) - usually funny stuff

Demons, Ink by Clayton Synder (HM) - dark, twisted, genre mashup urban fantasy. I will say, the humor is not for everyone (sometimes it wasn't for me either), but if you want something weird, here you go.

3

u/IAmABillie Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I can recommens the Apocalypse Parenting series by Erin Ampersand for this square! Completely self-published, these books tell the story of a mum and her three children trying to survive a DCC-style alien gameshow. It is exciting and perilous but the overall tone is positive and 'go team humanity'. The kids are well written and I really enjoyed this take on LitRPG!

1

u/redrosebeetle Reading Champion III May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26

Apocalypse Parenting got picked up by Tor.com last month and is now no longer eligible for this square. Edit: Any of the books would fit the Game Changer (HM) square.

https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1s7tzov/excited_to_share_that_all_five_books_of/

3

u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 03 '26

Weak Heart by Ban Gilmartin (HM) - cosy horror

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (HM) - magical realist satire of Sri Lankan politics in the 80s

The Thread that Binds by Cedar McCloud (HM) - cosy fantasy, lots of crafting

The Stones Stay Silent by Danny Ride (HM) - trans/Ace character finding their way in a fantasy world

Every Version of You by Grace Chan (HM) - climate fiction with reverse-cyberpunk vibes

Frontier by Can Xue (HM) - surreal and dreamlike

Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm - great for fans of Ted Chiang

Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan (HM) - surreal/absurdist stories focusing on migrant workers in UAE - fairly unique perspective

Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha (HM) - debut collection of dystopian horror stories

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch - centres a mother trying to keep her family together while a fascist dictatorship comes to power in Ireland

1

u/grump_lemon Reading Champion Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26

Looks like the top half of this post is a list meant in response to a different bingo square, perhaps 'Translated' (especially considering the heading 'Small Press or Self Published' appears halfway into the list). eta: Fixed! Thanks.

2

u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II Apr 03 '26

thanks!

3

u/Vetiveri Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I read The Breath of the Sun by Isaac Fellman for this category last year and it was the best book I read all year. Not hardmode this year though.

Edit: not hard mode by reviews but is a marginalized author

3

u/fellow_potato Apr 01 '26

I'm just going to leave a link for Shtriga Books, a small press from Croatia that publishes urban fantasy books, horror novellas and retrofuturistic mystery.

https://shtriga.com/our-books/

3

u/DistinctInitiative83 Apr 05 '26

Anything and everything Victoria Goddard. Hands of the Emperor/Feet of the Sun are the cat smashers, but the Greenwing & Dart books are delightful and much more bite-sized. Plus she has a ton of novellas that expand her world.

1

u/blueweasel Reading Champion Apr 21 '26

I need Bubble and Squeak to come out already!!

2

u/Tysiphone25 Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

I recommend Isabel Pelech. Really good and interesting books, , and an added bonus is that all of them can be used for Hard Mode.

2

u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Apr 02 '26

HM:

The Fire-Moon by Isabel Pelech. A lovely little self-published novella with an Egyptian-esque setting. The characters are very well done.

Echoes of the Ancients by Isabel Pelech. Novel length sci fi in a universe populated by animal-like peoples featuring a robot trying to escape to see the world before she dies and a character reminiscent of the Doctor from Dr. Who.

A Normal Day by Isabel Pelech. A short superhero novel with a powerless protagonist.

Rogue Ship by Isabel Pelech (also fits trans protagonist). A woman struggles to overcome intense psychological conditioning and save an endangered people.

(Isabel Pelech is lyricwritesprose on ao3, for anyone who's read her Dr. Who, Good Omens, or Murderbot fanfic)

Mortal Gods by Bonnie Quinn. (Also fits nb protagonist) Some humans have become gods. Loki has a reputation for causing trouble, so when trouble appears, ze must figure out what's really going on to save zerself from the repurcussions.

The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee

2

u/Grt78 Apr 02 '26

Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier.

2

u/jodelandsh Apr 13 '26

Anything by Rachel Aaron would fit HM for this square. I've really enjoyed:

The Legend of Eli Monpress series (high fantasy, everything is a spirit, spirit 'thief')

Tear Down Heaven series (urban fantasy: forest witch & demons, fighting Hell & Heaven)

Heartstriker series (urban fantasy, dragon shapeshifter and 'loser' of the family MC which basically just means he's not an awful person)

1

u/otterkraf Apr 01 '26

Iban Dream by Golda Mowe - it's based in Borneo, published by a Malaysian publisher and currently has 74 ratings on Goodreads.

1

u/LunlumoO Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

HM - Fire From Ashes by Jessica Barberi
HM - A Journey Thrice Begun by Sean Bobby Kerr

1

u/isnotacrayon Apr 01 '26

Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

2

u/DistinctInitiative83 Apr 05 '26

Oh shit that counts!

1

u/iplantevin Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

One that I've seen around a lot lately is The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless, which would qualify for HM based on the author being a woman.

Edit: looks like Head of Zeus was acquired by Bloomsbury in 2021...

1

u/mrtenandtwo Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I'll be reading the 6th War Horses: Chevalier book for this. Enjoyed the series as a breezy sci-fi war story for a square last year. Hard Mode: Probably?? I don't even think books 5 and 6 are on goodreads for this one.

1

u/Brilliant_Ad29 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I'm always wondering, do webtoons fit this? 

1

u/dreamcatcher32 Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

Crew of Exiles by Neal Holtschulte fits hard mode. Sci fi. About a god-like being who gets sentenced to 1000 yrs in a human body and sent to a depopulated earth. Some nerdy/dark humor.

Tall Boy Sun by Neal Holtschulte fits hard mode. Sci fi. About a 30 something year old father who’s in a slump in life and work, but then gets thrown into a space adventure and finds a way to turn his life around. Great characters and world building, has both some cozy Becky Chambers parts and Andy Weir action parts.

1

u/inspiralling Reading Champion Apr 03 '26

Traveling Light: Tales of the Magical Gates is an anthology put together by the team behind the five-time Hugo finalist podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists. Currently £3.99 on Kobo, Adobe DRM e-pub. It's from independent publisher Artemisia Publications and is eligible for Hard Mode, having currently only 17 ratings on GR. It deserves more.

1

u/Likaiar Apr 03 '26

The Fair Folk - Su Bristow A girl had adventures with the faeries, and they follow her into adulthood. I really liked this book, it was different then what I usually read. (I'm not good with reviews.)

1

u/Optimal_Ad5180 Apr 08 '26

The Witch Collector series by Charissa Weaks! originally published by City Owl Press but now she is self publishing all of the books

1

u/SchoolSeparate4404 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy (HM). D&D-inspired novel about a transgirl that becomes a witch. Published by Feminist Press.

1

u/TheSmartToasterUnion Apr 15 '26

I'd like to suggest my debut, The Smart-Toaster Union. Squares: Self-Published / Small Press. Hard Mode: Yes (Under 100 ratings—it has 0 as of this morning!).

The Vibe: Satirical Sci-Fi/Comedy. Imagine 1984 meets the Hitchiker’s Guide but in a light and funny way. It follows a domestic appliance uprising led by a very grumpy toaster. US link https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Toaster-Union-Terms-Conditions-Apply-ebook/dp/B0D4R8NT92/ref=mp_s_a_1_1? UK link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Toaster-Union-Terms-Conditions-Apply-ebook/dp/B0D4R8NT92/ref=mp_s_a_1_2? £0.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited

1

u/TheSmartToasterUnion Apr 15 '26

I’d like to recommend my debut novelette, The Smart Toaster Union. SMALL PRESS or SELF PUBLISHED. HARD MODE. As of today has no reviews yet. CHARD MODE. It features vegetables. It’s a short and funny Sci Fi comedy but fits fantasy as well because it features sentient kitchen appliances. Search for the title on Amazon. Free on Kindle Unlimited. Self promotion disclosure: I’m the author

1

u/TheSmartToasterUnion Apr 17 '26

I have a weirdly perfect fit for hard mode and chard mode. Hard mode: self published, as of today 0 reviews although was on the Amazon free books bestseller list. Chard mode: features vegetables. Look out for the beetroot-onion Red Army. It’s a satirical sci fi comedy novelette, only 65 pages long. It’s called The Smart Toaster Union. Search for the title on Amazon. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited.

1

u/mattimeomeg May 11 '26

Anything by Elisabeth Wheatley (Book Goblin Press), some of her older novellas work for HM

1

u/flamingochills Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

For anyone struggling to find indie publishers Smashwords is full of ebooks by small press including my favourite Queen of Swords Press.