Grimdark is the genre you are looking for if you hate humankind and want them all to die! It's known for violence, grittiness, and a tone of hopelessness and despair. Protagonists are usually anti-heroes who often make morally ambiguous or downright evil choices. It can be science fiction, fantasy, or a mix of genres. Some grimdark has a ridiculous over-the-top level of violence, and some just has a much darker tone than your normal fantasy novel. This is a list that contains some much-loved examples from all those types of grimdark works. #indypladults
Obviously most people know about this series. Though I wouldn't say it was the very first series of dark, gritty fantasy out there, it definitely had its part in starting the trend. A Song of Ice and Fire popularized this type of dark…
This book opens with a terrifying, violent, and desperate fight that seems a lot more realistic than most other fight scenes I've read in fiction. The first in a three book series, fast action and intriguing characters make this dark and…
The Black Company is a hard and merciless mercenary group that wages war on behalf of their mysterious Lady, who some think is just an excuse to do evil. However, the reincarnation of a savior known as the White Rose has been rumored born…
In this novel, young women must undergo a "purity ritual" to see if their blood bleeds red or gold. If it bleeds red, they are pure. If it bleeds gold, they are unclean magical creatures and must be tortured and banished. If that…
Warhammer 40K is a series that started as a miniature wargame - think Dungeons and Dragons set in space in the distant future, with tiny action figures you paint yourselves of aliens, spaceships, and warriors, and only about battle.…
Outcast mercenary Gringil is set the task of finding his sold-into-slavery cousin when he finds out the world is about to be devoured by darkness and he and his equally terrible friends are the only ones who can save it. While this sounds…
A fascinating series with the darkness of grimdark yet the complexities of the best of epic fantasy, Hurley's series is also one of not too many that feature mostly female protagonists. An expected cataclysm is about to occur, and this…
The story of a probably sociopathic young prince intent on taking his throne back against all odds and at any cost - hopefully a high one, as this young prince really likes to murder. He saw his mother and brother murdered and his father…
Yes, the protagonist is a young woman with a bow - no, this is NOT a YA novel. Written by a Chinese-American, this novel draws extensively on Chinese cultural and historical influences to create a world that is incredibly complex and…
A classic anti-hero tale, this series - Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, self-named because he did not believe himself a hero or in any of the magic around him - predates the term grimdark but certainly not the tone. Read this if you are…
Science fantasy - a planet settled by human colonists is also inhabited by a race of creatures known as the Fae, a race that can enter the human mind and make the nightmares and dreams of the colonists a reality. Despite the fierce battles…
