Read like Wemby: what Victor Wembenyama reads, from sci-fi to dark fantasy

One of the more surprising titles associated with Wemby is Alchemised by SenLinYu, a dark fantasy novel set inside a collapsing empire shaped by war, surveillance and authoritarian control. The story follows Helena Marino, a woman whose memories have been damaged after years of imprisonment and psychological manipulation, as she is drawn into the orbit of a feared High Reeve tied to the regime’s violent power structure. Through fragmented recollections and shifting perspectives, the novel reconstructs political conspiracies, erased histories and emotional trauma while using alchemy less as escapist fantasy and more as a mechanism of state control. The result is a psychologically dense story built around power, memory and survival.

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Jean Teulé’s Le Magasin des Suicides is a dark French satire set in a deeply depressed future society where the Tuvache family runs a business specialising in suicide products and fatal accessories. The family’s livelihood depends on maintaining hopelessness among customers until the arrival of Alan, the youngest son, whose relentless optimism begins disrupting both the business model and the emotional logic of the household. Teulé uses absurd humour, exaggerated cynicism and uncomfortable comic reversals to examine alienation, consumer culture and inherited pessimism, creating a novel that operates somewhere between social satire and bleak comedy.

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy begins in a world ruled by the immortal Lord Ruler, whose thousand-year empire is maintained through class oppression, fear and supernatural enforcement. The story follows Vin, a street thief with hidden magical abilities, and Kelsier, a rebel leader attempting to overthrow the regime using Allomancy, a metal-based magic system that grants specific powers depending on which metals are consumed. Across The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages, the narrative expands from revolution into prophecy, religion and civilisational collapse as Sanderson gradually reveals ancient forces hidden beneath the empire’s political structure. The trilogy is known for its highly structured world-building, strategic action sequences and unusually detailed magic mechanics.

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series follows Geralt of Rivia, a genetically altered monster hunter travelling through a politically fractured world where humans are often more dangerous than the creatures they fear. The early books, including The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, present interconnected stories about curses, folklore and morally complicated contracts, while later novels such as Blood of Elves and Time of Contempt expand into wars between kingdoms, racial conflict and the fate of Ciri, a princess whose inherited powers place her at the centre of continental instability. Sapkowski combines fantasy, political intrigue, philosophical debate and dry humour in a series that consistently rejects straightforward heroic narratives.

Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, which Wemby has reportedly been reading in English for language practice, opens the sprawling Dark Tower series with the story of Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, as he crosses deserts and abandoned settlements in pursuit of the mysterious Man in Black. Blending fantasy, horror, western fiction and post-apocalyptic imagery, the novel follows Roland through fragmented landscapes tied to the Dark Tower, a near-mythic structure believed to hold reality together. Unlike more densely populated fantasy epics, The Gunslinger is sparse and atmospheric, relying heavily on isolation, memory and obsession while gradually revealing the emotional cost of Roland’s endless pursuit.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, the opening novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, begins after King Robert Baratheon asks Eddard Stark to become Hand of the King, setting off a sprawling political conflict involving the Stark, Lannister, Targaryen and Baratheon families across the continents of Westeros and Essos. Told through rotating character perspectives, the series combines court intrigue, dynastic warfare and supernatural threats beyond the Wall while treating political ambition and military power with unusual brutality. Martin’s fantasy world is defined by unstable alliances, sudden reversals and the constant collapse of moral certainty, with detailed attention paid to governance, succession and the mechanics of war.

What genres does Victor Wembanyama read?

Wemby appears to favour fantasy, dark fantasy, dystopian fiction and speculative fiction with strong political or psychological themes.

Is Wemby reading books in English?

Yes. Wemby has reportedly been reading Stephen King’s The Gunslinger in English as part of language practice.

Does Wemby read French books?

Yes. One of the titles associated with Wemby is Jean Teulé’s French black comedy novel Le Magasin des Suicides.

Which fantasy series has Wemby read?

The fantasy series connected to Wemby include Mistborn, The Witcher and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe, which begins with A Game of Thrones.

Why are readers interested in Wemby’s bookshelf?

As the emerging face of the next generation of NBA stars, Victor Wembanyama is always in the spotlight. Being a basketball player who also loves reading makes him extra interesting to a lot of younger fans, as well as older ones who are used to the stereotypical sports jock.

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