Category: Grimdark

The King Must Fall (grimdark magazine anthologies)

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Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists (grimdark magazine anthologies)

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The King Must Fall (grimdark magazine anthologies)
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When the mighty and cruel must be brought low, it’s the killers and the schemers who emerge from the shadows. As plans twist and change, and our protagonists are foiled and beaten, one thing remains true: no matter the cost, the king must fall.

The King Must Fall is a dark fantasy anthology featuring 19 titans of the dark and grimdark fantasy genres writing about rogues, assassins, mages, blackguards, and warriors on quests to kill their kings, rulers, captains, and leaders.

 

One of the two anthologies edited by Grimdark Magazine (Evil is a Matter of Perspective is the other) featuring story by well known authors of the genre like R. Scott Bakker | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Michael R. Fletcher | Marc Turner | Bradley P. Beaulieu | Matthew Ward | Mark Alder Luke Scull and Anna Smith Spark

Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists (grimdark magazine anthologies)

Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists (grimdark magazine anthologies)
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Experience your favourite fantasy worlds in this 2017 r/fantasy Stabby Award winning anthology, featuring some of the most fearsome, devious, and brutal antagonists in fantasy.

Villains take centre stage in nineteen dark and magical stories that will have you cheering for all the wrong heroes as they perform savage deeds towards wicked ends. And why not? They are the champions of their own stories—evil is a matter of perspective.

One of the two anthologies edited by Grimdark Magazine (The King Must Fall is the other) featuring story by well known authors of the genre like R. Scott Bakker | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Michael R. Fletcher | Marc Turner | Bradley P. Beaulieu | Matthew Ward | Mark Alder Luke Scull and Anna Smith Spark

Violence & Vigilance: Turesia Untamed Book 1

Violence & Vigilance: Turesia Untamed Book 1
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“A gritty fantasy adventure told with dark, wry wit”

“If you liked the First Law, let me present your new obsession”

“Beautifully descriptive and often poetic”

“A great character-driven story”

“Amazingly written”

“I am a huge Wheel of Time and Cosmere fan and this hit all the right notes for me”

“Magnificent beasts, fantastical locations, and unique weapons”

“An absolutely underrated masterpiece of epic grimdark”

~

Violence & Vigilance is book one of Turesia Untamed, an epic fantasy series featuring an eternal vendetta, scars of grief and loss, untethered rage, and hope against all odds.

Irdessa the Undying, a renowned arena fighter in Fohrvylda, has escaped imprisonment but at great cost. Broken and alone, she must outwit and outfight her pursuers.

Basalt Kale, a failed Consonant monk of the lowest order, embarks on a quest to improve Ausgan but discovers vile secrets of his order that he cannot abide.

The heathens of Fohrvylda amass ships and beasts of war to sail the Faithless Sea and assault the monks of Ausgan, who will greet the steel-bearing invaders with elemental destruction.

Violence & Vigilance is a story of survival with dark humor, exotic settings, savage beasts, and damaged characters. If you enjoy the grittiness of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law or the urgency of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, you’ll love Violence & Vigilance.

Way of the Wizard by Michael Michel

Way of the Wizard by Michael Michel
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Even gods have their beginnings.

Mine starts in the chasm between worlds. In the blink of eternity between life and death.

If you wish to follow, let this be your road.

First, join your brethren–those others who seek the Power. They are your allies and the key to your success. They will almost certainly try to kill you.

Second, slay a wizard and claim their topknot. Be smart, be quick, and never hesitate. They’re the most dangerous creatures alive. If destiny does not favor you, your bones will be added to the piles beneath their feet.

Third, acquire the hidden location of the Spirit Gardens. Secrets are worth more than kingdoms. Protect them at all costs or your enemies will win, and you will die.

But above all, never look back. Godhood is the goal.

If you have the courage and ambition to do so, read on.

Your path to power awaits.

A Crown for Cold Silver

A Crown for Cold Silver
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“It was all going so nicely, right up until the massacre.”

Twenty years ago feared general Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, she retired and gave up her legend to history.

Now the peace she carved for herself has been shattered by the unprovoked slaughter of her village. Seeking bloody vengeance, Zosia heads for battle once more, but to find justice she must confront grudge-bearing enemies, once-loyal allies, and an unknown army that marches under a familiar banner.

Five villains. One legendary general. A final quest for vengeance.

The Maleficent Seven

The Maleficent Seven
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A “wickedly inventive” grimdark fantasy full of non-stop bloody action, shocking plot twists, and snarky gallows humor as a mismatched team of villains gets their shot at heroic glory (SFX).

When you are all out of heroes, all that’s left are the villains.

Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted alchemist. Together they brought the whole continent to its knees . . . Until the day she abandoned her army, on the eve of total victory.

Forty years later, she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand, in the small town of Tarnbrooke—the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land, intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before.

Seven bloodthirsty monsters. One town. Their last hope.

A War to End All

A War to End All
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A war, then. A war of our own. A war for perfection and cleanliness and order.
A war to end suffering.
A war to end filth and disease.
A war to end immorality and injustice.
A war to end blasphemy.
The last war this world would ever see.
A war to end all.

REVIEWS:

“The epitome of grimdark fantasy; a bloodbath of irredeemable characters and terrifying monsters duking it out in a delusional world covered in muck. If you call yourself a fan of the sub-genre, this series is a necessity. My Top Read of 2023.” –FanFiAddict

Seven Forges

Seven Forges
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The Skald’s Black Verse: A Grimdark Scifi Fantasy (The Dreadbound Ode Trilogy)

The Skald's Black Verse: A Grimdark Scifi Fantasy (The Dreadbound Ode Trilogy)
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Brohr needs out of his village before they put a noose around his neck.

Wanted for the bizarre and brutal murder of an occupying soldier, the true culprit is too horrifying to comprehend.

Hunted by invaders from another world, Brohr wrestles to uncover the truth of his brother’s death, and to spur his downtrodden kinsmen in a desperate revolt against an empire that spans the heavens.

But a fallen god lurks in the shadows, intent upon a rebellion of its own.

Above Brohr’s head, looms a dire omen, one that spells the end of his homeworld. Will he turn to the shadows for strength? How can one scorned half-breed, an outcast, a berserker, stand against an empire, against a god, against the very sky falling?

Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths Book 1)

Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths Book 1)
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FanFiAddict 2023 Best Indie Debut Award

“He ran like the monster he was. And the smoke followed.”

GIMLORE is a single mother and war veteran turned crime boss set on protecting her family and her town.

ORBERESIS is a petty thief pretending to be God to protect a terrible secret.

REDNOW is the world’s most feared mercenary, but his best days are behind him and there’s one job left to do.

In a world of dangerous monsters and devastating smoke magic, the seeds of war are being planted. Allies must be treasured and enemies defeated.

The Smokesmiths is a gritty epic fantasy series with a harsh world of smoke magic, alien creatures and ancient secrets where characters do their best to come out on top. Peace will not last.