Adrian Collins's Blog, page 109

REVIEW: The Definition of Vengeance by Kevin Wright

The Definition of Vengeance by Kevin Wright is the third installment of the Serpent Knight Saga. A particularly excellent example of grimdark, it is a continuing series of supernatural adventures during the Black Death starring a corrupt Medieval Knight and his unusual band of companions. It’s a little bit of Dark Souls, a little bit of A Plague Tale, and some Kingdom Come Deliverance thrown in. If you’re wondering why I chose video games to represent the writing style, there’s not really a deeper meaning there, they just reminded me of the story.

Sir Luther Slythe Krait finds himself once more in a new location riddled with corruption, superstition, and evil happenings. This time we are doing a murder mystery with our antihero protagonist tracking down the murderer of a young girl, Hilda. This is the smallest stakes of the three books so far and we get a more intimate story versus the larger epics of the previous two volumes. This benefits the tale as we get more focus on the protagonist versus his supporting cast and to be honest this is a good choice since his dark cynical worldview is the strongest of the narratives. 

If you aren’t familiar with the Serpent Knight Saga, Luther is closest probably to Westeros’ Hound but with a much more sardonic cynical humor. He’s a corrupt man who is well aware the world he inhabits is utterly absurd and vile, so he’s largely abandoned himself to being a hedonistic corrupt officer. However, like so many noir protagonists, there remains those one or two lines he refuses to cross and compels him to try to do something against the corruption he finds.

Kevin Wright has an exaggerated but not unbelievable style to his worldbuilding. His is the kind of rainy, muddy, perpetually overcast, and dark medieval world where everyone is one particular shade of scumbag after another. It is evocative and jumps off the page in a way that not many other authors can match. In a very real way, his mythologized version of Eastern Europe is as much a star as Luther himself.

I appreciated the more tightly focused and character-specific storytelling in The Definition of Vengeance but some fans may be annoyed that instead of the stakes raising or a larger view of the setting opening up, it has instead become smaller. I don’t have this problem because I don’t believe that would be fitting with the themes established. 

Sir Luther is something of a noir hero. He can’t change the systemic and cultural evils of the Dark Ages nor meaningfully make improvements even on a personal level. He’s also, despite how entertaining he may be, a genuinely terrible person with a few redeeming qualities. You enjoy him for telling off the Prioress of the Abbey of Saint Helenas for how ridiculous her pretensions are not his personal virtue.

One interesting element of the story is Sir Luther’s dealings between the local village and the Romani people in the area. The villagers treat them like crap and they’re less than pleased at the locals in return. The death of the young girl becomes a potential flashpoint between them and only Luther is even mildly interested in finding the actual culprit versus an easy scapegoat.

Basically, if you’re looking for properly dark grimdark fantasy with a bit of crude humor as well as scathing satire of social institutions of the Middle Ages then this is certainly the book for you. I’ve enjoyed the entirety of the Serpent Knight Saga (Lords of Asylum, and The Last Benediction of Steel) and think it is one of the better independent grimdark works out there.

Read The Definition of Vengeance by Kevin Wright

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An interview with Jake Donkersgoed, creator of The Doors of Trithius

It’s been a slow few months for me, but it’s time I change that. Today, I bring you a first for Grimdark Magazine: game developer interviews! Today, I bring an interview with game developer Jake Donkersgoed, creator of indie RPG The Doors of Trithius, an RPG roguelike set in a randomly generated fantasy world. You fight monsters, avoid traps, collect loot, manage your wounds and more as you traverse the mysterious world of Enalia.

Jake was awesome enough to shoot me over a code of the game (which I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks), but for now, let’s dive in with Jake and chat about The Doors of Trithius, being a games developer, and dealing with the market response to your work.

[MB] First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you do?

[JD] I’m Jake Donkersgoed (aka Sineso), creator of the open-world RPG The Doors of Trithius.

The project started in 2020. There’s this moment I remember from early that year. I’m at my computer looking through an old folder filled with half-finished games built up from over the years – basically a graveyard of unfinished projects – and the truth hit me hard. If I was ever going to complete a game it was now or never. The Doors of Trithius is the result of that decision. Soon after, I quit my job as a software developer and began working on the game full time.

[MB] What does being a game designer actually mean?

[JD] For me, it means writing documents. Lots of documents. If your ideas are not on paper or in the game they don’t exist. Having “an idea” is not worth much until you can express what it is, how it works, and how it all fits together. Show your work.

On the other hand, there’s the artistic element. The seed of a vision. That numinous deep thing that wants to be expressed. Without that, the rest is impossible. The trick is to solve problems logically and carefully without letting go of that initial seed of desire and wonder.

In more practical terms, most times my process starts with the question “what experience am I trying to create?”. Once I have that answer, I design game mechanics to support that experience. Without this experiential element there is a risk design becomes a game of math abstractions, losing sight of the human element.

[MB] Can you tell our readers about The Doors of Trithius?

[JD] The Doors of Trithius is an open world RPG with a strong emphasis on procedural generation. One way I like to explain it is that I always loved the Elder Scrolls games, but felt those games were limited by their graphical fidelity. What if an open-world RPG could have hundreds of monster types, abilities, and quests? How far can we ramp up the content, variety, and that feeling of wonder – how far can it go when using pixel art and not be limited by 3D graphics?

The second way I would describe this project is an attempt to create a certain type of experience. I want to surprise players with weird, strange, and seemingly random things happening. Emergent or complex behavior that is not obvious on the surface level, but through exploration reveals an underlying order and unity. Enalia is a world thriving with monsters and magical happenings that lets the player decide where to go, and what systems to interact with, based on their own curiosity and level of skill.

[MB] As anyone who creates anything, we must all deal with criticism from consumers. How do you go about it particularly in the prolific and viral standard of gaming today?

[JD] Acceptance. Emotions are always correct. If a player has a bad experience, that is a brute fact, and cannot be argued with. This acceptance is necessary to empathize with players. There is no need to control or fight or try to change a player’s mind. Bad experiences are ok.

Empathy is one thing. Taking advice however is another. The real danger is in paying too close attention to players proposed design solutions. Their experiences are invaluable, which is why I love watching twitch streams and players play live, but player suggestions are almost never quite right, or at least not complete. After all, that’s your job as a designer, to draw from your vision to produce the type of experience you are aiming for.

The cliché “if you love it you’ll let it free” has been helpful to me as well in this regard. The ego can become too attached. Make something beautiful, but never cling. The Gods love courage.

[MB] What advice would you give new developers taking the plunge into game design?

[JD] Pretend you have a deadline, an audience, players. Make it real. I remember before the game was even on steam I was writing patch notes and releasing updates every 2 weeks. These versions I sent to my roommate and friends.

Sometimes a version would go by with no one to play it but myself. It didn’t matter. On the evening of the new release, I would be scrambling to have it ready in time. I wrote those patch notes as if I had players. It was my prayer, and I took it seriously “here you go universe, here is my effort, here is my dream – take it”.

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve heard this type of advice before, but it’s the truth. Any endeavor requires a leap of faith. The momentum comes after. Act first.

This, of course, is if you want to take the path I did starting as a solo Indie developer. There are other paths in game design of which I know less.

[MB] If you still have time to play video games, what are some of your favorite ones to play?

[JD] Deep diving into a complex game is my favorite. Recently I’ve been enjoying Stellaris, such a beautiful game with so many design solutions packed in.

Typically I try to avoid games similar to my own. I don’t want to accidentally start thinking and designing in terms of a similar game. The further you travel for inspiration; the stranger and more novel of solutions you will encounter. That means playing other games, yes, but also nature, books, movies, swimming. Ask a question in the right way and everything seems to speak to it.

[MB] What inspires you to do what you do?

[JD] There’s something self-referential in the experience of creating. We want to inspire others, so they can create and inspire others, who become inspired and then inspire even more, on and on. But I’m thankful to be part of this strangeloop. I’m thankful just to be on the carousel, potentially inspiring whoever will be next.

In short, that someone playing my game could – through that experience – see something new about themselves or in the world is massively inspiring. If it’s true the world is magic, we have to find a way to say it.

[MB] What is the hardest part of your job?

[JD] Task initiation. Sitting down and getting started. Once a train is moving it’s easy to keep going. But that first hump, it can be so difficult. Sometimes I have to set a timer and tell myself “you will work on this item without a single pause for X minutes”. I imagine I’m a sprinter. The timer starts like a gunshot and there is no going back. Right foot, left foot, right foot, keep going.

The other hard challenge is when a tension emerges between two good design ideas. Letting go of something you really wanted to make room for another feature is hard. There was a long period of about a month where I was stuck because I couldn’t figure out how to implement quests in the way that I wanted if the world remained 100% procedurally generated, with no guarantee of what dungeons or locations would be spawned into the map. There was no way forward without letting something go. This for me is the hardest art.

[MB] What was your favorite thing about game development?

[JD] The feeling of growth. We never know where we are until we move. Every time a new feature is added, a bug is fixed, whatever it is, there is a feeling of moving towards something. This expansion builds momentum to continue moving forward.

[MB] What lessons have you learned from your first game?

[JD] Routine over motivation. Write documents. Set time limits and don’t get stuck fiddling. Understand the difference between “real work” and “fake work” where you know in your heart you are not making real progress. Commit to doing some amount of real work every day. Ignore the competition. Don’t work on two tasks at once – planning long-term is one task, implementation is another. These are some ideas that have helped me immensely, or perhaps I should say, have survived their utility having worked 2 years as an indie developer.

[MB] What are your future project(s)?

[JD] I intend to keep working on The Doors of Trithius long-term. The goal is for a world so massive players discover new features on every playthrough.

[MB] If you couldn’t be a game developer, what ideal job would you like to do?

[JD] Music, philosophy, chess, reading. The feeling I have is that when I follow an interest, the world expands like a fractal. Whatever is needed will appear.

[MB] Finally, what is your ideal video game if money and time was no object?

[JD] If you’ve read the book Ender’s Game, something like the video game he plays while at the training school. This would mean using AI to generate stories that would infinitely unravel in any direction the player wants to take it. It would be like the web-based game “AI dungeon”, but taken to the absolute extreme.

Honestly, that might be the game we’re playing right now.

 

Check out The Doors of Trithius on Steam.

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REVIEW: The Crew by Sadir S. Samir

What do you get when you mix Deadpool, Kings of the Wyld, and adventure fantasy? You get The Crew by Sadir S. Samir. This wildly imaginative, rampantly out there tale has plenty to love, and unfortunately for this reviewer, some things that didn’t work.

In The Crew, Edgar, former spymaster of Akrab, is on the run from the Bone Lord of Akrab, Clea. She’s ordered his death, has lost control of the city and the rising tensions between the human and demon population, is about to go bankrupt, and the only way he can see to save his beloved city is to remove her, despite his feelings for her. He needs a crew. One that makes use of the natural-born, manufactured, and imbibed power of the people of the land. And his starting point is Varcade, an ex-Educator and semi-superhuman mercenary. From there, along this crazy, exciting, non-stop journey to the heart of Akrab we meet dusters (humans who snort the ground bones of dead gods to gain magic powers) who have become dogs, fly on clouds, and are made of smoke, a necromancer who loves detonating bodies, an old lady with a wicked judo chop, demons of every size and shape you could imagine, and a crazily vast range of characters as diverse as a toad is from a human and everything in between.

What The Crew has in spades is wild imagination. Demons, dusters, people who look like animals, a past war between said demons and humans and the uneasy peace ongoing, toads for steeds, and so many other really cool things packed into the story.  The magic system is absolutely next level–it’s hands down my favourite part of the book (except for this one scene where I lost it laughing while on a bus home from the Sydney CBD, but I’ll get to that later) and worth picking this book up just for that.

The history of the land and the Educators I thought were really cool and well done. Despite some of the things that I wasn’t in to, that I’ll detail further in, these landed right in my enjoyment sweet spot. Using Vashi (Varcade’s brother) to showcase the thought process of the Educators was excellent (and got a few grins out of my grumpy self), and while I’m not really sure Vashi needed to get as much screen time as he did to tell the story, this is a book that’s about entertaining you like a good popcorn action movie, and that’s where I found his value.

Having said that, there are a range of things about this book that didn’t land with me. Based on seeing some of the other reviews out there about this book, there is a decent chance that I just don’t share a sense of humour with the author, and that I am potentially not the reader the author will be targeting. As a lover of Kings of the Wyld and the Deadpool franchise (from loving the movies, to screaming at the ceiling when I accidentally ruined my first Ed., first print comic as a teen) I wish these things had worked for me, but they didn’t.

Firstly was our primary badarse, Varcade. As the Deadpool-esque character his flippant approach to every mission situation just felt like a lack of effort in planning and lack of depth, and the merc with a mouth’s humour just didn’t land with me. In fact, the part I referred to earlier where I was in tears laughing on the bus home from the Sydney CBD after work like some kind of maniac (a brilliant scene with a cheeky wizard dog and some arrogant soldiers) had Varcade sidelined for most of it. For the first 10% of the book I wasn’t really sure what we were achieving, apart from making sure we knew Varcade was an epic badarse with two swords and a dark history … and that didn’t help it get off to the flying start it needed.

The mixing in of modern colloquialisms to a medieval fantasy world also just doesn’t work, for me. This is a massive personal choice here; I would hold this against me more than the author. It’s a fantasy world, the author can do whatever he wants, but things like holding out a fist and asking a medieval city person to “bump it” to seal an agreement, and some of the other modern colloquialisms used, really broke my train of concentration every few pages.

I do also need to flag for our readers that the eARC I received had spelling and grammar errors throughout that I hope will be fixed for the general market release (eg. I’m pretty sure that at some point there was a select all and replace done which switched every instance of “off” to “of”). There is also consistent telling as opposed to showing. I recognise there is an argument for both styles of storytelling–hell, I’ve made it many times when reviewing Warhammer 40K books which are renown for taking elephant sized info dumps on readers which I am totally okay with–and that’s perfectly fine, but for some reason when it’s done in fantasy it just doesn’t work for me.

Adventure fantasy fans will likely enjoy The Crew, as may die hard Deadpool fans with a different sense of humour to me. While The Crew has things in it that weren’t my jam, they may very well be yours. I encourage you to give it a try and see if it works for you, because I know there is a decent amount of people out there who are going to have a rip-snorting time laughing their arse off the whole way through.

Read The Crew by Sadir S. Samir

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REVIEW: Loki by Melvin Burgess

Melvin Burgess’ Loki is a grown-up take on Norse mythology. This Loki is a sassy, dirty-talking god who is determined to tell his own story. Part fictional autobiography, part oral story-telling in written form. In that, it is somewhere in between a traditional novel and a compendium of stories. Burgess has been writing for a YA audience for decades, but this is his first foray into writing for an adult audience – and it is an ambitious one. I feel that you can read Loki both from start to finish and consider it one story, or pick it up again and again, reading a bit at a time and taking out individual stories.

There is no shortage of fictional versions of the trickster god these days. Just within the last few years we’ve had Marvel’s TV show, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and even Louie Stowell’s middle grade Loki. So why pick up Melvin Burgess’s Loki over all of these others? Well, given that you’re reading this on Grimdark Magazine, I’m assuming that you enjoy a good dose of grimdark in your reading. And this is the most grimdark take on Norse mythology I’ve read. Not just in the way that the characters in the story are morally murky and keep betraying each other – that is a given considering the subject material. But I found that the tone and writing style Burgess used in Loki was also very similar to that of modern grimdark fantasy and I believe that this will resonate well with readers of the genre despite its more mythological grounding.

I found it compelling and funny – truly hilarious – at times. Mythology has a lot of humour to it, and Burgess makes the most of those elements. His Loki doesn’t feel like a powerful god, but rather like a flawed being trying to make the most out of the situations and life he has in front of him. His Aesir and Vanir are complicated and complex families. And Burgess leans into the queer elements present in the traditional stories and expands on them, makes them a focus of his retelling. While this isn’t a perfect book, it is one that I really enjoyed. It is a fresh take on Norse mythology and one that I expect will resonate well with readers of this site. Loki can be seen to have some structural weaknesses as a whole through its close first person narration over a long period of time, which made it feel more loosely connected than a traditional plot, though it felt very intentional on the author’s part. I am mainly flagging it here for readers who may not care for experimental story-telling as much – though I found it did work well here. Loki charms his way into readers’ hearts again and again, whether they want him to or not.

Read Loki by Melvin Burgess

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REVIEW: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Some books are so magical you know within a few pages that they will end up on your favourites shelf. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is such a book. I was smitten by the end of the historical preface, in love by the time I first got to glimpse Amina herself. Shannon Chakraborty wrote herself into readers’ hearts with the Daevabad series – fans will spot a fun easter egg in this – but has seriously levelled up with this new book. Telling the magical tale of Amina al-Sirafi, medieval pirate in the Pacific within the historical context of the Crusades and Holy War, this is compelling, twisty and brilliant.

When we meet Amina, she has long since retired from her life at sea. Settled down to give her daughter, Marjana, a good life, she is neither young nor beautiful anymore – a rare thing for a heroine these days. It is great to read a book about a middle aged heroine, driven by her personality rather than her looks, with the latter not really playing much of a role at all. But then, a rich woman makes Amina an offer she can’t refuse. Her granddaughter has been kidnapped by a Western treasure hunter, remaining in the region after coming as part of the Crusades. But not all is quite what it seems and everyone has far more complicated motivations for their actions than it first seems. I also appreciated how romance – or maybe more accurately, seduction – is used as a tool rather than as a primary focus of the story, a minor element but not something that is dominant. The love of friendship and family, both family by blood and family by choice is far more important here.

We spend most of the story with Amina and her motley crew of sailors, reassembled by necessity. Shannon Chakraborty weaves in mythology, history and brilliant characters with an adventure story to create a plot that is also, most of all, fun to read. Two things that particularly stood out to me as wonderful devices of her craft were the weaving in of stories, using the past as something of a mythologised tale to create a larger-than-life version of Amina as well as the nuanced treatment of queer characters within the historical and religious context of the story. There are multiple characters that identify on the queer spectrum, and I loved discovering their identities as the story went on – and found that it added a layer of joy to the story that I didn’t expect.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a masterpiece and a must-read for those who enjoy historical fantasy, brilliant characters and great storytelling. Oh, and I guess there’s pirates, daeva and other supernatural creatures too. And a good dose of fun and betrayal. Five stars for a firm favourite.

Read The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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REVIEW: Star Wars: Andor

Disney’s stewardship of the Star Wars brand has been somewhat spotty in its handling. I’m going to spare you my opinion on the subject because we would be here all day but I was a Legends fanboy and religiously cultivated my love of the Expanded Universe for a good ten to twelve years of my life. Suffice to say, my opinion of the sequels was less than stellar and I feel like with the exception of Lost Stars, the novels have been nothing of particular note either. Thankfully, Disney has been doing somewhat better with the television shows as both The Mandalorian and Kenobi were pretty good. I’d even go so far as to say that Kenobi should have been a movie in theaters rather than on Disney+.

Andor, by contrast, is its own beast and I honestly think it may be among the best Star Wars media ever created. I bring up all of my above Star Wars experience because I’m putting that into context. I’ve read everything from The Lost City of the Jedi to the New Jedi Order. I’ve watched Droids, Ewoks, Clone Wars, and Resistance. I can tell you the difference between a Quarren and a Klantooine. What I’m saying is I know shit.

I don’t know if Star Wars: Andor justifies the existence of Disney’s Star Wars but it is a compelling argument by itself. The Mandalorian is what I wanted from a Boba Fett series since I was eight years old but Andor does something different. Andor is actually of artistic merit. That’s a bit of a loaded pair of buzzwords but it’s the best way to describe what this show does for me. There’s nothing wrong with entertainment that exists to entertain but Andor manages to do that while also actually having something to say. A lot of things to say actually. All of which it does with imagery, storytelling, and strong characters.

The funny thing is that I was going to give this one a pass. I mean, who the Nine Corellian Hells cares about Cassian Andor? He was okay in Rogue One but it’s not like he was a particularly important character that I was dying to learn more of. If I had to choose any character from the Disney movies I would want to watch a series about, I’d probably choose Jyn Erso, Rey, Finn, Rose, Q’ra or Tobias Beckett. Hell, I’d watch an office comedy starring Admiral Krennic. Not that I was dying for any of these movies but Cassian didn’t leave much of an impressive. Here, he does.

Getting into the actual review, Andor is ostensibly the story about the titular character. It’s not quite twenty years into the reign of the Empire and he’s a petty thief working on the planet Ferrix as he’s struggling to find his lost sister. Cassian is an indigineous native of a planet that got separated from his family due to the Clone Wars and thinks he can track her down. The different kind of story this show is can be summarized by the fact he looks for her in a brothel and ends up murdering two cops, one of them begging for his life, in the first five minutes.

Now that might give you the impression this is a grimdark show or ridiculously gritty but this is definitely a far more grounded show than the typical Star Wars universe. This is not Luke Skywalker or even Han Solo’s Star Wars. This is maybe not even Wedge Antilles’ Star Wars, this is Uncle Owen and Rebel Soldier 271’s Star Wars. There are many people who have 9-5 jobs under the Empire, Stormtroopers are terrifying, and you can have your life ruined by an Imperial beach cop sending you away for six years for loitering.

This is the first Star Wars work to really give us an idea of what “normal” life in a galaxy far far away is like. The oppression of the Empire is everywhere but it’s just close enough to what we experience in our day to day life to be disquieting. The Empire has put the squeeze on everyone but Cassian, like many others, is determined to keep his head down until events actively prevent him from being able to do so. We get to see what life is like on worlds occupied by the Empire, how the upper crust live, the inside of a minimum security prison, and more.

Strangely, my favorite part of the story is Mon Mothma’s part. They somehow got Genevieve O’Reilly back twenty years later after only a walk on cameo for Revenge of the Sith with most of her story removed from it to reprise the character. The founder of the Rebellion isn’t doing much founding, though. Instead, she’s doing the infinitely less glamorous role of financing petty rebel cells while hoping to be able to do more. Her husband and child don’t know what she’s up to and they’re put in danger with every act she does.

This is a Star Wars show that reckons with the politics of fascism and how it is an insidious and not always overly visible force. It’s not about Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine but the petty prison wardens and smug rent a cops who revel in the power their positions grant them. Resistance to tyranny is something that goes beyond simply shooting up baddies and it is sobering how easy it is to believe things aren’t “that bad.”

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REVIEW: Nephilim: A Behind Blue Eyes Origins Story Vol. I-III by Anna Mocikat

Nephilim: A Behind Blue Eyes Origins Story volumes I through III by Anna Mocikat is a trilogy of prequel novellas for her wildly entertaining Behind Blue Eyes series that I’ve been reviewing as they’ve come out. The main series is a fantastic cyberpunk series that I absolutely love and have devoured every installment of so far. They are about a bunch of cybernetically modified corporate assassins working for the sinister Olympias Corporation.

When the author, Anna Mocikat, announced she was doing a prequel series around its protagonist, Nephilim, I was extra excited. Reading the first novel, I found it was a story of how Nephilim was kidnapped from her family and turned into the murderous death machine she is in the main books.

I feel like this is a really tragic and interesting story as she is slowly taught to be a killer and indoctrinated into the poisonous Olympias Corporation ideology. Fans of the main series will also come to hate villain, Metatron, more because his treatment of the per-pubescent Nephilim now has shades of grooming since he later attempts to make her his lover. Thankfully, there’s nothing to that in the actual book-book, just him brainwashing her into a killer.

The Guardian Angel school reminded me a lot of the Black Widows’ Red Room from Marvel comic, despite including boy candidates, and that was a definite plus. I am definitely picking up more of these novellas as they come out, though. It is good for reading as both a stand-alone separate from Behind Blue Eyes and a companion piece.

Each book follows the character as she’s increasingly made more and more robotic as well as devoted to the cause of the Olympias Corporation. Despite being a profit driven entity, the company surrounds itself in ideological shields that claim they have eliminated poverty and strife while obviously lying their butts off. After all, you don’t need a cybernetic death squad to eliminate dissent if you’ve destroyed the forces that divide us.

Despite using the auspices of a coming of age drama and large sections of the story taking place from the perspective of an adolescent to teenage Nephilim, they are not children’s books but really a dark and twisted story of indoctrination. It deals with adult subject matter like sexuality, fascism, authoritarianism, and cults of personality. At several points, child characters do not make it to adulthood and our young heroine must simply soldier on.

I really enjoyed these three books even as sometimes the points they raise made me squirm. Cyberpunk is a genre meant for social satire and not just mirror shades as well as motorcycles. This had elements that reminded me of the movie Soldier starring Kurt Russel, Ender’s Game, and the works of both George Orwell as well as Aldous Huxley. Anna does a great job of making her handlers sound reasonable even as what they’re teaching is objectively insane. It’s a delicate balance and she threads the needle nicely.

Nephilim: A Behind Blue Eyes Origin Story can be read before or after the main series or even independently. The writing may not be for everyone as the early parts have a simplified writing style to reflect the naivite of our heroine as a child but gradually becomes far more complex.

Each book contains subject matter that some people may find controversial but nothing that isn’t found in, say, The Hunger Games. Which if you’ve read that series properly isn’t much of a defense. It’s not YA but people who like the darker of that genre will enjoy this as well as adults. They’re easy reads too and can be read separately or one after the other.

Read Nephilim: A Behind Blue Eyes Origins story by Anna Mocikat

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Grimdark Magazine Issue #32 is here, featuring Polansky, Reid, Bacigalupi, and Dalglish

After a two month run-in with the Kindle publishing team, we are finally LIVE! I’ve just been dying to get this out to you. It’s Beth Tabler’s first issue in complete control of Grimdark Magazine’s quarterly publication, and she has completely smashed this issue. I can’t wait for you to read it!

GdM #32 cover reveal

Based on Daniel Polansky’s Sticks and Stones Carlos Diaz has absolutely fucking smoked this cover! For Beth’s first issue, it probably has one of my favourite covers we’ve published.

This issue’s lineup

Grimdark Magazine presents the darker, grittier side of fantasy and science fiction. Each quarterly issue features established and new authors to take you through their hard-bitten worlds alongside articles, reviews and interviews. Our stories are grim, our worlds are dark and our morally grey protagonists and anti-heroes light the way with bloody stories of war, betrayal and action.

FICTIONSnow White, Green Mantle by Jude ReidBaby Teeth by Lina RatherPop Squad by Paolo BacigalupiA Place Where Stars Should Not Be by David DalglishSticks and Stones by Daniel PolanskyNON-FICTIONAn Interview with James J. ButcherMen and Monsters by Aaron S. JonesReview: The Two Doctors Górski by Isaac FellmanAn Interview with Gourav MohantyReview: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi NovikA Future Without Fiction: Dragons and Books Bans by Jason (David Wong) ParginAn Interview with Dyrk AshtonReview: A Gamble of Gods by Mitriel FaywoodSubscribers

For our loyal and wonderful Patreon subscribers, please refer to our Patreon post here to download your issue release files in mobi, ePub, and PDF.

Read Grimdark Magazine Issue #32

Prefer PDF or ePub? Purchase from our webstore, here.

The post Grimdark Magazine Issue #32 is here, featuring Polansky, Reid, Bacigalupi, and Dalglish appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

Where to start reading grimdark, no matter the genre you prefer

Depending on where you get your data from, there are up to four million books published every year. Let that sink in. Four fucking million. Add to that there are so many opinions on what sits in what genre that just getting started reading grimdark and dark SFF must seem like that episode in Squid Game where you have to jump onto one of two tiles and you have a 50/50 shot at falling 30 metres onto concrete, or living to jump onto the next pair of tiles. Everyone is shouting “read my book!” or “read this book!” and with really cool covers on just about everything these days, I can see why it’s almost impossible to know what you’re going to enjoy reading.

This is why you’ve come to Grimdark Magazine, home of the most trustworthy and non-betraying or treacherous people and characters in genre fiction who definitely won’t ever steer you astray!

Now that I’ve had my fun with the preamble, let’s get to the point. THIS, friends, is a listicle of listicles. Yes, we’ve hit peak listicle, and we’re doing it so that you can pick a genre / sub genre and get an instant list of recommendations for dark and grimdark SFF in those genres / subgenres that our team loved.

Grimdark / dark fantasy

Our bread and butter. The fiction that is the reason that Grimdark Magazine was started in the first place. Where Glotka tortures you, Cersei makes you like and respect the unlovable, and Jorg gives you a really good look into the darkness.

Check out:

Grimdark Fantasy: Where to start readingFive female authors smashing grimdark fantasy right nowTop 10 standalone grimdark novels (may include some SF)Ten indie grimdark novel recommendations (may include some SF)Ten queer books to kickstart your reading (includes SF)Grimdark Top 15: James picks his favouritesTop ten Mark Lawrence short storiesFive tor.com com novellas to help you fall in love with shorter booksThe GdM team pick their favourite self-published fantasy booksCyberpunk and SF

The ugly older brother of grimdark / dark fantasy. He’s mean, he’s got a bad attitude, and he smells of cigarettes and cheap booze. He also firmly believes humankind is being crushed by powerful government overlords, but one spark of human spirit can spark a revolution, or a horrible war that kills a lot of people. Either way, it’s going to be a ride.

Check out:

Cyberpunk: Where to start reading12 SF must reads for grimdark fansEight indie cyberpunk recommendationsAnother eight indie cyberpunk recommendationsLGBTQIA+ Dark SFF character: Where to start readingMilitary science fantasy

For me, there is no better military science fantasy series out there than the Warhammer 40k universe. You could probably never read another non-40k book in your entire life, and you’d still struggle to finish them all. But, getting started in such a vast and well established universe can be daunting, so let me guide you through the best starting points so that you can get into the universe without getting overwhelmed.

Check out:

Warhammer 40K: where to start readingThree books to get you stuck into Warhammer 40,000Horror

If cyberpunk is grimdark’s dodgy older brother, then horror is that other sibling that dresses in black and was born with an intense thousand-yard stare that your uncle had a quiet chat with your mum about last Christmas. Now, because horror translates to a lot of mediums better than some of the other genres in this list, I’ve included video games and movies in this section.

Check out:

The top ten scariest books according to a horror loverTop five slasher video gamesTop ten slasher moviesTop 5 zombie video gamesVampires

Characters that bridge the gap between monster and human, vampires are one of the most awesome, notorious, and interesting dark characters out there. Whether they be suave and classy, or rabid and mentally unhinged, or anything in between, vampires will forever be characters that grimdark fans want to read about. I’m actually a little shocked we only have one article on the topic!

Check out:

Vampire fiction that doesn’t suck: Where to start readingHistorical fiction

It’s often said that no fiction can be as grimdark as actual human history. A quick look through our species’ history probably won’t disabuse you of that notion. And while historical fiction lacks the SFF elements we love, it’s still brutal AF and we love it.

Check out:

6 historical fiction books for grimdark fansFree reads

Let’s face it, most of GdM’s readership live in societies where you can’t turn left without getting charged $1.99 for the privilege. Sometimes, either because we’re a bit skint or we just don’t want to get the wallet out AGAIN, it’s nice to get a really good quality read for free. Here’s how you can do that without resorting to stealing (and yes, downloading ebooks from pirate sites is stealing).

Check out:

Where to read your favourite authors for free (without being a pirate bastard)

The post Where to start reading grimdark, no matter the genre you prefer appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

An Interview With Dyrk Ashton

Not long ago I was recommended the Paternus series by a good friend. It had been my first foray into the wild world of self-published fantasy. To say that Paternus by Dyrk Ashton is one of my favorite series is an understatement. Paternus is a great read from start to finish.  It has excellent pacing, magnificent action and humor. It shows just how incredible self-publishing really is.

I had the great honor of interviewing Dyrk this month, and hopefully some of you will give the Paternus universe a swing.

[GdM] You’ve been deeply involved in the film industry; where did you get your start?

[DA] I developed a love of movies at a young age and in high school started to think I wanted to be a filmmaker. When college rolled around I went for something that made more practical sense and studied business for my first two years. While in college my first year I met a few of the filmmaking students at Ohio University and helped them with one of their projects and loved it. I stuck out a second year studying business, this time at the University of Toledo, after which I was convinced a career in business wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I transferred to the  film program at The Ohio State University, where I got my bachelors in film and video production, and stayed for my masters, during which time I produced the first feature length film that had been done within the department. That was an ultra low budget but kind of arty horror film called Beyond Dreams Door, which was actually picked up for distribution on video.

While going to film school I worked as a production assistant on locally shot commercials and industrial films, and worked my way up to grip, then did some assistant directing, and ended up mostly production managing and producing. After school I kept at that while working on low budget creative short films and a feature film, and some friends of mine and I started our own production company. After a time I moved to Los Angeles where I worked on shoot in about every capacity you can imagine while writing and submitting screenplays, none of which really went anywhere, though I did have some read by Scott Free Entertainment and New Line Cinema and had a TV series proposal championed by American Zoetrope Television, which was later turned down by the financiers.

Oddly enough, the vast majority of my income in Los Angeles came from acting. I’m a terrible actor, but really good at auditioning. I don’t know if I can call it a start, but the first professional “acting” gig I had was years before I’d gone to L.A., as the Truck Zombie in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead.

[GdM] In what way do you think your background in films has helped you craft stories? Is there a way that it has hindered you?

[DA] My background in film has definitely had a huge influence on my writing, from the way I plot and structure to how I begin and end chapters and the way I use tense and POV. That comes from directing and editing as well as screenwriting. The only thing I can think of that hindered me was it took me a long time to figure out how to tell stories with a lot more words than you do with a script.

[GdM] Did you find yourself sketching and approaching scenes the same way a cinematographer would? I noticed this was especially true of the fight scenes in the novel.

[DA] I’m a TERRIBLE artist so I didn’t sketch, but I definitely use a filmmaker’s approach to envisioning the space and movement within a scene while I write. When writing I know that I’m always as least half conscious of the angle and shot on the character, even if I don’t describe it. Basically I’m choosing camera angles, shot size, camera movement, and character blocking all the time.

[GdM] I need to know how you have written so many books. Every great series that has ever been written and will be written will have the name Dyrk Ashton attached.

[DA] It’s a hard life, or at least started that way. It began when Michael R. Fletcher stole my pants then locked me in a cage in his basement and made me write all of his earlier books. Then I escaped and put him in the cage, then kidnapped Rob Hayes and put him in there, and made both write books for me. I’ve added about two dozen authors since. At this point I don’t even know which ones I write myself or under their names anymore. Sigh.

[GdM] How did Wizards, Warriors, and Words come about?

[DA] That was all Jed Herne. He contacted me, Mike Fletcher and Rob Hayes (which wasn’t hard, since they’re in my basement), and asked if we want to give it a shot and see how it went after a few. I honestly don’t know how it happened, but now we’ve been doing it for two years and have over a hundred episodes! Really, though, it’s really weird to look back and realized we’ve come that far.

[GdM] How has the book community on Twitter helped and hindered your writing?

[DA] The only thing that hinders my writing is me. I’m really a sloth in a Fletcher skin suit. The Twitters have been truly great. I believe a very large number of my readers would never have heard of the book without all the wonderful folks there.

Is there a particular example of a piece of writing you discovered just how powerful the written word could be?

[GdM] What was the original nugget of an idea that Paternus is based on?

[DA] Two old goofy ideas, really. One was about a group vampires who though thtye were ancient and powerful, until they ran into some much more ancient and powerful, and so on, until they find out there’s the original vampire that had been watching them all, wipes them all out and starts over again. I think I was twelve when I came up with that. It evolved over the years, thank gods.

The second was I love mythology and always toyed with the idea of making up a kind of unified field theory for mythology that would tie them all together, traced back to where they came from and what really happened that spawned them all. Taking very loosely from those two ideas germinated the starting point for Paternus.

[GdM] How did you plan such a detail-oriented story? Are your walls covered in post-it notes?

[DA] I have literally HUNDREDS of pages of notes and enormous spreadsheets of information all put together while I was brainstorming and refining the idea and story. I probably spent a few hundred hours outlining for the three books, at least.

[GdM] Which myth did you have the most fun twisting around?

[DA] Norse Mythology, definitely. I’m not saying it’s my favorite mythology, but what I was able to do with it to serve the story and worldbuilding was really, really fun.

[GdM] Are there any “darlings” that you would have loved to have had in the story had they worked?

[DA] Not sure what the question is exactly, but I’ll assume this is about myths; stories from myths or characters from myths. And, wow, there are SO many I wouldn’t know where to start. The hardest part of selecting characters wasn’t deciding who to put in the books and how much story importance they’d have, but having to not use so many others that I love.

[GdM] You have a rabid fanbase of myth geeks, myself included. When you wrote the Paternus series, did you know how well it would do with the reading public?

[DA] I absolutely did not. I knew the first book odd and oddly written, but I did it that way on purpose because I wanted to write the book I wanted to read. I just crossed my fingers and hoped some people would like that too. I didn’t have very high hopes, though.

[GdM] What is next? What are you working on?

[DA] Right now I’m having an absolute blast writing the first book in this crazyfarmboy-outcast-makes-good-magic-military-dragon-rider-school-epic-progression-fantasy tentatively titled Kraken Rider Z. Yeah, that

Thank you for having me!

READ THE PATERNUS SERIES BY DYRK ASHTON

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