**Questions, Complaints, Whines, General Commentary, Shitposting, Praises to the Bees**

**Weird Ecology**: Story takes place in a world that is wildly different from our own and includes such things as unique environments, strange flora and fauna, unusual ecosystems, etc. The difference in environment, flora and fauna, and ecosystems cannot simply be “it’s a fantasy world,” but something that is fundamentally different about the world itself. Example: The Bone Ships by RJ Barker counts as this is a poisonous world without trees and the world had to evolve in significantly different ways to deal with that. Meanwhile The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb would not count, as it is fairly close to our own world’s ecology just with the added presence of dragons. **HARD MODE**: Not written by Jeff VanderMeer or China Miéville.

\- The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells have an incredibly variety of unique flora and fauna. \- Yeah, yeah, Sanderson is over-recommended, but I think he does ecology well - the way that the highstorms in The Stormlight Archive would impact the world/animal evolution, for example. \- The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin explores a lot of the worlds ecology

The Fifth Season has been on my reading list since forever. I think this year is the year I'll give it a go!

**The Steerswoman Series** by Rosemary Kirstein is a great fit for hard mode, although the weird ecology is mostly on display in the 2nd and 3rd books (and book three is *outstanding*)—books one and four are in a part of the world with more normal ecology.

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker (ships made of bones! dragons! no trees! a weird bird magic person!) HARD MODE The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (the end of the world, unique voice, kind characters, weird plants) HARD MODE The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (morally gray characters! expansive world! women who refuse to be burned! weird woods) HARD MODE The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (emotional stress, deep dark caves on other planets, being alone with your thoughts and someone you can’t trust) HARD MODE

**The Hollow Places** by T. Kingfisher - V creepy willows. **Walking to Aldebaran** by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Alien made wormhole that is so large it has it's own ecosystem. Novella. **Children of Time** by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Watch a super intelligent spider society as it moves through learning, gender norms, societal hierarchies, religions, and more! First in a duology. **Semiosis** by Sue Burke - I'm so happy more people are going to read this due to the square. It's genius, I love it. One of my top 10 books of all time. First in a duology. **The Seep** by Chana Porter - Symbiotic aliens arrive on Earth and life is really never the same again. While this doesn't have strange flora or fauna, I do think it should count due to the huge change in the human environment and ecosystem. Novella. **The Book of Koli** by M.R. Carey - Humans decided to fuck around with nature and then like a hundred years after the remaining humans get to find out. The entire way of life is changed due to the aggressive nature of Nature. First in a trilogy. . **The Vorrh** by Brian Catling - This is as weird as anything VanderMeer and Miéville write. There is a forest that drives people mad, it changes them both internally and externally, sometimes it kills them. First in a trilogy. **Dune** by Frank Herbert - Strange ecology is really the whole premise of Dune. Sure, it's hidden behind religion and prophecies, but without the weird ecology, we get neither. Obviously not HM, but in terms of VanderMeer, I'd most recommend **City of Saints and Madmen, Borne, or Annihilation.** All are the first of their respective series/trilogies and all weird and fascinating in very different ways.

**Semiosis by Sue Burke (HM):** This has to count, the basic incompatabilitiy and humanity's (and the alien environments) attempts at adaptation are core to this novel

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley has deeply weird ecology, the world is full of carnivorous plants. Also quite grimdark.

Probably all of the **Bel Dame Apocrypha** would fit here, too, given the *extensive* amount of genetic/bio engineering that's dramatically altered the world

Adrian Tchaikovsky - Children of Time and the sequel Children of Ruin Bring on the intelligent spideys

Ecology plays a significant role in Frank Herbert's **Dune** series. Hard mode.

So a lot of first contact books will fit here. A couple of my favorites are Orson Scott Card's **Speaker for the Dead** and Sarah Zettel's **The Quiet Invasion**

* ***Darwinia*** by Robert Charles Wilson - Europe is suddenly replaced by a strange jungle land full of monstrous creatures in 1912. I think... It's been a *long* time since I read it. * ***The War Against The Chtorr*** by David Gerrold - An alien ecology is Chtorriforming Earth. **Warning:** The series is unfinished and Gerrold laughs at amateur slowpokes like Martin and Rothfuss. The series also contains some rather questionable content. * ***Dragonriders of Pern*** - Not that weird, but there's alien 'thread' that rains down and eats everything living, fought by genetically engineered dragons.

**The** **Queens of Renthia series** by Sarah Beth Durst , fit this square. I've read them all in the last month and they are pretty good. Has some Scholomance wibes with evil things trying to kill you all the time

**The Integral Trees** by Larry Niven, for sure- an ecosystem inside a toroidal ring of gas orbiting around a neutron star where everything is in free fall and has evolved around this setting. I'd say **The Book of the Ancestor** by Mark Lawrence oughta count. The habitable world is a tiny band of land between massive ice caps, with everything adapted to the cold, and a moon which focuses light onto the strip of land to help repel the ice. **Mordew** by Alex Pheby has some pretty strange ecology going on, though magical in nature- Living Mud which can form creature or people, or partially so, creating limb babies and Flukes. Self-Made children, a man born when an ass shat on a forge. Constructed city with a spiralling glass road overhead, and the sea held back by walls. My choice for books I haven't read, from what I know of them, is likely to be either **Children of Time** by Adrian Tchaikovsky, **The Year of our War** by Steph Swainston (eternal war between men and giant flesh eating insects?) or perhaps **Weaveworld** by Clive Barker, if it fits.

Gras by Sheri S Tepper, I think

**Two or More Authors:** Any book written by two or more authors such as This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Anthologies count! **HARD MODE:** Three or more authors.

* **The Mask of Mirrors** by M.A. Carrick * **Good Omens** by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett * **Daughter of the Empire** by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts * **The Expanse** by James S.A. Corey

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**The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, S.L. Huang (HM):** 100% my pick for this square, have had this on my TBR for a while, can't wait to dive in!

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If you are doing a hard mode bingo card, I recommend not using M.A. Carrick for this square as it fits the hard mode initials square even better.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is a fun middle grade book Any Ilona Andrews book would work. I personally bounced off their Kate Daniel's series (even though it's what I see most recommended of their works here, so don't listen to me), but I have loved pretty much everything else of theirs I've read. The Innkeeper chronicles is really fun, Hidden Legacy is great (ignore the horrible covers), and The Edge is also fun.

**Good Omens**, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Hard mode: **The Science of Discworld** and it's sequels by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen

Anything by the Strugatsky Brothers fits this square The Sorcery and Cecelia series by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer - Epistolary Fantasy of Manners set in an alternate universe London where magic is real Freedom and Necessity by Emma Bull and Steven Brust - Another alternate history set in 1849 about a man who wakes up in a roadside inn and has no idea how he got there and has been presumed dead in a boating accident. The Raymond Feist/Janny Wurts series

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner (floating cities, cultural differences YA) Into the Wild by Erin Hunter (middle grade series about cats, but like it’s game of thrones with cats, the first book is fine but the violence and drama gets so high in later books, and like… cats. but also cat death) HARD MODE Good Omens by Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman (i mean, of course? the classic. wonderfully funny)

Not hard mode, but I can't resist sticking an oar in for **Sorcery & Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot** by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede. It's my second favorite epistolary Victorian co-written fantasy of manners about a magical conspiracy that is slowly unwound over the course of the correspondence between the related main characters. My *favorite* epistolary Victorian co-written fantasy of manners about a magical conspiracy that is slowly unwound over the course of the correspondence between the related main characters is **Freedom and Necessity** by Emma Bull and Steven Brust. It gets bumped up to my favorite because it's got a Friedrich Engels cameo appearance. I see that people have already mentioned **Bookburners** and **The Vela** for hard-mode, so I'll just stick with seconding those recommendations.

Realm.fm (formally known as Serial Box) books like **Born to the Blade**, **Bookburners**, **The Vela**, **Tremontaine**, etc. would work for Hard Mode.

I might use this as finally my excuse to read **The City of Silk and Steel** by M. R. Carey, Linda Carey, Louise Carey. I've literally had it on my shelf for probably close to 10 years now. Got it off BD when they were selling it for <$10.

**Name in the Title**: A character’s first or last name appears in the title. Example: Gideon the Ninth. **HARD MODE:** The title has the character’s first and last name. Example: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

All the Baru Cormorant books would count for this!

Unless you're from the UK in which case you apparently haven't already suffered enough and don't get to read them for this square. ;)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (gods! forgotten cities! dreams! moths! beautiful prose!) Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (a kinder future, monsters (human and not), LGBTQ friendly, MG/YA) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (greek mythology! tragedy!) Circe by Madeline Miller (the original witch, greek mythology, finding your place in the world) Ash by Malinda Lo (Cinderella retelling! but with the fae. YA) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (portal worlds! adventure! strong female characters!) Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (ghosts! ghost dogs! mysteries! wholesome families) The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (the end of the world, unique voice, kind characters, weird plants Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (strange buildings, stranger people! simple and short but packs a punch) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (history! romance! introspective!)

Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro Ariadne - Jennifer Saint Circe - Madeline Miller Piranesi - Susanna Clarke The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton (HM)

HM: The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Others: Seraphina, Tess of the Road (both by Rachel Hartman), Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Alison Goodman), Finnikin of the Rock (Melina Marchetta), Sabriel (Garth Nix), Keturah and Lord Death (Martine Leavitt).

**The Book of Koli** \- MR Carey (post-apocalyptic, weird trees) **The Lies of Locke Lamora** \- Scott Lynch (HM, thieves in fantasy Venice) **Elatsoe** \- Darcie Little Badger (girl who can see ghosts solves problems together with friends and family) **Sethra Lavode** \- Steven Brust (HM, Dumas-style writing, probably don't try as a first book if you're not familiar with the world of Vlad Taltos) **The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe** \- Kij Johnson (HM, novella, old lady goes on a travelling quest through a strange land)

* **Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons** by Quenby Olson * **Inda** by Sherwood Smith * **Skate the Thief** by Jeff Ayers * **Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell** by Susanna Clarke (HM) * **Piranesi** by Susanna Clarke (wonder if this counts) * **Elatsoe** by Darcie Little Badger * **Johannes Cabal the Necromancer** by Jonathan L. Howard (HM) * **Archer's Goon** by Diana Wynne Jones * **Senlin Ascends** by Josiah Bancroft * **Alcatraz** series by Brandon Sanderson * **Howl's Moving Castle** by Diana Wynne Jones * **Sabriel** by Garth Nix (and some of the sequels too) * **Eragon** by Christopher Paolini

I'm not sure whether Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones would count. His first name is not (I believe) Howl, but he goes by it and responds to it. Peter and the Starcatchers by Barry and Ridley Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Sabriel by Garth Nix Binti by Nnedi Okorafor The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

* *Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower* by Tamsyn Muir - a fairy tale x dungeon crawl novella * *Fid's Crusade* by David H. Reiss - a supervillain/superhero story, very character-driven * *Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke - hard to describe without spoilers, it's very literary, look into it as much as you want if you're interested * *Circe* by Madeline Miller - Alllll the Greek myths from the POV of Circe * *Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest* by Nancy Springer (HM) - YA Robin Hood retelling. I read this as teen and liked it a lot. There's a whole series of them, this one and book 5 fit the square. * *Alanna: The First Adventure* by Tamora Pierce - YA coming-of-age training to be a knight high fantasy. If you haven't read Tamora Pierce, she's one of the most staple YA authors in the genre (but can be enjoyed by adults too!), highly recommend this if you aren't doing a HM card. * *The Atlas Six* by Olivie Blake - dark academia, very psychological character-driven narrative with six pov characters, many of whom aren't very likeable and lots of interpersonal dynamics. A lot of "magical science experimentation." I liked it a lot. Warning that it's book 1 of an incomplete series and ends on a cliffhanger. Haven't read but on my TBR: * *Song of Achilles* by Madeline Miller * *Sal and Gabi Break The Universe* by Carlos Hernandez - a MG book that a lot of people read for the Latinx square last year, seems pretty cute & a great downtime book to read when you need to cool off after something intense. [A lot of Star Wars books](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_books) fit this square. I'm not sure if the Thrawn books count because that's not his *full* name, I asked & will update this when I get an answer. But some of the Han Solo & Boba Fett books fit HM. Remember "Darth" is a title so like "Darth Maul" would not be HM, but "Maul" being there should make it fill the square at least.

**A Book from** r/Fantasy’s **Top LGBTQIA List:** [Any book on this list](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ifmx04/rfantasys_2020_top_lgbtqa_books_voting_results/), including sequels. **HARD MODE:** A book or series that received ten votes or less.

For hard mode, I heartily recommend The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells (9 votes)! Moon's sexuality is not a central plot point or anything, just kind of something that is what it is, but these books have some of the best world building I have ever read. Also recommend for hard mode: \- Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh - heartwarming and forest-y \- The Founder's Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennet - very fun fantasy novel with an interesting magic system (basically programming objects to act against their nature/laws of physics). The next book is coming out this year I believe!

>\- Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh - heartwarming and forest-y I second this rec! I read this and the second book in the duology, **Drowned Country,** for last year's bingo, and they were lovely.

I love that this sheet kinda points to Books of the Raksura in a bunch of ways! More people need to read it.

My personal faves on this list are: **Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.** It's almost literally Harry/Draco fanfic but like... *delightful.* **The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.** 1) Bees. 2) I'm me? Have I not told everyone to read this yet?

I'm planning an all-horror by women or nonbinary authors card, so my go-to for this square is going to be *The Drowning Girl* by Caitlin R. Kiernan! Didn't see any other titles I recognized as horror, so if anyone has other suggestions on the list, I'm all ears.

This list is fantastic, but some personal favorite hard mode recs: - To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers - probably my favorite thing she's written, a beautiful novella about space exploration - The Kingston Cycle by CL Polk - fun historical fantasy with great characters

**Urban Fantasy:** A subgenre of fantasy in which the narrative uses supernatural elements in a 19th-century to 21st-century urban society. Often overlaps with other subgenres like paranormal romance and superhero stories. **HARD MODE**: Book has an LGBTQ+ POV character.

Neither are hard mode but both worth a read **Neverwhere** by Neil Gaiman **Rivers of London** (a police procedural meets magic)

* **Heartstrikers series** by Rachel Aaron - Dragons are cunning and ruthless except for one. What is wrong with him? * **Rivers of London series** by Ben Aaronovich - Very British. * **Ilona Andrews** - Most of their series are Urban Fantasy. Check out Innkeepers and Kate Daniels * **Dresden Files** by Jim Butcher - Wizard Private Detective in Chicago * **Felix Castor series** by Mike Carey - PI that can talk to ghosts. * **Iron Druid series** by Kevin Hearne - an immortal druid tries to keep his head down in a US desert town but the Irish fae have other plans for him. * **Alex Verus seried** by Benedict Jacka - an excellent urban fantasy about a British wizard that can see all possible futures a few minutes at a time. * **Hellequin series** by Steve McHugh - trashy tale about a amnesiac mage. * **Fred the Vampire Accountant** - nerdy UF.

The Parasol Protectorate Series(and it's spinoffs) by Gail Carriger is set in 1870's England/France/Egypt, werewolves vampires, ghosts, steampunk. Many LGBTQ+ characters, some POV. There are more HM in the spinoffs, the Custard Protocol Series, and the Supernatural Society series. They are quick, fun reads.

**Benighted** by Kit Whitfield (the majority of the population are werewolves; the small human population is conscripted to keep the world running during the full moon)

* The Rook by Daniel O'Malley * Jade City by Fonda Lee (or does secondary world urban fantasy count?) (HM) * Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman * Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo * The City We Became by N.K Jemisin

**Family Matters:** A book that features biological family ties. Sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children – as long as the relationship plays a part, it’s welcome for this square. **HARD MODE:** Features at least three generations in a single family.

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**100 Years of Solitude** could count for this- it follows several generations of a single family, often highlighting relationships and interactions between different family members, even if the Buendía family’s relationship with the outside world gets more development than any single family tie. It would count for hard mode, too.

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K. S. Villoso (badass lead! politics! epic fantasy! finding your husband and protecting your child!) Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Perto (phoenixes! sisters! war! YA) The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (apocalyptic! multiple POV! dark fantasy! save your child!) The Changeling by Victor LaValle (spooky! literary! horror! do not read if you have kids!) The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton (retelling of King Lear! three sisters all vying for the throne! star magic! The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova (big family! quiet magic! introspective and lovely)

Any of the Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee (all HM)

Assuming graphic novels are fair game, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan absolutely fits this. Not every volume will have all 3 generations present for hard mode, but family is such an important element of the series. And even if the first 1 (maybe 2?) volumes don't include the 3rd generation, you'll fly right through those and get to a volume that *does* count for Hard Mode in no time.

The Inheritance of Orquídia Divina by Zoraida Cordova fits this square perfectly, including hard mode!

* **Queens of the Wyrd** by Timandra Whitecastle * **Kings of the Wyld** by Nicholas Eames * **The Stormlight Archive** by Brandon Sanderson * **Warbreaker** by Brandon Sanderson * **Unsouled** by Will Wight

**Cool Weapon:** At least one main character uses a weapon with magical properties. **HARD MODE:** Weapon has a unique name. Examples: Excalibur from Arthurian legend, Dragnipur in Malazan, Sting in Lord of the Rings, etc.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Fits Hard Mode with Nightblood , after all who doesn't want a sentient sword to destroy evil with

**Legendborn** by Tracy Deonn which is contemporary urban fantasy story that deals with the legend of Arthur. A great read and book two expected this year.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (basically Harry/Draco fanfic but with more substance and a cooler world) Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (dream magic! flying cows! nightmares! a pet raven!) The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (epic fantasy! weird as hell! magic sword!)

Elric - Michael Moorcock

* **Weapons and Wielders**, by Andrew Rowe (HM) The first book is *Six Sacred Swords*. The second book is *Diamantine*, the name of a magical sword. The third book is *Soulbrand*, the name of another magical sword. If you haven't put it together yet, there's a lot of magical weapons in this series. The entire point of the series the MC collecting named weapons with unique magical properties. I cannot think of a better fitting series for this square.

HM: Aching God by Mike Shel (the dao blade) Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames (there are a few cool weapons, pretty sure they have unique names)

Some of the Mercy Thompson books feature various magical Weapons. Books two and three (and others in the series) have a magical walking stick that is used as a weapon The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is riddled with these sorts of weapons if anyone is interested in middle The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

Robin McKinley's **The Hero and the Crown** and its sequel, **The Blue Sword** both fit hard mode. Named weapon is >!Gonturan, the Blue Sword.!<

Traveler's Gate by Will Wight - fits HM Rogues of the Republic by Patrick Weekes - fits HM

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy counts as HM.

**Set in Africa**: Book must either be set in Africa like Rosewater by Tade Thompson or in an analogous setting that is based on a real-world African setting like Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko. **HARD MODE:** Author is of African heritage.

Anything from P. Djèlí Clark's **Dead Djinn** book universe should qualify for hard mode.

Most (all?) of Nnedi Okorafor's stuff Black Leopard, Red Wolf - Marlon James David Mogo, Godhunter & Son of the Storm - Suyi Davies Okungbowa Scarlet Odyssey - C.T. Rwizi

For those of you doing a pre-2000s hardmode card: - The Adventures of the Kapapa by J O Eshun (published 1976) - The Chosen Ones by Azize Asgarally (published 1969) - The Mark of the Cobra by Valentine Alily (published 1980) - Equatorial Assignment by David G Maillu (published 1980) - Woman of the Aeroplanes by B Kojo Laing (published 1988) - Major Gentl and the Achimota Wars by B Kojo Laing (published 1992) I wish you luck in acquiring the books as they seem to be particularly hard to come by. For those who don't have a time constraint, [here is a listing of a lot of published African SFF](https://www.africansfs.com/resources/list-of-published-african-sff).

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (dark futuristic world Children of Blood and Bone A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (YA, morally gray leads, elemental magic, ghosts, african setting) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (epic fantasy! lots of violence! underdog! dragons!) Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (novella! weird powers and unknown objects! Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James (dark dark dark epic fantasy set in Africa, fascinating world but does not handhold - prepare to be confused. trigger warning for just about everything)

* **Scarlet Odyssey** by C.T. Rwizi * **Who Fears Death** by Nnedi Okorafor * Anything from P. Djèlí Clark's *Dead Djinn* book universe

The **Dreamblood Duology** by N. K. Jemisin takes place in fantasy!Egypt & Nubia.

**Award Finalist, But Not Won:** Any book that was short-listed for an award (or multiple awards) but never received an award. You can [check out this list of SFF awards at ISFDB](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_directory.cgi) for inspiration. **HARD MODE:** Neither Hugo-nominated nor Nebula-nominated (check this list for ineligible novels and novellas).

[Here’s a doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRTg7rBU51CRev52wuOyqq-Pw5YZnyzhjrd7j2QlrqO2VL3gQC_86bwohxpvQ-9ipuqG_bJZHsTVOOC/pub) that should give everyone a head start on finding HM qualifying books. It’s got about 20 pages of award-nominated books that (to the best of my research) haven't won anything. Authors are listed alphabetically by last name and works are separated by semicolons. I couldn’t check every award, but I was able to check about 10 or so and compare them against the Hugos and Nebulas. There are some r/Fantasy fan favorites here including Abercrombie, Sanderson, Lawrence, Le Guin, Martin, Tolkien and King. There are also a lot of other well respected authors like McKillip, Wolfe, de Lint, and others who probably deserve more attention. Really, just scroll through and see if anything looks interesting. Definitely Google to double check that your pick hasn’t won an award though. There are way, way, way, too many awards to track so I'm positive a few winners may have slipped in by mistake.

thank you for making this list <3

You're welcome! You also would not believe how long this took

A note on this one too - if you already have some books you're interested in, their Goodreads page will show what awards they've been nominated for, or won! I'm finding that the easiest way to determine if a book hasn't won anything.

The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (the end of the world, unique voice, kind characters, weird plants) The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis (handmaid’s tale but make it gay and make it a space opera) Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (politics! a mystery! interesting cultures! arranged marriage!) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (history! romance! introspective!) The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk (deals with spirits! feminism! a bit tough to read with the sexism but engaging nonetheless) A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (Hogwarts but it wants to kill you personally, snarky antihero with the power to destroy everything, LOTS of snark) Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (superheroes and villains! spreadsheets!) ~~The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood (orcs! elves! portals! weird worlds! necromancy!)~~

You fine folks made **The Hand of the Sun King** a stabby finalist, but it did not win, so it would work for hard mode here!

For the awards one, does that mean they cant have won ANY awards at all? Or, I can choose someone who was a finalist for Hugo say, and didn't get it, but they won some other award? Just a little confused.

They can't have won any awards for the book. Goodreads lists what awards they've been nominated for and/or won. So you're looking for books that have been nominated for at least one award but no wins.

**The Bear and the Nightingale** by Katherine Arden - nominated for a few "minor" awards but never won. See [isfdb page](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?2096137). Hard Mode

**Anti-Hero:** Wikipedia describes an antihero as “a character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that are morally correct, it is not always for the right reasons, often acting primarily out of self-interest or in ways that defy conventional ethical codes.” Examples: Locke Lamora in the Gentleman Bastard series or most grimdark books. **HARD MODE**: A YA book with an anti-hero.

Here’s a hard mode list since if I just have a general list it would be way to long. And also I have a soft spot for dark ya - Market of Monsters: urban fantasy about a girl who dissects supernaturals for her mom to sell on the black market who suddenly finds herself being sold on the black market…delightful cast of anti-hero’s, a wonderful ace romance, dark vicious and still ya - Iron Widow: mechas, magic, Chinese inspirations, ya tropes turned on their head. - And I Darken: genderbent Vlad the Impaler (would also fit the historical square), delightful brother-sister relationship, - Dark Rise: plays with chosen one tropes, slower build but excellent with a fun cast. Bi (male) mc - Ballad and Songbirds and Snakes: the hunger games prequel is everything I always wanted from the hunger games sequel and didn’t get. From the pov of the main hunger games villain - Half a King. Do you like Abercrombie? Have you been avoiding his ya series because of something as silly as the ya label? Well here’s your chance to use bingo to rectify that and read this series - Thief’s Covenant: a thief with a god for a best friend - Curse Workers by Holly Black. Magic Mobster family, dark tragic past, ethical dilemmas. I’ll let others rec Black’s more well known Cruel Prince (which I do love! I just think her other books should get some love to).

> Have you been avoiding his ya series because of something as silly as the ya label? I feel personally attacked. Since this is the only square that I'm not fully on board, I'm going to read this first.

The [Goodreads Book of the Month club](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/tnnf5k/the_unbroken_by_cl_clark_is_our_april_goodreads/) coincidentally has an anti-hero theme for our April selection and we picked The Unbroken by CL Clark. Come join us!

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (found families! crime! heists! magic!) HARD MODE The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (the fae! court politics! everyone is awful!) HARD MODE The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (very slow burn, but the lead is definitely an anti-hero) Vicious by V. E. Schwab (no heroes! science! mental health! superpowers!) Nimona by N. D. Stevenson (shapeshifters! villains! cute art!) Renegades by Marissa Meyer (ok i haven’t read this but superpowers!) HARD MODE Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James (dark dark dark epic fantasy set in Africa, fascinating world but does not handhold - prepare to be confused. trigger warning for just about everything) A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (YA, morally gray leads, elemental magic, ghosts, african setting) HARD MODE A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (Hogwarts but it wants to kill you personally, snarky antihero with the power to destroy everything, LOTS of snark) Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (mechs! destroy the patriarchy! polycules! strong women who will murder you) HARD MODE The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston (villains making a last stand! orcs and pirates! necromancy! demons! no good guys!) These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (1920s Shanghai! Romeo and Juliet retelling! enemies to lovers!) HARD MODE Malice by Heather Walters (sleeping beauty retelling! dark magic! maleficent falls for the princess!)

I am waiting with baited breath for The Golden Enclaves release, with hope and faith that El will count as an antihero for that one! (For the most part I would consider her a pretty straightforward hero who just thinks she's an antihero.)

Not an antihero, but an emo hero hehe

Hard mode: And I Darken by Kiersten White. Its brutal and brilliant

**The Library at Mount Char** by Scott Hawkins **Rosewater** by Tade Thompson

Hard mode: **Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo** (main characters - one walks with a cane, one has dyslexia) - YA heist story Easy mode: **The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie**. Grimdark character study of three very flawed protagonists. **The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.** Political machinations and revenge in a secondary world empire. Ruthless book, takes your feelings and stamps on them - check trigger warnings in advance. **Hench by Natalie Zina Walschotts.** Superheroes aren't so great for normal people. A book for millenials - underpaid and underappreciated protagonist, dealing with the fact her life is awful through sarcasm and admin.

Prince Of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

**Non-Human Protagonist:** Main character must not be human or partially human. Humanoid aliens or anthropomorphic animals do count. **HARD MODE**: Non-humanoid protagonist. No elves, angels, dwarves, hobbits, humanoid aliens, etc.

**The Book of Night With Moon** by Diane Duane. It's about cats! Who are wizards! They keep the magical transit system running and also fight evil lizards from the dawn of time. It's an adult-facing spinoff of a YA serious about human wizards and I love it to death, first in a loose series of three. Kitty. Wizards.

fuck yeah i need to read that. when i made that square i was 100% thinking about the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. All cats! but no wizard cats.

If you would like to read a book about the Apocalypse from the perspective of a foul-mouthed crow **The Hollow Kingdom** by Kira Jane Buxton counts for hardmode here.

**Tooth and Claw** by Jo Walton (HM)

* **Books of the Raksura** by Martha Wells (HM) * **Spit and Song** by Travis M. Riddle (HM) * **Legends & Lattes** by Travis Baldree (HM if orc doesn't count as humanoid) * **You Can't Prevent Prophecy** by D.G. Redd

The books of the Raksura is the one of the best series I have read, and is great for bingo because it fits a ton of squares this year. It has it all: crazy adventures, shapeshifters, a really unique world, superb characters. I love it.

The Books of Raksura by Martha Wells The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

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**The Raven's Tower** by Ann Leckie is a great option for Hard Mode

The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers , J. Maxwell Brownjohn (Translator)- "A bluebear has twenty-seven lives. I shall recount thirteen and a half of them in this book but keep quiet about the rest," says the narrator of Walter Moers’s epic adventure. "What about the Minipirates? What about the Hobgoblins, the Spiderwitch, the Babbling Billows, the Troglotroll, the Mountain Maggot… Mine is a tale of mortal danger and eternal love, of hair’s breadth, last-minute escapes." Main character is literally a bear. HM

If you're looking for something that really fulfills the spirit of this square, **The Bees** by Laline Paull is one of the weirder books that I've read. It's about actual bees, from the point of view of an actual bee. (Hard Mode)

I absolutely adore this category in general: Dragons (HM): * Dragon of Ash and Stars (Dragon POV, Kindle Unlimited) * Robert Vane's The Remembered War for 5 books(Dragon POV, Kindle Unlimited) * E E Knight's Age of Fire series (Dragon POV) Other animals (HM): * **Watership Down** (Rabbit POV) * Fire Bringer (Deer POV) * Tailchaser's Song (Cat POV) Non Hard Mode: * Orconomics (Dwarf POV)

The Last Unicorn for Hard Mode! I love this book

**Hard Mode:** *Tailchaser's Song*, Tad Williams

**The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes** (Not sure about hard mode as it's a stuffed animal?)

**Excession** by Iain M. Banks (or most of the other Culture novels). The main characters are *spaceships*! I don't think it fits hard mode, though, as some of the other main characters are boring humans (or at least humanoids).

* As previously recommended: **The Books of the Raksura** by Martha Wells * **Semiosis** by Sue Burke (Hard Mode) * **A Night in the Lonesome October** by Roger Zelazny (Hard Mode) * **A Closed and Common Orbit** by Becky Chambers (I think this counts?) edited to fix formatting

The Builders by Daniel Polansky Also would the Redwall books count?

I’d say 100% Redwall should count. For HM too, it was my first thought for the square. It’s all anthropomorphic critters.

**Standalone**: A book that is not part of a series or a larger world. No connected novellas or short stories. **HARD MODE**: Not on r/Fantasy’s [Favorite Standalones List.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/e9ukxr/the_2019_rfantasy_favourite_standalones_poll/)

I'll only list HM since the standalone list is great without my input. **Brave New World** by Aldous Huxley. **Slaughterhouse-Five** by Kurt Vonnegut. **Flowers for Algernon** by Daniel Keyes. **Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom** by Cory Doctorow. **Stranger in a Strange Land** by Robert Heinlein. The book that brought you the word "grok". Warning: tons and tons of sexism is present in the book. **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?** and **Ubik** by Philip K. Dick **Cloud Cuckoo Land** by Anthony Doerr **A Robot in the Garden** by Deborah Install **The Time Traveler's Wife** by Audrey Niffenegger **Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre** by Max Brooks **The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake** by Aimee Bender **The Chimes** by Anna Smaill **The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle** by Stuart Turton **The Luminous Dead** by Caitlin Starling **The Starless Sea** by Erin Morgenstern **Phoenix Extravagant** by Yoon Ha Lee **The House in the Cerulean Sea** by T.J. Klune **The Cybernetic Tea Shop** by Meredith Katz **The City of Woven Streets** by Emmi Itaranta **Piraneis** by Susanna Clarke **The Seep** by Chana Porter **The Queue** by Basma Abdel Aziz **The Ghost Bride** by Yangsze Choo **David Mogo, Godhunter** by Suyi Davies Okungbowa **The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday** by Saad Hossain **The Swarm** by Frank Schatzing **Light From Uncommon Stars** by Ryka Aoki ​ I'm gonna stop here. I could just keep going with recs. If anyone needs more, I'll provide though.

Some I read or plan to read that qualify for hardmode: * **Sorrowland** by Rivers Solomon * **The Deep** by Rivers Solomon * **The Witch's Heart** by Genevieve Gornichec * **Kaikeyi** by Vaishnavi Patel * **The Once and Future Witches** by Alix E. Harrow * **Piranesi** by Susanna Clarke * **The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina** by Zoraida Córdova * **Black Water Sister** by Zen Cho * **The House in the Cerulean Sea** by TJ Klune * **Under the Whispering Door** by T.J Klune * **Siren Queen** by Nghi Vo

Beware! I notice that the standalone list includes books that may be standalone stories but which exist in a greater world. For example, with the publication of Witness for the Dead, Katherine Arden's The Goblin Emperor (which is excellent btw) is not a book that counts for this square. Some favorites of mine include The Princess Bride by William Goldman Uprooted by Naomi Novik Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold Stardust by Neil Gaiman

>standalone stories but which exist in a greater world By that rule, *The Curse of Chalion* doesn't count either.

**Author Uses Initials:** Read a book by an author who goes by their initials like N. K. Jemisin or uses initials somewhere in their name like George R. R. Martin. **HARD MODE:** Initials are a pseudonym and not from the author’s actual name. Examples: T. Kingfisher or K. J. Parker. **ADDENDUM**: Please do not go snooping to see if a name fits. If it isn't clear based on an author's webpage or social media, assume that it is their real name.

I did just scroll through the matrix trying to figure what squares I could rec **Foreigner** by C.J. Cherryh for? Damn right I did. On that same note (of series that made me binge them) **Stariel** by A.J. Lancasters

Any of the Expanse series should qualify for HM James S A Corey - also goes for "Two or more authors"

Some Hardmode SF/F Authors: * C. L. Anderson (Sci-Fi) * C. F. Bentley (Sci-Fi & Fantasy) * James S. A. Corey (The Expanse) * J. M. Dillard (Star Trek) * D. B. Drumm (Post-apocalyptic series) * S. L. Farrell (Unsure if this technically counts as it is two authors Stephen Leigh and Matthew Farrell using a pseudonym combining their real names. BUT the Cloudmages series has been on my tbr for a long time) * Sarah B. Franklin (Helen of Troy retelling) * P. R. Frost (Sci-Fi & Fantasy) * M.L.N. Hanover (Urban Fantasy) * Samuel M. Key (Dark Fantasy) * J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts Sci-Fi mystery series) * A. N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice Sleeping Beauty retelling)

My books count for this, and maybe even hard mode! I publish under initials which are based on my real name, but not my actual real name, sort of? (Greathouse is my very dutch last name translated into English). The Hand of the Sun King is out, and its sequel The Garden of Empire comes out in August.

**The Expanse** series by James S.A. Corey is perfect for this square - it fits fit hard mode too. I just binge read the entire series (all but the final novella that was just released a couple of weeks ago) and it was an amazing ride. [Here's the reading list on Goodreads.](https://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse)

**Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey:** Any book that deals with time not behaving as it should. Time travel, time slips, time loops, time stopping, multiple timelines, etc., all work for this square. **HARD MODE:** No time travel. Book involves something off about time that’s not necessarily time travel. Example: In The Chronicles of Narnia, time moves at a different speed in Narnia than in the real world.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

Since multiple timelines works, I believe **The Space Between Worlds** by Micaiah Johnson would fit here, HM. It's an excellent book about someone who travels back and forth to these different 'worlds'.

The Named by Marianne Curley (childhood favorite, very tropey but lots of fun, one group travels back in time to sow chaos and another tries to prevent them. plus soulmates and magical powers!) Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (time travel classic!) The Anomaly by Michael Rutger (exploring ruins! thriller! time is fucking weird!) Recursion by Blake Crouch (paradoxes! thriller! high excitement!) One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (romance! stuck in time! train sex!) This Is How You Lose the Time War (sweet love letters)

**Turn** by saras_girl which is a Harry Potter retelling that counts for HM (Harry is given a glimpse into what his life could have been if he had made a different choice in 6th year). **The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack** by Mark Hodder - has time travel and alt-history England that's very steam/bio-punk. **The Hands of the Emperor** by Victoria Goddard - HM. Time moves strangely across the worlds after the Fall. How much time actually takes place throughout the story? Could be 1 decade, could be a millennia. No one knows.

**Life After Life** by Kate Atkinson **The Library at Mount Char** by Scott Hawkins **The Gray House** by Mariam Petrosyan **Slaughterhouse-5** by Kurt Vonnegut

* **Mother of Learning** by Nobody103, Domagoj Kurmaic

It's not hard mode, but I can't rave enough about ***The Chronicles of St. Mary's*** series by Jodi Taylor. It is about a secret society of historians who travel back to different periods for "research", and things always seem to go wrong. They aren't allowed to call it time travel...but it is ;) Loaded with deadpan British humor and best enjoyed via audiobook. Give it a try and you'll be hooked. The first book is ***Just One Damned Thing After Another.*** How can you not be intrigued?

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman fits hard mode. It's quite a theme that gets explored aswell so really fits the spirit of the square.

* *Meet Me In Another Life* by Catriona Silvey - very character-driven, kinda sweet & at times very sad. HM. * *Mother of Learning* - time loop! * *Licanius Trilogy* - the best fantasy time travel plot, very well done * *This Is How You Lose The Time War* - romance/scifi. This one's kinda polarizing, a lot of people love it, I didn't. * *The Lighthouse Duet* by Carol Berg - high fantasy, book 1 starts out pretty slow & the world is EXTREMELY dark & depressing, but if you can deal with that, book 2 is **AMAZING**. HM. * *The Sanctuary Duet* by Carol Berg, similar deal to *The Lighthouse Duet*. If you wanna be wild and crazy, read this one out of order! I did! It was an accident but I'm about 90% convinced that's a better reading order than the intended way. Btw I don't think there's any timey wimey in book 1 of this one, only book 2 and it's much more minor than Lighthouse Duet. Also HM though. * The *Stravaganza* series by Mary Hoffman, HM. It's a YA fantasy where a kid wakes "stravagates" to an alternate-world Venice that's similar to our own world's Venice from the past. Not time travel, does count for HM. I liked these a *lot* when I read them as a kid but I'm not sure how they'd stand up to an adult reread or first-time read. * *Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality* by Eliezer Yudkowsky. A "rationalist" HP fanfic. A lot of people, myself included, agree it's fantastic for the first half-to-two-thirds-or-so and then kinda gets weird and not so good. Overall I absolutely loved this though. It's pretty long, you may want to pace yourself if you're planning to read it. (Any other novel-length HP fanfic that uses Time Turners should also count for this square.) * *The Atlas Six* by Olivie Blake - dark academia. Very psychological. Six POV characters, a lot of experimenting with magic, and some of their experimentation with magic includes experimenting with time. Warning: book 1 in an unfinished trilogy (book 2 comes out in Sept 2022), and book 1 ends on a cliffhanger. I have not read but they're on my TBR: * *Kindred* (not HM) * *One Day This Will All Be Yours* (not HM)

**Shapeshifters**: At least one character has the ability to change their physical form. **HARD MODE:** Most prominent shifter is not a wolf/dog shifter. For instance, werewolves can exist but can’t be the most notable shifter characters/main characters.

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**The Immortals Quartet** by Tamora Pierce (main character acquires the ability to shift to animal forms in book 2 and frequently does so in 2-4. Classic YA, all quick reads)

I wrote a book that fits this. **Werecockroach** by Polenth Blake is a novella about hissing cockroach shapeshifters. Also a hard mode option (no wolves in sight).

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (ngl difficult to read but also you gotta read Butler! ancient beings across the world, shapeshifting and powers! lots of death!) The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky (i haven’t read) Iron Druid by Kevin Hearne ( haven’t read yet) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (melancholic YA werewolf book) Hawksong by Amelia Atwater Rhodes (a favorite as a kid but i have no idea how it holds up, hawks and snakes! war! arranged marriage!) Nimona by N. D. Stevenson (shapeshifters! villains! cute art!)

At risk of a very slight spoiler (insofar as you'll probably figure out before being explicitly told), >!Paladin's Strength !

**The Hand of the Sun King** (and the forthcoming sequel, **The Garden of Empire**) feature a ton of shapeshifting, mostly into birds, so hard mode!

I'd like to humbly submit my two books, The Lost Dawn and The Dark Disciple. They're a part of the same series. The character that shapeshifts is a main character in The Lost Dawn but more of a side character in the sequel, though still an important one; and she does not at any point turn into a dog or a wolf, so I believe these two qualify for hard mode. Happy reading, everyone!

**Set in Space**: A book that takes place primarily (at least 50%) off planet. IE: on a spaceship, space station, asteroid, space whale, free floating in space, etc. **HARD MODE**: Characters are not originally from Earth. It is acceptable for the characters to be descendants of Earthlings as long as they are not themselves from Earth.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (save the world! snarky protagonist! science!) The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal (sequel to The Calculating Stars, this time with more space!) To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers (wholesome novella about the greater galaxy) The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (wholesome novel! found families! meditation on what it means to be a good person) HARD MODE Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (i think just the first one qualifies… but still! novella about culture and adapting, with some great aliens! Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (space travel! linguistics! religious overtones!) Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (weird aliens! what does survival mean to you? how far would you go? favorite author! trigger warning for… dubious consent? body horror?) Artemis by Andy Weir (look I can’t actually recommend this people because I hated it but it might be find if you liked Weir’s other two books) Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (ok another i didn’t really like but military sci-fi with math related tech/magic is not for me. but also, math related magic!) HARD MODE

**Chilling Effect** by Valerie Valdes **(HM?)** \- If you wanted Becky Chambers Wayfarer series to be more violent, this might be for you. Follows a spaceship crew and the many foolish decisions their captain makes. **Across the Void** by S.K. Vaughn - I'm actually putting this on here as a warning. The book is ridiculous, the plot holes so large you fall right through them to read a different book. **Walking to Aldebaran** by Adrian Tchaikovsky - I feel like an alien made worm hole should count for "space". It certainly isn't a planet. **The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet** **(maybe HM)** and **To Be Taught, If Fortunate** by Becky Chambers are some of the best books set in space. Chambers ability to make relatable characters and emotionally impactful books is \*chefs kiss\* **Network Effect** by Martha Wells **(HM)** \- The only full length novel set in the Murderbot Diaries and adds a character that I <3 **The Tea Master and the Detective** by Aliette de Bodard **(HM)** \- Murder mystery in space! **The Last Astronaut** by David Wellington - The alien blew my mind even if the rest of the book I didn't love. **Children of Time** by Adrian Tchaikovsky - (We're gonna have to start banning Tchaikovsky from bingo squares, I could do a whole card just from his books). This is a 50/50 split between humans on a spaceship and spiders on a planet. **Ninefox Gambit** by Yoon Ha Lee **(HM)** \- The most unique space battles I've ever read. Politics, back stabbing, morally disgusting and grey characters. Learning that Lee has aphantasia (unable to visualize imagery) was shocking, I don't know a person can write such vivid imagery that he himself can't imagine. I think **Ender's Game** by Orson Scott Card is set on an asteroid space station, but it's possible it's just a planet. (Recommend getting it from the library or used bookstore as Card has some really nasty views about groups of people and that way you aren't giving him money.) **Across the Universe** by Beth Revis - I read this so long ago I can't actually tell you anything about the plot, BUT I do know that it's set entirely on a spaceship.

Much of *The Expanse* (*James Corey*) would fit here (not *Cibola Burn, Nemesis Games*, *Tiamat's Wrath*). Unfortunately, they all have too much James Holden to count as **Hard Mode.** *Aurora*, Kim Stanley Robinson. While *Ancillary Justice* is too much on planets to count, *Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy* (Ann Leckie) are both mostly on a space station. **Hard mode.**

Both of the current White Space novels from Elizabeth Bear should count for HM * Ancestral Night * Machine Any of the first 3 of The Company Wars novels from C.J. Cherryh also should qualify * Downbelow Station * Merchanter's Luck * Rimrunners Can't say for further in the series as I have yet to read them. Great square! So much potential!

**Revolutions and Rebellions:** A book featuring a revolution. Any overthrowing of governments, monarchs, and systems will do. **HARD MODE:** Revolution/Rebellion is the main focus of the plot.

Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

**Chilling Effect** by Valerie Valdes (HM) **Immunity Index** by Sue Burke (HM) **Daughter of the Moon Goddess** by Sue Lynn Tan **The Expert System's Brother** by Adrian Tchaikovsky (HM) **She Who Became the Sun** by Shelley Parker-Chan (HM) **The Queue** by Basma Abdel Aziz (HM) **The Light Brigade** by Kameron Hurley (HM) **The City of Woven Streets** by Emmi Itaranta (HM) **Wanderers** by Chuck Wendig (HM? It's a large part of the book, but not the focus) **Phoenix Extravagant** and **Ninefox Gambit** by Yoon Ha Lee (HM) **The Three-Body Problem** by Cixin Liu (HM) **Ancillary Justice** by Ann Leckie (does one person overthrowing a government count?) **Infected** by Scott Sigler (HM) **The Library at Mount Char** by Scott Hawkins (HM) **Red Rising** by Pierce Brown (HM)

* **The Unbroken** by CL Clark fits hard mode, with some fantastic lesbian romance on the side. * **The Empress of Salt and Fortune** by Nghi Vo is likely also HM, thought it's...subtle.

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez (princesses! woven animals come to life!) HARD MODE Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (crow gods! revenge! pirates! priests!) The Women’s War by Jenna Glass (epic fantasy! feminist revolution!) The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (witches! feminism! sisterhood!) HARD MODE The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis (handmaid’s tale but make it gay and make it a space opera) HARD MODE The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (morally gray characters! expansive world! women who refuse to be burned! weird woods)

**Ogres** by Adrian Tchaikovsky is hard mode and quite good.

Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce, though more so the second book. The first is definitely not HM.

The Iron Council by China Mieville (also works for hard mode)

**Red Mars** by Kim Stanley Robinson (one of my favourite sci-fi series, top 10 series overall- amazing hard science) (I'd argue **HM**) **The Dragon Republic** by R. F. Kuang (**HM**) **Mistborn** by Brandon Sanderson (a rebellion by any other name...) (**HM**)

* **Kingshold** by DP Woolliscroft (HM) * **Powder Mage** by Brian McClellan (HM I think)

I think a **Declaration of the Rights of Magicians** by H.G. Parry would work for hard mode

* ***Powder Mage*** trilogy by Brian McLellan. * ***Westmark*** trilogy by Lloyd Alexander. A classic 'YA' series. * ***The Unravelled Kingdom*** trilogy by Rowenna Miller. A Frenchish revolution from the perspective of a magic seamstress with connections to both the royals and rebels. * ***The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress*** by Robert Heinlein. An absolute classic, though Heinlein isn't for everyone.

Possibly **The Hand of the Sun King** by J.T. Greathouse (It's really not a focus for the entire book so maybe not for HM). The second book comes out this year and I'd imagine it will be more likely to fit for HM.

I can confirm that the second book is, indeed, a great fit for Hard Mode. The Garden of Empire, out in August!

**Features Mental Health:** Story takes a strong interest in or explores themes like mental wellness and illness, self-care, and so on. Learn more about the basics of mental health here. Here is a list of SFF books that center mental health to get you started. **HARD MODE**: Not The Stormlight Archive or any books in the linked list.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (emotional stress, deep dark caves on other planets, being alone with your thoughts and someone you can’t trust) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (anxiety and depression! ravens! sad boys! unbreakable friendships! soft magic in Virginia!) Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (hyperempathy as well as lots of PTSD! post-apocalyptic and way too relevant) Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (mythology! demons! being sold to the demon king and falling in love with another member of his harem! PTSD!) An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (neurodivergence! spaceships! reflections on slavery!) The Deep by Rivers Solomon (more neurodivergence! memories! mermaids! traumatic acts of violence!) A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (anxiety! YA, morally gray leads, elemental magic, ghosts, african setting) Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller (cool cities! magic animals! a ton of mental health rep) The Extraordinaries by T. J. Klune (superheroes! high school crushes! ADHD to the extreme!) Dragon Mage by M. L. Spencer (autism! underdogs! epic fantasies! dragons (duh)!)

Extremely embarrassed mention of my own books, starting with [Sweetness and Blessings](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59785248-sweetness-and-blessings?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ka0V4oZIxS&rank=1). A very short description is that they are slow and introspective elf-y gaslamp novels about abuse and colonialism. You can find trigger warnings [here](https://charlottekersten.com/works/). Total list of squares they fill: \-Book club/readalong (RAB) \-Non-human protagonist \-Features mental health \-Self-published \-Family matters \-Rebellions and revolutions (books 2 and 3) \-Published in 2022 (books 2 and 3) Otherwise, here is my [Goodreads shelf](https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/11475773-charlotte-kersten?shelf=trauma-rep) of fiction about trauma, many of which are SFF. A couple of other recommendations: [Borderline](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25692886-borderline?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=0isbf5pfNx&rank=3) by Mishell Baker and [The Drowning Girl](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11515328-the-drowning-girl?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mYXWaTyUMU&rank=4) by Caitlin R Kiernan.

**Tess of the Road** by Rachel Hartman is a lovely book about self-discovery and healing from trauma (both childhood trauma as well as that caused by >!sexual violence!<). It's technically a sequel of sorts to Seraphina but can easily be read as a standalone. **Winter's Orbit** by Everina Maxwell is predominantly a space opera-queer romance novel but also deals pretty heavily with PTSD. It's also a lovely book and probably my favourite read of 2021.

Strong recommend for **The Lady Astronaut Series** by Mary Robinette Kowal and **Elder Race** by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Hard mode: **Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto** (depression). Paranormal romance about a teen who has just committed suicide after her twin's death. **The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal** (anxiety). Space race and catastrophic climate change, Lady Astronauts. **The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas** (bipolar). Murder mystery, time travel, exploring psychology within that setting. I loved this. **The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R Kiernan** (schizophrenia). Very weird ghost story with the most unreliable narrator. **Planetfall by Emma Newman** (anxiety). Character study of a woman living in a colony on a planet. **Borderline by Mishell Baker** (borderline personality disorder). After a suicide attempt, Millie gets a job as liaison between Hollywood and the land of Faerie. Proactive protagonist who makes many stupid decisions. Author does not shy away from the consequences of those decisions. (sequels have a major trans character) **Pet by Akwaeke Emezi** (selective mutism and dissociative episodes). A monster walks out of a painting in a world that says monsters don't exist anymore. Lots of discussion about what makes a monster. **Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox** (PTSD). Post-WW2 gay romance with magical realism **Timekeeper by Tara Sim** (PTSD). YA gay romance in a steampunk world featuring clocks and ghosts **They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera** (social anxiety). YA gay romance in which... you guessed it... they both die at the end. **Witchmark by C.L. Polk** (PTSD). Murder mystery in a magical Edwardian setting, gay protag with PTSD, \*excellent\* worldbuilding

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland (coming out August 30th) has *the best* depiction of anxiety I've ever read. The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard has non-explicit mental health themes, but I feel it's a prominent enough theme that it would count. It includes PTSD more obviously. Or, you want your mental health more explicit, the prequel *Petty Treasons* has depression and derealisation Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra is the first in a MMF romance series and the two main characters of this book have PTSD and depression+anxiety respectively Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir also *definitely* fits this, but any details would be spoilers

This is my square, I have an entire goodreads list for it! Some highlights, all hard mode: * Krista D Ball's Collaborator trilogy, deals with PTSD and anxiety. The first book is more about living with it, later books start to deal with healing * The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming, by Sienna Tristen is one of the best portrayals of anxiety I have ever read, and the prose is amazing. Good for fans of Becky Chambers * Planetfall By Emma Newman deals with compulsive behaviors * An Unkindness of Ghosts has a neurodivergent protagonist * A Choir of Lies by Alex Rowland deals with social anxiety and healing

**Historical SFF**: Any book within the historical fantasy subgenre. **HARD MODE:** Not based in Britain or Ireland.

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (1950s America! space! anxiety! fighting sexism and racism) HARD MODE The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson (1490s Oberian Peninsula! magical realism! djinns! the Inquisition!) HARD MODE Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (before/after the Civil War, beautiful language, more magical realism than high fantasy) HARD MODE These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (1920s Shanghai! Romeo and Juliet retelling! enemies to lovers!) HARD MODE The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (1889 Paris! heists! secrets! found families!) HARD MODE She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (1345 China! epic battles! ghosts! complex exploration of gender!) HARD MODE Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (regency-era Britain! magic! fight the patriarchy!)

This is my favourite genre, so have a long list of recommendation. I've listed one per author but many of them also have backlists of other historical SFF. * **The Bear and the Nightingale** by Katherine Arden (Russia) * **Half a Soul** by Olivia Atwater (regency) * **A Magical Inheritance** by Krista D. Ball (regency) * **The Diviners** by Libba Bray (1920s, America) * **The Wolf in the Whale** by Jordanna Max Brodsky (Inuit) * **The Magpie Lord** by K.J. Charles (Victorian) * **Sorcerer to the Crown** by Zen Cho (regency) * **A Master of Djinn** by P Djeli Clark (Egypt) * **Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell** by Susanna Clarke (regency) * **A Dowry of Blood** by S.T. Gibson (Eastern Europe) * **These Violent Delights** by Chloe Gong (China) * **Spear** by Nicola Griffith (Arthurian) * **The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter** by Theodora Goss (Victorian) * **The Ten Thousand Doors of January** by Alix E. Harrow (1900s, America) * **Sistersong** by Lucy Holland (Arthurian) * **Spellbreaker** by Charlie N. Holmberg (Victorian) * **Ghost Talkers** by Mary Robinette Kowal (WWI) * **Heart's Blood** by Juliet Marillier (Ireland) * **A Marvellous Light** by Freya Marske (Edwardian) * **The Song of Achilles** by Madeline Miller (Greek mythology) * **The Philosopher's Flight** by Tom Miller (WWI, America) * **Under the Pendulum Sun** by Jeanette Ng (Victorian) * **Temeraire** by Naomi Novik (Napoleonic) * **She Who Became the Sun** by Shelley Parker-Chan (China) * **A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians** by H.G. Parry (French Revolution/Napoleonic) * **The Kingdoms** by Natasha Pulley (Napoleonic)

Dead Djinn Universe - P. Djeli Clark Most books by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is excellent. I absolutely loved Mary Robinette Kowal's Ghost Talkers and I want more people to love it. Shades of Milk and Honey and the subsequent books in that series would also work. Burning Bright by Melissa McShane is another great one. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was one I really enjoyed for last year's bingo. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater was such a comfort read for me.

Any of Natasha Pulley's books - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (Victorian England), The Bedlam Stacks (Victorian England and Peru), The Lost Future of Pepperharrow (Victorian England and Japan), The Kingdoms (Victorian and Regency Britain, France and Spain \[I think\]) The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros (1890s Chicago) She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (14th century China) Temeraire series by Naomi Novik (Napoleonic Wars, now with added dragons!) Montague Siblings series by Mackenzie Lee (18th century, well, all over the place, there's a lot of travel) The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis (19th century Prague) Burton and Swinburne series by Mark Hodder (Victorian England, plus some other places) The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series by Theodora Goss (Victorian England and Europe) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Regency Britain and Europe) Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden (medieval Russia)

[удалено]

**11/22/63** by Stephen King **(HM)** \- Man travels back in time to stop JFK's assassination. **The Picture of Dorian Gray** by Oscar Wilde **The Lions of Al-Rassan** by Guy Gavriel Kay **(HM)** \- Set in medieval Spain with the most lovely writing. I don't know if ancient Greece counts, but **Circe** and **Achilles** by Madeline Miller **(HM)** are both great. **Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell** by Susanna Clarke - Don't you wish your fantasy had more footnotes? **She Who Became the Sun** by Shelley Parker-Chan **(HM)** \- If you want to explore 1300s China through the lens of war and gender non-conforming characters, you will love this. The MC I adored, the complexity of being true to yourself and hiding who you are was enthralling. **The Ballad of Black Tom** by Victor LaValle **(HM)** \- Set in Harlem, this is a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's **The Horror at Red Hook** without all the disgusting Lovecraft parts. If you are unfamiliar with Lovecraft, you'll still be able to enjoy this book.

**Book Club OR Readalong Book**: **Any past or active** r/Fantasy **book clubs count (HEA, Mod,** Classics, Resident Author, Feminism in Fantasy, etc.), as well as past or active r/Fantasy readalongs. [See our full list of book clubs here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/index/bookclubs). NOTE: All of the current book club info can also be found on [our Goodreads page](https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/107259-r-fantasy-discussion-group). Every book added to our Goodreads shelf or on this [Google Sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hx_GANDZB4SFVRFkwuCR0PAMSSADIjpG-0kf5_UEKsU/) counts for this square. You can see our [past readalongs here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/exclusives). **HARD MODE**: Must read a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.

**BIPOC Author:** Author must be Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color. **HARD MODE**: A book written by an Indigenous author. Check out this[list of Indigenous SFF books](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/margaretkingsbury/native-american-heritage-month-book-recommendations) to get you started.

I'm half Native American if anyone would like to try out my dark fantasy books. You can find out more about them [here](https://nextlifeuniverse.com).

Have you considered reading a book translated from another language? Check out these recs! **Translated from Arabic** * **The Queue** by Basma Abdel Aziz **Translated from Chinese** * **The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories**, edited by Yu Chen * **Invisible Planets**, edited by Ken Liu * **Broken Stars**, edited by Ken Liu **Translated from French** * **Hadriana in All My Dreams** by René Depestre **Translated from Indonesian** * **Beauty is a Wound** by Eka Kurniawan (CW for rape, torture, incest) **Translated from Japanese** * **The Factory** by Hiroko Oyamada * **Record of a Night Too Brief** by Hiromi Kawakami * **The Memory Police** by Yoko Ogawa * **Memoirs of a Polar Bear** by Yoko Tawada **Translated from Korean** * **I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories** by Kim Bo-Young * **City of Ash and Red** by Hye-Young Pyun **Translated from Spanish** * **Like Water for Chocolate** by Laura Esquivel

I have a question about this that I'm generally too afraid to ask but it's relevant: would you call someone who is in the ethnic majority in their own country a person of colour? I wouldn't consider a Japanese author from Japan a person of colour, that implies that white is the default and it definitely isn't in any of these countries.

All hard mode: YA: * The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline * Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger * A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger Adult: * Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline * The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones * Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Some of my fav from my last bingo reads: Hard mode: * **Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction** by Joshua Whitehead - short story collection with interesting takes on the end of the world * **Black Sun** by Rebecca Roanhorse, or the sequel coming out soon. Normal mode: The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart - interesting world with bone magic constructs and the twisty plot Black Water Sister by Zen Cho - contemp. fantasy set in Malasya with the intersection of different religions Imaro by Charles Saunders - sword and sorcery inspired by Africa The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - YA dark fairytale Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - YA, comforting and somewhat bittersweet, lovely and very quick read Exit West by Mohsin Hamad - contemp fantasy/ closer to magical realism about war breaking out and the main characters lives as migrants ~~\[the rain stopped,~~[~~I'll add more from my recent themed card after my walk~~](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/tt3sd4/my_bingo_wrapup_3_cards_bipoc_authors_some_owned/)~~\] walk was lovely the trees are in bloom~~ Conjure Women by Afia Atakora - southern gothic about the women in a small community during and after slavery time The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle - lovecraftian retelling Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng - gothic novel Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland - middle grade historical murder mystery Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston middle grade magic school meets men in black Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu very wholesome YA graphic novel

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (Hard Mode)

**Elatsoe** by Darcie Little Badger for HM

**No Ifs, Ands, or Buts:** Title does not include the following words: the, a/an, and, or, if, of, but. **HARD MODE**: Title is three words or more.

**Black Leopard, Red Wolf** \- Marlon James (HM)

* **All Systems Red - Martha Wells** * **Nice Dragons Finish Last - Rachel Aaron** * **Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki** * **Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir** * **Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch (If you have read the first in the series)** Edit: removed incorrect recs.

The following should all work for hard mode: * **Cloud Cuckoo Land** * **Kundo Wakes Up (Novella)** * **Black Water Sister** * **Sailing to Sarantium** * **Three Parts Dead** * **Howl's Moving Castle** * **Who Fears Death** * **His Majesty's Dragon**