r/Fantasy • u/LadyLoreleyHarms • 3d ago
I need something DARK
I need a book recommendation for something really dark and depressing. I am going through hell right now and I need something to match my mood. My favorite authors are Robin Hobb (looooove her), George RR Martin, Paula Volsky, Melanie Rawn, Raymond Feist, Jennifer Roberson. I pulled Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun off the shelf but haven't started yet. Otherwise I might dive into Redwall going into the opposite direction with something engaging and comforting but I would truly prefer something edgy and dark and depressing. Suggestions? Or should I stick with Gene Wolfe?
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u/pali1895 3d ago
The Second Apocalypse is generally considered the darkest fantasy series (and my favourite). I think it actually fits fantasy horror more than grimdark.
For dark fantasy with less depravation I can also recommend Swan's Empire of the Wolf and Shel's Aching God, both also leaning more towards dark fantasy and horror than grimdark.
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u/dankristy 3d ago
"The Second Apocalypse" - this. I cannot think of something existentially darker than this but the writing and storytelling is SO GOOD. Just be aware, that this is dark world where high levels of violence, sexual violence, slavery etc. are commonplace, and actual damnation is a visible thing (for some).
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u/colblitz 3d ago
I feel like people usually use "dark" as a descriptor for content, and Second Apocalypse definitely fits that, but what really stuck with me was that in terms of tone and feel of the series I couldn't get the word "bleak" out of my head
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u/DrQuestDFA 3d ago
What? You think an afterlife which is either eternal torment by demons or being eternally consumed by the "good" gods is bleak?
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u/DHamlinMusic 3d ago
Yeah it is indeed dark, but the all encompassing misanthropic nihilism and fatalistic apathy towards so much of what occurs perhaps gives bleak a new meaning.
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u/mladjiraf 3d ago
I read a lot of atmospheric horror and I think only the Moria pastiche in The judging eye can be considered well done creepy horror.
Something like A cavern of black ice is darker (in terms of atmosphere) than anything by Bakker. If we go outside epic stuff, Dan Simmon's The terror is probably the peak of the genre (in terms of atmosphere, I repeat, in terms of plot it is weak in the second half and would probably be better without supernatural elements)
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u/Tracedinair76 3d ago
I just finished Chris Buehlman's Between Two Fires and it is dark as hell (pun intended). Its a medieval horror story set during the black plague, perfect for spooky season.
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u/notthefakehigh5r 3d ago
I was going to recommend The Daughters War by him. It’s so beautiful (maybe the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to) but daaaark. So maybe it’s his jam to give us the dark places.
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u/Charvan 3d ago
Half through his new novel, The Thrice-Bound Fool. Pretty dark in a number of places. Loving it so far.
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u/Hot-Sheepherder7854 3d ago
Me too. It moves so fast and I always want to keep going to see what happens next. This man hasn't written anything i don't like.
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u/BookishOpossum 3d ago
Daughters' War was going to be my recommend. I was a wreck for days after it. So good.
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u/LadyLoreleyHarms 3d ago edited 10h ago
And perhaps perfect for me. I have my masters degree in medieval history so that period is my jam. I had actually considered reading A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman as reread too.
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u/what_the_deckle 3d ago
Hard to be a God would maybe be for you - it's science fiction but it's really challenging to read. Depressing, dark, muddy, medieval.
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u/MaximumAsparagus 3d ago
I read Between Two Fires and Through a Distant Mirror back-to-back and it was one of the best reading experiences I've had in my life.
Baudolino by Umberto Eco is also great for this general era but it's somewhat more lighthearted.
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u/okayseriouslywhy Reading Champion III 3d ago
Love Distant Mirror! I coincidently read it a few months before I picked up Between Two Fires. I don't read a lot of historical non fiction, so I was TOTALLY not expecting to see Buehlman acknowledging something I've actually read for his research on Between Two Fires
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u/DaviesSonSanchez 3d ago
Absolutely recommend. Also a pretty quick read and OP will hopefully be in a better mood by then.
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u/freakierchicken 3d ago
Blacktongue and Daughter's War are both dark too I would say. Or maybe just like... brutal lol
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 3d ago
Yeah, both horrifically grim, but honestly I didn't feel like Blacktongue Thief was that dark because the humor lifts it up so much. It's objectively horrifying, but the humor is just that good.
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u/Drakengard 3d ago
Yeah, it's hard to fully feel how bad things are in Blacktongue because Kinch exists to keep things less serious minded even when he's going through terrible stuff.
Meanwhile, Galva's recounting of The Daughters' War is just full on horror in the way you'd expect from a great grandfather who fought on the front lines of one of the World Wars.
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u/freakierchicken 3d ago
Yeah that makes sense! I haven't gotten to Between Two Fires yet so I was kinda wondering if there would be a distinction like that.
And of course personal experience can influence how "dark" something is. I spent a semester of college reading WW1 memoirs for a class and Daughter's War reminds me a lot of the horrors of war described in those, specifically Lucy's There's a Devil in the Drum.
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 3d ago
I definitely felt Between Two Fires was heavier because it was set in the "real" world and there wasn't much humor. It starts with a company of soldiers wanting to rape a 12-year-old girl and has some extremely horrifying and almost gratuitously gross moments after.
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u/freakierchicken 3d ago
Sheeeesh yeah that's intense. It's in my TBR but I keep pushing it back lmao maybe one day when I feel like the world has too much sunshine and rainbows...
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u/Drew602 2d ago
About 75% of the meals in this book involve boiled flower water or random walnuts rhe characters find lol. It uses the setting very well
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u/InterwebVergin 2d ago
I came here to recommend this. It’s dark/metal/weird. Takes you out of your normal headspace (I hope?)
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u/Salty_Walrus 2d ago
I fell out of reading for about 5 years. I saw this book recommended the other night by someone I follow, picked it up on a whim, and wow I am hooked.
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u/Hockshank 12h ago
I love BTT and DW but Between Two Fires is literally and figuratively dark and amazing. Highly recommend and when you are in a slightly better mood head to Black Tongue Thief and Daughter's War. Or Daughter's War then Black Tongue? I wonder, if now with both being out, going back I would read them in the other order??
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u/ColdCoffeeMan 3d ago
Perdido Street Station
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u/Papazani 3d ago
“A short stay in hell” bu Steven L. Peck.
It’s a short story, but dark as hell. It’s about a guy who liked books and goes to hell, but hell is a library.
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u/ClimateOne1811 3d ago
Ah yes, mathematical eldrich horrors. Just finished reading it last week. Loved it.
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u/Lanieeeee 3d ago
I love a good dark fantasy! The Broken Earth series by NK Jemisin is a must if you haven't gotten to it yet! Then the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie are great. If you like vampires, Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff is good. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is dark, weird, and fun. It's one of those series that doesn't really do a lot of explaining as part of the worldbuilding so you have to go into it expecting to be confused for a while but it's worth it.
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u/njal88 3d ago
The black company. If you like you may well like this. Very good dark fantasy
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u/VinnieMcVince 3d ago
Came here to suggest this. Great series, especially if you like worlds where magic is still mysterious and deadly.
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u/Glittering_Two_1429 3d ago
I know it’s said all the time. But Malazan is DARK. As you like George RR Martin, I think you will love this XD
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u/MajorIcy5520 3d ago
I’m always hesitant when a RL acquaintance asks for a fantasy book recommendation and recommending Malazan. It’s DARK but really it’s no worse (and less sexually graphic… there’s a lot implied but not explicitly described) than GoT.
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u/googleduck 3d ago
I don't recall anything in GoT that compares to the ending of Deadhouse Gates let alone anything going on in the Panion Domin lmao. Game of thrones has nothing on children of the dead seed.
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u/MajorIcy5520 3d ago
Eh okay sort of forgot about them. Yech. My boss asked for a book recommendation for her son who is getting their degree in archaeology and I suggested Malazan (I had a few gin and tonics in me) and later was like ‘oh balls I hope he doesn’t tell her I am a depraved maniac for liking these books’
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u/JRockBC19 3d ago
GRRM has more PERSONAL violence and horror going on imo, Malazan is a larger scale kind of fucked up. Felisin would fit right in with GoT, and it's more common on that end, although Hetan and Janath are still rather out there
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u/Siliceously_Sintery 3d ago
There are a few characters who truly get ruined and it’s awful to read. One in particular I had to step away from the book for a few minutes, the hobbling.
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u/googleduck 3d ago
Lmao yeah I've done that with a few book recommendations before. It starts out a bit more chill so I'm sure by the time it gets crazy they are hooked and don't care.
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u/LurkerByNatureGT 3d ago
Robin McKinley: Deerskin.
Not “edgy”, but lots of trauma and recovering from trauma and does not shy away from the darkness.
Seconding the N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy recommendation.
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u/zhilia_mann 3d ago
Haven’t seen Deerskin mentioned lately. Seems like it was all over the sub a few years ago. Glad to be reminded of it.
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u/Hyjynx75 2d ago
Thanks. I have read almost everything else recommended in this thread. My oldest had recommended NK Jemisin to me and your recommendation reminded me of that. Just bought the first book in that series.
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u/DixitRexCorvinus 3d ago
Scott Hawkins! Both The Library at Mount Char and Blacktail are perfect for this.
Joe Abercrombie, of course, is another obvious option, and I will also throw out Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergei Dyachenko and just about anything by Octavia Butler, if you are all right with magical realism and scifi respectively.
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u/AscendedViking7 3d ago edited 3d ago
Berserk. Seriously. Go for Berserk. You will not regret it. Big chance this will be the best story you will ever read.
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u/Immediate_Ad3378 3d ago
The Terror. Not technically fantasy, but one of the grimmest books I’ve ever read. I loved it, but I felt cold and alone the whole time.
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u/shadowsinthestars 3d ago
Oh this is my favourite book since I read it. I've read it... five times. I did NOT expect to relate to these 19th century gentlemen the way I did (Crozier especially). Some of those rereads have been because I was going through some dark shit and only today I quoted the Leviathan quote at someone IRL to their horrified staring (although that quote comes up in a different permutation in the book later). It gets to a point where it gives you some weird comfort and there are so many things that are relatable outside of the situation they are in. And the atmosphere is incredible.
But I actually came here to recommend a different Dan Simmons book for the request, Carrion Comfort. It was written earlier and is a lot darker if that's even possible, genuinely a trigger warning for all the big bad stuff, though it's not gratuitous as it has a function in the plot, but damn at times it was a harrowing read. It's also the best portrayal of malignant narcissism I've seen in fiction. There's a light touch of paranormal added to it but that's clearly what it is. There's an anniversary edition which has some interesting behind the scenes. Again, it does need trigger warnings, I kind of went into it blind because I went on a huge binge of his books since I enjoyed The Terror so much, but not all of them are dark so not the topic here.
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u/Immediate_Ad3378 2d ago
Good recommendation, I’ve got carrion feeder waiting on the book shelf, and been putting it off. Might have to read it sooner.
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u/Balrogs_are_penguins 3d ago
The Traitor Baru Cormorant might be a good fit, I love that series. WArning though it's currently unfinished (3 books with a 4th and final book not yet released )
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u/KerfluffleKazaam 3d ago
a different kind of dark - the iconoclasts trilogy by mike shel. Very dark dungeon diving, a sense of hopelessness, eldritch dread, the whole works.
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess 3d ago
We Who Are About To… by Joanna Russ is one of the most furiously bleak SF/F novels ever written.
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman is the most frightening work of fiction I’ve ever read, with an ending like a kick between the legs.
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold is a devastating examination of abuse, sexual and otherwise.
The Throne Of Bones by Brian McNaughton is dark, grimy, and perverse.
The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James combines a dark and oppressive setting with fascinating literary experimentation.
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u/zhilia_mann 3d ago
Thank you. I feel like I’m always wondering if Dark Star is appropriate for a given prompt but this one seems to fit.
It’s also some of the best writing I’ve encountered in the last decade. Just phenomenal stuff; highly recommended (as long as dark is ok).
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess 3d ago
I’ve been a huge fan of Marlon James since high school, when my mom and I discovered John Crow’s Devil at our local library. Following his career since then has been awesome. The Disappearers especially blew my mind, and I hope it wins him his second Booker (and that now he’ll get back to writing White Wing, Dark Star haha).
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u/bbkane_ 3d ago
The Black Company is super dark so far (1.5 books into the series). The premise is that a group of ultra powerful mages were let free and start a war. They hire the main characters, a band of mercenaries, to fight for them. The mercenaries also get caught in power struggles between the extremely powerful mages.
So far the series has a "do unto others before they can do you" feel
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u/Mobile_Search1752 3d ago
Use of weapons by Iain M Banks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_Weapons Also by the same author The Wasp Factory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasp_Factory
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u/veryyellowfloor 1d ago
Yes yes and yes to Use of Weapons! I knew what would happen and yet it still was a punch in the gut
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u/viper5delta 3d ago
If you're willing to give Sci-fi a shot, I'd recomend "The Xelee Sequence". It makes 40k look light and fluffy
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u/bog_frog63 3d ago
I am going to recommend you something different than what you’re getting currently. The Fisherman by John Langan. It has some fantasy elements, in a way, but it is a very deep look at grief via a cosmic horror tale.
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u/Glass-Bookkeeper5909 3d ago
I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for but I remember that Richard Matheson's reading What Dreams May Come put me in a melancholy mood that is really unusual for me.
I'd taken it with me to an assignment and I remember reading it in a gorgeous scenery, on a bench in the garden of my company's house at the shore of a lake in the summertime (my favorite season). Yet, some scenes made me sit still, staring blankly at the water questioning what I was even doing there. 😂
I bought the novel because I was fascinated by the movie of the same name, starring Robin Williams among others. I knew that the source material was different from the adaptation but I didn't expect what I read.
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u/hwred 3d ago
City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky, as well as the next two books in his Tyrant Philosophers series, though the first is the darkest and bleakest, to me. Fantastic characters and world building, and a really unique story/take on an entire world being slowly invaded and overtaken, one country at a time.
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u/LearningToBee 3d ago
Acts of Caine. Especially book 2 - amazing series that likes to kick you in the teeth on the way to a win (if you even win)
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u/OverdrivePrime 3d ago
Try The Hollow Man by Dan Simmons. Older book, quick read, filled me with gloom and existential dread for a solid month.
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u/Blueflame129 2d ago
I'm reading Gunmetal Gods right now. Just finished book one and starting book 2. Good dark fantasy with a middle eastern setting with Eldritch like gods meddling about. Really good so far:)
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u/Peshewa 3d ago
Really really dark and depressing is Alchemised. It’s said to not be romantasy, it’s a dark fantasy book.
I haven’t read it yet because many people said to make sure to be stable enough before reading since it’s SO depressing and dark.
Also has a fair share of trigger warnings.
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u/Undead_Wereowl 3d ago
I'm currently about halfway through Alchemised. Can confirm it is dark. Also it is a real page turner, at least part one. This book literally has a page of trigger warnings.
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u/fireduck 3d ago
What you want is The Blade Itself -- Joe Abercrombie
It is dark and funny in a really weird way that makes you wonder if you are in fact broken for finding it funny.
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u/Josniff3021orwhat 3d ago
Joe Abacrombie isn't the darkest of the dark grimdark but he compensates for it by having the entire world/plot/story be grimdark. I feel like so many "grimdark" books are just "generic fantasy but there's rape scenes". Abacrombie is so much better and more nuanced than that. I fuckin love his writing so much lol
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u/fireduck 3d ago
Yeah, about to go continue listening to The Devils while I clean.
While it is dark I think most of our characters are trying for something better, even if it isn't even a glimmer on the horizon. A sort of sense that we have to be able to do better than this. Somehow.
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u/DHamlinMusic 3d ago
The Second Apocalypse by R Scott Bakker
Manifest Delusions by Michael R Fletcher
Empires of Dust by Anna Smith Spark
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u/Mundane_Pop4551 3d ago
Glad to see someone mention Manifest Delusion Trilogy, great read, a little too depraved in some places but still thoroughly enjoyed!
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u/EmergencyCarpet6074 3d ago
The Second Apocalypse by R Scott Bakker is probobly the darkest you can get in fantasy. The series starts with The Prince of Nothing trilogy and continus in a sequal quartet called Aspect Emperor. First book is called The darkness that comes before.
Be prepered for quite dense worldbuilding and to mabye not understand everything on just one readthrough.
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u/AvatarWaang 3d ago
Check out Joe Abercombie. I really liked The Devils and Half a King, but The First Law trilogy also gets high praise (haven't read it yet).
My favorite depressing stories are Katabasis by R. F. Kuang and The Will of the Many by James Islington. The Red Rising series also has tons of extremely depressing moments, but doesn't exactly fit what you're asking for.
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u/xDyedintheWoolx 3d ago
Just finished Tender is the Flesh, more horror than fantasy but definitely dark
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u/gotfork 3d ago
Not exactly fantasy, but the darkest and most depressing thing I have ever read is the first chapter of "The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson. It will stick with you.
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u/Andreapappa511 Reading Champion 3d ago
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Robin Hobb gave it 5 stars on goodreads too
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u/jones_ro 3d ago
For dark and distressing, you can't go wrong with, and I'm seconding u/kimba-pawpad, "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" by Stephen R. Donaldson
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u/OldManIrv 3d ago
Feast of Souls by c. s. Friedman is psychologically dark because of its premise. I really enjoyed how the characters’ behaviors comes off as the natural progression of such a world.
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u/felixrex2k4 3d ago
Probably going to get down voted for this, but... Tolkien's The Children of Hurin is just relentlessly dark. Bad characters making bad decisions and suffering the consequences. Murder, betrayal, cursed treasure, incest, suicide. It's nothing like the Hobbit or LOTR.
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u/kput7 3d ago
There's a lovely genre called Grimdark that is exactly what you're after, tons of reccomendations in that family and I've personally read dozens of titles.
Personally, as someone who also enjoyed quite a few of the same books as you, I would read Acts of Caine by Matthew Stover. It is one of my favorite reads of all time, and is wonderfully dark and gritty. Stover also wrote the book version of Star Wars Episode III - if that tells you anything about the caliber and style of his writing.
It's also a really awesome blend of Sword and Shield style fantasy mixed with futuristic technology, as it's based in two different worlds, each in two different time periods.
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u/Drakengard 3d ago
Many people are going to list the usual suspects: First Law, Second Apocalypse, Between Two Fires, Malazan Book of the Fallen, etc.
I'll instead recommend two far lesser known series.
First: The Tales of Durand series by David Keck. Its is a dark, gritty, low fantasy epic trilogy and I love it. And I really need to read it again because it's damn special and this trilogy will never be ousted from it's spot on my bookshelf. It's a shame it didn't catch on more.
Second: Empires of Dust trilogy by Anna Smith Spark. Oddly enough, I actually don't like this series because it was too dark and too bleak for me. Which is weird given I highly regard Second Apocalypse, but we all have lines on what works and doesn't for us. But the writing style of Empires of Dust is excellent and if you want dark it will server that up plenty.
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u/Steelriddler 3d ago
Malazan can be very dark but it is also so.. interesting? that it might take your mind off things. Lots of detail to soak up, requires some attention, true escapism. And epic as hell.
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u/JasonWaterfaII 3d ago
Black leopard, red wolf.
It is dark dark! Darkest book I’ve read. Lots of murder, rape, bestiality. Children aren’t spared. But also very interesting magic, creatures, story, and settings. It’s ultimately a mystery thriller with a drawn out chase that is suspenseful and action packed. There are twists on top of turns on top of twists.
It’s my favorite book I’ve read this year. An amazing and unique story.
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u/knucklewalker_77 3d ago
Have you tried RJ Barker? Read The Bone Ships, and see if that hits your need for dark and depressing.
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u/Jazzlike-Employ-2169 2d ago
R. Scott Bakker - The Prince of Nothing and the Aspect Emperor series, undisputed king of dark fantasy genre.
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u/zhezhijian 2d ago
KJ Parker, the Scavenger Trilogy, is extremely dark. It's about a guy who may or may not be the god prophesied to end the world. He wakes up not remembering who he is, and it turns out his past is nasty and full of horrific crimes. Depressing as hell, but in a satisfying way.
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u/jockheroic 3d ago
The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Dark fantasy/space opera.
Aching God by Mike Shel, is a horror DND dungeon dive book that's pretty horrifying.
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u/Nechrube1 3d ago
Seconding the recommendation for Aching God, it's brilliantly dark and quite possibly my favourite series. The author was previously (maybe still?) working in psychotherapy for 25 years and it really comes across in the writing. The psychological horror and grittiness are really well done.
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u/Itchy_Baker3801 3d ago
The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin It sits between Fantasy and Sci Fi with book one definitely being more fantasy.
Look at the TW though.
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik is dark and depressing at first but gets quite uplifting. It has great friendships and character development.
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u/BlueorGreenorYellow 3d ago
- Second apocalypse series
- Between two fires (standalone)
- Berserk (manga)
All dark. All great.
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u/tiranite 3d ago
ROTE is one of my faves of all time and I highly recommend The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. The opening to the first book is seriously a gut punch. Whoof.
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u/Deathtrooper50 3d ago
You are holding one of the pinnacles of the genre in your hand and looking for more recs? Book of the New Sun is utterly phenomenal. I'd recommend Malazan as something that's pretty dark without being overwhelming. Calling it fantasy is a bit of a stretch but The Road is by FAR the most dark and oppressive book I've ever read, it's excellent as well.
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u/West-Ad-1144 3d ago
I love Malazan for having some of the most brutal darkness while also being hopeful and full of human kindness.
If you liked The Road and haven’t read Blood Meridian, you ought to. Can’t decide which one fucks me up more.
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u/Deathtrooper50 3d ago
Blood Meridian is probably my favorite book of all time. Genius at work in that book. Both are harrowing but are absolute must-reads in my opinion. Honestly, you could probably say the same about most of Cormac McCarthy's books.
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u/NothingIsRealNorAmI 2d ago
Malazan Book of the Fallen is the darkest series I've ever read, and I've been back to it a few times.
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u/kimba-pawpad 3d ago
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. I only rarely read them when I need the darkest of the dark.
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u/jlassen72 3d ago
Daughters War by Christopher Buehlman is one of the darkest fantasy books of the last decade.
It totally stands on its own.
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u/Medical-Culture-3016 3d ago
If you want the kind of dark that sticks with you for weeks, Prince of Nothing is the usual suspect for a reason. It's not grim for shock value either, it just keeps going and never blinks.
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u/Economy_Macaroon6093 3d ago
One of the most bleak and dark books I've read is Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley. That and the Second Apocalypse go down as the darkest books I've had the pleasure of reading.
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u/Stoepboer 3d ago
Have you read Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy? It's pure depressing bleakness.
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u/askyeme 3d ago
It is probably not the darkest but maybe check out the Gods of Wyrdwoods by RJ Barker. I'm admittedly not done, but I'm 2/3 of the way through and things are very grim. Very detailed worldbuilding and the MC reminds me a bit of Fitz especially circa Tawny Man or maybe the Fitz and the Fool.
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u/Intro-Nimbus 3d ago
Dark and people being evil towards other people?
"The Gap Cycle" is for you. It is SF and not fantasy however.
I DNF'd a few chapters into the second book. I was too disgusted.
https://grokipedia.com/page/The_Gap_Cycle
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u/momonashi19 3d ago
Book of the New Sun is my favorite book series of all time. Get started on it asap, it’s definitely dark!!
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u/Natural-Shelter4625 3d ago
I’m currently reading GW’s Shadow of the Torturer (BotNS pt 1). It’s really good, though dense. And it’s definitely dark.
If you don’t find another book, your instinct was solid.
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u/jlassen72 3d ago
Another pretty dark one that skew's a bit more towards New Weird fantasy is The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes.
It's an absolutely brilliant book.
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u/Ghostintamagachi 3d ago
Karen miller Empress one of my top 3 the series falls off a bit after the second one they stand on its own
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u/Mad-Hettie 3d ago
Would you be willing to consider a sci-fi book with a vampire? If so, Blindsight by Peter Watts is a great read.
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u/wickedmurph 3d ago
The Barrow and Black Heart by Mark Smylie. Absolutely excellent characters, writing and world building, but its pretty dark lots of the time. He's the guy who wrote and illustrated the Artesia graphic novels, so it's pretty graphic too.
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u/Lorindale 3d ago
Gene Wolfe is a good choice, though I still haven't read Book of the Long Sun. My favorite depressing series of his is from the same universe, The Book of the New Sun, starting with The Shadow of the Torturer.
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u/Lassemomme 3d ago
Give Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence a spin, it’s about a 60 year old former religious assassin/nun getting killed and somehow being brought back alive to extract gruesome vengeance John wick like vengeance on the ones responsible.
It is a terribly bleak book that does a lot of cool meta shit with narrative perspective and reader expectation.
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u/ReiGanJin 3d ago
Go classic and pick up some George Orwell. "Down and Out in Paris and London" should fit.
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u/Nonya_Business_67 3d ago
I would have the perfect book for you…but I need to finish writing it first 🥲
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u/Available-Reason9841 3d ago
Read first law by joe abercrombie. it a cornerstone grimdark fantasy series
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u/Decantus 3d ago
Vampire Earth series by EE Knight was pretty fun from what I remember. Way of the Wolf is book 1. Post apocalyptic with a little bit of sci-fan thrown in.
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u/Cynical_Classicist 3d ago
The Monk by Matthew Lewis is the darkest that 18th century gothic had to offer.
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u/ChrisWare 3d ago
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
Thomas Covenant is a broken man: divorced and struggling to deal with his leprousy. He lives in our world, but wakes up one day to find himself in a fantasy world. He refuses to believe his situation and assumes he's dreaming, all the while struggling to come to terms with the fact that everyone around him thinks he's the prophecied chosen one come to save them from Lord Foul who has conquered the lands and is intent on destroying them. Very dark and depressing and should be exactly what you're looking for.
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u/Truedukeofdragons 3d ago
well not sure if you like LITRPG but i really like the book of the dead series about a necromancer by Rinoz
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u/Writer_Jack 3d ago
Patrick Rothfuss’s series, Kingkiller Chronicles has many dark parts to it and he is an unbelievable writer. But he hasn’t finished it, “RR Martin” style.
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u/StillFireWeather791 3d ago
The Water City trilogy by Chris McKinney is the most noir books (they are science fiction) I've ever read. Most ecological, science fiction, heroic, religious and evolutionary tropes are transgressed. Darkly brilliant.
The Culture novel, Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks, includes a war fought in virtual reality to free people living in virtual hells. Bank's vivid depiction of various hells and the kinds of religions that produce them is darkly illuminating.
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u/Itkovian_books Reading Champion 3d ago
Darkest I’ve read has been the Second Apocalypse series. Gritty, with about every trigger warning you can imagine, yet also filled with genuine substance (not just edgelord cringe stuff).
First Law is dark in the sense that most main characters are terrible (or at least severely flawed) people. But Joe Abercrombie is also a great humor writer, so it’s dark without feeling bleak all the time.