What are you reading in 2026?

[gban007]

Edit Retro_x has an informative post below outlining ethical concerns with audible that you will want to consider before looking at the below*

People may be interested to know that Audible has a sale going on on various series.

Includes likes of Horus Heresy, 40k, Cosmere, Fourth Wing, Murderbot Diaries, Drizzt stories, and that is just some of sci fi / fantasy vs other genres.

 

[Bomberooski]

Just about to finish up The Legend Of Drizzt trilogy. Truly enjoyed the heck out of it (I imagine all the big brained folk do not enjoy the simplicity of these books) and I am excited to steal a bunch of stuff from those books for my DM prep.

 

[Autumnal]

People may be interested to know that Audible has a sale going on on various series.

Includes likes of Horus Heresy, 40k, Cosmere, Fourth Wing, Murderbot Diaries, Drizzt stories, and that is just some of sci fi / fantasy vs other genres.

Most excellent. I picked up a couple Chris Wraight 40K books I’ve been wanting I’m Audi, and Kenneth Harl’s Great Coursss series on steppe empires of Central Asia fo cheap!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Just about to finish up The Legend Of Drizzt trilogy. Truly enjoyed the heck out of it (I imagine all the big brained folk do not enjoy the simplicity of these books) and I am excited to steal a bunch of stuff from those books for my DM prep.

I enjoyed the heck out of that trilogy when I was younger, and on re-read a few years back, still enjoyed it. It's also provides a great view of what life in the Underdark is like, in all its variations.

 

[Voadam]

Just about to finish up The Legend Of Drizzt trilogy. Truly enjoyed the heck out of it (I imagine all the big brained folk do not enjoy the simplicity of these books) and I am excited to steal a bunch of stuff from those books for my DM prep.

I enjoyed those a lot as a teen when they came out and they show a development in Salvatore's writing over the original Icewind Dale books, but my friends and I at the time regularly ridiculed the double down maneuver Drizzt develops as we were doing LARP sparring.

From my decades old memory Drizzt's special maneuver is crossing his two scimitars into an X and forcing his opponent's weapons into the ground when they do a low double thrust attack against him. Then while leaning forward and the weapons are forced down he kicks the opponent in the face over his crossed blades while the weapons cannot be brought up against him.

Elvish anatomy defying dexterity at its peak.

 

[Retros_x]

People may be interested to know that Audible has a sale going on on various series.

People may also be interested that Audible sucks hard, ethically speaking (as expected of Amazon). Consider taking that into account before buying there.

Here is a little overview: reddit link

 

[Retros_x]

I've started "The Strength of the Few" after waiting for weeks for my spot in the library queue and paused it after a few chapters. I remembered how much I was annoyed by the clunky exposition in book 1 and how it used only a superficial Roman aesthetic - it felt lazy in that regard and had nothing to do with Roman culture and mythology.

Well I realized book 2 does the same again but TWICE. I am currently not in the mood for it.

Spoiler: setting spoilers

I introduces two new worlds, one based on Egypt and one one Irish. So once again clunky exposition and at least according to the first chapters just some superficial aesthetics of the cultures.

On another note, still in the middle of WoT #3, but out of curiositiy started with "The Expanse" - holy naughty word, that sucked me right into it. I am just a few chapters into it, but this might be one of the strongest introduction I've ever read in genre fiction. This might put all my other books to halt...

 

[slobster]

I've started "The Strength of the Few" after waiting for weeks for my spot in the library queue and paused it after a few chapters. I remembered how much I was annoyed by the clunky exposition in book 1 and how it used only a superficial Roman aesthetic - it felt lazy in that regard and had nothing to do with Roman culture and mythology.

Well I realized book 2 does the same again but TWICE. I am currently not in the mood for it.

I read all of book 1 in a sprint and thought it was okay, definitely serviceable as entertainment. I'm also a huge simp for Roman aesthetics in fantasy, superficial or not. I see 100% why people deride it as derivative of the Red Rising books, but I also don't mind derivative if it isn't blatantly copying or boring, which I didn't think it was.

Bought the second book as soon as it came out, have struggled to get far into it. Honestly forgot it was sitting somewhere in my house unfinished until you mentioned it. I'll get around to trying it again, but overall yeah, not feeling it at the moment.

 

[Retros_x]

I see 100% why people deride it as derivative of the Red Rising books, but I also don't mind derivative if it isn't blatantly copying or boring, which I didn't think it was.

Interesting. I thought it was much better than Red Rising, which I DNFed after just a few chapters because I found the prose so bad and the worldbuilding so cliché. I am done with color coded caste/class/faction systems. "All Greens/Reds are like XY" is ok for a teenager wizard school, but not more than that please.

 

[Voadam]

I enjoyed those a lot as a teen when they came out and they show a development in Salvatore's writing over the original Icewind Dale books, but my friends and I at the time regularly ridiculed the double down maneuver Drizzt develops as we were doing LARP sparring.

From my decades old memory Drizzt's special maneuver is crossing his two scimitars into an X and forcing his opponent's weapons into the ground when they do a low double thrust attack against him. Then while leaning forward and the weapons are forced down he kicks the opponent in the face over his crossed blades while the weapons cannot be brought up against him.

Elvish anatomy defying dexterity at its peak.

Found an online quote of the scene:

Drizzt came up high, too high, and Zak drove him back on his heels. Drizzt knew what would soon be coming; he invited it openly. Zak kept Drizzt's weapons high through several combined maneuvers. He then went with the move that had defeated Drizzt in the past, expecting that the best Drizzt could attain would be equal footing: double-thrust low.

Drizzt executed the appropriate cross-down parry, as he had to, and Zak tensed, waiting for his eager opponent to try to improve the move. "Child killer!" he growled, goading on Drizzt.

He didn't know that Drizzt had found the solution. With all the anger he had ever known, all the disappointments of his young life gathering within his foot, Drizzt focused on Zak. That smug face, feigning smiles and drooling for blood.

Between the hilts, between the eyes, Drizzt kicked, blowing out every ounce of rage in a single blow.

Zak's nose crunched flat. His eyes lolled upward, and blood exploded over his hollow cheeks. Zak knew that he was falling, that the devilish young warrior would be on him in a flash, gaining an advantage that Zak could not hope to overcome.