Wishing that the evening news would discuss human/goblin relations? The pros and cons of banking with dragons? Gnomish tax policy? Anything but this never-ending parade of real world horror? As the political landscape becomes more grimdark than a Bloodborne playthrough, it’s time to turn to fantasy to cope. Why bother worrying about climate change when your anxiety could be put to better use preparing for a coming war between orcs and elves? Who cares about legislative backstabbing when fictional politicians are resorting to actual backstabbing? These are the 10 best fantasy books with court intrigue and political drama, for when you need to avert your eyes from the real life the media circus.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin is the story of a woman who is as qualified for office as a U.S. presidential cabinet member, which is to say, not at all. Hailing from the untamed north, Yeine Darr has all the political savvy of a block of ice. When she’s summoned to the floating city of Sky and informed that she’s in the running for the emperor’s throne, “flabbergasted” is the understatement to describe her reaction. “Terrified” would also be an accurate descriptor, considering that her political rivals are contemplating murder in order to secure the imperial bag. Her only option? Form a tenuous alliance with the gods that the royal family rules – though dealing with divinities often comes with a price. If you’re looking for a story about both mortal and immortal power struggles, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a hundred thousand percent for you.
The Goblin Emperor
A landmark of political fantasy, Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor is as full of intrigue as a porcupine is pins. After the most the elven royal family perishes in an airship accident, the half-goblin Maia told that he’s the only imperial heir left. Up the political creek without a diplomatic paddle, Maia must learn to tread courtly waters fast lest his rivals sweep him away. While the emperor’s political duties historically involve greasing palms and stabbing backs, Maia’s moral compass won’t let him point his policies away from Lawful Good. Maia intends to set a new political precedent, by making politics moral. In repose, his political rivals are keen to use immoral means to oust him from office – potentially by ousting him out of a palace window.
A Song of Ice and Fire
When comes to deeply troubling politics, George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire gives Fox News a run for its money. Beginning with A Game of Thrones, this series’ deplorable diplomacy begins with a bang – literally. When young Bran Stark hadn’t peered in on Jaime Lannister going at it with his sister Cersei, the preteen Peeping Tom ended up ignited a civil war. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the size of Casterly Rock, I probably don’t need to give you a play by play of the political dram – the HBO series puts it all on full, ugly display. If you’re looking for an even deeper exploration of Westeros’ abysmal ambassadorship, I can’t recommend Martin’s series enough. It’s written in response to the Tolkien-esque fantasy idea that good people make good leaders, which, as Eddard Stark so bitterly discovered, isn’t always the case.
The City of Brass
If you thought real world politics were bad enough, spirit world politics are so much worse. S.A. Chakraborty’s The City of Brass proves that when beings are immortal, they’re free to devote an infinite amount of time to pettiness. Cairo con-artist Nahri finds this out the hard way when she performs a fake spell that ends up summoning a very real djinn, who tells her that her ancestors hail from the mythical City of Brass. After traveling across the desert, Nahri ends up in Daevabad – a city of spirits whose ideas are anything but enlightened. Reduced to a political symbol due to her heritage as a healer, Nahri is caught in a tug of war between the city’s rival factions. Can she reduce the tension? Or will she just cut the rope in half and let everyone go tumbling to the ground? In the city of Daevabad, there are no simple answers.
She Who Became The Sun
Shelley Parker Chan’s She Who Became The Sun is a historical fantasy reimagining of the rise of one China’s most influential political figures: The Hongwu Emperor. Founder of the Ming Dynasty, The Hongwu Emperor wasn’t born with a silver spoon in hand – more like a wooden one. According to Parker Chan, the famous royal was once a young peasant girl who took her dead brother’s name and destiny – rechristening herself Zhu Chongba to go fight the Mongols in male disguise. After rising through the military ranks, Zhu Chongba becomes an esteemed general, and begins a relationship with a noblewoman. With her partner’s help, Zhu will learn the political ins and outs of her nation – all to someday climb the social ladder to the very top.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
The first of The Gentleman Bastards series, Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora is the story of a group of con-artists sucking off of the teat of society – politicians, essentially. Led by street thief Locke, The Gentleman Bastards scheme and swindle their way through the high society of Camorr, depriving the gentry of their less than hard-earned money. Life is good for gang, until a rival criminal enterprise begins to horn in on their turf. Facing an enemy as cunning and unscrupulous as anyone in Washington, Locke and Co. must use their most devious tactics yet in order to survive this criminal underworld power struggle. If Republicans and Democrats used literal cloaks and daggers against one another instead of legislative ones, the United States and Camorr would be totally indistinguishable.
The Priory of The Orange Tree
The Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is takes place in a world ideologically divided over a key issue: dragons. In the dragon-loving East, dragon riders and their mounts have an inseparable bond. In the dragon-fearing western kingdom of Inys, Queen Sabran is attempting to thwart the return of a dragon god known as The Nameless One. As if the return of Fantasy Godzilla wasn’t bad enough, Sabran must also contend with the constant threat of assassination, as certain courtly factions are opposed to her rule. Thankfully, she’s under the protection of The Priory of The Orange Tree – a matriarchal secret society as mysterious and deadly as Dune‘s Bene Gesserit. Sabran is like any real world leader, attempting to foster diplomacy with other nations, quell the tensions of her own, fend off fiery climate change, and have a queer love affair on the side. Classic politics.
Kushiel’s Dart
Though the world of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart was once settled by fallen angels, the land of Terre d’Ange is anything but heavenly. Born as an indentured servant, the Phèdre nó Delaunay is purchased by a nobleman and trained in the art of seduction – serving as a courtesan/spy. Marked by the angel Kushiel, Phèdre’s god-given ability to experience pain as pleasure makes her uniquely qualified for the job. While cozying up to the movers and shakers of the kingdom, Phèdre uncovers a political plot that threatens to pollute her paradise. In a universe where not even Heaven itself is free from political drama, humanity is doomed to repeat divine mistakes.
Seraphina
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman tackles one of the most famously fraught political relationships in all of fantasy: humans and dragons. In this novel, these two groups have put aside their past differences and are moving towards mutual understanding, with dragons now serving as scientific ambassadors to the human world. Cooling political tensions heat up once more after a human royal is found murdered in a suspiciously dragon-esque fashion, and the kingdom must rely on the help of one of its most diplomatically unqualified citizens: a teenage musician. Newly arrived at the royal court as a performer, Seraphina Dombegh inadvertently becomes swept up in a symphony of courtly intrigue. If her investigation strikes a wrong note, the consequences for both humans and dragons could be severe.
The Unbroken
C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken takes place in Qazāli, a colony of the sprawling The Empire of Balladaire. Kidnapped as a child and conscripted into the Balladarian Army, the young soldier Touraine was trained as a cog in an imperial war machine. After being assigned to a Balladairian royal’s protection detail, Touraine ends up saving the princess Luca from assassination by Qazāli rebels. Sympathetic to the Qazāli cause, Luca hires Touraine as a servant – instructing her to secretly negotiate for peace with the rebellion. As if serving as an ambassador wasn’t hard enough for the career soldier, Touraine also has to contend with her budding sapphic feelings towards her royal employer. If you’ve ever watched the news while making up your own politician x secret service member headcanons, this novel will turn your political fantasies in reality.
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