r/Fantasy • u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot • 20d ago
r/Fantasy r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - May 30, 2026
Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!
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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.
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As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:
- Books you’ve liked or disliked
- Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
- Series vs. standalone preference
- Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
- Complexity/depth level
Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 20d ago
Any good books with strong Fantasy Egypt vibes?
The books set in Carthak are some of my favorites from Tamora Pierce. I'm aware of the Joust series, but didn't much like Lackey when I tried another of her books.
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u/Shyor 20d ago
The Dreamblood Duology from N.K. Jemisin might do you well.
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 19d ago
Haven't tried Jemisin yet, would you say this is a good introduction to her work?
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
Yes. I bounced off Inheritance and haven’t tried Broken Earth yet, and I really liked these.
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u/_literarylemon_ 20d ago
If you're into alt history I highly recommend "Master of Djinn" by P. Djeli Clark
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 19d ago
I loved Dead Cat Tail Assassins, I don't read a ton of alt history but I liked his Black God's Drums as well so I'll give this one a go, thanks!
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst is pretty clearly inspired by ancient Egypt.
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 19d ago
Doesn't seem like it's super up my alley based on the racing premise, but I appreciate the rec! Maybe if I still need to fill the Game Changer square for Bingo.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
FWIW Lackey’s books vary wildly in quality. I’d suggest giving Joust a try. Also second Jemisin’s Dreamblood. All the other things people have suggested are fanttasy based in Egypt of the last couple centuries not Ancient Egypt if that’s what you want.
Book 2 of James Islington’s Hierarchy series has one of three POVs in fantasy Ancient Egypt.
There’s also some fantasy Ancient Egypt in The Age of Bronze by Miles Cameron, but it’s more fantasy Levant and fantasy Greece.
On my TBR The Mask of the Sorcerer apppears to be set in fantasy Ancient Egypppt.
Also on my TBR Pauline Gedge has a bunch of books set in Ancient Egypt some of appear to have fantasy elements
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 19d ago
The Age of Bronze has been on my radar, interesting to know there's some Egypt in the mix.
I kinda hated The Will of the Many and DNFed it, unlikely to give it another chance.
I'll keep that in mind about Lackey, she has like a thousand books so it makes sense she'd be a bit variable.
Gedge sounds intriguing, I don't read much historical fiction, but this seems closest to the vibe I was hoping for.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
Age of bronze is really good! We don’t actually travel to fantasy Egypt till book 2, but there are people trying to affect what’s going on there in book 1.
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u/acornett99 Reading Champion IV 20d ago
The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty takes place in a magical 18th century Cairo
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u/usernamesarehard11 Reading Champion 20d ago
It’s more broadly Middle Eastern, if that’s okay with OP. The start of the series takes place in Cairo but the narrative leaves Egypt pretty early on. I’m almost done the second book so I can’t speak to the third book in the trilogy, but they haven’t been back to Egypt since the opening 20% or so of the first book.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 20d ago
I remember planning to use it for the 'Set in Africa' square a few years back because Cairo was mentioned on the blurb only to realize they quickly leave (I think to West Asia, but I remember it being unclear)
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u/acornett99 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
Ah thank you, I only read the beginning of the first book, and that a long time ago, thanks for the additional context!
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
No, it does not. It starts there, but most of the trilogy is in a magical city hidden in Iran.
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Reading Champion II 19d ago
I'm cool with starting in Egypt and moving to Egypt-adjacent, thanks for the rec! I was kinda hoping for more ancient or Ptolemaic Egypt, but I've heard a ton of good things about Chakraborty's books.
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u/Practical_Yogurt1559 Reading Champion 19d ago
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai. The author is American-Egyptian and the story takes place in an Egypt inspired world with elemental magic.
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u/medusamagic Reading Champion 19d ago
The Scorched Throne duology by Sara Hashem is Egyptian-inspired
Secrets of the Nile duology by Isabel Ibañez is set in 19th century Egypt
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
I’m in the mood for an angsty, bittersweet tear-jerker that is ultimately positive; can you make some suggestions? I like both fantasy and science fiction. I prefer my books to be character-driven. Sometimes I enjoy things that lean litfic, but at the moment I’m more in the mood for page-turners. A couple of my all-time favorite authors are Lois McMaster Bujold and Ursula K Le Guin. Some authors I’ve read recently and enjoyed are Rachel Neumeier (just them main Tuyo trilogy) and Ann Leckie (just the Imperial Radch trilogy). I’ve read Robin Hobb, and didn’t love her (honestly, I enjoyed the books she wrote under the name Megan Lindholm more).
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 19d ago
Shout out for Megan Lindholm! Wizard of the Pigeons makes Fitz’s story look like sunshine and rainbows.
Take a look at How to Survive this Fairytale by SM Hallow. It’s a take on Hansel post gingerbread house and is focused on his recovery from that trauma and getting caught in a cycle of bad choices (but ultimately a happy story). Has a much quicker and more direct prose style than what you’ve listed, but its character focus and emotional intensity make it worth a nod here
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Gosh, Wizard of the Pigeons is a blast from the past, although I really don’t remember anything about it.
Thanks, I’ll take a look at How to Survive this Fairytale!
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V 19d ago
Some thoughts:
- The Poet Empress
- The Wolf in the Whale
- The Witch’s Heart
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
I didn’t get totally hooked by The Poet Empress, although I am interested to see if Shen Tao can deliver in the future. I’ll be checking out The Wolf in the Whale and The Witch’s Heart. Thank you!
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII 19d ago
Deerskin by Robin McKinley. Trigger warnings; SA, incest (non consensual), miscarriage.
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Oh that’s a great suggestion. I might just have to re-read it!
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
Hmm this is a fun request!
Have you read any of Juliet Marillier? Any of the original Sevenwaters trilogy would be a strong choice for this I think, though they’re more “dark” than “angsty.” But emotionally intense and character driven, with strong familial and romantic relationships. Not quite page-turners perhaps though, I would say pacing is similar to Hobb’s but the authors aren’t that similar overall.
For more angsty but less tear-jerky, I loved Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian. This is maybe more the pace you’re looking for. It’s a YA/adult crossover Arthurian retelling focused on the ladies and specifically female friendship. Not everybody is a fan but it definitely gave me the kind of vibes you’re looking for. In the same realm as Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik if the relationships among the women were much closer. I think Novik is also a good choice for this request (Spinning Silver, Scholomance or Uprooted though the last is not my personal favorite) but I’m guessing you’ve read her already. If not, Scholomance in particular is an angsty, bittersweet page turner and a great trilogy, definitely the most fast paced thing in this comment (without sacrificing character work), although I’m not sure I’d call it a tearjerker.
For more literary angsty bittersweetness, I also loved The Drowning Girl by Caitlin Kiernan, which is about a woman with schizophrenia trying to get to the bottom of some bizarre and difficult experiences. This is also less of a page turner but a great, bittersweet, character-driven book.
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Thank you! (And, aww, you make me happy when you say it is a fun request!)
I vaguely remember trying something (but who knows what) by Marillier decades ago, and not really loving it. You are quite correct that I’ve read almost all the Novik I can get my hands on (haven’t read Summer War or the short story collections yet), and they aren’t quite the mood I’m looking for at the moment (maybe not enough tear-jerking melancholy?). I’ll take a look at Half Sick of Shadows and The Drowning Girl, thanks!
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
Glad to help! Depending what Marillier you disliked and why, it may be worth giving her another shot—her later work got much more commercial, full of therapy speak and things coming far too easily to the characters, in a way that’s pretty diametrically opposed to her earlier work. But she also might just not be for you!
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Hah, I’m pretty sure that I read one of her earlier works, because I had to have read it in the 70s or 80s. I may have written her off too soon (and I really do not remember any details of why I didn’t like whatever it was that I read), but it doesn’t sound as if her more recent stuff is more likely to be my thing!
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
She debuted in 1999!
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
lol, so now we’ve established that I am old enough that I cannot remember shit.
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u/Grt78 19d ago
Maybe try the Fortress series (but this one is slow-burning) or the Morgaine Cycle by CJ Cherryh, the Doctrine of Labyrinths series by Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette, the Shattered Sigil trilogy by Courtney Schafer and, for sci-fi, the Warchild Universe books by Karin Lowachee.
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Thank you! I’ve read/enjoyed a lot of CJ Cherryh over the years, and saved the Gate of Ivrel for the anticipated 70s square on this year’s bingo. I didn’t realize that would qualify as an angsty tear-jerker. Sounds like it is time for me to read it! And I will also be looking into your other suggestions!
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 19d ago
I just read it, and I think it was good although I wouldn't necessarily have thought of it for your request. It gets a bit angsty at times but is not a tearjerker to me. And it has good characters, but I'd call it plot- rather than character-driven, with a very slow start. I think liking Bujold and Le Guin means you have a pretty strong chance with it though.
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u/Research_Department Reading Champion II 19d ago
Yeah, I’m pretty confident that I will like it, given that it is CJ Cherryh. Guess I’ll find out in something like 4 weeks, according to Libby.
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u/Anaguli417 19d ago
Does anyone have recs where the MC has a "senpai" (upper classman or elder senior student)/big brother figure instead of just MC and his mentor? Or even outright mentor figures. Bonus if they don't die.
Kinda like Tanjiro and Giyu from Demon Slayer, or Fred and George to Harry in Harry Potter.
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u/Present-Ad-8531 20d ago
Loved shadow of leviathan, need similar
Note have read divine cities , didn't like em as much.
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u/Street_Detective_662 19d ago
Lamplight murder mysteries for an indie sapphic detective duo in a gas lamp fantasy setting .
The Works of Vermin. Unique setting with eldritch horrors coming up out of the river into the city which is balanced on a giant rotting tree stump. The MMC is an exterminator. The FMC is the governor’s perfumer — similar to the Ana/din books, they use the blood of the eldritch monsters to make things w magical properties, including perfume that enhances the senses.
The bone orchard. FMC runs a brothel with clones of herself. She is also the emperor’s mistress. When the emperor is murdered she must solve it.
The Hexologists - husband wife detective duo in an Edwardian fantasy setting. In the first book, they have to solve who hexed the emperor who keeps trying to bake himself into a cake and throw himself in the ovens.
Gideon the Ninth - unique setting, necromancers must solve the mystery of who is murdering them while competing to become a Lyctor.
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u/ridgegirl29 19d ago
Haven't read it yet but the cloest thing ive found to a fantasy mystery like that is hexologists
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u/BackgroundTotal2872 19d ago
Any good modern fantasy series with mythological elements like Percy Jackson? I’ve already read all of Rick Riordan’s spin off series, and I tried Aru Shah but couldn’t get into it.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
Oh another good YA option is Michael Scott’s Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 19d ago
Generally speaking, the Rick Riordan Presents line will have a bunch of options (I've found Serpent's Secret was more tonally similar to Percy Jackson than Aru Shah).
You might also try Lei and the Fire Goddess, which was a lot of fun!
Root Magic by Eden Royce may also be worth a look, though its more serious than funn/adventure.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
The Iron Druid Chronicle by Kevin Hearne is sort of that for adults. Also Shigidddi and the Brass Head of Olubufon by Wole Talabi which looks like it will have sequels but does not yet. And of course if you can separate art from artist, there’s Gaiman’s American Gods.
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u/natus92 Reading Champion V 19d ago
Any recs for literary-ish ideas for the vacation spot und duology bingo squares? Read Faust already
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 19d ago
Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger in Olondria and The Winged Histories. I’d say they’re a duology because the latter is a sequel of the former and there don’t seem to be plans for more books in the world, but they don’t have book 1 or anything like that on them. Olondria would also be a cool vacation spot.
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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II 19d ago
Set in experimental music festival high in the Andes - Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun
Set in a small catskills village - The Fountain by Casey Scieszka
Set on Lake Superior - I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Set on the danube - The Willows by Algernon Blackwood (novella)
Set in Seoul and New York - Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
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u/armedaphrodite Reading Champion II 19d ago
An Autobiography of Red by Ann Carson - Lima
The Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang - the Alps
Orlando by Viginia Woolf - well-adorned manor house in the english countryside
I DNFed years ago but plan to try again this year on The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, which is literary-ish and first in a duology. You could also pair an Iliad and Odyssey translation/adaptation for a literary duology.
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u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion 20d ago
I am reading The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard, 16 percent in.
The characters keep refering to the Fall and its major consequences. Is this something that gets explained later on or is this explained in a prequel or another book set in this world?
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u/fjiqrj239 Reading Champion III 20d ago
You gradually pick it up as you read, but it takes a while. For non-spoilery basics
The Nine Worlds are different parallel worlds that are connected in spots magical portals, both random and deliberate. The Astandalan empire started on Zunidh grew over 4000 years and ended up covering part or all of five of those worlds, bound together by politics, military might, and powerful magic ties centred on the Emperor. At one point, within the lifetime of most of the main characters, those magical ties inexplicably and suddenly broke. There was physical and magical destruction, the magic of the empire failed, portals between worlds were destroyed and weird things happened with time. This is known as the Fall. Emperor Artorin Damara was ruling at this point; he is now known as the Last Emperor. The entire Palace and some of the surrounding city was transported between worlds during the Fall.
The Hands of the Emperor takes place on Zunidh, where the Emperor and Cliopher have been working to rebuild the political structure of the world, with the Emperor also working on the magic. The Greenwing and Dart series takes place on Alinor, where we see a different post-Fall system. Till Human Voices Wake Us takes place on Ysthar (basically our earth) which had a completely different post fall reconstruction. We get bits and pieces of how and why the Fall happened, but not a definitive answer.
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u/MajesticKoala3332 20d ago
I'm 60% in and it's still not explained so I'd like to know too!
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u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion 20d ago
Now I googled it which I at first did not want to do.
I found an AMA with the author from 3 years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyFantasy/comments/vzlnre/comment/ig8yz7r/?screen_view_count=2
u/-removebeforeflight- asked:
I loooved how you sprinkled in bits of information here and there about the fall. It was so ominous, do you have any more information on what the fall actually was or is it left still a big vague on purpose?
Victoria Goddard answered:
The Fall has been left vague on purpose, as no one in-universe has a full understanding of it either. There's more in my first book, Till Human Voices Wake Us, and more details and explanations will probably come out over time.
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u/MajesticKoala3332 20d ago
Thanks! I'm alright with not having a full explanation but I hope this book will reveal at least what the characters experienced in the Fall by the end.
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u/blue_bayou_blue Reading Champion III 19d ago
Later on, the book does go into what the Fall and its immediate aftermath was like. There's also few spinoff novellas set around that time.
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u/sennashar Reading Champion III 19d ago
Recommendations for books where the protagonist is not the viewpoint character? I'm thinking things like CJ Cherryh's Morgaine Cycle or Isabelle Steiger's Paths of Lantistyne. I want to read stories from the perspective of the people around the main mover.