Great idea, @urikk2npg! I hope we get a good range of recommendations! For my own books I’d like to toss into the box:
I finally started this series this year, and was surprised how great it was! Beautiful, smooth writing, a great combination of sci-fi/dystopia with themes and concepts from different literatures contemplated (with lots of quotes), an intriguing problem for the heroes to solve, and a great dynamic between the two leads, who have fundamentally opposing viewpoints but try to coexist all the same.
I’m a little surprised I don’t hear this book talked about more often; according to it’s Natively page, at time of writing there are 32 people who have finished the book, and I would normally consider that a sign of general community popularity. But after not really seeing much talk about it in the years I’ve hung around here and WK, I’m thinking the large numbers are more due to an early WK book club than anything else.
This series recently got a continuation from the author (something like 8, 10 years after the fact?); the original is complete, as far as I’m aware, so the new books should be proper sequels. Highly recommended for those interested by anything I’ve said above, especially as the book is quite short for a novel at 224 pages.
I have not finished this book yet, so it’s possible the second half just nosedives off a cliff, but I’m feeling pretty confident in recommending this so far. This is the current LN club pick, and I initially nominated it/wanted to read it on a bit of a whim (it’s my last bingo square needed, haha), but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve found so far!
This is, so far, a fast-paced, fun, action-filled story following a young fairy doctor living in England as she’s pretty much all-but-kidnapped by a handsome young earl looking for an ancestral family fairy heirloom who needs her expertise. Along the way they’re chased by a second party, also apparently after that same heirloom (or some other nefarious purpose).
This is a pretty long series that, as far as I know, is complete, so those looking for a good longer fantasy series should give it a look.
And finally, a bonus book from me:
I hesitate to add this in as well, as it’s so far been an isekai with iyashikei elements, which don’t really resonate with the population on this forum, I feel, but I was surprised how much I’ve come to like the series so far (working on volume 3), so I thought I’d give it a shout-out.
So I mentioned that this is isekai, but it’s not the typical kind you’re thinking of, with some loser some unfortunate soul in our world being flung into a new one. In this series, nobleman リゼル is one day suddenly transported from his own fantasy world to a new one. Confused but willing to roll with it, he decides that this is a perfect opportunity for a vacation of doing whatever he wants, and proceeds to: join the Adventurer’s Guild to take on random tasks he finds interesting, read books through the night and wake up at noon, and almost-but-not-quite flirt with most people he meets. Along the way he’s joined by stoic swordsman ジル acting as his bodyguard and (spoiler for volume 2) former (?) thief leader and snake beastman イレヴン acting as his gofer.
Thinking about it, I think what I’ve most enjoyed about the series so far is the banter and comradery among リゼル and his party members as they wander around and do whatever. Each has a very different dynamic going on, but they’re very much here to enjoy themselves, and it’s led to, for me, a chill read that nonetheless is capable of scratching a fantasy itch. (There’s also the plus of the author working on a secondary storyline in the background concerning リゼル’s original world, which has been exciting to read the couple of times it’s popped up.)
