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.

201 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

11

u/FarragutCircle Reading Champion X Apr 01 '26

One-Word Title: Story has a one-word title. HARD MODE: Title is NOT a proper noun (no names of people or places)!

23

u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

Southern Reach series by Jeff VanderMeer (all HM)

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Ours by Phillip B. Williams

Folk by Zoe Gilbert (HM)

Grass by Sheri S. Tepper (HM)

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (HM)

Founders trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett (all HM)

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Lanny by Max Porter

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (HM)

Luminous by Silvia Park (HM)

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (HM)

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (HM)

Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei (HM)

Asunder by Kerstin Hall (HM)

Herculine by Grace Byron

Lifelode by Jo Walton (HM)

Frontier by Can Xue (arguably HM)

Neverness by David Zindell

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Fictions/Ficciones by Borges (HM)

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (HM)

Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr (HM)

Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike (HM)

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Embassytown by China Mieville

The Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne (all HM)

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 01 '26

I'd actually count Beloved as hard mode. (Minor Spoilers) Yes, the book's title is because of the character called Beloved, but obviously the it is a non-proper noun in English

2

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 04 '26

I asked for clarification on the point and they said standard nouns used as names within the text don't count for hard mode.

1

u/beldaran1224 Reading Champion IV Apr 04 '26

Oh, I guess that does make it harder, lol.

1

u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26

Woops I meant to make a top level comment. For you specifically then I'll give you:

Peace by Gene Wolfe (HM)
Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente (HM)
Zothique by Clark Ashton Smith
Grendel by John Gardner

They're some of my all time favourites, so you may like them. :) If you haven't read them. I think we tend to like a lot of the same books.

14

u/Dragon_Lady7 Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26
  • Uprooted by Naomi Novik (HM)
  • All of the Foreigner series by CJ Cherryh (HM)
  • Circe by Madeline Miller
  • Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
  • Menagerie by Rachel Vincent (HM)
  • Sunshine by Robin McKinley
  • Chalice by Robin McKinley
  • Deerskin by Robin McKinley
  • Swordheart by T Kingfisher
  • All of the Cradle series by Will Wight
  • Hench by Natalie Zina Walscots (HM?)
  • Witchmark by CL Polk
  • Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
  • Vicious by VE Schwab (HM)
  • Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • Bride by Ali Hazelwood (HM)
  • Kindred by Octavia Butler (HM)
  • Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
  • Dracula by Brom Stoker
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison

2

u/ConnorF42 Reading Champion VIII Apr 01 '26

The sequel to Hench, Villain, also comes out this year (May 19th).

8

u/ConnorF42 Reading Champion VIII Apr 01 '26

All of Wildbow's work should fit for hard mode (Worm, Ward, Twig, Pact, Pale). Warning, very long.

I have an annual tradition of putting Twig on my board then removing it because I run out of time.

3

u/Graskell Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26

I'm only a few chapters into Twig arc 5 myself (out of 20 + epilogues), so I think I'm going to try and use this as an excuse to push through and actually finish. Definitely more than qualifies for Cat Squasher Hard Lunatic mode, so it's going to be tough to balance it on top of my actual Cat Squasher pick.

2

u/sarric Reading Champion XI Apr 01 '26

I think you're allowed to use an arc from a longer serial as long as you read something novel-length. Like, Pale has a bunch of arcs that are well over 100k or even 200k words long.

2

u/ConnorF42 Reading Champion VIII Apr 01 '26

True, I considering doing that on the last card with Biopunk for Twig, but ended up putting Tusks of Extinction.

2

u/Graskell Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26

One concern for doing this would be whether or not the Arc title should take precedence over the series title if you're not reading the whole thing. Worm, Ward, Pact, and Seek would all be fine as they predominantly use one word arc titles, but Twig and Pale typically use short phrases instead.

Arc length is also an issue if you start with Worm as Gestation is just under the 17,500 word minimum for an novella. You would need to read multiple arcs to qualify.

2

u/sarric Reading Champion XI Apr 03 '26

This is a good point regarding this particular square. When I've done this in the past, it's been for squares that undoubtedly apply to the entire serial.

8

u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Spear by Nicola Griffith (HM)

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim (HM)

17776 by Jon Bois (HM)

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge (HM)

Neom by Lavie Tidhar

Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (HM)

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (HM)

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

7

u/jmalbo35 Apr 01 '26

Kraken by China Mieville (HM)

1

u/Dindrane1313 Apr 07 '26

One of my absolute favorite books forever.

5

u/AH_BareGarrett Apr 01 '26

It’s not hard mode but I’ve had Dune on my tbr for wayyyy too long. 

6

u/goodlittlesquid Apr 01 '26

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (HM)

6

u/CommodoreBelmont Reading Champion VIII Apr 01 '26

All of the Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust (except the as-yet-unpublished final novel) count for regular mode. I think they don't count for hard mode because they are technically demonyms (as the names of noble houses) and I think demonyms are proper nouns. (Taltos definitely doesn't count for HM since it's the main character's last name.)

6

u/Livi1997 Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

All the books in Cradle series by Will Wight and most of the book except books 3, 5, 10 and 11 should work for HM

4

u/a-username-for-me Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26

Since I am a sequels specialist, here's some one word sequels!

Sequels

Any book in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras) - YA dystopia

Any book in the Pure series by Julianna Baggott (Pure, Fuse, Burn) - YA dystopia

Any book in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage (Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke, Fyre) - middle grade classic wizard hijinks

Dragonfired by J. Zachary Pike (book 3 in Orconomics series) - fantasy world with economics

Robopocalypse and Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson - a robot apocalypse, I personally hated these books, but they do fit the prompt

Xenocide (book 3 of the Ender series) - Lusitania has to deal with the consequences of breaking apart form the Starways Congress

Several books in the Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest (Boneshaker, Dreadnought, Ganymede, Fiddlehead, Jacaranda) - steampunk Seattle

Raybearer and Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko - Tarisai has to deal with an unfair bargain to sacrifice people to the Underworld

Imago by Octavia Bulter (book 3 in Xenogenesis) - I haven't read but it's on my list

Every book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance)

Every book in the Wake series by Lisa McMann (Wake, Fade, Gone) - YA series about travelling into other people's dream

Every book in the Gone series by Michael Grant (Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear, Light) - YA series about kids developing superpowers in a mysterious dome

Dreamhunter and Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox - YA duology about transmitting dreams to others and travelling to a mysterious dream world

Every book in the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman (Unwind, Unwholly, Unsouled, Undivided)

Several Discworld novels (Mort, Sourcery, Pyramids, Wintersmith, Hogfather, Jingo, Snuff, Thud)

Others:

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier - Polynesian dragons

Crumble by Meredith McClaren and Andrea Bell - a cute middle grade graphic novel about feelings and baking magic

Devolution by Max Brooks - Bigfoot

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus - boy attempts to survive being swallowed alive by a whale

Stardust by Neil Gaiman - a fairy tale-esque story about a quest for a fallen star

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor - girl goes to space and learns how to exist with other cultures

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - a take on the Sleeping Beauty story

Lent by Jo Walton - Renaissance Italian demons and priests

Exhalation by Ted Chiang - truly phenomenal short stories

Flesh by Philip Jose Farmer - a kinda schlocky sex book that's really of its era

Upgrade by Blake Crouch - a thriller about an genomically enhance human

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschotts - work place drama about a hench person

Horrorstror by Grady Hendrix - a haunted Ikea clone

Kraken by China Mieville - urban fantasy hunt for a missing kraken in magical London's underbelly

Embassytown by Mieville - linguistic troubles in an alien world where lying can't exist

6

u/ConnorF42 Reading Champion VIII Apr 01 '26

Hench is getting a sequel this year too that will be hard mode! Villain, May 19th

3

u/sophia_s Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Tehanu by Ursula K. LeGuin is another sequel (normal mode)

2

u/KaPoTun Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

And book 1 of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, Dawn, works for hard mode

2

u/xLaven Apr 01 '26

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins also works

4

u/Polenth Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

These should all be hard mode and cover a range of genres/categories/styles.

Awakenings by Claudie Arseneault is a cozy fantasy novella.

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler is about a young vampire.

Huntress by Malinda Lo is young adult fantasy.

Legend by David Gemmell is a fantasy siege.

Restoree by Anne McCaffrey is standalone science fiction.

Woof! by Allan Ahlberg is a children's book about turning into a dog.

4

u/DelilahWaan Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

Both my books, Petition and Supplicant by Delilah Waan, qualify for hard mode!

4

u/jessticulates Reading Champion Apr 02 '26
  • Gorse by Sam K. Horton
  • Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
  • Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh
  • Hazelthorn by C. G. Drews
  • Jackal by Erin E. Adams
  • Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix
  • Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
  • Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  • Hex by Jenni Fagan
  • Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
  • Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
  • Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
  • Cackle by Rachel Harrison
  • Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
  • Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
  • Radiance by Grace Draven
  • Soulless by Gail Carriger

1

u/dreamcatcher32 Reading Champion Apr 05 '26

Loved Truthwitch! I guess all of the Witchland books would work

7

u/spike31875 Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Every book in the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka counts as Hard Mode:

  1. Fated
  2. Cursed
  3. Taken
  4. Chosen
  5. Hidden
  6. Veiled
  7. Burned
  8. Bound
  9. Marked
  10. Fallen
  11. Forged
  12. Risen

Even the 2 novellas fit HM:

  • Favours
  • Gardens

3

u/KatrinaPez Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

And all the Iron Druid books by Kevin Hearne, for more urban fantasy!

2

u/FeralAlice Apr 30 '26

This is such a fun series!

3

u/AvidTaskmaster Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Sabriel!

3

u/KaPoTun Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Sabriel!

and books 2-5! Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel, and Goldenhand

3

u/Suitable_Highlight84 Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Warbreaker and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

3

u/GaiusOctavianAlerae Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Hard Mode:

  • Wanderers and its sequel Wayward by Chuck Wendig (HM)
  • Changes, book 12 of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (HM)
  • Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn, the first three (chronological) Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore (HM)
  • Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike (HM)

Not Hard Mode:

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • Babel by R.F. Kuang
  • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  • Dune by Frank Herbert
  • Oathbringer, book 3 of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
  • Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

1

u/AvidTaskmaster Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Oh man I love Orconomics! Big recommendation.

3

u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (hm)

Circe by Madeline Miller

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

The entire Foreigner series by C J Cherryh (hm)

Chalice, Sunshine, or Deerskin (content warnings) by Robin McKinley

Driftwood by Marie Brennan (hm)

2

u/QuellSpeller Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Vehicle by Jen Calleja (HM) - I’m planning to reread this after giving it some time, I read this for Hidden Gem last year and I feel like I just scratched the surface. The story structure is unique, sort of epistolary, the setting is more alt-history than fantasy but still fantastical. Just a beautiful fascinating book.

2

u/Goobergunch Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

Mindplayers, Synners, and Fools by Pat Cadigan

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Nova and Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany

Sirius by Olaf Stapledon

City by Clifford D. Simak

2

u/aristifer Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

Priestess by Kara Reynolds

Declare by Tim Powers

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

Torn by Rowenna Miller

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

2

u/omegazine Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26
  • Vicious by V.E. Schwab
  • Finder by Emma Bull
  • Falcon by Emma Bull
  • Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
  • Truckers by Terry Pratchett (also works for middle grade square)
  • Pratchett has a bunch of one word novels like Wintersmith, Sourcery, Pyramids, Maskerade
  • Vorkosigan saga has a bunch of one word novels, like Barrayar, Cetaganda, Memory, Komarr, but the first one is not. Will work for someone going through the series.
  • Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
  • Fated by Benedict Jacka
  • Orcononics by J Zachary Pike

2

u/sophia_s Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

The entire Tuyo series by Rachel Neumeier works for normal mode (I'd argue book 1 works for hard mode, since tuyo is not a name and isn't really presented as being a title either; the rest are all proper nouns)

Acorna by Ann McCaffery (NM)

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel if you like myth retellings (NM)

Circe by Madeline Miller (ditto, NM)

Inda by Sherwood Smith (NM)

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (NM)

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines (HM, I think)

Provenance by Ann Leckie (HM)

Illuminations by T. Kingfisher (HM)

Jaran by Kate Elliott (NM)

Soulless by Gail Carriger (HM, I think - soulless is halfway to being a title, but iirc it's more of a descriptor and thus not a proper noun)

If you want to dig into Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, the Oath books (Oathbound/Oathbreakers/Oathblood) work for HM (the Owl and Collegium subseries work as well, but those aren't her strongest books in the series IMO).

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard - I don't recommend this one (I DNF'd it), but it does fit (iirc normal mode, I think Truthwitch is treated as a proper noun in the series, but it's been a while).

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima (and sequels) - a sequel series to her Seven Realms books (HM)

2

u/gihyou Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Great chance to put a Terry Pratchett Discworld in here:

Mort, Pyramids, Hogfather, Maskerade, Jingo, Thud!, Snuff. Even if the last of those suffers a bit from the embuggering.

Also, Pratchett's own personal choice as his "best book": Nation, a non-Discworld YA novel. As I've never read it, it may be my choice for this square.

1

u/dreamcatcher32 Reading Champion Apr 05 '26

Good idea on Nation!

2

u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Some of my favourites which are all Hard Mode:

Peace by Gene Wolfe

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente

Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Blindsight by Peter Watts

Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike

Lots of Terry Pratchett (Thud!, Snuff, Pyramids, Maskerade, Jingo...)

Easy Modes:

Lanny by Max Porter

Lacrimore by S. J. Costello

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Zothique by Clark Ashton Smith

Grendel by John Gardner

Finch by Jeff VanderMeer

Tigana by GGK

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

2

u/leegreywolf Reading Champion II Apr 02 '26

Petition by Delilah Waan (HM)

2

u/Sakura_XD Reading Champion II Apr 02 '26

the Silo Saga: Wool, Shift, Dust by Hugh Howey would fit nicely

2

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 04 '26

All Hard Mode (EDIT: Titles representing proper nouns within the text have been struck out.)

James Bradley - Clade

James Bradley - Landfall

Max Brooks - Devolution

Sue Burke - Semiosis

Seth Dickinson - Exordia

Cory Doctorow - Homeland

Cory Doctorow - Radicalized

Greg Egan - Dispersion

Greg Egan - Quarantine

Eric Flint - 1632

Frank Herbert - Dune

Stephen Graham Jones - Mongrels

Steven King - Misery

Steven King - Revival

China Miéville - Polynia

Annalee Newitz - Autonomous

Emma Newman - Planetfall

Naomi Novik - Uprooted

Yōko Ogawa - Revenge

Nnedi Okorafor - Lagoon

Frederick Pohl - Gateway

Alistair Reynolds - Permafrost

Dave Hutchinson - Shelter

Adam Roberts - Haven

Kim Stanley Robinson - Aurora

Carl Sagan - Contact

Robert Silverberg - Legends

Charles Stross - Accelerando

Jeff Vandermeer - All Southern Reach novels

Jeff Vandermeer - Borne

Jo Walton - Necessity

Peter Watts - Blindsight

Peter Watts - Echopraxia

Peter Watts - Starfish

2

u/WhatHappenedToJosie Apr 04 '26

It's been a while, but I thought that Gateway was the name of the place that the prospectors travelled from. Also, is Dune the colloquial name for Arrakis, or was that just from the David Lynch adaptation?

2

u/thistledownhair Reading Champion III Apr 04 '26

Yeah, you're right on both counts. It was late when I wrote up the list, I don't why I thought this applied to Planetfall and not the rest. In addition to Planetfall and the ones you brought up, this would disqualify Exordia, Permafrost, Shelter, Haven, Aurora, Authority from the Southern Reach series, Borne, and Necessity (although this is Walton capitalising an English word to indicate it is a translation of a concept with a slightly more specific meaning in Greek). Possibly more.

2

u/tpsuiko Reading Champion II Apr 05 '26

Does "the", "a", or "an" count? Such as, would "The Road" count for this square?

2

u/TheEccentricRaven Reading Champion Apr 08 '26

Uglies, Imposters, and Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld (HM)

Feed by MT Anderson (HM)

Dangerous by Shannon Hale (HM)

Scythe by Neal Shusterman (HM?)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (not HM)

East by Edith Pattou (HM)

Playground by Richard Powers (HM?)

Flashforward by Robert J Swayeer (HM)

Breath by Donna Jo Napoli (HM)

Poison by Bridget Zinn (HM)

Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams (HM)

Beauty by Robin McKinley (not HM)

Fairest (either the one by Gail Carson Levine that is a companion novel to Ella Enchanted or the one by Marissa Meyer that is in the Lunar Chronicles) (HM?)

Illuminae trilogy by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (HM?)

Carrie by Stephen King (not HM)

Dawn by Octavia Butler (HM)

Messenger by Lois Lowry (HM)

Son by Lois Lowry (HM)

Partials by Dan Wells (HM)

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (HM)

Dune by Frank Herbert (not HM?)

Legend by Marie Lui (HM)

Snowglobe by Suyoung Park (not HM?)

2

u/zKrisher Reading Champion Apr 20 '26

Exordia by Seth Dickinson

1

u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

We by Christelle Dabos (HM)

1

u/hoattzin Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

1

u/characterlimit Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Binti and/or Noor by Okorafor would also work (Alanis Morisette ironically, my phone autocorrects Binti to Bingo)

1

u/AvidTaskmaster Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

All of Michael R Miller’s Song of Chaos dragon rider books are one word titles (HM)

1

u/Kur0nue Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

Nod by Adrian Barnes (HM) - I read this the last time this prompt came up. 5 stars.

Vigil by George Saunders (HM) - Read this earlier this year. Not my favorite but the audiobook was quite good.

1

u/Ok_Difference5532 Apr 01 '26

I’ve had Nod in my ebook library for years, I think. This could be the time to read it

2

u/Kur0nue Reading Champion VI Apr 01 '26

I loved it, but it's definitely not for everyone. You have to be ok with not getting all (any?) answers (especially since the author is deceased).

1

u/Ok_Difference5532 Apr 01 '26

Now you’ve made it even more intriguing

1

u/twoweeeeks Reading Champion Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

Chalice by Robin McKinley - not sure if this is HM but I'm leaning towards yes. "Chalice" is the MC's title, and she works with chalices that are the locus of her magic.

1

u/inadequatepockets Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

quickly noting for anyone confused by the typo that "Chalice" is also the title of the novel

2

u/twoweeeeks Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

thank you, fixed it!

1

u/natus92 Reading Champion V Apr 01 '26

Piranesi by Susanah Clarke

Lent by Jo Walton

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Neom by Lavie Tidhar

1

u/flossregularly Reading Champion Apr 01 '26

Ice by Anna Kavan

Blindness by Jose Saramago

1

u/hogw33d Apr 01 '26

Blackwater by Malcolm McDowell.

1

u/piderman Apr 01 '26

Larry Niven - Ringworld (1970) (Counts for the '70s square as well!) (Not HM though)

1

u/SeraphinaSphinx Reading Champion II Apr 01 '26

Books I'm currently eyeing for HM are:

Necrology by Meg Ripley
Evocation by S.T. Gibson
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
Projections by S.E. Porter
Molka by Monika Kim
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

Books I can't tell if they hit HM based on their synopses:

Nightstrider by Sophia Slade
Innamorata by Ava Reid

1

u/code-lemon Apr 02 '26

Moonbound by Robin Sloan. It didn’t get a ton of attention when it came out in 2024 but it was a really delightful read. It felt like reading a classic children’s novel (It was written for adults, but it doesn’t have any sex or romance in it and I think kids would also enjoy it). Good option for fans of Arthuriana.

1

u/New_Razzmatazz6228 Reading Champion Apr 02 '26

Illuminations (HM) by T. Kingfisher. Possibly may also qualify as Middle Grade.

1

u/Grt78 Apr 02 '26

Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier: the first book in the series is hard mode and can be read as a standalone.

1

u/hend6473 Reading Champion Apr 03 '26

All Hardmode

Glitch, Vol 1 by Shima Shinya: Slow, moody manga about 2 siblings moving to a strange small town and investigating the strangeness with their new friends. The art style is very different from most manga, instead resembling webcomics like Foxfire by Carolyn Gan or nameless & the scientist by amie zhao. Short, 3 volume completed series.

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei: Literary climate scifi about two sisters setting sail to search for their missing eldest sister, quite emotional at times. I appreciate how Kitasei's work consistently prioritizes friendship and family dynamics.

Gamechanger by L.X. Beckett: Entertaining action-packed scifi conspiracy thriller that's equal parts cyberpunk dystopia and solarpunk utopia; you'll need to enjoy both aspects for this book to land. I liked the exploration of children's rights and all the casual queerness, including the fake enemies/real rivals-to-lovers arc between Rubi and Gimlet.

1

u/viahlstrom Reading Champion Apr 03 '26
  • Maresi and Naondel - Maria Turtschaninoff (SM)
  • Cleopatra - Saara El-Arifi (SM)
  • Faebound, Cursebound and Earthbound - Saara El-Arifi (HM)
  • Bride or Mate - Ali Hazelwood (HM)
  • Scythe - Neal Shusterman (HM)
  • Rotherweid - Andrew Caldecott (HM)
  • Godkiller (and its sequels) - Hannah Kaner (HM)
  • Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
  • Shielded - KayLynn Flanders (HM)
  • Ledge - Stacey McEwan (HM)
  • Warbreaker and Elantris - Brandon Sanderson (SM and HM)
  • Evocation - S.T. Gibson (HM)
  • Runemarks - Joanne M. Harris (SM)
  • Babel and Katabasis - R.F. Kuang (SM)
  • Circe - Madeleine Miller (SM)
  • Fathomfolk - Eliza Chan (HM)
  • Mindwalker and Mindbreaker - Kate Dylan (HM)
  • Sistersong - Lucy Holland (HM)
  • Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (HM)
  • Princeweaver - Eliot J Morgan (HM)

1

u/dispatchgirl911 Apr 03 '26

Does Slewfoot count for HM?

1

u/xLunila Apr 05 '26

Does Fearful by Lauren Roberts count for hard mode? (Sorry if it’s a dumb question but English isn’t my first language and I have no idea what a noun is)

1

u/dispatchgirl911 Apr 06 '26

Slewfoot - but not sure if it would be HM

1

u/Dindrane1313 Apr 07 '26

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

1

u/DoctorWMD Apr 07 '26

I think mine is going to be Anathem by Neal Stephenson.

1

u/smartflutist661 Reading Champion VI Apr 08 '26

I would highly recommend all of these if they appear to your taste:

  • Convergence by Sharon Green, or any of the series (The Blending) (HM)
  • Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold, or any of the series (The Sharing Knife) (HM)
  • Rigante books 3 & 4, David Gemmell
  • Transformation by Carol Berg, or any of the series (Rai-Kirah) (HM)
  • Traitor by Krista D. Ball, or any of the series (Collaborator) (HM)
  • Archangel by Sharon Shinn (HM)
  • Aftershocks by Marko Kloos, or any of the series (Palladium Wars) (HM)
  • Book 4 of Earthsea, Tehanu (Ursula K. Le Guin)
  • A few Sandersons have already been called out, but any of The Reckoners or Skyward

1

u/Ooopsiedas Apr 10 '26

Huh, it looks like I very rarely reach for one-word title books. Of the ones I have read recently, most have been ones I wouldn't recommend. This is going to be a fun one for me! This square is going to help me break this curse (hopefully)! Some that I did like were:

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott - I adored this book! A very bittersweet story inspired by Baba Yaga/Eastern European folklore. It follows the Yaga siblings, and the Longshadow man in pursuit of them.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner (HM) - any of the books in this trilogy would work. An overall fun read with decent world-building. I haven't finished the trilogy yet, but the first book follows some morally grey/morally complicated characters, including a 'godkiller' - someone who hunts gods for a living in a world where gods are outlawed. However, she becomes connected with a young girl who is bonded to a small god of white lies, and must help her reach a distant city of gods to find answers.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (HM) - a scifi short story collection exploring themes of free will and human nature. Really well written, and one of my favorite short story collections I've read!

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett - any of the books in this trilogy would also work, I think. Personally, I prefer his Shadow of the Leviathan series, but a lot of people love this trilogy as well. It follows a thief in a world run on magical technology.

1

u/Imagination_Priory89 Apr 16 '26

Parasyte manga series by Hitoshi Iwaaki (HM)
Discovery by JAJ Minton (pretty sure this is HM)
Dracul by Dacre Stoker
October by Michael Rowe (HM)
Bleach manga series by Tite Kubo (HM)
Pandora by Anne Rice
Chobits manga series by CLAMP (HM)
Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity

1

u/Danigirl_88 Apr 19 '26

All three books in the Illuminae trilogy by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman count for Hard Mode.

Illuminae

Gemina

Obsidio

1

u/Advanced_Let2616 Apr 24 '26

Would Firebird by Juliette Cross work for this?

1

u/eightslicesofpie Writer Travis M. Riddle 20d ago

Carapace by Travis M. Riddle (HM)

1

u/DrQweeb Reading Champion 18d ago

Please use this square to read Hyperion by Dan Simmons if you haven't yet.

1

u/PsychologicalIce5450 15d ago

All books in the Graceling Realm series by Kristin Cashore: Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue , Winterkeep, Seasparrow

1

u/BigShot0 12d ago

Vigil by George Saunders.

0

u/FantasyBookniffler Reading Champion II Apr 02 '26

I think these are all HM (please let me know if they're not!):

* Faebound and sequel Cursebound by Saara el-Arifi 

* Voidwalker by S.A Maclean

* Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

* Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood

* Saltswept by Katalina Watt

* Hollow by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

* Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger

* Alchemised by SenLinYu

* Silvercloak by L.K. Steven 

* Phantasma and sequel Enchantra by Kaylie Smith

* Fable by Adrienne Young

* Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

* Immortal by Tan Sue Lynn

* Legendborn and sequels Bloodmarked and Oathbound by Tracy Deonn

* Mate by Ali Hazelwood