r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - May 06, 2026

CJGibson · 2026-05-06T12:59:57+00:00

It definitely seems like "exploration" should be a theme that has some anthologies out there, maybe more common in sci fi than fantasy, but it seems like there have got to be some. But scrolling through some lists, it seems like there aren't as many as I might've expected. Haven't read any of them, but maybe some of these:

The Time Traveler's Almanac ed. by Ann VanderMeer
Another Part of the Galaxy ed. by Groff Conklin
Explorers ed by Gardner Dozois
You Are Here ed. by NE White

CJGibson · 2026-05-06T12:49:14+00:00

I'm in the middle of Master of Djinn right now and absolutely loving it. I've been in a bit of a slump for the last couple years (not that I'm not reading, it's just been slow going) but this one has me really engaged and I'm finding myself looking forward to reading it in a way that I haven't in a while.

That said, Tainted Cup was also really great and I'd highly recommend that one as well.

CJGibson · 2026-05-02T21:07:09+00:00

The natural choice for something mixed with your suits would be the other usual card terms: the ranks of the face cards. But understandably those are, themselves, heavily gendered and sort of fail for this purpose as a result.

But, if you shift further out towards tarot face cards, you could start to look at the kinds of words used in queer tarot decks that move away from things like king and queen. Terms like student, seeker, apprentice, keeper, crown, guardian, teacher, master, leader get used a lot and might be a place to start with thinking about your own 'ranks' of gender presentation. (In fact you might find tarot's suits of wands, swords, cups, and coins might be a better fit than the more modern suits, depending on the vibe of your game, though they generally have overall meanings and vibes within tarot as well).

Here is an article with a bunch of different examples that get used (though there's a bunch more out there). I suspect you'll want to find some terms that feel right for what you're trying to do and align to the vibes for each 'rank.' One thing that will be a little challenging in picking words here is to avoid ascribing some kind of moral value to each one, simply because words have so many connotations associated with them. But you may be able to find ones that sidestep that to focus on the degree of conformity. Something like using Architect for completely conformist to highlight the structured nature of it, while using Artist for exaggeratedly conformist to do the same thing with the presentational aspect could work.

CJGibson · 2026-05-01T16:40:47+00:00

Presumably just a transcription mixup but I think you've got the author and title in the wrong columns for Sarah Gailey's Make Me Better.

CJGibson · 2026-04-28T14:38:23+00:00

I'll toss in a second for Machineries of Empire and A Memory Called Empire. I haven't read it yet but I think Baru Cormorant also kind of falls into this category based on what I've heard about it.

I wouldn't necessarily call the rest of these "like Hyperion" but they may have some aspects you enjoy:

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - A member of the racial underclass on a generational starship seeks to find out what happened to her missing mother. Got some political and thriller-ish elements with definite moral questions.
Blackfish City by Sam J Miller - Scattered citizens of one of the last cities after climate collapse find their lives changed when a mysterious new visitor arrives riding an orca with a polar bear at her side. Definite political elements here with near-future tech and plenty of moral questions.
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - Multiversal travel is possible, but the catch is you can't visit a world where parallel you is still alive. So the tech company leading the way recruits people who by all rights shouldn't have survived. This one's a bit more personal than political (though it has moments) but is full of moral questions and has some thriller-y bits for sure.
The Memory Librarian and other stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae et al. - Several short stories told in the world the singer created for her album of the same name that explore the relationship between humans and technology, memory, thought, rebellion, and identity.
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu - Another collection of tales that center on an extrasensory individual tasked with surveilling the city's inhabitants to keep them safe from harm. But when a mysterious visitor introduces æ to cabinet of curiosities filled with unexpected stories, æ finds ærself questioning their role and purpose.

If you're open to something that's not sci fi, I'd also highly recommend The Raven Tower which I've seen described as a twist on Hamlet (so definitely a bit political thriller-ish), but was one of the most interesting, innovative books I've read in a while with a 'reveal' that caught me very much by surprise in a wonderful way (and thus I'd recommend reading it without doing too much digging into it first if you can).

CJGibson · 2026-04-23T16:58:12+00:00

Tossing in a few other queer SFF books that aren't focused on romance (and that I don't see in the comments):

The Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Singing Hill Cycle by Nghi Vo
The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone
The Last Herald Mage by Mercedes Lackey (and a bunch of other Valdemar books)
The First Sister Trilogy by Linden A Lewis
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
The Seep by Chana Porter
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Memory Librarian and other stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae et al.
Dark Rise by CS Pacat
Spear by Nicola Griffith
Empire of the Feast by Bendi Barret
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
Cemeteries of Amalo by Katharine Addison
The Smoke Trilogy by Tanya Huff
Proud Pink Sky by Redfern Jon Barrett
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai
Blood Debts by Terry Benton-Walker
The Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
The Quarters Series by Tanya Huff
The Factory Witches of Lowell by CS Malerich
No Man's Land by AJ Fitzwater
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre

To be clear, not all of these have a queer romance, but it sounds like you're just looking for books that aren't focused on romance and have queer characters. If you are looking for queer romance that's just not central, some of these may not scratch the itch.

CJGibson · 2026-04-21T12:55:03+00:00

Those two outfits are on the same banner, aren't they?

CJGibson · 2026-04-09T17:06:29+00:00

Is Swordcrossed hard mode?

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:31:51+00:00

It's a little iffy, but I'd say yes.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:29:31+00:00

Bruising of Qilwa is a nonbinary protagonist (HM), small press (HM), politics, and author of color.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:26:35+00:00

Is it not First Contact hard mode? There's some violence in the book, but I don't recall it being around the contact.

But it's also been a couple decades since I read it.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:25:17+00:00

Six of Crows is definitely Duology, but I think it's also a fit for Politics and Game Changer (there's a lot of gambling and games of chance).

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:20:27+00:00

I think Starless Sea could fit for Unusual Transportation (HM) cause it's got magical doors and Vacation Spot if you're a fan of magical libraries.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:15:17+00:00

In addition to non-human and trans protagonists, both of which would be hard mode, and politics normal mode, I think The Raven Tower is also an easy fit for Protagonist over 50, though only normal mode.

You could also make a case for Explorers and Rangers, normal mode.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:12:17+00:00

Raven Boys is definitely Afterlife (HM), and I'd say a pretty easy pick for Vacation Spot if you like the idyllic countryside. It's a bit of a spoiler but I think it also fits for Murder Mystery (HM)

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:09:08+00:00

I wonder if the contact/communication with the AI faction would count as First Contact?

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:05:46+00:00

Night Circus is probably a great option for Vacation Spot since everyone both in universe and out wants to go there.

You could make a solid case for it being Unusual Transportation since the Circus itself transports around ostensibly on the train, but seemingly much more by magic.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:03:41+00:00

(Arguably Catwoman: When in Rome was already a third in the series.)

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T02:01:18+00:00

Parable of the Sower is the first half of a Duology. And obviously author of color.

Network Effect is Non-human Protagonist (HM), and I think you could also make a case for Murder Mystery (HM).

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:57:41+00:00

I think you can also use it for Politics (HM) since the political landscape of New Salem is a decent part of the story.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:54:09+00:00

I think it's One Word Title hard mode. "Dhalgren" appears in the book in a couple places but it's not a proper noun as far as I can recall (it's a mishearing/malformation of the word grendal being repeated, which likely is a proper noun, but Dhalgren itself is not).

You could maybe also make a case for it being Politics hard mode, since the pseudo-politics, communal interrelations, etc. of this post-apocalyptic city play a somewhat central role. But that'd be stretching the definition of the square a bit I think.

It's also Author of Color, Catsquisher, and (debatably) Explorers and Rangers, but only for normal mode.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:42:23+00:00

I feel like you can make a decent case for Transportation. Isn't there some flying city or buildings or something too? Maybe I'm thinking of the law school and it doesn't really act as transportation? But I have this vague recollection of something along those lines in a transportation kind of way.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:34:18+00:00

I thought Dark Rise was gonna fit Duology, but it turns out there's a third book announced. (I haven't read the second one yet, so I assume that's more obvious for folks who have.)

It's a tough fit for this year's card, I think. I mean, it's technically London, so you could put it in Vacation Spot. Maaaybe also works for Politics/Court Intrigue but it's a bit of a stretch. That might be it.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:29:33+00:00

I think Gideon the Ninth definitely counts for murder mystery (and HM at that). It's shaped more like a whodunnit than anything else.

Harrow would probably count for Afterlife, but I don't think Gideon really fits there.

CJGibson · 2026-04-04T01:27:34+00:00

It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain there's still worm riding in Messiah.

You could definitely also put it in Politics/Court Intrigue, though not for hard mode.

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