SFF Fan? Why You Should Try Fantasy Bingo Out At Least Once

If you’re a regular on r/Fantasy, you’ll know that they have this event happening every year called Fantasy Bingo. The idea is that the mods release a bingo card with 25 squares, each square denoting one category (POC author, features Dragons, etc.) and you have 1 year to read 25 books to fulfil each category. 

Finish your card in time, and you get a flair next to your name that says ‘Reading Champion’. 

That, and bragging rights. 

Is it worth it? Hell yeah! I had seen posts about Fantasy Bingo several times on my feed, but I was always too late to the party. This year was different, though. I saw the announcement just a few hours after it was posted, and I figured – why not give it a shot? 

Cut to almost a year later, and here I am having read almost twice as many books as I would in a typical year! 

Here are 5 reasons why I think every SFF fan should give Fantasy Bingo a try! 

1. The Challenge

Have you ever participated in a challenge before? It could be a silly social media challenge or a serious competition. The one thing common is the thrill and excitement of participating. 

Not to mention the sense of camaraderie you feel when you see others doing the same. 

Completing/winning the challenge, on the other hand, brings with it a very satisfying sense of accomplishment, one that you can share with your fellow participants. And in cases like Fantasy Bingo, it’s always a supportive crowd, where like-minded folks come together to talk and share their passions. 

With every comment on my Reddit posts, I’ve found new additions to my TBR. Yes, my TBR is out of control, which brings me to my next point –

2. An Opportunity To Read Your TBR 

My TBR is perpetually growing. I know I’m never going to finish it. Not in one lifetime at least.

However, seeing certain bingo squares prompted me to finally pick up some of those books. I mean, there literally was a bingo square titled ‘Bottom of your TBR’. 

It was nice to see some long-standing members of my TBR finally get marked as ‘read’. Of the 25 books I read for Fantasy Bingo, 10 were on my TBR already. Although the new additions outnumber the ones checked off, I’m not complaining. 

3. Discover New Authors

I read 11 books from authors I had never read before. Some were authors I had heard of, others that I discovered because I was looking for a specific kind of book. Either way, I ended up exploring so many new voices that will forever be with me as a reader. Some notable mentions – 

Nghi Vho – I had heard of the Singing Hills Cycle in passing, but only picked it up for the novella square. One chapter later, I was in love with Nghi Vho’s writing! The novella itself was a story within a story, and that narrative device really made the experience rich and poetic! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. 

James Lloyd Dulin – I read No Heart For A Thief just before fantasy bingo was announced. I loved the characters and worldbuilding but found the plot underwhelming and weak. But later in the year, I saw his call for ARCs and decided to give the sequel a shot. I have said this several times before, but I am in awe of how much Dulin has grown as an author between books. He has not only carefully assessed the reception of Book 1, but worked on it to make Book 2 a significant improvement. I wouldn’t have picked up Book 2 if it weren’t for the Elemental Magic square, and I would have missed out on a very good sequel.

Bonus: I ended the year with his novella, Don’t Bloody The Black Flag, and that too was such a brilliant read! 

Zamil Akhtar – Now this is a name that was on my list for a very long time. The Set in the Middle East square was my excuse to finally pick it up. And what a stellar read that was! Akhtar’s authorial voice is one of the most unique ones I’ve read in recent times, and I ended up reading his novella as well. Not only that, Gunmetal Gods is in my top 5 list of fantasy books I read this year. Again, might not have happened if not for Fantasy Bingo.

It’s not just new authors that I discovered, but new favourites! Orconomics, Gunmetal Gods, The Bound and the Broken… these are all amazing S-Tier series I’m looking forward to continuing once I’m done with my bingo card.  

4. Zero Stakes, All Rewards

Fantasy Bingo is free. 

Plus, no one is going to keep a check on you. It’s 100% your choice to participate or not, to complete or not. 

If you don’t complete the challenge, no harm no foul. 

If you do, you’ll have read at least 25 SFF stories, in addition to the Reading Champion flair, a feeling of accomplishment, discovering new voices and stories, and bragging rights. 

At least for me, the rewards significantly outweigh the costs (the only cost I can think of is time and going out of my comfort zone). 

A typical year would see me reading somewhere around 20 books, but in 2023, I read 38! Plus all of Berserk, so that was the larger reward for me. 

5. It’s Fun

Need I really explain this? 

I fell in love with SFF when I was a kid. I have always adored the speculative nature of SFF, especially the world-building and exploration of cultures. With Fantasy Bingo, not only did I explore my TBR, but several new authors, books, and voices that made my 2023 absolutely magical! Discovering new worlds kind of reignited my passion for SFF, and made me read a lot more books than I normally would. 

I’ll admit, not everything about Fantasy Bingo was great. I did feel burnt out in the middle and had to switch to non-SFF or non-Bingo books to maintain my reading pace. But that only meant I was reading more than usual. 

But for the large part, I was having a ton of fun!

Conclusion:

r/Fantasy’s Fantasy bingo reignited my passion for SFF, and made me read almost twice as many books this year. I discovered new authors, new books, and explored worlds that I might not have gotten to if not for Bingo. 

All in all, 2023 was the best year for me as a reader, and I really hope that I am able to maintain this reading pace next year as well! 

So tell me, will you be participating in 2024’s Fantasy Bingo?