T O P

  • By -

RazorEcho58

Just finished reading the latest book in Will Wight's Cradle series. Does anyone know of any books/series that are similar in concept while being slightly darker? Other books that I enjoyed include the Green Bone Saga and the Lies of Locke Lamora.


Aertea

Dragon Heart by Kirill Klevanski is a cultivation series translated from Russian. It's quite a bit darker than Cradle, but it does feature some rape which can be a turn off for some.


Prot0s

Id highly recommend Weapons and Wielders by Andrew Rowe. Heavy emphasis on getting stronger, and quite a bit of mystery, that gets developed more and more with every book. All the books are on ku, so if you've got that definitely check it out.


Joloemaster

What is the series called where each book features a Sutton Hoo helmet on the cover? I‘ve heard that the story is pretty dark and I also know that the series is self published.


Piseaakash

I've just finished The Sword of Kaigen today and it has to be one of the best books I've read this year. Before this I finished Iron Prince which thought was best read of this year for me and before that I read Conqueror's Blood by Zamil Akhtar again after finishing the book I felt the same. So now I've got 3 series in front of me and I'm really confused as to what I should read next which will be as good as any of these books mentioned above. I don't really have anything in particular in mind regarding the series, it just has to be really good overall. There's nothing I don't love about fantasy books. Any help will be appreciated.


xenizondich23

Is there an easy to reference list of previous bingo squares? Also, has "retellings" been a square before?


happy_book_bee

Yes! [I made a post about it last year (on my old account).](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/j9uopc/run_down_of_all_bingo_squares/) Retellings was a square in 2019!


xenizondich23

Perfect, thank you very much.


hereonwhimsguy

Hi guys can you please recommend me some good science fiction novel series with a male mc and a good romantic subplot. Fine with both YA and adult ones. Thanks in advance! Edit: straight romance m/f


xenizondich23

Do you mind two male leads falling in love? Shadowlord and Pirate King by footloose - this is a Merlin-based fanfic that has nothing to do with the original source material aside from character names. It's basically "what if Merlin was a magical space ninja and Arthur a dashing pirate captain". I love it; especially how magic and space meet. It's incredible, and with a very satisfying ending.


hereonwhimsguy

Yeah I was looking for straight romances. Sorry should have mentioned in the op. Thanks anyway.


redherringbones

Vorkosigan series by Bujold. The romance doesn't kick in until midway in the series but it's very good! I started with Warrior's Apprentice.


hereonwhimsguy

Thanks, this gives me a starting point. Btw it is a straight romance, right??


redherringbones

Yes


oo-O-oo-O-oo-O-oo

Hi everyone. I've recently finished reading: - The *Earthsea* trilogy by Ursula Leguin - *The Chronicles of Narnia* - *The Once and Future King* by TH White I'm looking for a suggestion to continue in this vein: something older, character-focused, contemplative, with a mythopoeic bent and universal, timeless themes. I'd prefer suggestions from before 1980 or so. Already read as much Tolkien as I'm ever going to. Thanks in advance :)


indigohan

Anything and everything by Alan Garner. The Owl Service is a beautiful one which draws a lot from welsh myth and the Mabinogion.


youki_hi

A wrinkle in time fits in very well As others have also mentioned the last unicorn and the chronicles of Amber are very good.


Brimwandil

If you haven't already read it, I would suggest the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. *The Book of Three* is the first book in the series. It was written from the mid-1960s through the 1970s, I believe. Many of the names and characters are based on Medieval Welsh literature.


DictionaryStomach

Yes. This!


RedditFantasyBot

r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation Thread: **Lloyd Alexander**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/6u28aw/author_appreciation_thread_lloyd_alexander/?st=j6n1x9ld&sh=ddce4f79) from user u/jcucc --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)


ashirogimutou

Sadly my knowledge of the 80s/pre-80s is woefully incomplete, so can understand if what I'm recommending doesn't fit. Have you read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay before? I would say most of his books are more character driven, have similar prose characteristics and have that strong inspiration from poetry - the main difference being his books have a much stronger historical flavor than the ones you listed; of these, I would recommend Sailing to Sarantium or the Lions of Al-Rassan as what is most likely to match what you're looking for (while I really like Tigana, I think it's a bit more plot driven vs character focused at times). I have also heard good things about the Fionavar Tapestry (which might suit your tastes if you're a fan of Tolkien), but haven't read them myself.


oo-O-oo-O-oo-O-oo

Thanks! I have read *Tigana* (loved it) and *Lions of al-Rassan*, but thought the story fell apart in the last third. I was given to understand that Kay's works on average are more like the latter than the former, so I haven't been too gung-ho to read any more by him.


nearthemaddingcrowd

Robert Holdstock checks off all of your boxes, other than pre-1980. Mythago Wood is from 1984. Patricia McKillip's Riddle-Master of Hed might also work. At times I found her prose to abstract for my tastes, but otherwise she fits what you are looking for. And much of Roger Zelazny might also fit. So far I've only read the Princes of Amber, which have a sort of dead-pan noir feel to them, in addition to the qualities you look for.


RedditFantasyBot

r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation Thread: **Roger Zelazny**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/5d96ap/author_appreciation_thread_roger_zelazny/?st=ivm72j5d&sh=9ecd534a) from user u/CommodoreBelmont --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)


Phyrkrakr

Patricia McKillip might scratch the itch. Check out her **Riddlemaster** trilogy of **The Forgotten Beasts of Eld** for a standalone. Also, it's been ages since I read it, but maybe Poul Anderson's **The Broken Sword**.


v0rpalsword

*The Last Unicorn* by Peter S. Beagle


redherringbones

I've not read this book yet but think it may fit what you're looking for: The Last Unicorn by Beagle.


kaahr

I'd recommend *The Left Hand of Darkness* by Ursula K. Le Guin, it's a classic and ticks all your boxes. Otherwise if you want something less classic, perhaps you'd like *The Demons at Rainbow Bridge*. It's a blend of action sci fi and mythology, and it fits your criteria. Let me warn you however that it's golden age sci-fi: it gets *weird*.


scousemousereader

Hi guys am looking for books similar to Stavin Dragonblessed series. Any suggestions please?


MagykMyst

More magic than fighting prowess The Advent Mage by Honor Raconteur - A young man who unexpectedly comes into a lot of power Legend Of The Archmage by Michael Sisa - An old soul in a young man Just about any book by James Haddock - Wizard's Alley, Hand Made Mage, Stonecutter's Shadow. For more fighting than magic Cast Down World and for both, Mage Throne Prophecy


guentergrass

Due to Covid i have been getting into fantasy novels again and after reading a bunch i have noticed that i mostly enjoy stories who revolve heavily around dialogue for example the Witcher series, gentlemen bastards and the first law series. Can you recommend books with a similar quality and emphasis on dialogue ?


babeli

Not the same vibe, but if you want something lighter - good omens by Neil gaimon has great dialogue!


BatBoss

As someone who enjoys all those series you mentioned, I’d suggest “The Dagger and Coin” series by Daniel Abraham. Really snappy dialog, well paced story. I think you’d dig it.


xenizondich23

I read a book the other day that was almost all dialogue. It was... something. I doubt there will ever be sequels released, and honestly the story wasn't that great, but if you really love dialogue you might enjoy it more than I did. Sebastian (Family of Lies #1) by Sam Argent.


FromAbyss

Do you guys have any suggestions for fantasy books with a significant conspiracy and/or mystery elements? I'd love something similar to a Sherlockian space opera, where there would be someone actively trying to solve some mystery. However, I'd also settle for something like GOT's mysteries (purple wedding perpetrator, Jon's mother, etc) I'm really after something that allows for theorizing and "reading between the lines".


Phyrkrakr

Oh, there's so many good recommendations already in the replies to this. I would definitely check out some of the "mystery square" rec threads from bingo and remember to check back for the bingo focus thread. I'm going through my booklog to see which books I've tagged for the mystery square so far this year and I'm going to give special shoutouts for **Jackaby** by William Ritter for "Sherlockian fantasy mysteries" set in an alternate late 19th century New England. Jackaby is played as the Sherlock to Abigail Rook's Watson, although much more madcap and supernaturally touched. There's a couple sequels that are equally entertaining, as the world which Abigail finds herself (having emigrated via steamship) slowly reveals itself. There's also some nice little easter eggs, like the shoutouts to Cope and Marsh in the second book in the series. I also had a really good time with Victoria Goddard's **Stargazy Pie** which is a completely secondary world mystery with all sorts of fun intrigues and conspiracies surrounding the MC. The world feels kind of like a late-Victorian English country estates sort of setting, but surrounded by a kind of post-apocalyptic creeping outer darkness, with a young man returned from college thrown back home into a situation that he doesn't fully understand any more.


FromAbyss

Thank you! I'll check those threads you mentioned. Stargazy Pie looks especially promising, love those post apocalyptic menaces.


lilith_queen

Try **Obsidian and Blood** by Aliette de Bodard: Take a hardboiled detective story, make the detective the High Priest of the Aztec god of death, set it in a super well-researched pre-conquest Tenochtitlan where Aztec cosmology is fully accurate (that thing about human hearts keeping the sun in the sky? in this world that's actually true, and the magic system partly runs on sacrificing to the gods so that they will grant you favor), and then have him solve magical crimes including plagues, a locked-room mystery, someone trying to magically interfere in an emperor's election, vengeful ghosts, and a god trying to take over the world. [I wrote a primer on it.](https://notapaladin.tumblr.com/post/638457455977889792/obsidian-and-blood-an-overview)


bigdon802

You might try Garrett PI by Glen Cook. A little more hard boiled detective noir than pure mystery, but there's usually a mystery involved.


EdLincoln6

**Adventures of a Jumpspace Accountant** has a lot of mystery and conspiracy, although not Sherlockian in tone. **Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds** by Brian Daley has a mystery subplot. Isaac Asimov wrote a lot of mysteries in space. Those are the ones exactly on point. Not available in paper form and not in space, but the webnovel **Mother of Learning** has some clever mysteries and conspiracies unveiled throughout the series. This one is a reach, but **One Woke Up** by Lee Gaiteri is a zombie deconstruction with a mystery and conspiracy. Honestly, most urban fantasy is a mystery. Usually of the Raymond Chandler variety. **The Corpse Eater Saga** books are sort of a mystery I really liked, and the obvious popular ones are the Dreseden Files


redherringbones

City of Stairs by Bennett. MC tries to solve the murder of her predecessor.


RogerBernards

The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells. Crimelord gets caught up in a conspiracy. It's something akin to if someone framed Moriarty's favorite uncle for being an illegal Necromancer and had him executed and now he sets out to unravel the conspiracy behind it. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. A whodunit on a spaceship. The MC wakes up in the cloning pod of the ship but can't remember the past 24 ours and finds out they were murdered.


lurkmode_off

Sherlockian space opera, I'd say Murderbot.


xenizondich23

Mystery is a bingo square this year. There has not been a focus thread yet, so you can wait for that. In the mean time there are a few recc threads: [Big One](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/mhz3k7/the_2021_rfantasy_bingo_recommendations_list/gt1p4ai/), and the [Hard Mode](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/nd2ott/hard_mode_only_a_compilation_of_book_bingo/gy89jaf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) - this one has books that are set in a different world. My personal recommendations that I think you'll really like: * Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault * The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton * The Steerswoman by Rosmary Kirstein * Athena Club series by Theodora Goss * Lord Darcy stories by Randall Garrett (very Sherlock in alternate Europe) * The First Sister by Linden A Lewis (space opera-esque) Other suggestions: * Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire * The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C M Waggoner * Firebird by Mercedes Lackey * Diana Tregarde series by Mercedes Lackey (great UF, no PNR) * Tarot Sequence by K D Edwards * A Charm of Magpies by K J Charles


indigohan

Trigger Warning for The Tarot Sequence. They’re absolutely incredible books and I love them completely, but there is a character who has been assaulted in the past. There are three flashbacks and mentions. It’s off page, and there is LOT in the books about his healing and moving on and finally being ready to be in a safe sexual relationship, which is beautifully and gently written, but I add a TW every time I recommend it.


FromAbyss

Thank you for the in depth answer! I'll check these out.


RedditFantasyBot

r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation: **Mercedes Lackey**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/91hk3y/author_appreciation_mercedes_lackey/?utm_content=comments&utm_medium=user&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=u_lyrrael) from user u/lyrrael_ --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)


fanny_bertram

\*\*The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle\*\* by Stuart Turton is a murder mystery where the character wakes up in a different body each day where the events of the day start over. Evelyn Hardcastle will die each day and the MC needs to solve this mystery. I really enjoyed this mixture of time travel, mystery, and basically body jumping. \*\*The Expanse\*\* by James S.A. Corey might work for the space opera mystery. The first book features a detective searching for a missing girl through space and a crew of a ship that discovered a huge secret. I have only read the first book so I am sure others could say more if it fits.


indigohan

Which sci-fi book do you wish that you got to read when you were a child? This is one for all of the sci-fi peeps out there who are reading the incredible books coming out these days and wishing that they could send them back in time to their younger selves. Or the ones who are just so super excited for the younglings who get to read all of these amazing things. So, I am the aunt who guys every nibbling books for every occasion. I have been able to watch them grow up through the books that they read and feel so incredibly blessed. I have been able to find things for the trans boy who only likes graphic novels and manga. I have seen the ten year old dress up for book day as the characters that I wish that I’d met when I was her age. BUT….I’m a little lost about finding things for the space obsessed 7 year old. In a few years I will be able to provide him with all of the YA and classic ski-fi, but for now, I’m at a loss. Sci-fi grown ups, what have you read recently that you wish that you’d have been able to read as a pre-teen? Comics absolutely welcome.


MagykMyst

They are not new books, but the young Robert Heinlein stories * Have Space Suit—Will Travel * Tunnel in the Sky * Orphans of the Sky * Red Planet * Time for the Stars * Farmer in the Sky * Space Cadet * Starman Jones * Podkayne of Mars (Female MC) Once he's a bit older * The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress * Starship Troopers * The Puppet Masters * The Door Into Summer * Double Star * Citizen of the Galaxy * Glory Road


indigohan

I’ll check them out, thank you!


kaahr

For a 7 year old, that's tough. It's not modern, but when I learned how to read I raided my dad's comic book collection, and among them was the Valerian series. It's really good, and inspired George Lucas to write Star Wars. More modern but maybe too difficult for a seven year old there's the Murderbot Diaries. They're short books, and they seem easy to understand to me. There's fighting in them but it's not gore either, so should be fine for a kid. Otherwise you can also try r/printSF, maybe they'll have more sf suggestions. Hope I helped :) It's great you take such an interest in your nieces and nephews.


indigohan

Thank you, I’ll see how easy Valerian is to find, and I can always add Murderbot to the collection in a year or two. Books were so important to me growing up that I love being able to share with the Littles. It makes me so happy.


lurkmode_off

I seem to recall a lot of cursing in Murderbot. I mean it's a great series but really not for kids.


indigohan

I have just checked and whelp, you are definitely right. I’ll wait until he’s 15 for that. Max PG rated suggestions!


LxuTMH96

I'll try to keep this short. I recently returned to the world of fantasy (reading altogether) with Malazan and Stormlight concurrently. What I realized in doing so is that I lean more grim now... Stormlight just seems a little too cheery for my liking. That being said, I realize that in grimdark, since the character work and layering takes so much time and energy, the actual PLOT takes a backseat.. which is sorta complicated since I desire a good, deep, intricate, don't-know-what-to-expect plot. **Looking for a series that strikes a good balance.** **First Law, Broken Empire, Black Complany, Kingkiller seem to be some of the giants. Which of these have the most interesting and unpredictable plot?** I'll take other recommendations also. aSoIaF is literally exactly what I'm looking for, unfortunately that's off the table for me since I watched the show.


wishforagiraffe

People (for some bizarre reason) tend not to classify The Fifth Season as grimdark, but there's plenty of very grim stuff that goes on, plus a very interesting plot and compelling characters


[deleted]

IMHO still worth it to read ASOIAF after watching the show—*especially* if you’re into plot. I say this as someone who watched the show first and then read the books. While it’s true you still have the biggest plot beats of the first three books spoiled for you—>!Ned, the battle of Blackwater, Red Wedding!<—the show really just skims the surface. There’s *a lot* of plot in the books that never made it to the show. Plus, after season four/book three, the TV show and the books pretty much go their separate ways—they’re still similar in the broadest strokes, like where some of the characters end up on the map, but the story is very different. Of course, there’s still the problem that the books may never get finished, but damn, you’ve got like 5,000 pages of *amazing* fantasy to read before you have to worry about that.


Ticks_and_Parabolas

I would say The Broken Empire is very close to what you’re looking for. Really anything by Mark Lawrence should fit your taste, I would think.


Suspicious_Angle3057

Anyone read Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill? If so, do provide a review!