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45 Recent Standalone Fantasy Books for When You Just Can't Commit to a Series

"One of the infamous hazards of the fantasy genre is that it can be a giant time sink. Fantasy stories tend to come in big multi-book series, so committing to one title can mean signing up for 3 or 5 or (gulp!) 40 individual books.

In an effort to provide you with some literary counter-programming, we've collected here 45 standalone fantasy books for those times when you just can't commit to a series. The titles here are all relatively recent—published in 2021 or later—and wander through pretty much all of the relevant subgenres: dark fantasy, weird fiction, magical realism, urban fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, grimdark, and so forth."
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The Last Tale of the Flower Bride (Roshani Chokshi)
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
1
Roshani Chokshi
Venco (Cherie Dimaline)
Venco
2
Cherie Dimaline
Victory City (Salman Rushdie)
Victory City
3
Salman Rushdie
The God of Endings (Jacqueline Holland)
The God of Endings
4
Jacqueline Holland
Stone Blind (Natalie Haynes)
Stone Blind
5
Natalie Haynes
Clytemnestra (Costanza Casati)
Clytemnestra
6
Costanza Casati
Babel (Rebecca Kuang)
Babel
7
Rebecca Kuang
The Book Eaters (Sunyi Dean)
The Book Eaters
8
Sunyi Dean
Fairy Tale (Stephen King)
Fairy Tale
9
Stephen King
Karma of the Sun (Brandon Ying Kit Boey)
Karma of the Sun
10
Brandon Ying Kit Boey
City of Last Chances (Adrian Tchaikovsky)
City of Last Chances
11
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Siren Queen (Nghi Vo)
Siren Queen
12
Nghi Vo
Elektra (Jennifer Saint)
Elektra
13
Jennifer Saint
Thistlefoot (Gennarose Nethercott)
Thistlefoot
14
Gennarose Nethercott
Kaikeyi (Vaishnavi Patel)
Kaikeyi
15
Vaishnavi Patel
The Spear Cuts Through Water (Simon Jimenez)
The Spear Cuts Through Water
16
Simon Jimenez
The Bone Orchard (Sara A. Mueller)
The Bone Orchard
17
Sara A. Mueller
When Women Were Dragons (Kelly Barnhill)
When Women Were Dragons
18
Kelly Barnhill
Nettle & Bone (T. Kingfisher)
Nettle & Bone
19
T. Kingfisher
The Witch and the Tsar (Olesya Salnikova Gilmore)
The Witch and the Tsar
20
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
A Taste of Gold and Iron (Alexandra Rowland)
A Taste of Gold and Iron
21
Alexandra Rowland
Spear (Nicola Griffith)
Spear
22
Nicola Griffith
The Book of Gothel (Mary McMyne)
The Book of Gothel
23
Mary McMyne
Kalyna the Soothsayer (Elijah Kinch Spector)
Kalyna the Soothsayer
24
Elijah Kinch Spector
Wrath Goddess Sing (Maya Deane)
Wrath Goddess Sing
25
Maya Deane
Silver Under Nightfall (Rin Chupeco)
Silver Under Nightfall
26
Rin Chupeco
Ballad of Perilous Graves (Alex Jennings)
Ballad of Perilous Graves
27
Alex Jennings
Dark Earth (Rebecca Stott)
Dark Earth
28
Rebecca Stott
Bindle Punk Bruja (Desideria Mesa)
Bindle Punk Bruja
29
Desideria Mesa
All the Seas of the World (Guy Gavriel Kay)
All the Seas of the World
30
Guy Gavriel Kay
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (Megan Bannen)
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
31
Megan Bannen
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Sangu Mandanna)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
32
Sangu Mandanna
Under the Whispering Door (T.J. Klune)
Under the Whispering Door
33
T.J. Klune
Ariadne (Jennifer Saint)
Ariadne
34
Jennifer Saint
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina (Zoraida Córdova)
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
35
Zoraida Córdova
The Chosen and the Beautiful (Nghi Vo)
The Chosen and the Beautiful
36
Nghi Vo
Black Water Sister (Zen Cho)
Black Water Sister
37
Zen Cho
Bacchanal (Veronica Henry)
Bacchanal
38
Veronica Henry
The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardy (C.M. Waggoner)
The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardy
39
C.M. Waggoner
The Crane Husband (Kelly Barnhill)
The Crane Husband
40
Kelly Barnhill
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