9 political fantasy recommendations full intrigue

Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce

Series: Daughter of the Lioness
Keywords: Young adult. Rebellious, nobles, colonialism, spycraft, meddling gods
Pub: 2003
Trickster’s Choice started this journey for me. I reread it last year and after that, this is all I wanted my fantasy to be. Alianne is the daughter of a spymaster and has learned spycraft growing up helping her dad. Though a series of events she ends up a slave to two young noble women in an island kingdom. She gets involved in the country’s politics very quickly and operates as an underground spymaster for the young women. The story is funny, thought provoking, intriguing and well plotted with great relationships.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Standalone
Keywords: Goblins, elves, steampunk fantasy, court life, optimistic
Pub: 2014
The story is about Maia who is half-elver half-goblin and at the start of the story is very far removed from the dynastic politics. He gets tossed into role as emperor and is very ill prepared from the role. He is a an outsider at court and that allows for Addison to introduce him and the reader to the court at the same time. You follow Maia trying to figure out how court works while trying to survive and do what is best for the realm at the same time. The tone is optimistic which is such a breath of fresh air in this age of grim dark. Read my full review

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Chalion
Keywords: Disabled protagonist, religion, grim dark, court life, prophecy, curse
Pub: 2000
Trigger warning: Attempted rape and mentions of rape
This is a book with rich world-building with people who actually act like religious people – in so many fantasy book the religion seems to be slapped on rather than part of the world – not the case here. The protagonist lands in the middle of a court in crisis – there is a curse resting over the royal family. Horrible advisers are effectively running the kingdom into the ground while the protagonist has to try to navigate these treacherous waters he also has to help his young charge make alliances at court.
Read my full review

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Series: Standalone
Keywords: Young adult. Rebellion, court life,
Pub: 2002
Crown Duel had me in tears over some of the misunderstandings and failed communications – especially in the first half of the book. The protagonist is very young and is court up in court life and political intrigue. She has not been raised to the life and has to learn very very quickly. Unlike in Goblin Emperor this does not go smoothly. Meliara does not know who to trust other than her brother – who is far worse at court politics that she is, so she is at a lose for quite a bit of the book. The pacing of the plot goes in ebbs and flows which I quite like – we get passages where it is just everyday life followed by crazy chase scenes. The story has action, romance and intrigue, what more could I want? Read my full review

The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

Series: The Circle Reforged
Keywords: Young adult. Power corrupts, responsibly
Pub: 2005
The four protagonists are now in their late teens and are struggling to find their role in the world. At the same time Sandry is invited to the Empress’ court – which is a beautiful and deadly place to be. The empress wants the strong mages for herself and tries to bribe or force them to stay. Pierce explores the responsibilities of nobles to their land in this book in a way that works for a modern audience. There is also romance and action – so it isn’t all high concept stuff.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Series: City of Stairs
Keywords: Spycraft, diplomacy, meddling gods, colonialism
Pub: 2014
Itelligence work isn’t about flashy verticals and loud action, but about navigating the political scene and gathering intelligence. Be invisible or at least unmemorable – especially if you’re in a country that your country has a dubious relationship with. There is a lot of slice of life scenes mixed in with the action. The protagonist is not at all pleased when she has to run tough the streets with people chasing her. Not only is the world building is great but so are the characters. If you want to see a well-developed female character who break a lot of the current tropes for strong female characters when this is a read for you. Oh and the book got a good romantic subplot. The book is funny, entertaining and makes you think. Read my full review

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Phèdre’s Trilogy
Keywords: BDSM, corrupting power, power games, spycraft
Pub: 2001
This is very much an adult story. Phèdre nó Delaunay grows up in a country where the courtesans are priestess and revered in the society. She has been turned over to one of the houses who trains the courtesans as a child and is training to become one. That sounds cheap sleazy doesn’t it? Well it isn’t! The world building is solid and the plot is captivating. Phedre is a very strong character who has so much power without being a warrior. There are some rather hard s/m scenes in the book, so if you are squeamish about that kind of thing, this is not for you. I very much enjoyed the book and I strongly recommend it. The first book is especially good and can be read on its own. The world building is an interesting mix of our world and fantasy which is really intriguing.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Series: The World of Riverside
Keywords: Swordplay, quiltbag, training, crossdressing, comedy of manners
Pub: 1987
Each book in this series have a different protagonist so each book is quite different. The first book is all about noble’s power plays, while the second is about a young woman learning sword fighting and how to be someone to be respected. Both books is about not letting other people use you as their game piece but forging your own path – even when this is much harder and much costlier than just letting other people’s need come before your own. The audiobook production is great.

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear

Series: Eternal Sky
Keywords: Asian fantasy, horses, gods, step worriers, tiger people
Pub: 2012
Range of Ghosts is a story full of strange and complicated plot threads but it is also a story full of emotion and it has some amazing characters. The worldbuilding is complex and changes a lot depending on geography. Each people in the book has it’s own view of how the world works and that seem to manifest in the world. It is a poetic story full of dreams and prophecy but not a chosen one story. I found myself sucked into the story and kept wanting to know what would happen next. Read my review here. NB: Controversial author