Why we keep opening impossible doors
A wall, a wardrobe, a room that should not exist. On the small thresholds that lead to very large stories.
Where to begin with Earthsea
Six books, a sea of islands, and a world that changes as you read. A simple route into Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea.
Reading Piranesi without a map
An invitation to pay attention to Susanna Clarke’s House, with a few questions to keep beside your reading chair.
Cozy fantasy books for a quiet evening
Thirteen cozy fantasy books, from coffee-shop orcs to a faerie-hunting professor, with a sentence on what makes each one so comforting.
Books like The Lord of the Rings
What to read after Tolkien, grouped by what you loved: the long journey, the languages and deep history, or the war.
Books like Piranesi
Endless houses, impossible libraries and narrators who see more than they understand. What to read after Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi.
Standalone fantasy books worth your weekend
Complete stories in a single volume: fifteen standalone fantasy novels for readers who do not want a ten-book commitment.
Books like Fourth Wing
What to read after Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean books, grouped by what hooked you: the dragons, the deadly school, or the romance.
Romantasy books: 24 fantasy romances worth your next late night
The best romantasy books, sorted by mood: fae courts, dragons and war, slow-burn and cozy, retellings, and dark romantasy. With heat levels and who each book suits.
The Book of Lost Things: a reader’s guide, and 12 books like it
A spoiler-light guide to John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things: what it is about, who it is for, its fairy-tale sources, the sequel, and 12 books to read next.
Books like The Name of the Wind: 15 novels for the long wait
15 books like The Name of the Wind, grouped by what you loved: the told-in-retrospect frame, the magic school, the lyrical prose, the musician hero or the slow, intimate scale.
Grimdark fantasy books: 18 of the best, from the founders to the new wave
The best grimdark fantasy books, with where to start, how dark each one gets, and what grimdark actually means. From The Black Company and The Blade Itself to The Poppy War and The Shadow of the Gods.
High fantasy vs low fantasy, and the other subgenres of fantasy
What high fantasy and low fantasy actually mean, with examples, plus a plain guide to 14 other subgenres of fantasy: epic, sword and sorcery, grimdark, cozy, urban, portal, romantasy and more.