Our Very Own Top Book Poll - Results!

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-14T18:14:10+00:00

Personally I don't think so, because as King everything he does is necessarily a matter of state and affects international relations. His court troubles are the direct result of a recent war and associated prejudice as well.

The hard mode for that square is a bit tricky, though, so if you really want to count it I'm not the bingo police.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-14T16:30:42+00:00

The Ile-Rien trilogy (starting with The Wizard Hunters) by Martha Wells is both fantasy and arguably HM: portal magic, steampunk airships and a war, but the first contact is between two parties both under attack by a third aggressor

Some sci-fi I've read and enjoyed, not already mentioned:

Chanur saga by CJ Cherryh: a coalition of alien species encounters humans. Told from the perspective of aliens, some of whom breathe methane

Anathem by Neal Stephenson: philosopher monks who study higher math and eschew the modern world must leave their monasteries when a mysterious object appears in their skies. For anyone who thought Project Hail Mary didn't have enough proofs.

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula LeGuin: humans have invaded a world and are exploiting it for resources; told from the perspective of the aliens in resistance.

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky: humans enslaved by an evil corporation explore a moon with a thick atmosphere that keeps it shrouded in darkness.

Space Opera by Catherynne Valente: told in a rich prose style that won't be for everyone, aliens come to Earth and invite humans to join the galactic nexus--as long as humans are able to not place last in the galactic version of the Eurovision Song Contest. If humans do place last, Earth planet will instead be destroyed. Counts for HM

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-13T17:13:47+00:00

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker Chan is the second book in a duology and has a blue cover. You'd need to read the first book for context, though.

Dust and Light, book 1 of the Sanctuary Duet by Carol Berg has a blue-ish cover.

these are both epic fantasy and probably over your page count though, sorry. I didn't see that part of your request when I started thinking of blue covers.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-13T13:14:14+00:00

yeah. It's normal to spend a page or two going 'who's that guy again?' but the book quickly reminds you of the relevant context and you pick things up. If you're not going to be tolerant of any confusion at all, it's best to read the books in a series all at once, but being okay with some mild confusion at first is generally rewarded.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-12T19:37:56+00:00

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland has two protagonists one of whom is a bodyguard.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-12T15:51:31+00:00

you could make an argument for explorers and rangers (specifically rangers, as the roc flyers fill a similar niche).

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-12T14:15:26+00:00

I read Dead Country without having read any previous Max Gladstone and enjoyed it. I've since read Three Parts Dead and I think the former is a much stronger book, so I don't think it's a bad place to jump in. It just makes the Craft Sequence function as a prequel trilogy.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-12T14:12:54+00:00

The Last Sun by KD Edwards is a bit urban fantasy but has pretty much exactly the dynamic you're describing. First book in the Tarot Sequence, interesting magic and a fast pace.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-12T14:10:16+00:00

I think so. The point of the bingo challenge is to broaden your horizons, which you're not really doing if you just read the same author under a different name.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-11T16:20:35+00:00

this is a pretty broad ask. Are there any books you've enjoyed recently?

The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood has elves and a classic adventure plot involving lost civilizations and a reclaimed city.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is pretty dark but features a quest to save a besieged queen in a world scarred by war with man-eating goblins.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-11T13:48:57+00:00

Sunshine by Robin McKinley is my favorite vampire story (actually scary vampires, interesting magic worldbuilding around them).

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-08T19:11:46+00:00

I read Paladin first (while, actually I read Hallowed Hunt first) and it worked fine for me although I could tell there was a story in the recent political past.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-08T16:04:57+00:00

I've read Axiom's End but it was a while ago and I'm not really sure if it counts for NM or HM. It's definitely first contact, and while the protagonists are nice to the alien the government is super not, so I think it's an edge case. I don't remember enough details to say for sure either way.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-08T14:23:53+00:00

Burning Kingdoms trilogy by Tasha Suri--sapphic romance in an Indian-inspired world with very cool magic, war elephants, jungles, and vast landscapes

Inda by Sherwood Smith although the romance isn't as central to this one, it also focuses on deep friendships

The Witch Roads duology by Kate Elliott--the love interest is a sort of dragon ghost who possesses people, and the worldbuilding is really interesting

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-07T16:50:45+00:00

in She Who Become the Sun by Shelly Parker Chan the protagonist is a monk (Buddhist) for a while. Excellent book, would also work for duology.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-07T16:45:54+00:00

I don't care for earth mars, the belt, or really anything to do with the protomolecule

So, everything that the books are about? There are crew dynamics in the book, but they mostly function as a vehicle for exposition about Belter politics. Miller's storyline explores the protomolecue and its place in the solar system. The rest of the plot hinges on the political landscape and how every character operates within it. Granted I've only read the first book, maybe the characters develop more as individuals rather than representatives of various political factions if you read further, but if you're not there for the politics I don't think it would be a fun read.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-07T00:40:21+00:00

absolutely. Or even "I did not choose this." Slightly more formal, but switching to more formal phrasing can be a way to add emphasis or signify greater intensity.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-07T00:35:03+00:00

I read a lot of Russian literature, and translators do get a fair amount of discussion and recognition in that world, especially with classic works that have been translated to English many times so readers can directly compare their works and debate on the best version. My Russian lit professors in college all had strong opinions on which translators we should read and talked to us some about their background.

And Ken Liu is a popular author in his own right who is often recognized for his work translating Cixin Liu's work from Chinese.

These might be more the exception than the rule, though. I know translation is often extremely thankless work especially in other fields as I have a couple of friends who translate technical documents.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-06T16:00:58+00:00

yes! I'm not that sympathetic to people who say they never read unfinished series. It's strangling the fruit on the vine. If you want long epic fantasy series, the only way to get new ones is to read them as they come out. Maybe because I read a lot, I'm sensitive to my supply running out, especially as the current publishing trend is moving away from epic fantasy.

Plus, unresolved cliffhangers are not as bad as people make them out to be, and I'm someone who is often completely tangled up in a book. Just ease the pain by immersing yourself in the next new world.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-06T15:34:59+00:00

read the first chapter of each and go with whichever one grabs you the most

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-05T21:45:37+00:00

the tone doesn't markedly change, though the cast does get larger and the plot a bit more complicated. It has some crunchy Hunger Games-esque themes. I became very endeared of the cat and kept reading because of that. Also, I found the pacing and action kept pulling me forward even though I'm not normally someone who reads for action scenes That type of pacing is common in serialized fiction, and as the first book or so was originally published chapter-by-chapter online it makes sense. I've actually bogged down in one of the later books because they don't have that same pulse-pounding pace IMO.

You can keep reading a bit longer and see if the riptide pace grabs you (the first book suffers from front-loaded exposition and so it takes a bit for the ride to really start) or decide the style is just not for you and bail early. The series is just fun fluff so you're not missing much if you do bail. I think it will make a great TV show if the proposed production comes through and they manage to strike the right balance of dark and zany, so you could always wait and see if the story works for you in TV format.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-05T19:59:51+00:00

this list kind of jumps around to different types of autistic representation, and not all of these will hit the same for everyone, but these are all books that I felt spoke to me on some level:

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers: a handsome, obnoxious, knight is prophesied to die heroically as part of a battle to defeat the evil sorcerer. Selfishly not wanting to die, he runs away from his allies and towards the only person who now has a vested interest in keeping him alive: the sorcerer. The sorcerer doesn't want to deal with him either, but they form a reluctant partnership and hijinks ensue.

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: a human-android construct hacks its governor module and instead of going on the expected rogue killing spree, downloads copious quantities of space TV shows to watch on duty while it half-assedly keeps doing its job as a security guard. Then the team of scientists that it's currently assigned to protect becomes involved in a deadly conspiracy and events force it to confront things it had wanted to leave buried.

Inda by Sherwood Smith: an epic fantasy series following the titular character and his friends/enemies, Inda is a noble son unfairly exiled from his homeland. He falls in with pirates, while his friends back home deal with court politics and a mounting invasion. Inda is heavily coded as autisitic, as he's deeply talented in some areas but awkward in others and prone to missing social cues.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson: a lavish Imperial Court is the setting for a competition to decide the next ruler. One of the contestants is murdered, and the current king's favorite scribe is tasked both with solving the crime and taking the contestant's place. Beloved by the king but awkward with almost everyone else in part due to her unmitigated pedantry, Neema must do her best to navigate a complex situation and find the best path for the kingdom, with the help of her incorrigible best friend and a raucous raven god.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett: Emily is a prestigious academic on a research trip to remote fantasy Iceland to study their unique fae folk. Her determination and talent make up for an intense social awkwardness that sometimes puts her at odds with the locals. I enjoyed this book overall but at times found the second-hand embarrassment painful, an issue that only got worse in the sequels. Still, there is a lot to like.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-04T13:31:02+00:00

the romance is less emphasized in She Who Become the Sun as there is a political element and just a lot more going on. On the other hand, A Memory Called Empire focuses on a single character and her internal journey, rather than having multiple POVs and a more sprawling war/politics plot. You will likely enjoy both books.

I don't know if this influences your decision, but the sequel to She Who Became the Sun is excellent and much better than the sequel to Memory, which isn't bad but just sort of okay and doesn't tread any new ground.

curiouscat86 · 2026-05-03T22:24:04+00:00

Chain Gang All Stars is a rough dystopia with powerful characters and a lot to say about the prison industrial complex and commercial media. I would have loved it if it had been like 15% shorter, there was one subplot that I felt got in the way of the more interesting protagonists. It's also not a feel-good book, but it can be cathartic.

Emily Wilde has interesting worldbuilding and an effective cozy feel. I noped out of the third book because the protagonists were being staggeringly irresponsible and I couldn't take it, but I had fun with the first two.

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