I sometimes struggle to find books in this genre (my favorite!) and have been disappointed by a lot of the classics.
I love fantasy that heavily favors political intrigue, with the fantasy elements either relatively background or mundane (THE CURSE OF CHALION by Lois McMaster Bujold is a good example; SWORDSPOINT by Ellen Kushner; THE QUEEN'S THIEF by Megan Whalen Turner). I also love politics in space, especially that leans more science fantasy (DUNE and A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE by Arkady Martine are favorites).
Books I've loved, aside from the above:
– Victoria Goddard's Nine Worlds books (but SPECIFICALLY the first two Lays of the Hearth-fire)
– THE GOBLIN EMPEROR by Katherine Addison
– (Not fantasy, but) WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel
Books that did not work for me:
– THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT by Seth Dickinson
– ASOIAF
– ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE by Robin Hobb
– KUSHIEL'S DART by Jacqueline Carey
Books on my TBR:
– THE JASMINE THRONE by Tasha Suri
– THE BONE DOLL'S TWIN by Lynn Flewelling
– THE IDYLLS OF THE QUEEN by Phyllis Ann Karr
– NINE PRINCES IN AMBER by Roger Zelazny
– PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by Samantha Shannon
Really curious to see what's good out there!!
by highwaywitchery
2 Comments
The Poppy Wars trilogy
The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelly Parker Chan is *perfect*. It’s a reimagining of the rise of the Ming Dynasty in ancient China. A destitute young girl takes on her brother’s identity to survive, and to make her fated greatness come true. The two books are filled with political intrigue, and morally grey characters. The fantasy is low key and the story is so good. The first book is:
She Who Became the Sun