How I Completed the Official Reddit r/Fantasy 2023 Book Bingo Challenge

Every year in April, the reddit r/Fantasy subreddit releases its r/Fantasy Book Bingo Challenge, a year-long reading challenge containing 25 prompts. I discovered this for the first time in 2017, and have participated ever since, and it has been responsible for increasing the amount of books I’ve read and exposing me to authors and subgenres I might never had explored without it. All good things in my book. This time I went for a “Hard Mode” blackout taking on an extra qualifier that makes each prompt more difficult, and I succeeded. Below follows a prompt by prompt breakdown of each book I read for the challenge over the past year.

FIRST ROW ACROSS:

Title with a Title:
Priest of Bones by Peter McLean has a title in its title so it works for the Title with a Title square, and it is not a royal title, so it works for hard mode.

Superheroes:
Wild Cards II: Aces High edited by George R.R. Martin is indeed superhero fiction, so it works for the superheroes bingo square, and it is not a Marvel or DC property, so it worked for hard mode.

Bottom of the TBR:
The Black Ship by Christopher Rowley is a book that I bought in 1985, lost before finishing, and found again in a used book store a couple of years ago. It’s truly a book from the Bottom of my TBR, so it works for that bingo prompt. This prompt did not have a hard mode on the premise that reading from the bottom of your TBR is inherently hard.

Magical Realism or Literary Fantasy:
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Magical Realism/Literary Fantasy so it fits the prompt for that genre. It is also not on the provided list of examples, so it works for hard mode.

Young Adult:
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix is a Young Adult book, so it works for the Young Adult bingo square, and since it was published within the last five years, it works for hard mode.

SECOND ROW ACROSS:

Mundane Jobs:
The mundanity of being a “pipeways maintenance worker” is a pretty big plot point in Translation State by Ann Leckie, so the book works for the Mundane Jobs square. And it does not take place on Earth, so it works for hard mode.

Published in the 00s:
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde was published in the first decade of this century, so it works for the Published in the 00s bingo square, and the series is not in the top 30 of r/Fantasy’s Best of 2023 List, so it works for hard mode.

Angels and Demons:
The main character of Witch King by Martha Wells is a demon, so this book works for the Angels & Demons bingo square for hard mode.

Five SFF Short Stories:
I read the entirety of Bora Chung’s ten-story collection, Cursed Bunny, so it works for hard mode for the Five Short Stories square.

Horror: 
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror book, so it works for the Horror prompt, and it’s not by Lovecraft or King, so it works for hard mode.

THIRD ROW ACROSS:

Self-Published OR Indie Publisher:
A Slice of Mars by Guerric Haché is self-published so it works for this prompt, and it has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads so it works for hard mode. It should definitely have more ratings. Please read this book. It’s good!

Set in the Middle East/Middle Eastern SFF: 
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai is set in a fantasy world in a country inspired by Egypt so it works for the Middle Eastern SFF prompt, and the author is also of Middle Eastern descent so it works for hard mode.

Published in 2023:
This was always going to be an easy prompt since I read a lot of new books. Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling was published in 2023, and it is a debut, so it works for hard mode.

Multiverse and Alternate Realities: 
Alternate realities are a big part of The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, so it works for this prompt, and they do not travel to other worlds via literal doors so it works for hard mode.

POC Author:
Braking Day is by a POC author, so it works for this prompt, and it takes place in the future so it works for hard mode.

FORTH ROW ACROSS:

Book Club OR Readalong Book:
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi was part of r/Fantasy’s 2023 Hugo Award Readalong so it works for the Readalong square, and I participated in the discussion so I qualify for hard mode.

Novella:
Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente is a novella, so it works for the Novella bingo square, and it’s not published by TorDotCom so it works for hard mode.

Mythical Beasts: 
What was my first completed prompt for this year was for the Mythical Beasts square. The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, which does indeed feature many mythic beasts. The book also has no dragons or dragon-like beasts in it, so it works for Hard Mode.

Elemental Magic:
That Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia worked for the Elemental Magic bingo square was a total surprise to me, but it’s one of those fun things that can happen when you take part in this challenge. It is obviously not a Shades of Magic or Codex Alera book, so it works for hard mode.

Myths and Retellings: 
Fool by Christopher Moore is a retelling of King Lear, so it works for the retellings prompt, and it isn’t based on Greek myths so it works for hard mode.

FIFTH ROW ACROSS:

Queernorm Setting:
In Godkiller by Hannah Kaner, queer people just live their lives with no one seeing their queerness in a negative light as it should be, so that book works for the Queernormative Setting square. And since the book doesn’t take place in the future, it works for hard mode.

Coastal or Island Setting:
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty fits well for the Coastal Setting prompt as they never leave the coast except while seafaring, which makes it qualify for hard mode.

Druids:
While Harpist in the Wind by Patricia McKillip doesn’t have any Druids in it, it does heavily feature nature-based magic, so it fits this prompt. It’s also not an Iron Druid book, so it works for hard mode.

Featuring Robots:
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz features a lot of robots, so it works for the Robots bingo square, and one of the robots is a POV character, so it works for hard mode.

Sequel: 
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee is a sequel, so it works for the sequel square, and it’s the third book in the series so it works for hard mode.

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So that’s it. Let me know if you participated in r/fantasy Bingo, and if so, how you did on it. I love looking at other people’s cards!

And of course I’m posting this on March 31st, which means the new bingo card comes out tomorrow! {hype! 🥳} Keep your eyes peeled to r/fantasy for the new set of prompts.