04-19-2022, 06:58 PM | #1 |
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Grimdark Recommendations
Any grimdark fans out there? What are your grimdark recommendations?
There is a Grimdark Magazine with reviews and stories! Some prominent grimdark authors include: Mark Lawrence (for example, the Broken Empire series) Joe Abercrombie (for example, the First Law series) Richard K. Morgan (The Steel Remains) Michael R. Fletcher (Beyond Redemption was voted as the "grimdarkest" book) Anna Smith Spark (for example, the Empires of Dust series) Scott Oden (for example, A Gathering of Ravens) Glen Cook (for example, Chronicles of the Black Company) Kameron Hurley (for example, The Mirror Empire) Brian McClellan (for example, the Powder Mage series) R. Scott Bakker (for example, the Prince of Nothing series) Anna Stephens (for example, Godblind) Daniel Polansky (for example, the Low Town series) Some authors who may or may not be grimdark include R.F. Kuang, Robin Hobb, Andrzej Sapkowski, C.S. Friedman, Steven Erikson, and Stephen R. Donaldson. Authors who influenced grimdark include Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber. |
04-20-2022, 09:46 AM | #2 |
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Howard and Leiber I'd recommend. But that's no help for you.
I think 'grimdark' is a stupid word, so I haven't done tons of homework on it. But isn't George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire ground zero for what is now called grimdark? I have The Steel Remains from Morgan. But I haven't yet read it. |
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04-20-2022, 01:43 PM | #3 | |
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Googling the defintion:
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I always thought of "dystopian" as a bleak futuristic setting. But it seems like grimdark wouldn't include fantasy type books (like Steel Remains (I believe this is dark fantasy (I haven't read it, but it is on my TBR list)), ... If grimdark is dark fantasy or dark science fiction, then for young adult, how about The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey? |
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04-20-2022, 01:57 PM | #4 | |
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GRRM is one of the pioneers. But while it’s not as famous, Glen Cook’s first Black Company book came out several years earlier. I think the term grimdark has staying power because it’s short and because terms like “dark fantasy” have other meanings. And it probably works because the label can be mocked — even by fans and by its own writers. (Also, the genre or label or whatever it is can be applied to both SF and fantasy.) I know that feeling… |
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04-20-2022, 04:15 PM | #5 |
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Grimdark: A silly word that needs to go away forever.
Last edited by JSWolf; 04-20-2022 at 04:18 PM. |
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04-20-2022, 09:26 PM | #6 | |
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I’ve seen some people refer to “dystopian fantasies” (although it usually refers to science fictional settings). There is also one famous grimdark fantasy that actually takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. Just to confuse things. "Dark fantasy" would probably work better, but it's used to refer to fantasy with elements of horror. And now, it's being used to refer to some urban fantasy stories. And "nihilistic fantasy" would be too hard to spell. It sounds like it could be, but that seems to depend on tone as well. Last edited by Critteranne; 04-20-2022 at 09:35 PM. |
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04-20-2022, 09:44 PM | #7 | |
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But I remember starting the 5 book Malus Darkblade series about a rebellious dark elf. This isn't some wimpy Drizzt dark elf. Darkblade is evil. To be honest, I stopped reading the first book because it was just too dark for my tastes. The real problem with the Warhammer books is their price. $12 a book? Last edited by ZodWallop; 04-20-2022 at 09:50 PM. |
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04-21-2022, 05:47 AM | #8 |
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Warhammer as such is not considered grim dark; Warhammer 40k is.
And IMHO, what GRRM writes is somewhat dark, but it is still happy fairy tales compared to the grim dark of Warhammer 40k.. |
04-21-2022, 06:21 AM | #9 |
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04-21-2022, 06:25 AM | #10 | |
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*Please note that I read this quite a while ago so I may be off on some details. |
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04-21-2022, 09:03 AM | #11 |
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04-21-2022, 11:15 AM | #12 |
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04-21-2022, 03:40 PM | #13 | ||
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From the little bit I've read, Warhammer 40k wins the grimdark war. IIRC the brains of "criminals" are used in their equivalent of robots -- and they think the brains have no memories of their past selves but aren't certain. |
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04-21-2022, 04:32 PM | #14 | |
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I need a wild-eyed, lunatic puritan carrying a glowing cross for that type of tale to work. |
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04-24-2022, 05:39 AM | #15 |
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https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/...occult-history
"While I expect Ash would be called Grimdark if it was written by a man, it does not fit for other reasons beyond the author being female. True grimdark glorifies violence, is unreflectively, unrepentantly sexist and should at every opportunity revel in the idea that all possible decisions inevitably must produce misery, degradation and corruption1. Ash fails on most of those, even regarding violence. Ash is a mercenary because that’s what she knows how to do . . ." |
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