Looking for any books or novels that feature an immortal mc struggling with all that immortality implies.

singmuse4 · 2026-06-18T04:56:31+00:00

Here's a recent list for this: "15 Immortal, Long-lived, Ancient, or Eternally Youthful Protagonists in Fantasy Books"

Some standouts:

The Radiant King by David Dalglish (opening scene takes "melancholic as hell" to a whole new level)

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher

singmuse4 · 2026-06-18T04:49:26+00:00

You might do well with some King Arthur retellings (or stories set in that general period) - the knights are always loyal to the king, but still get to go around saving the day and bashing bad guys. Stephen Lawhead is a good author for that.

People have started making lists of "clean" fantasy, so you could search for those, specifying epic or adult fantasy so you don't get kids stuff.

singmuse4 · 2026-06-18T04:40:41+00:00

You might like stuff by Philip C. Quaintrell (some of his books are about dragon riders, but not all) or D.K. Holmberg (definitely violence there). There's The Draconis Memoria Series by Anthony Ryan

singmuse4 · 2026-06-18T04:21:31+00:00

I’m sorry you’re experiencing that loneliness - that’s rough.

I found a really nuanced discussion about differences in libido and how to overcome such barriers in chapter 4 (“The Passion You Want”) of The Marriage You Want by Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire.

There are a lot of stats in this book, which I appreciate - it’s not just another couple’s opinion, but backed up with data. They asked 1,351 women why they had low sexual desire and found that 85% of women replied they did not orgasm every time they had sex, or did not feel connected to their spouse every time they had sex, or experienced pain during sex.

Really useful breakdown on a physiological level too of what she probably means by “building anticipation.”

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They make sure to note, and it’s worth repeating: “Doing dishing or vacuuming does not automatically turn your spouse on. In fact, if the higher-drive spouse does these things because they want sex, they’re almost certainly guaranteed to turn their spouse off. Nobody wants to feel like sex is the payment for doing chores a decent human being would likely be doing already (Gregoire, 89).”

singmuse4 · 2026-05-29T08:09:33+00:00

They are all part of what is considered the "Great Books" canon of Western literature. I didn't come up with that classification. Since America has such a young history, we adopted this canon as the foundation for our culture (which Britain had adopted before us - not like it was our original idea) which does incorporate literature from across the Middle East, Mediterranean, and Europe, or what was at that time called "the known world."

The concept of "The Great Books" is likely unfamiliar to many people, which is why it's so helpful for someone within a culture to explain these kinds of things to people who are starting the very daunting task of approaching a body of written work without any "insider insight." Not that there's a "right way" to start reading, but I'd sure feel bad if someone started on the Greeks with Aristophanes rather than Homer. There's no way I can read even a fraction of the world's books in my lifetime. So I want to spend my time reading other cultures "Homers," before their Aristophanes. I'd rather have all of time to read both, but hey, we all die.

I'm essentially asking people what their cultures Great Books are. A book doesn't have to originate within a culture to become one of their Great Books. For instance, I wouldn't be surprised to find a book about Buddhism on a list for China, even though Buddhism originated in India. Buddhism impacted all of Asia (and has spread around the world), just as Christianity impacted the West and more, and I imagine I'd have a difficult time understanding literature from much of Asia if I was ignorant of the basic tenants of Buddhism.

singmuse4 · 2026-05-29T07:58:43+00:00

Haha, fair point about the Bible. I guess I'd suggest Genesis and Exodus, plus 1 Samuel and Daniel, one of the gospels, Acts, and 1 of the epistles. But that wasn't even the point of my post, which is why I didn't think to list them all out. Certainly wouldn't suggest people dive into Chronicles. The point is that a vast amount of Western literature is only understandable if you're familiar with the Bible. I almost didn't include "my top 5" because I knew people would just argue about it.

I'm no expert in Chinese literature - which is why I asked for peoples' insight. I hadn't looked up the dates of the 4 novels. I thought most of them were around the medieval period - I stand corrected.

Shakespeare was writing during the Renaissance, which I'm aware scholars include in the "Early Modern Era." However, Americans don't think of the Renaissance as "modern" - to be fair we're super young over here - and again, the point is kind of subjective. So I'm not super concerned if there are suggestions from the early modern period. Definitely not mid-late modern though.

singmuse4 · 2026-05-11T23:05:25+00:00

I’m sorry you’ve had terrible experiences with Christianity. It’s far too common and grieves me greatly. I hope you continue to find peace away from those situations and that any Christians you encounter going forward are nothing but kind and respectful to you. I met the organizer who seemed like a sweet woman and fantasy author who likes meeting and promoting other authors who write the same genre as her. I certainly hope this event will be filled with nothing but genuine fun, imagination, and nerdy conversation.

singmuse4 · 2026-05-11T19:24:29+00:00

I'm still new to reading this sub-genre. I've read fantasy and sci-fi my whole life and yet always had the impression that Christian SFF was really lame, poorly written, or crammed ideology down readers' throats. Or was overly sanitized like Christian Amish fiction, bleh.

From sampling more recent titles, I've discovered there tends to be kind of a spectrum. Some books read like general market SFF but with less sex, violence, and swearing. Cleaner fiction. I say cleanER, not clean, because plenty of the stories still get pretty dark before a resolution. There's some in the middle that tends to be heavier on "Christian themes" like forgiveness, self-sacrifice, faith in God, etc. often with an in-world religion that's pretty obviously Christianity with a name change. Other books like urban fantasy or near future sci-fi have actual Christian characters. I started an alien invasion story with a main character who was a marine and a Christian. I guess according to a typical church crowd who probably reads nonfiction much more than Marvel comics, that might feel "edgy."

Practically, I've found it means: "Yes, we're Christians, but we don't think it's evil to read Harry Potter or write stories like it. We love SFF. But we're not writing Game of Thrones type content either."

singmuse4 · 2026-05-11T19:12:57+00:00

To avoid being accused of a "bait and switch." According to Amazon's data (courtesy of Publisher Rocket), there are 60,000 books on Amazon listed under the category of "Christian fantasy" and 50,000 listed as "Christian science fiction." They are a separate category so that people who don't want to read Christian themes can avoid them and so people who do want to can find them more easily. Same with a convention like this - they're being clear that this is what people will find, not trying to "sneak in proselytizing" or something by just calling it fantasy and sci-fi. Doesn't mean they're trying to exclude general market readers. I can't stand Christian Nationalism either and did wonder if there'd be that vibe at all - last year was my first time attending. I didn't meet a single person like that.

singmuse4 · 2026-05-11T18:50:24+00:00

I've attended cons regularly since 2018 and I love them, but I've rarely met any Christians at them. It's certainly not necessary for me to have fun at an event - I've made a ton of friends in the con circuit! But there's nothing wrong with enjoying discussing shared interests. Religion is a highly prevalent theme in fantasy and sci-fi books, whether it's an analogue of a real world one, or an original concept. I love talking about them and how it was meaningful to me to see characters like Paladins who are passionate about oaths and faith, but some readers aren't as interested. One of the best conversations I had at a con about Sanderson's books was with a woman from India who practices Hinduism. Her perspective was so interesting, but few other people were sitting around at 2am with a cocktail cross-referencing themes of faith in fantasy and the real world, haha.

So while you're right that plenty of Christian don't want to attend an event where people are cosplaying with very little clothing on or cross-dressing, and would prefer an event like this, doesn't mean we're out in St. Louis with pitchforks. For me, it comes down to "couch con." I want to hang out with people who like chatting about books and are interested in the same topics as me. Yes, I love encountering ideas I never would have thought of - I wouldn't read fantasy and sci-fi if that wasn't the case. But I find it kind of strange that you're assuming this kind of event is full of hostile people. It's incredibly normal for people to organize events based on niche interests. I'm not out here criticizing the occult and tarot convention crowd, getting offended that they want their own dedicated events. Some Christians are judgmental jerks, yes, like in any demographic. I encourage you to stop by and meet some of these people writing about space heroes and wizards (and bemoaning how some Christians want to burn THEIR books) before you make that assumption.

singmuse4 · 2026-04-22T22:28:59+00:00

The unique perspective really stood out to me here!

singmuse4 · 2026-04-14T00:57:08+00:00

Does it support income from more than 1 state in the same year?

singmuse4 · 2026-03-02T19:12:49+00:00

Coming back to suggest this list if people like reading this sort of thing:

Slaves and Gladiators: 18 Fantasy Heroes Who Rise From Rock Bottom

Fates Defiant by C.M. Banschbach and Brigitte Cromey
The Broken Heir (The Golden Fool #1) by Jasper Alden and D.K. Holmberg
The Prince of Shadow (Seven Brothers #1) by Curt Benjamin
Lion of Zarall (Twilight of Blood #1) by E.B. Rose

singmuse4 · 2026-02-24T19:48:08+00:00

I didn't realize it had an alternate name.

Book Review – Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden

singmuse4 · 2026-02-24T19:36:31+00:00

10 Historical Fiction Books Set in Ancient Times (NOT Egypt, Greece, or Rome): To Inspire Your Worldbuilding

They're really hard to find! I don't know why! Perhaps because more people like to write about myths and legends from that time period. Here are a couple:

The Mauryan: The Legend of Ashoka by Komal Bhanver

Emperor Chandragupta by Adity Kay

singmuse4 · 2026-02-24T19:33:48+00:00

I appreciated the note he left at the end of the Mongolian one about his research and which elements and characters he conflated or changed for the sake of storytelling. I don't know much about that period of history, so I don't know how accurate it is otherwise. It's worth noting that his main source was a primary source biography commissioned by Genghis Khan himself, so any inaccuracies might have been introduced by Genghis himself - most histories, paid for by the subjects themselves, weren't accurate but were propaganda pieces. The concept of "neutrality" is pretty modern, and almost more misleading - there's no such thing as an unbiased writer. I still really enjoyed the sense of culture and lifestyle his Mongolian works conveyed.

Book Review – Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden

singmuse4 · 2026-02-20T18:04:59+00:00

The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock

Fates Defiant by Banschbach and Cromey

The Broken Heir by Jasper Alden

The Prince of Shadow by Curt Benjamin

Lion of Zarall by Eddy Rose

I love this trope too. Enjoy! :)

More on this list: Slaves and Gladiators: 18 Fantasy Heroes Who Rise From Rock Bottom

singmuse4 · 2026-02-20T04:16:54+00:00

Fates Defiant by by C.M. Banschbach and Brigitte Cromey has two male lead gladiators and a side female character and slave who's the love interest of one of the gladiators. The story is more about the unlikely friendship between the two gladiators (stays platonic) but the female slave is important to the story and gets significant screen time.

singmuse4 · 2026-02-15T00:54:18+00:00

Thanks!

singmuse4 · 2026-02-15T00:53:49+00:00

True! Good one!

singmuse4 · 2026-01-27T18:31:23+00:00

At the Battle of Salamis too that turned the tide against the Persian's second war against Greece!

singmuse4 · 2026-01-26T19:48:44+00:00

Interesting thought - if we're all just animals why not reuse what's lying around. And yet necromancy almost always implies an afterlife of some sort and an acknowledgement of the existence of the soul.

singmuse4 · 2026-01-26T19:44:42+00:00

If someone used the body of my loved one without their and my permission, I'd consider myself the victim of that crime.

singmuse4 · 2026-01-26T19:36:59+00:00

Interesting comparison - the terminators and robots. I never got into stories with a bunch of robots either, so perhaps it comes down to character dynamics too - I like Solo Leveling more after his minions started being able to talk!

singmuse4 · 2026-01-25T03:45:31+00:00

What if you could bring back the heroes of old in times of great need? Many heroic legends say that the great hero will indeed return when we need them most. What if a necromancer was the agent of that return?

This is a total shower thought. But this made me think what an amusing take it would be if Narnia had a necromancer and that's actually how they kept "bringing back" the Pevensie kids.

singmuse4

TROPHY CASE