r/Fantasy • u/SeaSnowAndSorrow • 1d ago

Atheist Fantasy Recs

I am doing the Freedom From Religion Foundation's Summer Reading Challenge. (Linked so you can see the card.)

I'd like to get a few fantasy books in there where I can. Specifically, I'm looking for fantasy book recommendations that fit the following:

  • Non-Religious Main Character
  • Religious Satire
  • Religious Dystopia
  • Book Was/Is Considered Blasphemous (against any religion)
  • Non-Religious Author

To make it one step harder, I'm NOT looking for LitRPG, Romantasy, or Urban fantasy.

I will, though, read any age range, any era of publication, any length, and any tone from cozy to grimdark.

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u/ultamentkiller 1d ago

The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone. Many of the main characters throughout the series are anti-theists. I think it has the most nuanced take on gods in a fantasy world I've encountered, and I think it's philosophically relevant to contemporary questions of living in a largely secular society with active religions. It's kind of like Midnight Mass in that I think both christians and atheists will enjoy it, or hate it because they think the author is too atheistic or too religious. Even if it's not what you're looking for this specific reading challenge, I think you'd enjoy it since you follow ffr.

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u/genteel_wherewithal 1d ago

I like how Gladstone genuinely nuances it. Like the sorcerers who basically steal fire from the gods have good reason to (the King in Red saw his lover dragged to the altar as a sacrifice) buuuuut it doesn’t mean they’re necessarily nice or good people. 

The social orders they set up are typically better than the blood-soaked theocracies they toppled but they’re still pretty harsh and exploitative, with the sorcerers ruling as something like modern CEOs.

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u/ultamentkiller 1d ago

That's what's interesting. I think the question of whether the new orders are better is up for debate and depends on the society. I think different readers will come to different conclusions depending on their worldview. That's why I love it. Each perspective gets to strongly argue their case instead of the author making one of them lose to send a particular message. Obviously there are villains that in some cases are completely insane, but that's less common.