Recs if you like The Goblin Emperor...

SFF with worldbuilding that informs the plot, prose, characters, and underlying narrative in deeply meaningful, intentional, and complex ways, so much so that changing the world means changing the shape of the story itself. Or: worldbuilding that goes beyond simple set dressing and becomes a vehicle for the story and narrative. Always open to recs and suggestions! ❤️

These are books that don't rush to impress you. They simmer while the author adds in the layers. They may confuse you or bore you at first - but if you give them time to cook you'll end up with a delicious meal of a book!

Always taking recommendations! If you are recommending a series - the layers need to come together by the end of the first book (not half way through the series).

For when things seem hopeless. We can always try again and again ❤️

This list is a community project, I asked in the club and received multiple suggestions which I then added onto a list: fiction and nonfiction, fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, the main theme is just hope. Some people said their recommendation might not fit very well but I added it anyways.

Also, in the og post, I mentioned The Good Place and if people have recommendations tending to that, so some books are related to that.

For when your PB friends share the same name(s) as a book character! (See pinned comment for master list! Please feel free to chime in if you want to be added and/or if you want a different book assigned to you; I didn’t want to step on toes and add people I haven’t really talked to without their permission ❤️ also my brain is smooth and I forget book character names all the time lol)

I'm sure some of these are already on your TBR, so might as well add some more! Let me know if I am missing any of your favorites!

f*ck misogyny, women write epic fantasy too

Perfect for fantasy lovers with not enough hours in the day!

Feel free to mention any I missed in the comments 😊

(Broadly defined) Poetic, dreamy, strange, odd fantasy/sci-fi. Doesn’t have to be all of these things at once, mostly it’s fantasy/sci-fi that ‘breaks the norm’ (in style, prose and story)- whatever that means. Or books wonderfully odd, in any sort of way.

I’m not such a fast reader, neither do I have the golden touch finding only books that fit in this list… ‘Breaking the norm’ can be seen as rather subjective, so I’d love any suggestion that you feel fit (and why do you feel they fit?).

less of the usual culprits if you please!

Clever, arresting and intentional SFF books by genre writers who really know how to play with and control language; not even necessarily immensely quotable or flowery, but wholly competent and meticulous.

Books that highlight hope, empathy, and justice. I will take suggestions if anyone has any!

secret plots, political moves, and pursuits of power all within imperial, royal, or noble courts.

In honour of the 2026 nominations, this list compiles all the nominees for the Hugo Award for Best Novel from 2010 - 2026.

Books with Goblins, like, actually goblin mode.

The top 100 fantasy novels according to the r/fantasy list as voted on by the community - this includes series (represented by the first book in the series) and standalones.

The list is in order with Middle Earth ( represented by Lord of the rings) being number 1 going down to the 100th.

(Note: Mistborn is position 8 while Cosmere is position 35 - as Mistborn is within the Cosmere I lumped it in with the 35th position so it is lower down than on the original list)

Self-contained SFF books that belong to a series, offering a complete story without a multi-book commitment. A perfect way to sample immersive worlds while limiting potential disappointment – yet still leaving more to explore if you liked it.

Where you mix fantasy with a little bit of whodunit mystery and you get to enjoy both. Found and enjoyed a lot of Fantasy Mystery books in 2025. Please recommend me some more so I can read and add them to the list!

Books with Éowyn-type characters; women with an inclination to the martial or glorious but who are often frustrated or blocked in, or mocked for, their ambitions. ("A cage," [Éowyn] said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”)

If you tell me it's political fantasy, I don't need to hear more, thank you

(I might add a few historical fiction as well if it's heavily political -in my opinion, or if it's recommended as such)

One of my favorite newly-discovered tropes is that of the reluctant hero. They're not a chosen one, not good at everything right away, don't want to be saving the world. They're dragged kicking and screaming on adventures, complaining about it the whole way, and maybe even suck at the job they have to do at first.

Only including the first book in a series unless they're standalones. Suggestions for all fiction genres welcome!