QTL-Coded Books

Book recommendations can reveal a lot about a person and be extremely personal. Even though fantasy and sci-fi stories are set in other worlds, they have the uncanny ability to capture a reader’s real desires, fears, unique brand of humor, romantic types, taste for adventure, and so much more. The books we share with one another are like little windows that gaze into our innermost selves. 

If you ever really wanted to get to know us or begin a QTL parasocial relationship, take a look at the books below. Each QTL member selected a book that best represented them to give you insight into the types of stories that sum us up as readers. If you find one of these books speaks to you more than others, it’s likely that that reviewer more closely matches your style and taste, and we recommend checking out their other work!

Andrew – Saint’s Blood by Sebastian de Castell – When I think of a book that best represents what I look for in a story, that ticks all the “Andrew boxes” on my list, I can’t help but look towards the third book in The Greatcoat’s series, Saint’s Blood. While I am a man who loves thematic execution, whirlwind plots, and mind-melting concepts as much as the next guy–it is emotional character stories that really represent the core of the books that I like to recommend most. For me, nothing is more important in a story than the personal context that a character brings to the situation. In line with that, Saint’s Blood has many ‘Andrew’ things going for it:

• Emotionally charged character moments with timeless dialogue that still stick in my brain
• Likable heroes and hateable villains that all have depth and chemistry
• Clear thematic execution revolving around an interesting idea
• Unbelievably funny writing and a playful cleverness that makes it fun to read
• Prose and elements that elevate the mundane and infuse the atmosphere of the read with whimsy and excitement
• Worldbuilding that involves fantasy classes, roles, and subdivisions that are always expanding the lore of the story
• It’s obscure enough that most people haven’t heard of it, and I get to feel cool when I recommend it

Also, like me, when you are introduced to this series, it seems like a funny mess. But the longer you stick around, the more its heart and soul shine through. All this book really needs is a magic school to be a perfect avatar of my taste.

More Andrew-Coded Books: Will of the Many, City of Stairs, Record of a Spaceborn Few, The Last Argument of Kings, Sailing to Sarantium

Alex – The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin – The Dispossessed was my first Le Guin book, and while it changed my brain chemistry back then, re-reading it last year was an excellent reminder that it can still be powerful. Ursula K. Le Guin has a knack for digging into the fantastic, while continuously asking questions about the worlds she creates. The subtitle captures the magic a reader is about to witness as it goes into what makes a utopia interesting and still worth questioning. Not in the usual way where utopia’s aren’t for everyone, but how change can be ossified in exchange for safety and an ambiguous sense of purity. The main character seeks to challenge his own society, at first in a way that seems somewhat trollish, but through the narrative one discovers that he is challenging it through its own tenets, not some devotion to his own freedom, though that is a part of it. It’s a book that posits what if we could be freer than ever, but still have centuries of work ahead because there are still shackles be they cultural, environmental, or through the inertia of social relations. 

• Marrow deep exploration of social systems
• Strong characterization with interior journeys 
• A plot that meanders like a river, always getting there, but winding in news ways
• Dialogues that are conversational, albeit a bit blunt 
• Distinctive prose that is evocative on an imaginary and emotional level 
• A thematic throughline that ends in more questions than answers
• Smaller stories that question “what is human?”

More Alex-Coded Books: Terra Ignota series, The Witcher series, House of Open Wounds, The Book of the New Sun, The Thing Itself

Cole – Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft – One word, folks: whimsy! One more word, folks: adventure! The people in my life (mainly the guy I see when I look into the mirror) call me the “Whimsy Magnet” because the quirky and fantastical stories gravitate to me like cats to a heated blanket. 

I read Senlin Ascends in late 2024—notably quite late in my epic fantasy journey. And yet, it popped out as a paragon example of fun, whimsical, and adventurous. “Mmmm, this is da good stuff,” I said aloud to myself with my nose buried between its pages as my wife gave me a funky look from across the couch. Senlin’s trek to the Tower of Babel and its surprising ways, then his quest to find his lost wife within its many dangerous locales, gripped me from the get-go. By the final page, I knew I’d found a perfect example of a Cole-coded book. Senlin Ascends scratched many a fantasy itch in my brain, including:

• Whimsy! I cannot emphasize this enough. 
• A dash of darkness. 
• A larger-than-life adventure.
• Vibrant setting brought to life by beautiful prose. 
• Memorable characters who change for better and/or worse throughout the story. 
• A plot with momentum and stakes. 
• A lil morsel of mystery and hints at something bigger. 
• Humor, wit, and emotional seriousness in (almost) equal measure. 

More Cole-Coded Books: The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet, Mistborn 

Brandee – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – Writing for QTL has taught me many things, but I was not prepared to learn so much about who I am as a reader. Through the years, I developed an understanding of the books I liked and more importantly, why I liked them. So when it comes down to my favorite types of stories, the one that perfectly captures my “happiest sad-girl” soul is V.E. Schwab’s standalone novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. This book has these key Brandee-coded traits:

• A character-driven story that makes you feel as if you know each person on a deep level  
• Features a morally grey and alluring villain that entices the protagonist. The villain is capricious but are intrigued by the protagonist, and they always have a soft moment with the protagonist that wins me over. 
• Devastating dialogue that goes deep and leaves a mark on me for years after I’ve read the book
• I don’t care how or why, but the story makes me care so much about the characters that it makes me cry

More Brandee-Coded Books: The Queen of Nothing, Howl’s Moving Castle, Sword Catcher, A Winter’s Promise, The Queen’s Thief Series

Julia – Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone – While I don’t write reviews for the site, I help pick, organize, and give second opinions on many of the books these other lovely people read. (I tend to find that if I read a book that a reviewer has liked, I like it, and if I read a book a reviewer hasn’t, I don’t). Three Parts Dead is the poster child for what I look for in a story. It is a book that draws me in through plot and character development. It has a relatable female protagonist with a real personality, not an empty shell for the reader to slip into. It has a setting that is grander or more interesting than our real world but tied to it. It is a book I can talk about with others, something I can experience socially with all of the other reviewers of the QTL. Additionally, many are a gateway to a series that allows for further world-building and growth of characters. All of these are elements that make it an ideal ‘Julia’ kind of book. Some other things I am looking for include:

• Mystery elements, generally with a twist 
• Coming-of-age stories sometimes with a school angle  
• Great mentor characters with lovable apprentices learning the ropes 
• An interesting fantasy world that I can submerge myself in (although sci-fi is growing on me)
• Fast pacing and action-packed scenes
• An element of romance wouldn’t go amiss 
• Has social elements that would make it a good book club book

More Julia-Coded Books: Shorefall, Tainted Cup, Crucible of Chaos, The Eyre Affair, Waking Fire, The Seven Swords, Ashes of the Sun