Grimdark is a fantasy subgenre that is particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent. Its protagonists tend toward the conflicted antihero, and its worlds are often brutal and nihilistic. The writing also tends to be much grittier and realistic. A whimsical quest to get the magic doohickey this is not.
The slightly overwrought term is inspired by the tagline of the tabletop strategy game Warhammer 40,000: “In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.”
Women through the ages have been burned or beloved as witches, seen as everything from green-skinned child-eating cacklers to protectors with near god(goddess?)-like powers.
Here, “urban fantasy” means “supernatural events in a contemporary city,” and ranges from noir wizards, infernal assassins, fairy wars, and a veritable parade of kick-ass young heroines. The tone can swing from seriously violent and dark, to more teen-friendly paranormal romance.
If you find a book you like, you’re in luck: chances are it’s a part of a lengthy series.
No mythical creature exemplifies fantasy fiction more than dragons, whether it’s the cunning, predatory dragon of the west or the wise, benevolent dragons of the east.
Fantasy romance is a wildly popular subgenre, and if you’re looking for love (and lust) in stories about a young woman hoping for more excitement in life, or a secret princess saddled with powers she neither understands nor wants, you’re in the right place.
Perhaps nowhere does storytelling so totally reverse reality as when it deals with pirates. It’s difficult not to like swashbuckling rogues tweaking the noses of the uptight British ninnies as they ply their brave way across the wild, lusty seas.
Of course, actual pirates were about as romantic as the tortures they would inflict on prisoners, including holding lighted matches to the victim’s eyes or keel-hauling, where a sailor had a rope tied to each arm and thrown off the bow of a ship. The unfortunate was then dragged along the length of ship, scraping against the sharp barnacles and probably drowning.
Fun fact: “Avast!” means “Stop!” or “Stand still!” not “Hello, fellow pirate!”
Epic fantasy is usually big, loud fun: kingdoms in peril, good about to be obliterated by dark evil, and scrappy adventurers defying death in nearly every chapter.
While there’s plenty of fun to be had in the Quest for the Magic Thingy, the trend toward focusing on character and realism is welcome, and some of the books on this list flip on its head the whole idea of what “epic” means.
The Night Gardener reads like a classic that’s been around for 50 years. I was shocked to find out it was published in 2014. It feels like the kind of book that’s been on shelves forever, next to A Wrinkle in Time and Something Wicked This Way Comes. It’s good, creepy fun for kids.
“Best” is a hugely subjective term, and not to be trusted. So here, “Best” means, “a consensus based on dozens of other lists, infused with my own personal bias.”
Retribution Falls is a fast-paced steampunk adventure, led by a charming rogue and a ship full of misfits. Framed for murder, the captain and crew must figure out who framed them while avoiding the authorities.