The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

14 -- Includes A Character List

A character list is a catalogue of characters, usually found at the beginning of a book. It often includes character names and a short description of who they are or how they are connected to one another.

For this prompt, choose any book which includes a character list.

Some editions may contain character lists, while other editions of the same book may not. As long as at least one edition contains a character list, feel free to read that book using any edition or format.



Here is our Goodreads List for this prompt

Books I've read and recommend that have a character list or "cast of characters" (adding as I come across them on my shelf):
To the Last Breath: A Memoir of Going to Extremes by Francis Slakey

Plays and some Agatha Christie books come to mind. It's also present in some of the Star Wars Legends books like Rogue Squadron.

The Chronicles of St. Mary's and The Time Police books by Jodi Taylor.

The Names

In the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire, each book includes a family tree at the front — since the story follows multiple members of the same family and the narrator changes from book to book.

Here’s the current lineup (with another book due out next year):

1. Discount Armageddon
2. Midnight Blue-Light Special
3. Half-Off Ragnarok
4. Pocket Apocalypse
5. Chaos Choreography
6. Magic for Nothing
7. Tricks for Free
8. That Ain’t Witchcraft
9. Imaginary Numbers
10. Calculated Risks
11. Spelunking Through Hell
12. Backpacking Through Bedlam
13. Aftermarket Afterlife
14. Installment in Mortality
15. Butterfly Effect (upcoming, 2026)

It’s a clever, fast-paced urban fantasy series with a strong family focus — and the family tree detail makes it a perfect fit for this prompt!

Bonus: You can actually hit multiple prompts from the 2026 challenge with this series — it qualifies as “a series with at least eight books,” includes a title that starts with P (Pocket Apocalypse), one that’s coming out in 2026 (Butterfly Effect), and even a few with three syllables in a title and im sure others.

Century Trilogy books and Kingsbridge Series by Ken Follet all contain character lists.

Would a family tree count?? It doesn’t have descriptions of characters

Megan wrote: "Would a family tree count?? It doesn’t have descriptions of characters"

It's a list of characters and how they are connected to each other so I would.

The Broken Blades Trilogy has Character Lists

The Priory Of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A Game of Thrones

Carolyn wrote: "A Game of Thrones"

YES!! How has this list been compiled without including all of the Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice & Fire series? It is absolutely impossible to read these books without referencing the very lengthy cast of characters. Of course, since George RR Martin seems to have given up on ever finishing this incredible series.... Maybe no one wants to start it?

A Question of Trust by Penny Vincenzi. Found it by flicking through the paperbacks in my tbr.

Alchemised

I read One of Us Knows this year and I remember them having a list of the characters at the beginning. It's on my "definitely read again" list, so I'll probably add that one for this prompt!

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

I will be reading The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

Welcome to the School by the Sea by Jane Beaton (Jenny Colgan)

The Names by Florence Knapp.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ IMHO

Using Anna Karenina for this one!

I read Circe by Madeline Miller 🌟5.

The weight of Crowns by Alina Bellchambers

Completed: Murder at Martingale Manor (The Chronicles of St Mary's #14.8) by Jodi Taylor

I am reading The Names

“Remembered Death” by Agatha Christie is a marvelous mystery with a character list in the front of the novel. No one has better twists than Christie!

I read Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly, 3 Stars

I read The Crucible for my American Lit class. It fit several prompts, but I chose to use it for this one. It is a play so it lists all of the characters with the actors’ names.

I read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton for the character list prompt.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Fool by Christopher Moore