Grimdark Fantasy discussion
Recommendations
>
Other than Grimdark, what else are you reading?
Mod
Mark was kind enough to send me an ARC!! Yes, little old me!?
Well you are the captain of this Grim Dark ship. :) We should do that book as a Grim read!
Although this is considered fantasy, I don't understand why. It was a major disappointment that I would not recommend to anyone.
I'm now beginning to wonder whether Paradise Lost doesn't fulfill several criteria of Grimdark. Or does Grimdark specifically preclude Epic? Probably a topic for another thread.
I just grabbed lots of female authored-novels from the latest HumbleBundle collection (https://www.humblebundle.com/books/wo...) so I will start with Sunshine And still bingereading Marko Kloos' excellent Frontlines series with Angles of Attack.
It's been a while since my last Grimdark. Maybe I should just try to read Malazan again.
I've recently went down the occult science rabbit hole and started reading through the University Books - Library Of The Mystic Arts series. It's essential (though exhausting) stuff if you're interested in that sort of history.
Not sure if it's Grimdark but I'm working on The Malice by Peter Newman.
I'm reading a history called A Brief History of Life in the Middle Ages, which is, er, dark and pretty grim... One Londoner drowned to death in his own excrement after the floorboards beneath his latrine collapsed... Let's hear it for 14th century sanitation!I'll post a review when I'm done. You can check out my other reviews on my author profile if you like :)
Mod
I read the Vagrant last year, loved it. His latest one has also just been released.
Mod
Ewwwwww. Not a nice way to go!
Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Damien wrote: "I'm reading a history called A Brief History of Life in the Middle Ages, which is, er, dark and pretty grim... One Londoner drowned to death in his own excrement after..."No indeed...! History at its grimmest and darkest!
I'm also reading #2 Demon Cycle by Peter V Brett... I suppose that's technically more dark fantasy than grimdark so I thought it worth a mention... It's pretty good btw...
Mod
I love the Demon Cycle!
Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Coby wrote: "Not sure if it's Grimdark but I'm working on The Malice by Peter Newman."I read the Vagrant last year, loved it. His latest one has also just been released."
I felt like The Malice didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was still an entertaining read but The Vagrant was the better of the two. I live in the U.S. and sadly the last book in the series wont be released until October here.
Mod
I read the Vagrant last year, loved it. His latest one has also just been rel..."
Ah that's too bad, I had heard that US readers had a tough time getting hold of book 1 a few years ago.
Will you read book 3 when its released Stateside?
Yesterday I started Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys. Sort of a sequel to Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth following a Deep One Hybrid. Only on Chapter 6, but really digging it. Not sure how well someone without a lot of Lovecraft knowledge would be able to follow it.
Just finished Senlin Ascends. It was fantastic! It's hard to compare it to anything else I've read, but there are some similarities to Dante's Inferno, Pilgrim's Progress, and A Princess of Mars. It also manages to be both excellent literature and a page turner. I highly recommend!
Have you read"Hollow World," by Michael Sullivan? It is a sci-fi novel, with time travel. I have been pouring through his Riyria seriesand his writing is witty!
Mod
Hollow World and Ririya have been on my tbr for ages! I just haven't found the time... Bookworm problems!
Andrew wrote: "Just finished Senlin Ascends. It was fantastic! It's hard to compare it to anything else I've read, but there are some similarities to Dante's Inferno, Pilgrim's Progress, and A Pri..."A truly excellent book (& series). It has just been snapped up by a major publisher so it may not be possible to buy it now until the relaunch next year.
Andrew wrote: "Just finished Senlin Ascends. It was fantastic! It's hard to compare it to anything else I've read, but there are some similarities to Dante's Inferno, Pilgrim's Progress, and A Pri..."I liked the second book much better than the first. That pretty much never happens with series!
Sullivan never disappoints me.
Heather wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Just finished Senlin Ascends. It was fantastic! It's hard to compare it to anything else I've read, but there are some similarities to Dante's Inferno, Pilgrim's Prog..."I just started Arm of the Sphinx a couple days ago. Thus far I'm not enjoying it quite as much as the first (maybe the novelty has worn off already for me?), but it's still very good.
Mark wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Just finished Senlin Ascends. It was fantastic! It's hard to compare it to anything else I've read, but there are some similarities to Dante's Inferno, Pilgrim's Prog..."Well since you clearly have good taste in books, I may have to try reading some of your works also. Maybe someday you can be as famous as that Josiah Bancroft guy :)
I just had no love for original Senlin or his wife for that matter. I like him better after book one arc. I will say that it's the latter part of "Arm" that made me really enjoy it. Almost no authors do steampunk well, and you get really interesting inventions later in the book.
From day one I have been thinking this is a trick question.
THERE IS NO OTHER THAN GRIMDARK!
THERE IS NO OTHER THAN GRIMDARK!
Mod
THERE IS NO OTHER THAN GRIMDARK!"
:o The doppels have escaped again! Get back in your cages!!
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by PKD.
Eavesdropping on Jane Austen's England - which is for research purposes.As it deals with England in the late 1700's and early 1800's it is still a bit grim and dark though!
The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin. If I end up giving it five stars then it would be the first fantasy trilogy I read with all five-star books.
I am reading The Last Colony and soon The Black Lung Captain & The Iron Jackal. I just love ships in all kinds of forms. Hopefully the 'sea' theme I proposed for the group read could happen.
Silvana wrote: "The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin. If I end up giving it five stars then it would be the first fantasy trilogy I read with all five-star books."Hoping it is good! I got a little tired of how stream-of-conscious it got in book two. But I have hope the science will be super cool in three.
I'm trying out The Mermaid's Tale currently, but I consider it grimdark...
Well it has more science than TOG but I would not call it very cool. It just a bit too close with the post apocalyptic stuff which I normally don't like. Plus some other concerns, The Stone Sky became a four star read at the end.
I really thought she should have dropped the second person PoV once we knew who it was. And, really, not enough happened in book two to fill an entire book. But the world-building parts are very interesting. I can see how you'd say there's a lot of post-apocalyptic stuff. I will probably read the third book in a few months. While I like the series, I also am not super eager to read the book.
I just realized my last grimdark novel this year was the last book of the Dagger and the Coin series. Unless one could consider Brian McClellan's Sins of Empire as grimdark (not sure)
The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley.! Also #epic #fantasy!
Mod
Have read that one yet, however I have read Skullsworn which I absolutely loved!
Mod
The Martian"
The Martian is brilliant! One of the few books that lives up to the hype.
Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Earl wrote: "The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley.! Also #epic #fantasy!"Have read that one yet, however I have read Skullsworn which I absolutely loved!"
I have read them all and am reading Skullsworn now! The trilogy is really good!
Currently reading some horror novels: The Girl with All the Gifts (more like a thriller, I guess) and then followed by Something Wicked This Way Comes.Coby wrote: "Tracey the Lizard Queen wrote: "Earl wrote: "The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley.! Also #epic #fantasy!"
Have read that one yet, however I have read Skullsworn which I absolutely loved!"
I hav..."
I will have to read Skullsworn next year.
Romans in North American fighting the mongol hordes.
I'm reading The Stone Sky and hoping she figured out a good ending! Also, picked back up reading Chronicles of Amber with Sign of the Unicorn. Emperor's Blades gets more dark the further in you get. I liked that about the series.
I'm currently reading lots of Star Warsy stuff such as Lost Stars, Kanan - The Last Padawan #1 and so on. Those are more YA in tone, I think. Wonder if there is a particular new-canon or legend novel that's more grimdark-ish than the others.
I love grimdark! But reading great books like Ready Player One is just as awesome!
Earl wrote: "I love grimdark! But reading great books like Ready Player One is just as awesome!"That's next on my list when I finish Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. Although, I need to buy the next two in that series as well. It's fantastic.
Mod
Grimdark Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
Oracle's War (other topics)The Time Machine (other topics)
The Time Machine (other topics)
By Ways Unseen (other topics)
The Salt Roads (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
David Hair (other topics)Daniel Dydek (other topics)
Nalo Hopkinson (other topics)
R.F. Kuang (other topics)
Kevin J. Anderson (other topics)
More...
Tracey...How did you get ahold of Red Sister?! Jealous!