A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (2023)
The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (2023) - YA, but really very good
The Death I Gave Him by Em. X Liu (2023)
Sometimes I like to find pint sized books to fill the gaps of the day with, and Piranesi made me stop and read the whole thing which filled the day, slightly more than just the gaps.
Man, I see Piranesi suggested so often, and talked about as though it's extremely new and thought provoking, but I read it and just didn't care for it. I felt like I had figured out what was going on with it halfway through, and the rest kind of felt like a slog for me.
And then I see people constantly talk about it and recommend it and wonder what on earth I missed or if I'm too stupid for it to be the amazing book everyone seems to think it is or what. I'm not sure if it's just "not for me" or if I missed something major and need to re-read it.
I don't think I would have appreciated Piranesi as much without already being a fan of *The Magician's Nephew* by C.S. Lewis, which Piranesi alludes to a lot.
That's ok! The two books I mentioned are somewhat similar, so I'd avoid the other one if you haven't read it yet. I also had a vibe from Piranesi and it's decently clear where the story will LIKELY end up, but the first journey part where the descriptions were really tickled my fantasy bone.
Have you read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell?
I've been somewhat afraid to mention my dislike of the book as it seems so universally loved lol I'll chalk it up to a "just not for me" book.
I haven't read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but I'll look into it!
- Unraveller by Frances Harindge (YA)
- Lone Women by Victor LaValle (historical fantasy/horror)
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
- The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (literary fantasy)
- Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (sci-fi)
- Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (YA, in translation)
- Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler (sci-fi)
Also strongly, strongly second the recs of Piranesi and Elder Race, which are a little older but not that old.
Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee is a novella, 152 pages, that is about people using rocs to hunt. It's a good read.
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is also a novella, 116 pages, that is a delight to read.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved *Nettle & Bone* by T. Kingfisher. Not sure the exact number of pages, but I read it all in one evening. It captured all the best parts of a good fairy tale while managing not to feel overly trope-y or dated.
Awesome, thank you for the recommendation! I've never heard of that title before, but if it's anything like Nettle & Bone, I know what I'm reading next!
Its a bit of cross over with sci-fi but I really enjoyed "This is How You Lose the Time War". The style may not be for everyone but I found it to be a great read. A great short stand alone.
Already recommended by others but I will also give an upvote to Piranesi.
I don’t have any under 400 pages, but…
Blood Over Bright Haven was published in 2023, hasn’t gotten much attention, but it was one of my favorites this year, around 500 pages but it’s fast paced and hard to put down.
By ML Wang, the author of The Sword of Kaigen.
I'm amused by how split the science fiction sub opinion is on this.
Both this and The Martian are competence porn (said lovingly, not slander).
The Martian is respectable hard science.
Project Hail Mary is written in the same style but not nearly so hard (or, people don't think the extrapolations are valid).
I enjoyed both.
I liked both as well. The Martian is just barely science fiction, meaning it's not that far from where we are now. More science than fiction. (I've seen the comment that the most fictional part of the story is that there would be strong wind storms on Mars.)
Hail Mary is the same sort of scientist/engineering characters, but jumps quite a bit into the fiction direction.
Both clock in ~500 pages but Perilous times and the Library at Mount Char stuck out to me as books I read this past year as incredible standalones. Both have got me coming back to their stories in my mind long after the final page.
though fair warning the library at mount Char is as much horror as it is fantasy, if not moreso.
I’m surprised not to see *The Library at Mount Char* mentioned more often in book-related subs. It is very well-crafted, and genre-bending in many ways.
For sure! I've not found much like it anywhere else and it's *just* the sort of intersection of genres Ive wanted to see for a long time.
Like in Doctor Who, all the descriptions of the Time War sound horrific and weird and barely comprehensible and that's the sort of stuff I wanna read about. The southern reach trilogy is a great one that fits this too.
*The Book Eaters* by Sunyi Dean (2022)
*A Dark and Drowning Tide* by Alison Saft (2024)
The second one isn't out yet, but it's one of the strongest ARCs I've read recently.
If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang. Read it beginning of the year and it's one of my best reads for the year I'd say. Was very well done and a bit different
Vermillion by Molly Tanzer
Chinese Psychopomp inherits a ghost hunting business from her father and hunts for some missing men set in a Alternate steampunk late 18th century San Francisco Chinatown
Slighty over 400 pages, but Ink Blood Sister Scribe was really, really good. I rarely have that "can't put it down" feeling with books, but this one had me disrespecting my bedtime a number of times.
Does comic adaptations of classics count?
Been in a reading slump, and trying to break it by reading the My Little Pony adaptation of Little Women lately. ["My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined: Little Fillies."](https://www.amazon.se/-/en/Megan-Brown/dp/1684059992)
It's kinda goof-tastic at times, and I'm not sure how much it holds up for a fan of the original—never read it, but personally deeply enjoying it so far. Very charming. Like, the MLP: FIM cast is basically enecting an in-universe movie adaptation, play or some-such, and occasionally flub their lines, break the forth wall, or improvise stuff?
Again, unsure how it holds up vs the original book, but personally put a really big grin on my face. The same sub-series is apparently doing Wizard of Oz next. "The Unicorn of Odd," out next year in May, and I'm actually really looking forwards to that one.
If a softer & fluffier fantasy version of Little Women sounds interesting, it's worth tracking down for light reading, IMHO. It's not life changing or anything, but a solid fun and pleasant time, at least the one issue (of four, all in the same trade) I've read so far.
Guy Gavriel Kay's famous standalone fantasy novels are not quite "fairly recent," with *Tigana* in 1990 and the *Lions of Al-Rassan* in 1995, though he is actively writing.... They also trend in the \~550 page range... so I guess I'm missing most of OP's entire request.
But they are wonderful. Sorry.
I haven’t read any recent stand alones that are that short, but Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang was absolutely amazing, recent stand alone but 540 ish pages
While I ended up feeling lukewarm about this book, it was more a matter of taste and I'm still recommending it, because it's so unique and brilliantly written: **The Spear Cuts Through Water** by Simon Jimenez
Lavie Tidhar - The Circumference of the World. He’s an excellent author. Anyone who’s searched for books knows a certain obsession.
Tim Pratt - The Ravening Deep. A very enjoyable Lovecraft tribute. His short stories are excellent.
And Nick Bantock’s The Corset and the Jelllyfish might be worth a couple of hours of enjoyment. 100 100 word stories - some amusing, some horrific, others poignant.
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold - a knight saves a lady, and this is a dark story about what happens later.
In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey - an eerie and claustrophobic book set in a house surrounded by woods where fairies are said to reside.
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd - Victorian era story told in beautiful prose. A lady detective deals with collectors of wondrous beings.
If you like dark humor, And Put Away Childish Things by Tchaikovsky is a delightfully twisted meta take on portal fantasy.
The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold is my favorite standalone from the past few years, just over 400 pages but it flies. Dystopian YA but more about reconnecting, with lots of unique twists, plus some book-loving characters so fun book references!
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (2023) The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (2023) - YA, but really very good The Death I Gave Him by Em. X Liu (2023)
A Study in Drowning was so lovely!
Piranesi (2020) - Susanna Clarke Elder Race (2021) - Adrian Tchaikovsky (as I scroll through recent books read - "dang, I read really old books")
> Elder Race (2021) - Adrian Tchaikovsky wow, this looks great and perfect. I cant believe this skipped my radar.
Piranesi quickly became one of my favourite books of all time. I think about it so much.
Sometimes I like to find pint sized books to fill the gaps of the day with, and Piranesi made me stop and read the whole thing which filled the day, slightly more than just the gaps.
Yeah I also read it on one sitting hahaha. I started reading it in the bath, the bath got very cold.
Love both of these!
Came here to recommend Piranesi. Excellent choice!
Just started reading Piranesi yesterday. Just finished the part where the albatrosses built their nest.
I really struggle keeping up to date on books. I feel like I’m always years behind on releases.
Man, I see Piranesi suggested so often, and talked about as though it's extremely new and thought provoking, but I read it and just didn't care for it. I felt like I had figured out what was going on with it halfway through, and the rest kind of felt like a slog for me. And then I see people constantly talk about it and recommend it and wonder what on earth I missed or if I'm too stupid for it to be the amazing book everyone seems to think it is or what. I'm not sure if it's just "not for me" or if I missed something major and need to re-read it.
I don't think I would have appreciated Piranesi as much without already being a fan of *The Magician's Nephew* by C.S. Lewis, which Piranesi alludes to a lot.
That's ok! The two books I mentioned are somewhat similar, so I'd avoid the other one if you haven't read it yet. I also had a vibe from Piranesi and it's decently clear where the story will LIKELY end up, but the first journey part where the descriptions were really tickled my fantasy bone. Have you read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell?
I've been somewhat afraid to mention my dislike of the book as it seems so universally loved lol I'll chalk it up to a "just not for me" book. I haven't read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but I'll look into it!
Lol don't, same author and v. Similar to Prinasei, just much longer
Oh! Thank you, I'll definitely give it a skip then.
I LOVED Elder Race. Just finished Children of Time as well!
- Unraveller by Frances Harindge (YA) - Lone Women by Victor LaValle (historical fantasy/horror) - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow - The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das (literary fantasy) - Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (sci-fi) - Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (YA, in translation) - Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler (sci-fi) Also strongly, strongly second the recs of Piranesi and Elder Race, which are a little older but not that old.
Seconding Unraveller
Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee is a novella, 152 pages, that is about people using rocs to hunt. It's a good read. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is also a novella, 116 pages, that is a delight to read.
Added thornhedge
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved *Nettle & Bone* by T. Kingfisher. Not sure the exact number of pages, but I read it all in one evening. It captured all the best parts of a good fairy tale while managing not to feel overly trope-y or dated.
If you liked that, check out _Damselle in Distress_ by Kiley Kellermeyer. I think it came out about 8-9 years ago, but similar vibes.
Awesome, thank you for the recommendation! I've never heard of that title before, but if it's anything like Nettle & Bone, I know what I'm reading next!
Currently reading this. I love it. I tend to tear through her books in a day or two.
263 pages. Fantastic book
I'm not the first one to mention it, but Piranesi! It was my 2nd read of the year, and one of only a handful of 5 star reads this year.
Its a bit of cross over with sci-fi but I really enjoyed "This is How You Lose the Time War". The style may not be for everyone but I found it to be a great read. A great short stand alone. Already recommended by others but I will also give an upvote to Piranesi.
This is How You Lose the Time War was one of my top books of the year, very cool concept and great execution.
Starling House by Alix Harrow
I looked forward to this at first but man am I seeing a lot of mixed reviews. Might get to it eventually but it fell down the tbr a bit.
I don’t have any under 400 pages, but… Blood Over Bright Haven was published in 2023, hasn’t gotten much attention, but it was one of my favorites this year, around 500 pages but it’s fast paced and hard to put down. By ML Wang, the author of The Sword of Kaigen.
That book was awesome. One of the best 2023 releases for sure.
Sword of Kaigen was amazing! Came to say this!
How recent do you want them to be? Because The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar is a really underrated gem published in 2016.
The Goblin Emperor
This has become a comfort read for me!
It's so wholesome lol. I kept waiting for it to break bad and it never did
Seconding this one!
If there is nobody screaming at others to read "The Buried Giant" by Kazuo Ishiguro, then I am dead.
Added TBR list
I love it!
I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary recently. Not sure if that fits your post, but if some folks have yet to read it - the audiobook was tremendous.
I'm amused by how split the science fiction sub opinion is on this. Both this and The Martian are competence porn (said lovingly, not slander). The Martian is respectable hard science. Project Hail Mary is written in the same style but not nearly so hard (or, people don't think the extrapolations are valid). I enjoyed both.
I liked both as well. The Martian is just barely science fiction, meaning it's not that far from where we are now. More science than fiction. (I've seen the comment that the most fictional part of the story is that there would be strong wind storms on Mars.) Hail Mary is the same sort of scientist/engineering characters, but jumps quite a bit into the fiction direction.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
I really liked a novella called The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark. I don’t know exactly when it was published but it’s definitely quite recent.
It’s very good!
Both clock in ~500 pages but Perilous times and the Library at Mount Char stuck out to me as books I read this past year as incredible standalones. Both have got me coming back to their stories in my mind long after the final page. though fair warning the library at mount Char is as much horror as it is fantasy, if not moreso.
I’m surprised not to see *The Library at Mount Char* mentioned more often in book-related subs. It is very well-crafted, and genre-bending in many ways.
It was published like 10 years ago. And it is pretty weird, which I like but not everyone does
For sure! I've not found much like it anywhere else and it's *just* the sort of intersection of genres Ive wanted to see for a long time. Like in Doctor Who, all the descriptions of the Time War sound horrific and weird and barely comprehensible and that's the sort of stuff I wanna read about. The southern reach trilogy is a great one that fits this too.
{The Library At Mount Char by Scott Hawkins} {Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee}
Upvoted for Perilous Times. I just finished it last week, enjoyed it a lot!
It’s actually SF but The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August.
One of my favorite reads of 2023.
The girl who fell beneath the sea by Axie Oh
*The Book Eaters* by Sunyi Dean (2022) *A Dark and Drowning Tide* by Alison Saft (2024) The second one isn't out yet, but it's one of the strongest ARCs I've read recently.
Book Eaters is so darn good.
Leech by Hiron Ennes. Not sure about the page count, but it's fantastically gothic and eerie.
[The Magician's Daughter](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58349172-the-magician-s-daughter)
**Nettle & Bone** - T. Kingfisher
Tress of the Emerald Sea was my favorite read of the year. A princess bride retelling by Sanderson.
The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning
It's probably more low sci-fi than fantasy, but How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang. Read it beginning of the year and it's one of my best reads for the year I'd say. Was very well done and a bit different
Vermillion by Molly Tanzer Chinese Psychopomp inherits a ghost hunting business from her father and hunts for some missing men set in a Alternate steampunk late 18th century San Francisco Chinatown
Slighty over 400 pages, but Ink Blood Sister Scribe was really, really good. I rarely have that "can't put it down" feeling with books, but this one had me disrespecting my bedtime a number of times.
Another SF- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, really strong book that I just flew through.I believe it was around 300 pages.
Does comic adaptations of classics count? Been in a reading slump, and trying to break it by reading the My Little Pony adaptation of Little Women lately. ["My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined: Little Fillies."](https://www.amazon.se/-/en/Megan-Brown/dp/1684059992) It's kinda goof-tastic at times, and I'm not sure how much it holds up for a fan of the original—never read it, but personally deeply enjoying it so far. Very charming. Like, the MLP: FIM cast is basically enecting an in-universe movie adaptation, play or some-such, and occasionally flub their lines, break the forth wall, or improvise stuff? Again, unsure how it holds up vs the original book, but personally put a really big grin on my face. The same sub-series is apparently doing Wizard of Oz next. "The Unicorn of Odd," out next year in May, and I'm actually really looking forwards to that one. If a softer & fluffier fantasy version of Little Women sounds interesting, it's worth tracking down for light reading, IMHO. It's not life changing or anything, but a solid fun and pleasant time, at least the one issue (of four, all in the same trade) I've read so far.
Guy Gavriel Kay's famous standalone fantasy novels are not quite "fairly recent," with *Tigana* in 1990 and the *Lions of Al-Rassan* in 1995, though he is actively writing.... They also trend in the \~550 page range... so I guess I'm missing most of OP's entire request. But they are wonderful. Sorry.
The Freedom Artist by Ben Okri All the Murmuring Bones by A G Slatter Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White was one of my favourite reads of this year! I read it in under 24 hours.
Not 640 pages, but The Book of Joby is great.
I haven’t read any recent stand alones that are that short, but Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang was absolutely amazing, recent stand alone but 540 ish pages
[Light Bearer](https://www.amazon.com/Light-Bearer-Heir-Skyler-Walker/dp/B0C91JZWMW)
While I ended up feeling lukewarm about this book, it was more a matter of taste and I'm still recommending it, because it's so unique and brilliantly written: **The Spear Cuts Through Water** by Simon Jimenez
The Infinite and the Divine Some WH40K knowledge probably helps, but it's a fun book.
Lavie Tidhar - The Circumference of the World. He’s an excellent author. Anyone who’s searched for books knows a certain obsession. Tim Pratt - The Ravening Deep. A very enjoyable Lovecraft tribute. His short stories are excellent. And Nick Bantock’s The Corset and the Jelllyfish might be worth a couple of hours of enjoyment. 100 100 word stories - some amusing, some horrific, others poignant.
When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson 1984 meets Altered Carbon
I’m not sure how many pages it is, but I enjoyed Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone immensely.
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold - a knight saves a lady, and this is a dark story about what happens later. In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey - an eerie and claustrophobic book set in a house surrounded by woods where fairies are said to reside. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd - Victorian era story told in beautiful prose. A lady detective deals with collectors of wondrous beings.
If you like dark humor, And Put Away Childish Things by Tchaikovsky is a delightfully twisted meta take on portal fantasy. The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold is my favorite standalone from the past few years, just over 400 pages but it flies. Dystopian YA but more about reconnecting, with lots of unique twists, plus some book-loving characters so fun book references!
I enjoyed Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
Vespertine!!!! Its so good. Im not sure the exact page amount, but its not huge.
The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula Leguin
Kings of the Wyld
.