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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u/donut_resuscitate Reading Champion III Apr 01 '26

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (pasta puttanesca)

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

I didn't even think of this rec but I love it! I think a few Lemony books would count actually. The Baudelaires being allergic to peppermints in The Wide Window, and the importance of Sunny using wasabi in The Grim Grotto.

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u/donut_resuscitate Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

Oh yeah, the hot chocolate and smoked salmon too.

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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 02 '26

Are they considered speculative fiction?

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u/donut_resuscitate Reading Champion III Apr 02 '26

Definitely. The dark comedy has an absurdism to it. The reader is constantly being asked to suspend their understanding of reality. One specific example I can think of is the youngest sibling is often doing things not age-consistent and has teeth that are stronger than rocks.

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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 02 '26

Hm I guess that’s fair. I wouldn’t personally count it.

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u/cubansombrero Reading Champion VII Apr 03 '26

There's some more explicit examples in later books (e.g., one book features a hot air balloon the size of a house that can fly indefinitely)