Why am I passionate about this?
Pantheons and worship are elements of culture I’ve always found fascinating, partly from being a mostly secular person with relatives who are very religious. I read a lot of epic fantasy when I was younger that featured gods, like Erikson, and I love finding more recent works that play with how deities might affect a world, and vice versa. But I also picked some of the books below because they inject cli-fi or solarpunk into their worlds – something I’ve been adding to my second-world fantasy lately. Because why not create the same sort of aesthetic in other worlds?
Brandon's book list on fantasy where the gods (maybe) can’t be trusted
Why did Brandon love this book?
This was the first novel by Roanhorse I ever read, after loving her short fiction. The godly aspects here are kept more to the side: this is a post-climate disaster novel with monsters and magic, and I’m a sucker for books where cli-fi aesthetics are part of the backdrop. Monster hunter Maggie carries a lot of darkness and tends to push her allies away, but that’s part of what makes her a fun and engaging character to follow. Especially when she’s bandying with a version of Coyote who’s definitely not to be trusted.
4 authors picked Trail of Lightning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time
2019 LOCUS AWARD WINNER, BEST FIRST NOVEL
2019 HUGO AWARD FINALIST, BEST NOVEL
Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel
One of Bustle's Top 20 "landmark sci-fi and fantasy novels" of the decade
"Someone please cancel Supernatural already and give us at least five seasons of this badass Indigenous monster-hunter and her silver-tongued sidekick." -The New York Times
"An excitingly novel tale." -Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse and Midnight Crossroads series
"Fun, terrifying, hilarious, and brilliant." -Daniel Jose Older, New York Times bestselling…