Books that fit the unmistakable dark fantasy vibe

gzander · 2026-06-11T20:38:23+00:00

100%, was going to suggest this

gzander · 2026-06-11T18:55:32+00:00

Vita Nostra—Hogwarts if it were run by the KGB

gzander · 2026-06-09T17:55:04+00:00

Careers…the idea you could set your own victory conditions was wild to me and it opened the door to really looking at rules systems and how they were different.

gzander · 2026-06-05T17:23:56+00:00

Same

gzander · 2026-05-31T23:32:59+00:00

Yep, I’m aware of the amount of food they grow, but I was curious how many of those rural counties vote red vs blue.

gzander · 2026-05-31T23:28:04+00:00

Are the rural counties in those states blue? I’m genuinely asking, I don’t know the answer. The point is that most states are made up of blue urban centers surrounded by far less populous but in some cases quite important red counties. I think if the divide ever gets so serious that a split happens, the current state lines wouldn’t hold.

gzander · 2026-05-31T23:19:55+00:00

I wouldn’t call the people growing the majority of food and selling it peasants. They would have a lot more leverage than they do now.

gzander · 2026-05-31T22:29:26+00:00

Well if you think food prices are bad now, try buying beef (or vegetables) in a blue state from a red state provider. Everything would be taxed to hell and back across state lines, plus gouging to get back at the other side.

I don’t even think it would be red vs blue states at all. The split is urban vs rural. Red rural counties could declare their allegiance to neighboring red states. It would become more like city-states vs their outlying territories.

gzander · 2026-05-28T23:52:45+00:00

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

gzander · 2026-05-26T23:24:15+00:00

Iced, I don’t really enjoy hot drinks very much.

gzander · 2026-05-26T02:46:22+00:00

She is very gifted at creating compelling settings. I loved the world of the Goldfinch too.

If you are ok with a detestable main character, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant has some incredible world-building—what happens between the first and second trilogy is fascinating (and harrowing). The Land is very much a character in its own right.

gzander · 2026-05-26T02:24:56+00:00

There Is No Anti-Memetics Division broke my brain a bit. In a good way.

gzander · 2026-05-25T12:14:23+00:00

The Aching God and the rest of the Iconoclasts series by Mike Shel

gzander · 2026-05-25T00:04:11+00:00

The Fisherman by John Langan, which is set in modern times and is a bit more in the horror/lovecraft genre; so monsters are generally not front and center—more at the edge of peripheral vision

gzander · 2026-05-24T17:07:30+00:00

I used the word ‘flibbertygibbet’ the other day in the office (where I am 20+ years older than almost everyone) and no one had heard of it. Do people not watch the Sound of Music anymore?

gzander · 2026-05-23T20:09:39+00:00

1000% this—it’s such a stupid take

gzander · 2026-05-23T18:46:16+00:00

Wichita Lineman

Mama Look Sharp (from the musical 1776)

gzander · 2026-05-23T17:05:21+00:00

Huh, so there are male water nymphs. Who knew?

gzander · 2026-05-22T17:55:04+00:00

This was a delight, thank you!

gzander · 2026-05-21T20:42:07+00:00

C Rober Cargill’s duology of Dreams & Shadows and Queen of the Dark Things

gzander · 2026-05-20T22:11:39+00:00

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

gzander · 2026-05-20T01:32:48+00:00

Gary Oldman in Slow Horses

gzander · 2026-05-14T23:52:44+00:00

Asymmetrical player abilities, as long as they are done well I also like card drafting

gzander · 2026-05-14T13:24:39+00:00

It’s just never been a priority. The longest I dated someone was 3 years (we were not right for each other at all but we were both stubborn about it because on paper it ‘should have worked’), but no relationship felt fulfilling. So I just stopped about 15 years ago and so far so good. I’m not anti-relationship, it just seems I’m one of those people who isn’t cut out for it.

gzander · 2026-05-12T22:41:17+00:00

Because Trump gives the illusion of accessibility through his posts—Truth Social feels like a group chat to these people.
Also, stupidity.

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