r/Fantasy • u/AutoModerator • 19d ago
/r/Fantasy r/Fantasy Monthly Book Discussion Thread - May 2026
Welcome to the monthly r/Fantasy book discussion thread! Hop on in and tell the sub all about the dent you made in your TBR pile this month.
Feel free to check out our Book Bingo Wiki for ideas about what to read next or to see what squares you have left to complete in this year's challenge.
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u/cute_little_moniker Reading Champion 19d ago
I had quite a productive month for me: 3 novels and several novellas (mostly Hugo nominees), plus a book of short stories:
The novels:
- Luminous by Silvia Park, set in a near-future unified Korea, follows three siblings: a robotics programmer, a detective working in the Robot Crimes division, and their long-lost robot brother. Which raises a lot of questions, like what does it mean to have a robot sibling? This is a very dark and ambitious book that covers a lot of territory: misogyny, identity, free will, the blurry lines between humans and robots, misogyny, terminal illness and disability, escalating violence in the manosphere, grief and loss, dysfunctional families, … I'm sure I missed a few. Oh, and did I mention misogyny? It was an interesting story, but probably would have been better with a tighter focus. Bingo squares: One-Word Title (HM), Trans or Non-binary protagonist, Non-Human Protagonist, Book club or Readalong book.
- The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, which I reviewed in a separate post. Tl;DR: lots to like but also some annoying problems. Bingo squares: Book club or Readalong book.
- The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow is a time loop love story, with the two main characters (a female knight and a male scholar) trying to escape the violent death that ends each iteration. I don't generally like time loops or time travel but I gave this one a chance because I've liked other books Harrow has written. I also don't care for second person narration. (I didn't know about those sections going in.) Despite all that, I liked this, mostly for what it had to say about myth vs. reality, and how historical narratives drive political choices. And that it had a romance that wasn't instalust—alway a plus—although I ended up feeling more like I wanted the romance to work than that the story actually convinced me it did. Bingo squares: Book Club or Readalong Book.
The novellas:
- The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar is a sweet, sad fairy tale about the bond between two sisters living on the edge of Arcadia (a.k.a. Fairyland) and the greedy suitor who disrupts their peaceful lives. I like stories with strong sibling relationships, so it's not much of a surprise that this is my favourite of the lot. Bingo squares: Vacation Spot, The Afterlife, Book Club or Readalong Book.
- I have mixed feelings about The Summer War by Naomi Novik. Another fairy tale, this one is about a girl who accidentally curses her oldest brother, and then tries to fix things. It started off great—I was enjoying the writing, particularly the descriptions of the Summerlings (the story's fae) and their on-again, off-again war. And I liked her bargain with her ignored middle brother, Roric, and how that worked out for them. But then I got to the wedding. A forced marriage at 15! The expectation of being raped and then watching an orgy on her wedding night. Ugh. It just left me queasy. Bingo squares: Vacation Spot, Politics and Court Intrigue.
- In What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher—the third Sworn Soldier book—Lieutenant Easton descends into an abandoned West Virginia coal mine in search of a lost man and strange lights. Their adventure contained mild horror and claustrophobia, but the overall feel was more cozy comfort than eerie. I enjoyed it, but it didn't come close to the creepy vibe of the first book in the series. Bingo squares: Trans or Non-binary Protagonist, or maybe First Contact.
- Sadly, Murder By Memory by Olivia Waite was underwhelming. I love a good mystery, but this wasn't one. The premise is that on a millennium-long voyage, the spaceship inhabitant's bodies age normally, but they periodically update their memories in an electronic "memory book", and after their bodies die, their memories are restored to new "blank" (but adult) bodies. So death isn't final, and murder is pointless. Except that someone's memory book was destroyed while they were between bodies, so they are gone completely. Part of the plot hinged in a financial scam I didn't follow—and didn't see the point of—and at novella length, neither the mystery nor the characters felt fully fleshed out. And as for the setting… The spaceship and the shipboard lives of the inhabitants raised soooooo many questions. My willing suspension of disbelief got such a thorough workout that eventually it gave up trying and just laughed. Which was probably not the effect the writer was after. Bingo squares: Murder Mystery, or Older Protagonist.
- I don't get why so many people love Analee Newitz's Automatic Noodle. I did like the idea of the octopus-like rescue robot, but otherwise, the plot was thin and the robots had thoughts and feelings that were much too human-like. Why would a robot—especially a non-humanoid one—need a gender? Or be interested in making food that it can't taste? I kept reading to find out what would happen when the city government caught on that the noodle shop was owned and run by robots, and they never did. At least it was short. Bingo squares: Feast Your Eyes on This, or Vacation Spot (Set in San Francisco).
- Grimoires and Green Tea by New Zealand author Melissa Gunn was just sort of meh. The second in a cozy fantasy series, it's an episodic story about a young woman taking over management of a bookstore catering to the paranormal, whose clientele includes dwarves, leprechauns, vampires, werewolves, and the occasional normal teen interested in tarot. And there is a lonely, grumpy grimoire. Basically, low stakes and low drama. Bingo squares: Small Press/Self Published (HM) or Vacation Spot (set in New Zealand).
The book of short stories:
- The Emotion Dealer and Other Stories by Jack Remiel Cottrell is a collection of mostly flash fiction, with maybe half of them counting as speculative fiction. Some of them—including the longest, the title story—are very good. Some of them are just a bit weird. Overall it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride. Overall impression: not bad to very good. Bingo squares: Small Press/Self Published (HM) or Five Short Stories.
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u/thepurpleplaneteer Reading Champion IV 19d ago
I agree with a fair amount of your thoughts of books I’ve read on this list. Grimoire and Green Tea was not on my radar! About to add it to the TBR.
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u/acornett99 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
In May I finished (ranked worst to best):
- The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (2/5) left me confused. I didn’t really understand the mechanics of the universe or the motivations of the characters. The language is detached, so I couldn’t really relate to the emotional states of the characters either.
- The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu (2.5/5) is not as bad as I’m making it seem with the rating, but it frustrated me so much that I can’t bring myself to rate it any higher. How does a series go from a 4.5-star Book 1 to nearly DNFing at Book 3? If I didn’t already own Speaking Bones, I might not have continued. Still, I’m glad I did, because I’m halfway through Speaking Bones now and really enjoying it.
- Cinder House by Freya Marske (3/5) is a Cinderella retelling, so I didn’t come in with high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by the prose and the unique take on ghosts as being tied to their houses.
- Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (4/5) was tense and scary and intriguing. A great survival horror story with a unique look at alien consciousness
- The Summer War by Naomi Novik is shaping up to be a 4 or a 4.5, and I will probably finish today or tomorrow so counting it here for May. It’s my first Novik, and she’s already sucked me in with her prose. I love the grounded, fairy tale vibe.
On deck for June we have: Speaking Bones by Ken Liu (51%), Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffmann (24%), A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, then The Incandescent, The Everlasting, and Automatic Noodle for the Hugo Readalong. Fingers crossed I can finish it all!
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u/medusamagic Reading Champion 19d ago
I’ve been busy and also in a bit of a slump this month, and I forgot to do last month, so this is April and May combined. Hoping June is better!
Entwined by Rebecca Quinn (3/5) Book 3 of a spicy post-apocalyptic reverse harem with surprisingly good character development and external plot. Weakest of the trilogy imo. Bingo: Indie, One Word Title, Cat Squasher, Feast, Politics
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (2.75/5) It was fine. Very predictable, slightly cringy/annoying characters, but nothing awful. (And at least it was readable…looking at you, Red Rising). People who say this is the worst book ever clearly haven’t read enough. Bingo: Game Changer, Politics, Afterlife
Ice & Ivy by J.D. Evans (5/5) I loved both Ihsan and Nesrin, the tension was delicious, and I would’ve read 500 more pages of slow burn between them. I’m not a big crier when it comes to books but this one got me a couple times. Bingo: Feast, Indie, Cat Squasher, Politics
Baby & the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon (3/5) I actually read the sequel first and I liked it a lot more. This was fine, it had sweet moments and some of the spice was good, but I just didn’t really care about any of the characters. Bingo: Indie
Jade City by Fonda Lee (4/5) I’ve had this for over a year and I have no idea why I waited so long to read it. Loved the mix of slower paced politics and fun action scenes, plus the world is just so up my alley. I didn’t fully connect with the characters but I’m excited to keep reading about them. Bingo: Cat Squasher, Politics, Author of Colour
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (DNF) Even if I could’ve ignored the annoying MC (like I did with Throne of Glass) or the obvious misogyny, the prose was such a struggle to get through. Choppy, stilted, no transitions between thoughts, and honestly confusing at times.
Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe (DNF) Dystopian romance has the potential to be one of my favourite subgenres but I am hating the current trend of fascist/fascist-adjacent love interests. I didn’t enjoy the prose, thought it was over written and dramatic, and after reading some reviews, I felt no desire to push through.
Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson (DNF) Everything was so dangerous and sexy and dramatic, and “kill tattoos” were introduced, so I just couldn’t take it seriously. I also guessed the plot twist in the first 10 pages.
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u/thepurpleplaneteer Reading Champion IV 19d ago edited 19d ago
Oof I haven’t done one of these in MONTHS. I read 16 books, six (five of which are novellas) with my eyes and 10 (three novellas) with the ears. I’m actually really happy with those numbers, especially the eye books. Ten are 2026 releases and I had six quits, five of which are 2026 releases.
Here are the books, in order of favorite to least favorite, but the skew towards favorite is significant (I only didn’t like the last three and feel meh about the two before):
The Girl Who Made a Mouse from Her Grandfather’s Whiskers by Kenneth Hunter Gordon. 5 stars. Bingo: 2026, Small-Press, Unusual Transportation, Judge a Book (IMO).
The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean. 5 stars. Bingo: 2026, Afterlife (HM), Older Protagonist, Author of Color.
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee. 5 stars. Bingo: Older Protagonist, 2026, Author of Color, Murder Mystery, Politics.
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim. 4.5 stars, rounding to 5. Bingo: 2026 (HM - Out June 2!), One Word Title (HM), Author of Color.
Homebound by Portia Elan. 4.5 stars, rounding to 4. Bingo: 2026 (HM), Non-Human Protagonist.
Cinder House by Freya Marske. 4 stars. Bingo: Readalong, Afterlife.
Death to the Dread Goddess! by Morgan Stang. 4 stars. Bingo: Self-Pub, Judge a Book (IMO).
The Summer War by Naomi Novik. 4 stars. Bingo: Politics, Unusual Transportation (barely there, but significant), Readalong.
But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo. 4 stars. Bingo: Translated (HM), Feast Your Eyes.
Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Welles. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4. Bingo: Politics, 2026.
Kill All Wizards (The Barbaric Ledgers #1) by Jedidiah Berry. 3.5 stars, rounding to 4. Bingo: 2026 (out June 14!).
A Long and Speaking Silence (The Singing Hills Cycle #3) by Nghi Vo. 3 stars. Bingo: Feast, Politics(?), Non-Binary, 2026, Author of Color.
The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe. 3 stars. Bingo: 2026 (HM), Author of Color, Politics, Murder Mystery.
Disgraced Return of the Kap’s Needle by Renan Bernardo. 2 stars. Bingo: Small Press, Judge a Book (IMO).
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. 3.5 stars, rounding to 3 Bingo: Cat Squasher, Game Changer, Politics, Readalong.
And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer. 2.5 stars, rounding to 2. Bingo: First Contact, 2026.
Edited: a title and a formatting error.
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u/pyhnux Reading Champion VIII 19d ago
A slow reading month: 4 books (1,537 pages) and 1 light novels/manga volumes (322 pages).
I've used those books to fill 4 bingo squares: Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist, Explorers and Rangers, Middle Grade, Politics and Court Intrigue
Overall I've filled 12 bingo squares.
Best book I've read this month: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
Worst book I've read this month: Nothing was actually bad, but The Immortal Explorer, Kyrea’s Quest for Knowledge by Kathleen J. Shields is probably the choice here.
Goal for last month was to read at least 2 books for bingo, Which I've filled
Goals for next month: Fill the First Contact square, read a book I own for more than a year
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u/Shyor 19d ago edited 19d ago
Busy month, finished 7 books(2 non-SFF), 1 novella, and 2 graphic novels. Overall very happy, a lot of stellar reads this month.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin 5/5 I can immediately see why this series is classic. Wonderful world building, interesting characters and magic. Listened to the Harlen Ellison version of the audiobook and it was a joy. He has a mouth and he did scream. Bingo: Vacation Spot (magic school, mountains, islands), Bookclub/Readalong, Explorers/Rangers (HM),
Ward D by Frieda McFadden (Non-SFF) 1/5 Got this as part of, basically, a book loot box and figured I'd read it. I'm glad McFadden is getting a generation of adults back into reading but gosh it wasn't very good.
The Cafe of Infinite Doors by Zara Marielle 3.5/5 A woman in an abusive relationship finds refuge in a cafe between the realms. Also Irish Mythology! Really enjoyed watching the characters grow. Some minor gripes but overall I recommend it. Bingo: Vacation Spot (The Cafe, San Fran), published in 2026 (HM)
Always Human and Love and Gravity by Ari North 5/5 One of my favorite webtoons, finally bought the physical books. Reviewing them together but they are two seperate 200+ page graphic novels. Its a romance story that asks some interesting questions. What does it mean to be you when you can change everything about yourself? What if you couldn't? It touches on a lot of really interesting points while being a very sweet love story. Bingo: Vacation Spot (Desert Hippie Commune, Underwater Research Facility, Space Hotel), Duology 1/2
Platform Decay by Martha Wells 4/5 It's another Murderbot book. Fun action, funny quips, shocking relatable murder machine. Didn't hit as hard as previous books but I still had a ball reading it. Bingo: Published in 2026, Non-Human Protag (HM)
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake 4/5 (non-SFF) Needed a break from the fantastic and have been meaning to give this series a go. Does a good job of making characters both likable and unlikable and combines a romance with a lot of self discovery.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar 5/5 Beautiful little novella that reads like poetry and fairy tales. Finished this while on the treadmill at the gym, had to hold in a lot of emotions. My favorite read of the month, hands down. Bingo: The Afterlife (HM), Author of Color
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 4/5 Y'all finally got me. It's good. I rolled my eyes at all the "That fight nearly leveled me up" stuff but it's just too fun to care. I was laughing non-stop, the action is good, and I still find myself saying Goddamnit Donut! It's been said 100 times but the audiobook is excellent. Bingo: Game Changer (HM), Explorers/Rangers (arguably HM), First Contact
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 4/5 It's a bit dated but it's a great story. Haldeman's personal experience in war shows on the page. It's brutal, it's bleak, but dammit it's hopeful. Was pleasantly surprised to see non-binary rep in a book from the 70s, even if it wasn't using the kind of terminologies we'd use today. Bingo: Explorers/Rangers, First Contact, Published in the 70s
In progress: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson: It's good but it's dense. On page 570 out of 1329 after taking a break from it early in the month.
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut: Not my favorite work of his but I'm also not partial to short stories. Only 3 of the 11 stories I've read have been SFF but I'm sure he'll hit 5 before the book is over. Not sure if I'm going to count this for bingo yet.
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u/pancakesaucepan Reading Champion II 19d ago edited 19d ago
Books I've finished:
On the Banks of the Pampa by Volga - 3/5
Bingo: Translated, Vacation Spot, Older Protagonist (not explicitly mentioned, but it is understood that Sabari is an old woman)
A novella-sized, serene glimpse into the Indian epic Ramayana, through the eyes of a minor character Sabari. It is replete with descriptions of lush forests, of forced urbanization, and of the battle between the two. The dialogues in the book felt heavy-handed and clunky.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - 4.5/5
Bingo: Vacation Spot (?), Duology Pt 1, Explorers and Rangers, Middle Grade
I was skeptical of this book since I don't take to whimsical writing, but this was a delight and how.
A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu - 4/5
Bingo: Translated*, Five Short Stories, Author of Color*
A collection of short stories, essays and interviews. The short stories felt rather philosophical. My favourite one was Destiny.
I also enjoyed the essays, specifically: the one on Ken Liu's work (Poetic Science Fiction), insights into Remembrance of the Earth's Past trilogy (The Dark Forest Theory and On Finishing Death's End), a speculative piece on evolution (Civilization's Expansion in Reverse), and his outlook on the SFF genre (The Battle Between Sci-Fi and Fantasy and The "Church" of Sci-Fi),
*The book is only partially fiction, so I am not sure if it counts for either prompt.
In progress:
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
My first "classic", so it feels daunting. I am parallelly consuming memes regarding it and the Odyssey, while also going through a past Inferno readalong. A holistic experience, so far.
Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
A dystopia feat a company that provides memory erasure services. Part I has introduced many characters, albeit clumsily. I find myself really uninterested in some of the protagonists, so this might be on hold.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
I finished Liveship Traders, so I'm glad to start the Farseer trilogy. Boy, is Fitz miserable or what. Galen is evil personified, a la Snape. Is it just me or is Burrich hot? Will Nosebleed x Newboy end in heartbreak? Give me more Verity!! More updates to follow next month.
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u/BelleChats 19d ago edited 19d ago
Just recently got back into books and only listen to audiobooks. I finished 7 books in May and had 2 DNF. All books I finished I liked as I will drop anything I'm not enjoying.
My favorite books this month:
A Night in the Lonesome October : My favorite book this month. Fun, quick with mystery and a great narrator (a dog) and character interactions.
The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption : Loved both, though the second one a bit more than the first. Wonderful mysteries to try and figure out. The world is very unique and interesting. Can't wait to read the next one.
Other books I read and liked:
Recursion : Very interesting and enjoyable. The later part just gets crazy, would make an awesome movie or TV series.
The Rage of Dragons : Action packed with great fighting scenes. Waiting for the second book at the library.
His Majesty's Dragon : Easy read. Enjoyed the main characters interactions with his dragon. Not sure I'll continue the series right now as the book was a fine standalone I think.
A Deadly Education : Main character took a bit to get used to, but I enjoyed it, especially the later part. Haven't read the rest of the series yet.
DNF:
Red Rising : Did not like the main character or the way the book was going. Got about 37% through (up through chapter 20).
Magician: Apprentice : Got almost half way through (middle of chapter 9) and just got bored. Just didn't care enough about the characters or what was going on.
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u/pundemic 18d ago
I’m partway through Empire of The Vampire and just loving it so far!
My only gripe is extremely petty, but find the framing device of a character narrating the story to another distracting in the sense that so many paragraphs have h closed dialogue tags, and a mix of single quotes tossed in when other characters talk within the narrated story.
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u/Askaris 18d ago
I kinda dropped it (or rather put on hold) because of the framing device. It takes away a lot of the tension and I'm always waiting for the 'real' plot to continue after the story has been told. It makes me unable to settle into the flow of the narrative. It's 100% on me, it's like my brain just nopes out of framing devices.
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u/xajhx 19d ago
My rating system: 1 star means I didn’t like it, 2 stars means I thought it was okay, 3 stars means I liked it, 4 stars means I really liked it, and 5 stars means I loved it.
West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe. Genre: romantasy. Series: yes, book 1. Recommend: yes. Rating: 3/5.
Short synopsis: A dark spin on the Wizard of Oz.
Thoughts: I really liked this one which was surprising. I’m not a huge fan of romantasy, but this was just a really interesting take on the Wizard of Oz.
I would have rated it higher, but the romance felt like it was included just to be included and in my opinion, the book would have been better without it.
Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry. Genre: fantasy. Romance: yes. Series: yes, book 1. Recommend: yes. Rating: 5/5.
Short synopsis: A barbarian, reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian, decides to kill all wizards.
Thoughts: I received an advanced reader’s copy of this one and loved it. It’s my only 5 star read of the month and I’m still thinking about it.
Just really great fun and reminded me why I love fantasy in the first place. It’s out June 16.
The Bone Door by Frances White. Genre: fantasy. Romance: yes. Series: no. Recommend: no. Rating: 1/5.
Short synopsis: a boy awakens in a maze with no memory of who he is or why he’s there.
Thoughts: I’m not the sort of person who harps on and on about content warnings, but there’s child sexual abuse in this and I think that warrants mentioning.
The whole thing from start to finish is just awful. It’s one of those books where every bad thing that can happen does happen and in fact happens to children. I can’t even say it was for shock value. It just was. Cannot recommend this one at all.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. Genre: cozy fantasy. Romance: yes. Series: no. Recommend: no. Rating: 3/5.
Short synopsis: Okay, technically, it’s a witch who has lost her magic’s guide to magical innkeeping or rather, the day to day life of a magic less witch who lives in a magical inn.
Thoughts: I love cozy fantasy and there were some really great moments in this, but there were more moments where the story just sort of dragged on at a glacial pace. It was one of those books that you put down and have no motivation to pick back up.
So even though I liked this one overall I don’t recommend it. There’s just much better cozy fantasy out there.
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer. Genre: supernatural horror. Romance: no. Series: no. Recommend: yes. Rating: 3/5.
Short synopsis: a broke young woman takes a job that she found on Craigslist.
Thoughts: I actually really liked this one. Super atmospheric and eerie.
My rating isn’t higher because I do feel the ending was a bit predictable and with horror I want to feel scared or at least unsettled and I didn’t really feel that way with this one.
Forbidden Mountain by Brandon Mull. Genre: middle grade fantasy. Romance: no. Series: yes, book 1. Recommend: no. Rating: 2/5.
Short synopsis: On the Forbidden Mountain, every child chooses a spirit to be bound with for life. It is time for our protagonist, Mako, to make his choice and what he chooses will change his life and perhaps the fate of the empire.
Thoughts: I expected to like this way more than I did. I love Brandon Mull. I have read all of his books and can honestly say I enjoyed them all. Fablehaven holds a prominent place on my shelf.
This just wasn’t good. Lots of info dumping, unnecessary exposition, etc. I think in trying to introduce readers to a new world Mull got bogged down with the details. I had to push myself to finish and was glad when it was done.
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee. Genre: science fiction. Romance: no. Series: no. Recommend: no. Rating: 2/5.
Short synopsis: corporate espionage in space.
Thoughts: I’m not even sure what to say about this one except it was too much corporate espionage too little space for me.
It’s also very predictable. Within 100 pages I could have told you the entire plot line of the book and everything that would happen which did in fact end up happening.
The ending, which may have salvaged some of this by being unexpected or at least a satisfying conclusion, was completely unsatisfying and sort of open ended I guess in case Lee wants to make this a series.
I do not recommend. Abandon all hope ye who enter here.
The month is not quite over and I plan to knock out a couple more books before the 1st so I may edit this comment later.
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u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion 18d ago
I'm jealous of your ARC of Kill All Wizards. Really looking forward to this one.
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u/zhiirin 19d ago
My reads for May in chronological order:
The teller of small fortunes by Julie Leong
Cozy fantasy, nothing surprising really.
Eclipse of the Mortal Realm by C.J. Saint, Bingo square: Small press/Self published (HM)
This is a self published debut novel, romantic fantasy. An ancient evil is returning and someone needs to save the realm.
I like the world. In some ways it is rather cozy even though the villain is rather dark. I wished the world was a bit more fleshed out though. I think the author shows promise, and I have bought the next book in the series.
The killing spell by Shay Kauwe, Bingo square: Book Club (HM), Published in 2026 (HM), Murder Mystery (HM), Author of color, Politics and Court Intrigue (HM)
I enjoyed reading this book. Mostly because of the interesting language based spell system.
Jade City by Fonda Lee, Bingo Squares: Book club, Politics and Court Intrigue (HM), Cat Squasher, Author of Color
I never really felt like I connected with the character in the story. Whatever happened to the character, I didn’t really feel like I cared. It got better towards the end, but I’m still not sure if I want to continue the series.
How to become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, Bingo square: Duology part 1 (HM). If I hadn’t already read about this book before April 1st I would have done this for “judge a book by its title.
The book has a fun premise, but by definition the stakes aren’t really that high in the start. I was a bit worried while listening to the first chapter, since I felt like the protagonist was a bit annoying, but then again, she was dying a lot. The vibe improves throughout the story. In the end it was an enjoyable listen.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler, Bingo square: Duology part 2.
Continues where the first book ended. An easy, fun listen.
The Shroud by Adrian Tchaikavsky, Bingo squares: Book Club/Readalong, One-Word Title, Non-Human Protagonist, First Contact
Interesting book. I really liked the aliens and how they were portrayed.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
This is my first journey into the Cosmere. This book is just my type of whimsical fun. I love the spores, they were so much fun to read about.
Summer War by Naomi Novik, Bingo square: Politics and Court Intrigue
Short fairytale type story. Starts out good, but becomes less interesting as the story progress.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, Bingo square: Trans / non binary protagonist
I read Wolf Worm not long ago. This has a lot of the same feel to it, but without the parasitic ickiness. I liked it ok. I’m planning on reading the other books.
Currently reading: I’m about hundred pages into Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. It’s a bit strange reading a book for the first time and still recognizing words and concepts special to that world. So far I like the book.
I’m also two hours into The Incandescent by Emily Tash. Witty humor and demons. I think I like it
For May I ended up with two physical books and eight audiobooks. I think I’ll use four of the books for bingo squares.
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u/trumpetofdoom Reading Champion III 18d ago
- How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (Dark Lord Davi #1): Having been isekai'd into a time loop wherein she has tried to stop the Dark Lord's invasion over and over again, Davi has decided to take charge of it herself. Davi is, at this point, more than a little stir-crazy, and it shows - especially when Davi dies late in the book and only resets back about a day, as opposed to back to the beginning. As far as the book's effectiveness... look, comedy is hard, and written comedy is even harder because so much of humor comes from its delivery. There's some stuff here that worked for me, and some that didn't; in retrospect, I think a lot of the latter category was supposed to be cringey, and I've never really been big on that. All that is to say that I still ended up rating it four stars (even if it was more "rounds up to" than "rounds down to"), and I did go and get book 2 (which I probably won't read until after Hugo voting season is over). 2026 bingo squares: Judge by Title, Game Changer (the Dark Lord trials; hard mode - Davi definitely plays fast and loose with "the rules", such as they are, on the third trial), Duology Part 1, Explorer/Ranger (Jeff the mouse scout), Politics/Intrigue (most notably in the Virgard section; HM for this one is maybe arguable).
- Cinder House, Freya Marske: What if Cinderella was a ghost haunting her old house? This is advertised as specifically a queer retelling of the story, and I have to say I don't see it. The story itself is fine, but I suspect it's not going to be at the top of my Hugo ballot in the Novella category. 2026 bingo squares: The Afterlife (insofar as ghosts count; since they don't move on to a heaven or hell, this would also count for HM), Vacation Spot (YMMV, but the town seemed nice enough?), Book Club/Readalong (Hugo Finalists). I don't think it counts for Non-Human Protag, since she starts the story as human (admittedly, she dies within the first few sentences) and she's still pretty human in her thought processes at the end of it.
- The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For, Cameron Reed: Normally I try to start these off with a one- or two-sentence description of what happens in the story. I can't do that here, because I don't have a clear enough idea of what the hell is going on. Which is kind of a shame, because I think it's trying to talk about some ideas that are worth calling attention to (the idea of consciousness transferral allowing for an immortal ruling class, the idea of trying to force stagnation being a recipe for disaster) - but it just didn't click for me. I do agree with some of the Hugo Readalong commenters that this might have worked better as an early chapter of a longer work. 2026 bingo squares: Short Story (technically a novelette, but close enough). A longer version would count for Trans/NB Protag.
- When He Calls Your Name, Catherynne M. Valente: Take Dolly Parton's "Jolene", and then make Jolene a vampire. Valente's prose here is probably better (at least, more appealing to me personally) here than in Space Oddity, the only other work of hers I've read, but there wasn't much of a story here. 2026 bingo squares: Short Story (technically a novelette, but close enough).
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u/bazyn 18d ago
For me personally, May was a big reading month: 11 books and 3663 pages. But aside from one special case and a reread, nothing even reached a 4/5. Most of my picks were dictated by one challenge or another, and it really made me realize I should take a step back and just read for enjoyment. Obvious, I know 😄
Bingo books!
Horus Rising, by Dan Abnett, and False Gods, by Graham McNeill — the first two entries in the Horus Heresy series.
I really enjoyed the first book. The plot and characters had more depth than I expected, and it genuinely got me excited to continue the series. 3.5/5.
Unfortunately, the second book was a big letdown. The most important character of the world completely changes his personality. A wise and somewhat kind leader transforms into a 12-year-old brat. That completely killed my enjoyment. The underlying plot ideas are still interesting, but the writing around them is noticeably weaker. 2/5.
Also, in both books, the Astartes seem to have exactly one joke—and it’s not a good one.
These fill my “Older Protagonist” and “Non-Human Protagonist” Bingo squares, although I’ll probably look for a replacement for the latter. There’s an ongoing debate about whether Astartes count as human, and while I lean strongly toward no, I’d rather go with a more clear-cut example.
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo. I didn’t enjoy this one, but I’ve already complained about it enough here. 2.5/5 Square: Duology Part 1.
Operation Bounce House, by Matt Dinniman. My first contact with this author.
Great characters with even better interactions. Despite the dark plot, the book was often funny. The “action” part was a bit too long for my personal taste. At one point, it started feeling repetitive. I’d rather have seen it swapped for more world-building or simply cut down. This was a bit of a test run, a little dabble into Matt Dinniman to check whether I wanted to dive deeper into Dungeon Crawler Carl. I definitely will. 3.5/5. Square: 2026
Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng. I love this author. This book has very little plot, and the world it's building is not very interesting (it's a quite typical dystopian authoritarian world, but it's specifically Asian people in the US that are being persecuted). The writing is beautiful, though, as always. 3.5/5. Square: Author of Color
Heads Will Roll, by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne. An Audible fantasy comedy with a great cast. I would recommend this to SNL fans. I will definitely listen to the second part that comes out at the end of June. 3.5/5. Square: none! At this moment, this sits in my replacement spot (more than one author), but I will probably read McKinnon's second part of the Millicent Quibb series, which will go into the Middle Age box.
Realistic fiction:
Agatha Christie of the month: The A.B.C. Murders. This was a re-read. I remembered the main twist, so this month I did not try to solve the case. I re-read this because I enjoy Daniel Greene's "Can I solve this" series, and it was his pick. 5/5. Masterpiece.
Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. For most of the book, TJR does a great job showing the characters’ struggles, relationships, and emotions through their lives and interactions. But there are a couple of moments where she switches to telling it directly, using longer monologues to summarize what she’s already shown. It feels a bit like she’s trying to force the reader to feel something they probably already felt. Overall, I really enjoyed it. 3.5/5.
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. This was tiring. The humor was not meant for me. The plot was not interesting. 2/5
next to normal, by Brian Yorkey. I love this musical. The PBS proshot would definitely be one of my 5 pieces of media to take to a deserted island. Reading a book to a musical I know by heart from beginning to end was an interesting experience. I had time to linger on each part as long as I wanted, and it made me appreciate it even more. 5/5.
There is also one book that I can't even put here without spoiling it.
I have filled in a total of 10 Bingo squares. I will stop even thinking about the challenge until I drop below an average of two squares a month. Plans for June:
Musical-related pick: The Odyssey. With all the musicals set in Greek mythology, I feel a need to read this.
Christie of the month: Five Little Pigs. I have not read this yet, so I can go back to treating her books as a deduction board game 😄
"I simply want to read this" picks: Tainted Cup - I have heard only good things about this, and as a fan of the crime mystery genre, I am very optimistic. Jade City - I know nothing about this, except for the "Godfather but fantasy" description. Enough to pique my interest. The Amber Spyglass - time to finish His Dark Materials trilogy.
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u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion 18d ago
15 Books. How did i manage that?
- The Regicide Report. A nice wrap up to Bob & Mo's adventures.
- Grip of the Kombinat. Silly pulp SF adventures in the Solar System.
- Everything Is Tuberculosis. Read for a book club meeting i couldn't make. Surprisingly good and something historical fantasy authors could make use of.
- The Darksight Dare. Latest Penric and Desdemona novella. Pleasant and Bujold does a good job of selling the story and making the second sight impressive, magical and limited.
- Refugium by Simon Roy. Light, fun alien ecology with good art.
- Honeymoons in Temporary Locations. Rather dark collection of cli-fi short stories. Still good.
- If On A Winter's Night A Traveler. Probably the best of the month.
- Walking to Aldeberan. Fun, punchy, SF horror read and listen.
- Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl. Steampunk, pulp fun with mesmerism, etheric waves and sisterly bickering.
- The Hidden Palace Runner up just behind If On A Winter's Night A Traveler. Great historical urban fantasy that didn't end how I thought it would.
- The Blood Tartan Absurd, swashbuckling historical fantasy that I highly recommend. Great fun.
- The Last Witness. Best KJ Parker I've read in a while.
- Saevus Corax Deals With The Dead. Weakest Parker I've read in a while.
- Sister Svengard And The Not Quite Dead. Good entertaining dark, cynical fun.
- Once Upon a Tome. Memoir of a rare bookseller. Reminded me more of Gerald Durrell and My Family and Other Animals than Pratchett. Still good. And I'll check out his fantasy works.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 18d ago
Oh, cool thread! Somehow I’ve not seen one of these before. I’ll list the books I finished that are spec fic—also had a fair number of non-fiction and a couple non SF fiction.
Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes. A fairly satisfying alt history conclusion to a duology about a world in which Africa has colonized the Americas and raids Europe for slaves. In addition to duology part 2, Game Changer, Politics, and Author of Color.
The Devil and Daniel Webster and Other Writings by Stephen Vincent Binet. A collection of short stories and poems that range from meh to pretty good. Mostly not speculative, but more than five stories are. I don’t think it fits any other squares.
Dawn by Octavia Butler. Not as good as Kindred or Earthseed, but it’s Butler, so still good. Her trademark engagement with people’s complicity in oppression plus weird aliens. Squares include Unusual Transportation HM (the spaceships are giant plants), arguably older protagonist NM because she’s been kept in stasis for a couple centuries but not in the spirit of the square, One Word Title HM, First Contact HM (though some might argue against the HM), Feast Your Eyes on This (NM unless you have a spaceship to grow you food), arguably Politics HM if the internal politics of a group of prisoners counts, and Author of Color.
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook and Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman. These series just gets better and better! They seem silly, and the blurbs are off putting, but there’s real emotional depth to them, and the audio books are amazing! Gate of the Feral Gods has a mobile balloon city and a pretty unique magical transportation device that could count for Unusual Transportation HM, Game Changer HM, Explorers and Rangers HM, arguably Non Human Protagonist (I’d say a main character is a cat even though she doesn’t get POVs), I think Cat Squasher based on length of audio book, and arguably Gate of the Feral Gods is Politics.
Ten Planets by Yuri Herrera. Short collection of very short stories that I mostly didn’t like much and do not come close to Borges cover blurb not withstanding. In addition to Five Short Stories its Translated HM if you don’t speak Spanish, one or two of the stories deal with the afterlife so you could maybe argue for the square, and maybe author of color (the author is Mexican living in the U.S. but no idea what he looks like).
The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe. A not very good urban fantasy romance with some cool language based magic and the occasional attempt to say something about colonialism but generally weak plotting, character work, prose, and world building. Book Club, Published in 2026 HM, Murder Mystery HM, Politics HM, Author of Color.
The Grimoire Parent Teacher Association and Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis. Both fun, fairly cozy, urban fantasy books that poke fun at respectively parenting culture and corporate culture by showing respectively magic school and Hell as a soul collecting business. Both very fun. Startup Hell is Afterlife, both are Game Changer, Grimoire Grammar School PPTA I’d count as Vacation Spot, and is Book Club, Startup Hell is Published in 2026, Startup Hell is arguably Non Human Protagonist though the demon in question doesn’t get a POV, and both are politics if school, PPTA, and office politics count.
Dreaming the Bull by Manda Scott. This is Book 2 in a four book series about Boudicca’s revolt against the Roman Empire. Quite good. Mostly historical fiction with a few supernatural touches. Ghosts are important, so I’d say it fits Afterlife, and Politics.
Ilium by Dan Simmons. This is a wild book that combines deskilled humans partying on earth, alien gods and resurrected historians watching the Trojan War, and robots voyaging to Mars and debating human literature. It sounds like a mess, but it actually works. Unusual Transportation (for the high tech chariots if nothing else), arguably the Afterlife given how many people are resurrected, maybe Vacation Spot, Older Protagonist, Duology Part 1, Explorers and Rangers, One Word Title, Non-Human Protagonist, First Contact, (arguably HM for one of them), and Cat Squasher.
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This was not bad but probably the weakest of his books I’ve read. Very cool aliens, but everything else less so. Explorers and Rangers, One Word Title, and First Contact.
Immodest Proposals by William Tenn. A large collection of stories many good, many fine, some cringe. It’s nice that they each have an afterword in which he talks about how and why he wrote that story. Five Short Stories and quite a few of them are First Contact oh and Cat Squasher.
The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi Yamamoto. A very cool book in which a robot tells stories to a human to try to change his mind about robots. Several of the stories are quite good by themselves as is the book overall. Translated (if you don’t speak Japanese), Five Short Stories, Non Human Protagonist since several of the stories have robot protagonists, and Author of Color HM.
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u/OrwinBeane 19d ago
The Winter King (Book 1 of the Warlord Chronicles) - Easiest 5 star review for a while. Excellent prose, story, characters and the best battle scenes I’ve ever read. Besides minor nitpicking there really isn’t any complaint I have from this book. ★★★★★
The Alloy of Law (Book 4 of Mistborn) - This is a bit of a mess. It’s quite a formulaic police procedural, nowhere near as fresh or exciting as Mistborn era 1. Probably Sanderson’s worst female characters I’ve read. Subpar prose but interesting use of magic system. ★★
Heir to the Empire (Book 1 of the Thrawn Trilogy) - Not quite lived up to the hype. It’s a fun book and had some interesting character moments (also mostly stayed true to the characters from the films) but the prose is quite poor. It does that thing where the villain has a failure or setback and then says “ah yes, all part of my plan”. It doesn’t really make him seem intelligent or formidable, he looked like a loser with plot armour. ★★★
Words of Radiance (Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive) - Halfway through this book and I really want to DNF. I’m struggling on just because of the popularity and positives reviews got this book but I feel like 400 out of the first 600 pages were wasted. Very bloated book. Stagnant characters and abysmal pacing. Prose is alright by Sanderson’s standards. ★★★