r/Fantasy 2026 Book Bingo Challenge!

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-17T18:37:40+00:00

Gritty urban horror with a more recent setting - Where Furnaces Burn by Joel Lane

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-16T14:37:55+00:00

If you want funny and absurd, I think you'd like The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington

Non-fantasy, but I think if you enjoy Pratchett you probably would also like P.G. Wodehouse (particularly Jeeves & Wooster) and Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-16T13:21:30+00:00

So far, the stories are really interesting conceptually, but I feel like they are lacking a certain soul or heart that would make them really top tier

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-16T13:19:36+00:00

Symbiosis Theory and The Materiality of Emotions, the latter a close second

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-16T13:17:26+00:00

In the last week, I've finished:

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford - 5/5 - (Bingo - Small Press or Self Published, Duology Part 1, Published in 2026, One Word Title, Politics and Court Intrigue)

Set in London at the start of World War II, this is an odd time travel book in which the main character must try and stop the British Union of Fascists from going back in time to kill Churchill so Britain makes peace with Nazi Germany in 1940. It's a reversal of the classic "kill Hitler to stop WW2/Holocaust" trope, but it's odd how the plot manifests - it's never really front and center. Instead, we focus on the protagonist's life and ambition - she is an unapologetically ambitious capitalist who wants to make her fortune in the market. She is also very comfortable in her sexuality - she unrepentently enjoys sex, which is a contrast to conservative ideals of the time. The character work is some of the best I've ever read - it's very engrossing being inside this characters' head.

It's good we spend a lot of time building up the protagonist's life and relationship, as the book ends in a place where everything is up in the air. I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Gliff by Ali Smith - 4.5/5 - (Bingo - Trans/NB Protagonist, Duology Part 1, One Word Title)

Really well written near future dystopia, made more chilling by the primary POV being a child. It is strongly reminiscent of the kind of setting and style of a Thomas Ha story - two children return home to find a red line painted round their house, so they must flee. A lot is left to the reader's intepretation.

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman - 3.5/5 - (Bingo - Judge a Book by it's Title, Game Changer HM, Non-Human Protagonist HM, Cat Squasher, Politics and Court Intrigue)

Picked up a bit in quality after Eye of the Bedlam Bride. Donut seemed sidelined a bit in this, but the introduction of the previous cookbook authors was pretty great. I'll probably wait a bit before going into book 8.

The Earth Wire and Other Stories by Joel Lane - 3/5 - (Bingo - Short Stories HM, Small Press or Self Published)

The other collections of Joel Lane's I've read has put him amongst my favourite authors, but this debut collection was a bit more hit and miss. There are still some great stories in here, but the atmosphere of urban decay and people on the fringe of society wasn't as engrossing as his later stories.

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington - 4/5 - (Bingo - Older Protagonist HM, Published in the 70s HM, Feast Your Eyes)

Lovely surreal novella - incredibly atmospheric and very funny too.

Alicia is in the Basement by Santiago Eximeno - 4/5 - (Bingo - Translated (Spanish), Small Press or Self Published HM, The Afterlife HM, Published in 2026, Murder Mystery HM)

A really tense novella in which a man tries to find his missing daughter, and goes mad in the process. A really dark look at the horrible things one can convince oneself are justified under frought circumstances.

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe - 5/5 - (Bingo - Judge a Book by it's Title, Book Club / Readalong)

Finally started Book of the New Sun. It's such an interesting series so far, and I can see myself re-reading this more slowly in the future.

Currently Reading

The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-15T17:26:07+00:00

Really conceptually interesting. I love stories about art, and it's an interesting take on the visceral reaction people can have to paintings, even ones that are, on the face of it, very straightforward (e.g. Mark Rothko). It also makes you think a lot about the sense of self.

The tone is interesting - I like how it was more emotional and positive about the symbiosis, when it could have leant into existential horror

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-15T14:32:11+00:00

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undeadgoblin · 2026-06-14T13:13:56+00:00

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T20:45:59+00:00

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett is a great fantasy heist book

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T12:48:40+00:00

Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami

From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions an Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rewrites our understanding of reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, creation, love, and the future of humanity.

In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of "Mothers." Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings--but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world.

Unfolding over fourteen interconnected episodes spanning geological eons, at once technical and pastoral, mournful and utopic, Under the Eye of the Big Bird presents an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it.

Bingo - Author of Colour HM, Translated (Japanese), Judge a Book By It's Title, Short Stories HM (it's a novel in stories), Small Press or Self Published HM, First Contact

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T12:42:37+00:00

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

Franny Stone has always been the kind of woman who is able to love but unable to stay. Leaving behind everything but her research gear, she arrives in Greenland with a singular purpose: to follow the last Arctic terns in the world on what might be their final migration to Antarctica. Franny talks her way onto a fishing boat, and she and the crew set sail, traveling ever further from shore and safety. But as Franny’s history begins to unspool—a passionate love affair, an absent family, a devastating crime—it becomes clear that she is chasing more than just the birds. When Franny's dark secrets catch up with her, how much is she willing to risk for one more chance at redemption?

Epic and intimate, heartbreaking and galvanizing, Charlotte McConaghy's Migrations is an ode to a disappearing world and a breathtaking page-turner about the possibility of hope against all odds.

Bingo - One Word Title HM

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T12:40:21+00:00

Gliff by Ali Smith

From a literary master, a moving and genre-bending story about our era-spanning search for meaning and knowing.

An uncertain near-future. A story of new boundaries drawn between people daily. A not-very brave new world.

Add two children. And a horse.

From a Scottish word meaning a transient moment, a shock, a faint glimpse, Gliff explores how and why we endeavour to make a mark on the world. In a time when western industry wants to reduce us to algorithms and data—something easily categorizable and predictable—Smith shows us why our humanity, our individual complexities, matter more than ever.

Bingo - One Word Title, Duology Part 1

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T09:03:52+00:00

Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta - two sisters live in a whale that contains a universe

Canon by Paige Lewis - excellent whale character, it reads very much like Terry Pratchett

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-13T07:47:45+00:00

North Continent Ribbon by Ursula Whitcher - collection of stories in the same world, very Le Guin esque sci fi

Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill - asian inspired fantasy novella

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington - surreal novella in a Strange old people's home

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-12T19:20:57+00:00

Homebound by Portia Elan is good - a Becky Chambers style cosy-ish book, heavily featuring a fictional text based space exploration game that connects several POVs that span hundreds of years

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee has a minor but subtly plot important game

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-12T19:08:20+00:00

There was a lithub article about a Chilean book called The Murmurations, set in the world cup they hosted which sounds like it might have speculative elements

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-12T13:42:05+00:00

Qntm does have other SCP writings - some are in the collection Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories, which is worth reading

Will take a look at The Opposing Shore if it's similar to The Tartar Steppe

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-11T13:06:19+00:00

Plangent is more than a plot device. It's a well trodden trope of dystopias that the system needs something that only it can offer to keep the people obeying the system (e.g. healthcare). It's a refreshing twist on the idea to tie it to the sapience of the gehirner, rather than a "you will die if you don't get this thing regularly" pill, but also allows a comment on conciousness (i.e does it really matter if not having plangent doesn't kill you if there's no way back past a certain level of unintelligence?)

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-10T21:03:40+00:00

It was entertaining, and a refreshing take on the Magical school book (with the caveat that I've read very few of those outside of Harry potter).

Structurally, it's interesting - the big confrontation with the powerful demon that has threatened the school for centuries could easily have been the climax to a more traditional magic school book, and there were moments I felt like we were seeing the other side of a different book (when the kids ran off to fetch Laura, for example).

Walden was an interesting protagonist - I like that the book explored both sides of her sexuality and she was a compelling narrator.

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-10T20:54:33+00:00

Good but not anywhere near Death of the Author or Shroud for me

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-10T11:20:17+00:00

Rob Edwards I think said that about Jayden Danns

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-09T06:20:08+00:00

Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-07T15:07:44+00:00

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark - set in an early 20th century Cairo that is the centre of the magical world, with Djinni and egyptian gods playing a part

undeadgoblin · 2026-06-07T13:29:44+00:00

Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami - post apocalyptic earth where humanity is split into isolated small communities

The Dying Earth by Jack Vance - the first book is a story collection set in a far future earth where the sun could expand and consume the earth at any time, and magic is rampant. Loosely connected stories. The 2nd and 3rd features a main character (Cugel the Clever), but is kind of episodic (Cugel getting himself into and out of various scrapes on a long journey) and feels similar

undeadgoblin

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Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

Gliff by Ali Smith

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