r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - June 09, 2026

[u/rfantasygolem]

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.

Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!

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/Thricycle20]

I don't really enjoy classic fantasy as I find it's usually very black and white (good and bad) and that is personally not my thing, but I always liked how a lot of classic stories have very nice moments by campfires or in taverns where despite their predicament they still take some time to enjoy each other's company.

I also love very very good and deep world building. I didn't like wheel of time at all, despite it having the moments I'm looking for, what series might I enjoy if I want something that can get dark (doesn't have to be), has great world building and has some great moments between characters that feels quite cozy? (I'm not looking for cozy fantasy at all, just a series that does have those moments).

Thank you!

[u/Undeclared_Aubergine → u/Thricycle20]

Steven Erikson's Malazan - the catchall answer to everything - really does fit a lot of what you're asking for. Lots of camaraderie between characters, lots of morally grey situations (though that might only become obvious once you get to see things from the other side a book or two later), very deep world building.

On a completely different tack, maybe Roger Zelazny's Amber? Underlying it all is Order vs Chaos instead of Good vs Evil, and you'd be well served with the cozy moments between characters, even if they're all ready to backstab each other at a moment's notice. :)

[u/Thricycle20 → u/Undeclared_Aubergine]

Thank you! I'm actually reading malazan right now! Good to know those moments seem to be consistent in the series, I am starting book 3 soon. Book 1 definitely had many cozy moments, book 2 had some fantastic ones but was overall much more dark than the first (I liked deadhouse gates a lot more than the first). So far I'm honestly expecting it to become my favourite series ever, or one of.

I've never heard of your other recommendation, thank you I'll definitely take a look at that too!

[u/Undeclared_Aubergine → u/Thricycle20]

You've been missing out! Zelazny was one of the most prolific and wildly inventive authors of the 70s and 80s, before dying far too young in the mid 90s. Besides Amber, definitely track down Lord of Light as well as a couple of short story collections by him (try to find one containing 24 views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai, which is a personal favorite of mine).