Reader Rayna

Hello and welcome to the 2026 r/Fantasy 2026 Bingo Challenge!

I’ve never actually participated in one of these challenges before, as it wasn’t on my radar until sometime during last year’s challenge, but this seems like such a fun, community filled challenge that I wanted to hop in and join in on the fun.

r/Fantasy Bingo is a challenge in which readers are given 25 prompts to complete over the course of the year from April 1st until March 31st of the following year.

Now, I’m not an active Reddit user, though I do have an account there, but I sometimes go on when I’m looking for answers related to video game questions sometimes, so I’m at least familiar with what the site can offer and do, so seeing this large subreddit community come together each year across various platforms to do a big reading challenge like this brings me a lot of joy. Whether officially or unofficially joining, I think that doing something like this to bring people together is wonderful.

For the full list of rules, prompts, FAQs, and prizes you can get on Reddit, head to the official announcement post here!

Anyway, let’s show the board and talk about what the prompts are, and my choices for said prompts. I don’t know that I’ll go for Hard Mode with each prompt, but I’ll be choosing based off of what I already currently own physically and digitally, otherwise I’ll be buying or borrowing them when the time comes.

The Board and Prompts

First Row Across

1.Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist: Story features a trans or nonbinary protagonist. This protagonist must NOT be an alien or robot. HARD MODE: Set in a pre-modern time period.

2. Judge a Book By Its Title: Read a book based on the title. This can be a title so epic you had to pick it up or so weird and off-putting that you needed to know why it was called this. HARD MODE: Dive in without reading the blurb or any summaries.

3. Translated: Story has been translated from a language you don’t read or speak. HARD MODE: First translated into your language within the last 5 years.

4. Small Press or Self Published: Read a book published by a small press (NOT a Big 5 publisher or Bloomsbury) or self-published. If a formerly self-published book gets picked up by a publisher, you can only count it for this square if you read it before it was traditionally published. HARD MODE: The book has under 100 ratings on Goodreads OR is by an author from a marginalized group.

5. Unusual Transportation: Story includes a surprising method of moving from place to place. By “unusual” we mean that it is out of the ordinary in real life AND uncommon to the book’s broader genre. This can include a highly unique take on a genre staple (spaceships with FTL wouldn’t normally count but the Infinite Improbability Drive from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would) or be a completely original mode of transit (autoducks in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy). HARD MODE: Transportation is NOT combustion-powered or steam-powered. If the power source is not stated, use your best judgment. A story likely won’t specify that cars are combustion-powered and horses aren’t, but a reasonable person would assume those things to be true if they’re not stated. Likewise, in a steampunk setting, the chances are good that the transport is steam-powered.

Second Row Across

6. The Afterlife: Story deals with the realm of the dead. This could be communicating with the dead, spirits transferring over, or being set in the afterlife itself. HARD MODE: The afterlife does NOT depict a “Good Place” vs “Bad Place” dichotomy.

7. Game Changer: Story features a game or competition. HARD MODE: The protagonist bends or breaks the rules in some way.

8. Vacation Spot: Story takes place somewhere you’d want to visit (either fictional or non-fictional). This is subjective, as everyone has different tastes. A cozy cottage at the edge of the sea, a mansion in the fantasy Alps, a cruise ship in the stars – anything can count, as long as you think you would enjoy visiting this world. HARD MODE: No hard mode. You deserve a break.

9. Five Short Stories: Read any 5 speculative fiction short stories. HARD MODE: Read an entire anthology or collection (must contain at least 5 stories).

10.Older Protagonist: Story features a main character who is at least 50 years old. HARD MODE: The protagonist does NOT have exceptional longevity or immortality (e.g. not an elf, dwarf, vampire, god, etc.).

Third Row Across

11. Duology Part 1: Read the first book in a duology. HARD MODE: By an author you haven’t read before.

12. r/Fantasy Book Club or Readalong Book: Tackle any past or active r/Fantasy book clubs OR past or active r/Fantasy readalongs. See our full list of book clubs here. NOTE: All of the current book club info can also be found on our Goodreads page. Every book added to our Goodreads shelf or on this Google Sheet counts for this square. You can see our past readalongs here. HARD MODE: Partake in a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.

13. Published in 2026: Read a book published for the first time in 2026 (no reprints or new editions). HARD MODE: It’s the author’s first published novel.

14. Explorers and Rangers: Story features an explorer (a character who travels to and investigates an unfamiliar region) or a ranger (a wilderness or forest-oriented warrior frequently specializing in things like stealth, bows, tracking, and other hunting-related skills). HARD MODE: The explorer or ranger has an animal companion.

15. Duology Part 2: Read the second book in a duology. For this square, you ARE allowed to read the same author you used for Duology Part 1 without violating the no-repeat author rule. HARD MODE: Finish a different duology than you started for the Duology Part 1 square.

Fourth Row Across

16. One-Word Title: Story has a one-word title. HARD MODE: Title is NOT a proper noun (no names of people or places)!

17. Non-Human Protagonist: Story features a main character who is NOT human. HARD MODE: There are no human POVs in the story.

18. Middle Grade: Read a middle grade book (intended for readers aged 8-12). See this Wikipedia page for additional information on Middle Grade fiction. HARD MODE: The author is entirely new to you.

19. First Contact: Story prominently features interspecies or interracial meeting for the first time. HARD MODE: Non-violent first contact.

20. Murder Mystery: Main plot of the story focuses on solving a murder. HARD MODE: The main character is NOT a detective or private investigator.

Fifth Row Across

21. Cat Squasher: Read a book over 500 pages in length. An omnibus book (multiple novels in one volume) doesn’t count for this. HARD MODE: Over 900 pages.

22. Feast Your Eyes on This: Food or a meal is significant to the story’s plot. HARD MODE: Attempt making a dish from the story for yourself. We understand faithful replication may be impossible for any number of reasons (the ingredients may be fictional, unobtainable, or too expensive). Just get as close as you reasonably can.

23. Published in the 70s: Read a book that was first published any time between 1970 and 1979. HARD MODE: Written by a woman.

24. Politics and Court Intrigue: Politics are central to the story’s plot. This covers everything from royalty, elections, and wars, to smaller local politics. HARD MODE: There is a prominent focus on politics at a city level or lower.

25. Author of Color: Story written by a person of color. HARD MODE: Author does NOT live in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.

My Choices

Click on a cover to be taken to its Goodreads page!

First Row Across

1.Trans or Nonbinary Character: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
2. Judge a Book By Its Title: And the Sky Bled by S. Hati
3. Translated: A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, Translated by Hildegarde Serle
4. Small Press or Self Published: By Blood, By Salt by J.L. Odom
5. Unusual Transportation: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Second Row Across

6. The Afterlife: Grave Empire by Richard Swan
7. Game Changer: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
8. Vacation Spot: The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
9. Five Short Stories: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
10. Older Protagonist: Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence

Third Row Across

11. Duology Part 1: Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
12. r/Fantasy Bookclub or Readalong Book: Slewfoot by Brom
13. Published in 2026: The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
14. Explorers and Rangers: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcitt
15. Duology Part 2: Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

Fourth Row Across

16. One Word Title: Sistersong by Lucy Holland
17. Non-Human Protagonist: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
18. Middle Grade: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
19. First Contact: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
20. Murder Mystery: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

Fifth Row Across

21. Cat Squasher: Alchemised by SenLinYu
22. Feast Your Eyes On This: Ascendant by Michael R. Miller
23. Published in the 70s: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
24. Politics and Court Intrigue: Jade City by Fonda Lee
25. Author of Color: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

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And there are my picks for the 2026 r/Fantasy Bingo! Since I primarily read fantasy and sci-fi anyway, this fun little challenge is right up my alley. Some of these books fit the challenge mode prompts, while many don’t, but that’s okay because the point is to have fun with it and to read books from authors I haven’t before. All of these books are ones I either own physically or digitally (I had to get a few on Kindle), so it’ll also be knocking down my TBR, which is great.

I’m actively reading (listening to) Project Hail Mary now, and really enjoying it, so I’m already working towards that goal, and then Jade City is also going to be read this month as well! Even if I don’t get to everything on the board over the next year, they’re all books I hope to eventually read regardless.

Are you participating in this year’s r/Fantasy Bingo? Any particular prompt you’re looking forward to getting to the most? Any recommendations for prompts you think I’d enjoy? Let me know in the comments!