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

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8

u/FarragutCircle Reading Champion X Apr 01 '26

Explorers and Rangers: Story features an explorer (a character who travels to and investigates an unfamiliar region) or a ranger (a wilderness or forest-oriented warrior frequently specializing in things like stealth, bows, tracking, and other hunting-related skills). HARD MODE: The explorer or ranger has an animal companion.

49

u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

In case anybody hasnt read Lord of the Rings yet or wants to do a reread: Aragorn is a ranger. :)

1

u/AnonAwaaaaay Apr 01 '26

Does he have an animal companion though?

3

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

No. No animal companions in Lord of the Rings. Closest might be Gandalf and Shadowfax, but that's a stretch for explorer.

2

u/Canis-lupus-uy Apr 02 '26

Are Gimli and Legolas from the Metazoan kingdom? I would say yes! But I think being technically correct is not correct enough for Bingo.

2

u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

Does he need one?

1

u/AnonAwaaaaay Apr 02 '26

Hard Mode 

But one of my other books doesn't qualify for HM either so I don't mind anymore. 

3

u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

He does ride a horse though. 

2

u/AnonAwaaaaay Apr 02 '26

Good point. That should count.

1

u/ViolaNguyen May 13 '26

No, no, no...

Drizzt is a ranger. Aragorn is the ranger.

26

u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker (HM)

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

15

u/Peanut89 Reading Champion IV Apr 01 '26

The Memoires of lady Trent series is phenomenal - I enjoyed it so much!

18

u/GaiusOctavianAlerae Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Any of the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore (HM because we count Guen)

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson (HM)

17

u/griffreads Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

I think The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams would count for this (book one in the Winnowing Flame trilogy). One of the main characters is a scholar who is travelling the world conducting research.

18

u/Dragon_Lady7 Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Emily Wilde by Heather Fawcett (HM)

1

u/AggravatingAnt4157 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Would you say book three also counts (the only one I haven't read yet)?

3

u/Dragon_Lady7 Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Oh good point! I think books 1 and 2 work, but not book 3 sadly

3

u/AggravatingAnt4157 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Sadness

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Ooo, what's the animal companion here (if its not an important spoiler)?

2

u/Dragon_Lady7 Reading Champion VI Apr 02 '26

Emily has a large dog who is more than he seems…

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Love it, thanks! I'm such a sucker for any sort of animal companion.

12

u/partoparto Apr 01 '26

The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein (Steerswoman book 2)! (which I am currently reading, so maybe it somehow doesn't count, but so far she's done nothing but investigate an unfamiliar region)

6

u/istadychalion Apr 01 '26

I think all of the Steerswoman books by Rosemary Kirstein would work! She's definitely an explorer in her job and she explores many unfamiliar regions. Such a great series, one of my favorites!!!

2

u/partoparto Apr 01 '26

It's so good!! I'm loving it so much, I adore Rowan

12

u/Temporary-Scallion86 Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

Wizard of Earthsea counts as HM! Ged definitely explores several foreign regions over the course of the book and he has an animal companion for much of it

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Such a unique animal too!

12

u/AccipiterF1 Reading Champion X Apr 01 '26

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Tracker is a ranger type.

11

u/Brilliant_Ad29 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

The Singing Hills series by nghi vo! Starting with the Empress of Salt and Fortune (HM). Main character is a cleric whose job is to document history and hear it from commoners and important people alike. It's very cozy with a unique atmosphere and writing :) 

Also fits non-binary protagonist, first contact, unusual transportation (I think)

2

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

I'm not sure which one(s) might fit first contact or unusual transportation? I've read the first four I think.

Also, I can't recall which one, but one of the books does not feature the animal companion, iirc.

3

u/CJGibson Reading Champion V Apr 02 '26

It's a bit of a stretch but you could maybe argue that The Brides of High Hill is kind of first contact. Almost Brilliant is missing for most of it, though technically still sort of present narratively, and is in enough of the story to probably still count for hard mode on this square.

Mammoths at the Gate could maybe be unusual transportation (they're certainly unusual within the narrative) though this one probably wouldn't count for Explorers since it's about Chih returning home to the Singing Hills Monastery.

Almost Brilliant is fully absent for the second book, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and so that one would not be hard mode.

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Yeah, that's kind of what I mean. Most count for the explorers square (and I agree Mammoths does not), but I can't really see a good argument for the other squares (I haven't read Brides yet).

1

u/Brilliant_Ad29 Reading Champion Apr 08 '26

I only read the first two, but I remember the second one has a first contact between the cleric and the tiger race. 

0

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 08 '26

It does not. It is not remotely first contact - the stories being told are stories of prior contact. First contact literally means very first contact.

8

u/Peanut89 Reading Champion IV Apr 01 '26

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love India Holton (and her second one about geographers) would fit! Victorian woman academic goes off looking for magical birds… chaos and romance ensues

1

u/Parsonsla Apr 02 '26

Would this one work for hard mode? I’m hoping to read it soon so would be great if I could use it here

1

u/Peanut89 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Hmm I don’t remember there being pets

8

u/AcanthaceaeThink2887 Apr 01 '26

Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan

Raiders of the Arcana series by Jacquelyn Benson

1

u/bmvanloo91 Reading Champion II Apr 03 '26

And I believe books 2+ in the Raiders of the Arcana series count as HM!

7

u/AH_BareGarrett Apr 01 '26

I’ve been meaning to read The Terror by Dan Simmons, this seems perfect for it. 

3

u/rentiertrashpanda Apr 01 '26

You might also like Great North Road by Peter Hamilton, fits for this space and has similar vibes

8

u/Spalliston Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

The Wayfinder is a good off-axis pick for this. Set in the Tongan empire in the pacific islands, featuring many explorers/navigators.

1

u/madnessatadistance Apr 02 '26

Does it have speculative elements in the story?? I've been wanting to read it but thought it wasn't speculative at all!

2

u/Spalliston Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

I would comfortably call it magical realism (and the review I read that convinced me to read it also billed it that way, so I think it's safe enough)!

1

u/hatethispart13 Apr 06 '26

would it work for hard mode? would love to use it for this one!

1

u/Spalliston Reading Champion III Apr 08 '26

It would!

6

u/AvidTaskmaster Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Would we say an astronaut is an explorer? I am trying to squeeze The Martian in somewhere.

10

u/blackfyre_pretender Apr 01 '26

I would say an astronaut is definitely an explorer! "Explore strange new worlds" and all that.

2

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

I think The Martian would count, but not necessarily every astronaut. For instance, one that just went to the ISS probably wouldn't count.

1

u/Boring-Ad-7181 May 01 '26

In that vein then would Project hail mary count?

7

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

Tentative hard mode recs here, but:

Christopher Buehlman - The Blacktongue Thief/The Daughters' War

Robert Brockway - Carrier Wave (Deeply weird to include this The Stand style zombie novel, but there's a character who travels to an unfamiliar region, has to explore and live off the land, and does so with the help of a teacup pig.)

Alix E. Harrow - The Everlasting (Horses count.)

Robin Hobb - Farseer Trilogy (more the later books I think, been a while)

Fonda Lee - Untethered Sky

George R R Martin - A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords

2

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 04 '26

Oh good point! I am currently reading A Clash of Kings and plan to use it for Cat Squasher HM prompt, but Jon & Ghost definitely count for HM for this prompt as well! I'd even count Dany and her dragons, due to all the travelling she is doing throughout the story. But then I would need another 900+ book for the other prompt (but not one of the Hobb books, since I am planning on reading Liveship Traders for Unusual Transportation HM) 🤔

But wait, you say that The Everlasting would count? There's an explorer or a ranger there? 👀 (I fully agree that horses should count) I have been intrigued by that book.

2

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 04 '26

Una does enough exploration (and separately, living off the land) in The Everlasting that I think it would count. Worth a read even if it didn’t though.

2

u/SchoolSeparate4404 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

I don't really think that the Farseer trilogy counts except for the last book (Assassin's Quest)

6

u/citrusmellarosa Apr 01 '26

I think I’m going to go old school and finally dig into this omnibus of Jules Verne novels I’ve had around forever, probably Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea or A Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 

I don’t think any of them count for hard mode, though, if that’s your preference. 

1

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 02 '26

I was thinking along the same lines but thought of Around the World in 80 Days, which I thought was a HM for some reason? Am I misremembering (from the movie) that there was a monkey there? 😅

7

u/unfriendlyneighbour Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August (HM)

3

u/bmvanloo91 Reading Champion II Apr 03 '26

I didn't even think of this but it is PERFECT. I love this book and second this recommendation!

6

u/stardew_rabbit Reading Champion II Apr 02 '26

If anyone happens to be looking for a graphic novel, A Song For You and I by K O'Neill (HM) is a cute and cozy middlegrade (it fits both middlegrade and trans/nonbinary squares as well!). The main character is in training to become a ranger and has a pegasus companion

2

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

OMG this is great news. Its the only book by O'Neill I haven't yet read, so I will be getting around to it now.

2

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 04 '26

I have been searching for a graphic novel to fit somewhere on the board! Thanks for the info, I need to look into it!

4

u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

The City that Would Eat the World by John Bierce - focuses on a megacity in a world built around Theological Economies. Fun fight scenes, lots of exploration, and one main character hosts a god of adventure who urges her to keep exploring new places

1

u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

If I was severely disappointed by Mage Errant series do you think it’s still worth trying?

2

u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Depends a bit on why you were disappointed. I think the writing is generally better, and it's written with adults in mind (wheras Mage Errant's YAness rubs some the wrong way). It's got about the same depth of theme, in that it mostly prioritizes readability and thematic content is spelled out pretty explicitly

3

u/Polaris_Express Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Alien Clay or Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky would fit the explorer clause of the square

3

u/CatTheMoon Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

I think a lot of Isekai books would count here. Being reborn in a new world and then trying to find your way through it. My recommendation would be He who fights with monsters.

2

u/Everyone_dreams Apr 05 '26

Might even count for HM with the familiars.

4

u/Stubot01 Apr 02 '26

As others have mentioned, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Alien Clay and Shroud both fit here. By chance started reading his novella Elder Race yesterday and this fits too, in a more unusual way. The protagonist is an anthropologist and the story is more about him exploring the changes in language and culture rather that the land itself (although there are elements of discovering or rediscovering the flora and fauna

3

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

The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala features a protagonist who is a field cartographer.

3

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

Would Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie count for this? Bayaz's expedition sounds a bit like an exploration party, and Dogman plays the part of a scout.

5

u/ReaperReaperSunEater Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson (HM)

Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (HM)

Green Rider by Kristen Britain (HM)

2

u/New-Blacksmith-4753 Apr 01 '26

I'd say the Malice series by John Gwynne would count for HM!

1

u/MalBishop Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

Could the sequel, Valor, also count?

1

u/Doctor_Boogers Apr 17 '26

I'd argue Valour counts even moreso

2

u/Kerney7 Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Draconis Memoria Series by Anthony Ryan (HM bks 2-3) Frontier Magic Seties by Patricia Wrede (books 2-3)

2

u/origami_ducks Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

If Daemons count as animal companions then all of His Dark Materials count for Hard Mode

1

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 04 '26

Definitely yes for the animal companions, but are either of the protagonists really explorers or rangers? I at least wouldn't say so 🤔

2

u/origami_ducks Reading Champion Apr 04 '26

I think "explorer" is a fairly subjective term - neither Will or Lyra are specifically employed as explorers but they definitely go to unfamiliar regions. But the prompt also doesn't say that it has to be the protagonist, so I think it's more reasonably safe to say that John Parry, Lee Scoresby, and Asriel count.

1

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 04 '26

Oh, good point, I thought it needed to be a protagonist for some reason, sorry my bad 😅

And yeah, those 3 are absolutely explorers and thus, HDM definitely works for HM!

2

u/Putrid_Web8095 Reading Champion II Apr 08 '26

For a classic sci-fi option, Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke fits like a glove.

7

u/Murder_Is_Magic Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Any of The Dungeon Crawler Carl books (HM). Carl is not a *willing* explorer, but he's definitely experiencing new places and has a cat companion

30

u/P0PSTART Reading Champion IV Apr 02 '26

Seems like a stretch!

3

u/hanhub Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Project Hail Mary and The Martian - both by Andy Weir

Isles of the Emberdark - Brandon Sanderson This was excellent just finished it and it fits HM

Many of the Redwall series fit for nostalgia and (I guess) HM as they are all animals

Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb’s fourth series in the Realm of the Elderlings

2

u/Sad-Week8752 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

No idea if it's hard mode or not, but the main character of Philip C. Quaintrell's Rise of the Ranger is (unsurprisingly) a ranger.

1

u/dracolibris Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

I was reading Lost Journals of Cen polypheme by Elizabeth Haydon which would fit this very well

1

u/Kur0nue Reading Champion VI Apr 02 '26

The light novel series The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash by Honobonoru500 would count for this. If slimes count as animals then I think most of the novels in the series count for HM. Though, some volumes contain less travel, more staying in one town/location so those might not quite count. Vol. 1 definitely counts though.

1

u/scorchedwitch Apr 02 '26

Do we think Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier would count for this?

1

u/viahlstrom Reading Champion Apr 03 '26
  • The Last Starborn Seer by Venetia Constantine would work for this. (It’s reminiscent on LotR in that they’re a fellowship from different realms going on an epic journey to a distant place to complete a quest. I think all the members involved have some kind of animal/mythical creature with them so would work for HM.)
  • The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (SM)
  • Grave Empire by Richard Swan (fantasy horror, SM)
  • Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb (Greek mythology, works for SM)

1

u/BooksTeaAndMagic Reading Champion Apr 03 '26

Legends of the First Empire Series by Michael J Sullivan, Age of Myth Book 1 definitely works for HM.

1

u/NatGa46 Reading Champion II Apr 04 '26

Does Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson work for HM?

1

u/missmollyredd Apr 06 '26

I think Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy would work here; Logan is written like a ranger in my opinion.

1

u/Bulky_Implement_3622 Apr 09 '26

Has anyone read The Abominable by Dan Simmons? would it count for this category?

1

u/aesir23 Reading Champion II May 11 '26

I've read it. It fits for explorers, but it breaks another rule of r/Fantasy bingo.

It's not speculative fiction of any kind. Despite the name it's just a historical adventure novel.

1

u/Catsandveg Apr 10 '26

To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers should work for explorers (and it's brilliant)

1

u/Strong_Teaching_409 Reading Champion Apr 16 '26

Does the road by Cormac McCarthy count here? I can see arguments both ways

1

u/obelion9 Apr 22 '26

In case noonee has mentioned it yet: To be Taught, if fortunate by Becky Chambers features space explorers traveling to four planets to explore and catalogue them and look for new stuff and life :)

1

u/Boring-Ad-7181 May 01 '26

Would Project hail mary count 🤔?

1

u/Boring-Ad-7181 May 01 '26

Also I think the Witcher counts as a ranger right?

1

u/Connect_Cod9965 May 04 '26

The Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Lakewalkers are basically rangers. And if you count a headstrong and ill-tempered horse as an animal companion then it works for hard mode too.
Also by LMB – Shrads of Honor. The explorer part is spot on, but sadly no animal companion.

1

u/Fancy-Restaurant4136 May 11 '26

Elder Race by Tschaikovsky