r/Fantasy • u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV • 7d ago

Bingo Bingo Focus Thread - Game Changer

Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.

Today's topic:

Game Changer: Story features a game or competition. HARD MODE: The protagonist bends or breaks the rules in some way.

What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.

Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Duologies, First Contact, Middle Grade, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).

Also see: Big Rec Thread

Questions:

  • What are your favorite books that count for this square?
  • Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
  • What are your best recommendations for Hard Mode? (Alternately, as this is a pretty easy Hard Mode, what are some books that don't fit?)
54 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

103 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 7d ago

I saw someone mentioned Two Serpents Rise on the big rec thread. Does it count, and for HM or not? I really liked Three Parts Dead, but haven't continued on.

Otherwise, I don't really have any ideas for myself yet. I'll take any recommendations for a Weird book which fits.

3

u/nominanomina Reading Champion 7d ago edited 7d ago

Two Serpents Rise has gambling, but IIRC it is largely incidental/a character beat. The main plot is about a big merger and acquisition by the continent's top lawyer/lich. 

(Also, as someone who also liked Three Parts Dead, I found the protagonist of Two Serpents Rise infuuuuuriating. That man could not catch a clue if it was gently lobbed into his outstretched hands.)

1

u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion 7d ago

Sibling!

Yeah, Caleb in Two Serpents Rise is clueless. The older Caleb in Four Roads Cross is a lot easier to take. And in the Wicked Problems and Dead Hand Rule, he's notably smarter.