Court of Scholars
You crave a story that will expand your mind and perspective. This court is home to stories with complex ideas for a satisfying, cerebral reading experience.
Scroll down to see which books the Book Oracle recommends for your shelf. May the reading fates guide you…
(Not what you’re seeking? Discover our other Courts for more book recommendations.)
Alistair Fall and the Restless Dead
A cantankerous sorcerer and a thief with a heart of gold join forces to solve a murder after colliding at the crime scene in this charming new fantasy detective series by the author of The Gilded Crown.
Heartsgrove
In this queer folkloric romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Dark and Drowning Tide, set in that same world, a world-weary botanist must untangle three mysteries before his time runs out—a plagued grove, a dying dryad prince, and the curse slowly eating his body alive.
The Rouse
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the award-winning master of uncanny fiction comes a defining work, twenty years in the making—a deeply moving, decade- and continent-spanning epic of personal grief, global tumult, and grim conspiracy.
“An intimate epic, a controlled sprawl of history and emotional resonance. I felt it in my bones, the undeniable power of a jagged masterpiece.”—Jeff VanderMeer, The New York Times Book Review
Pictures of You
A woman becomes the unknowing subject of an artist’s dangerous work in this intense Hitchcockian thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Incidents Around the House.
Ammonite
WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY AND OTHERWISE (TIPTREE) AWARDS • On a planet where only women have survived a deadly virus, a researcher arrives to test a new vaccine and uncovers profound truths about gender, identity, and transformation.
Fishbone Cinderella
A mother and daughter must break their family’s curse through trials of war and immigration, love, loss, and redemption in this riveting multi-generational saga with a shimmer of magic, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Forgery of Fate.
The Arcane Arts
In this thrilling and sensuous dark academia fantasy, an ambitious graduate student and her advisor dive into studying a taboo branch of magic, igniting a dangerous passion between them.
“Dark academia, romance, and fantasy join forces in a gripping new book.”—People
The White Octopus Hotel
Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover if a second chance awaits them behind its doors.
The Book of Elsewhere
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An “action-packed [and] profoundly stylish” (Los Angeles Times) epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books.
The Spear Cuts Through Water
Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.
“A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Vulture, Polygon, She Reads, Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live
The Space Between Worlds
An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.
“Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention—and your allegiance.”—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—NPR, Library Journal, Book Riot
Stay in Touch
By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
