Grimdark Reader's Guide 

Me accident clicking on this video: “who is this guy?! How did I even get here?” Me 15 minutes in with a piece of paper:” Thank God I found this page. Is it destiny?.”

I searched for the best dark fantasy and this came up first. I clicked on it and I'm satisfied.

You aren't helping in my decision to cut out some fantasy for more sci-fi this year.

"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war."

Shoutout to the Black Company. This is what got me started like 14 years ago and is still at the top of my list.

Scott Bakker is for me a visceral grimdark genre. The guy writings piece flesh, bone and soul.

I actually got into grimdark from reading the manga Berserk. It was so shocking, mature and philosophically rich compared to any other fantasy I’ve ever read that I fell in love with the genre. After reading Berserk, I moved onto Conan, Elric and Kane. Then Mistborn, Prince of Thorns, Black Company and Night Angel. Now I’m reading The Poppy War, Second Apocalypse, Steel Remains and First Law. I’m forever grateful to Berserk for showing me how dark and deep fantasy can be.

A whole new bathing suit huh? Lmao that was quite the picture

Lol damn you made me laugh at the end " maybe it did hurt someone but you know they probably deserved it". Classic !

What a fantastic fucking list man. Somebody who really understands the genre and includes lesser known works as well as options for people around the edges of the genre. Tons of gold here cant wait to dig in. Will probably start with Traitors Blade and go darker from there. Prince of Thornes is one of the greatest books there is imo and Mark Lawrence is so talented its not even funny.

Beyond Redemption was my inspiration for the first GM'ing I did in D&D and Pathfinder, criminally unrecognized greatness

Great video - added a few to my TBR - thanks!

thank you for this video! i literally found everything that i needed in just 20 minutes. it is really helping.

Brilliantly done video. Messes up my TBR but that's what I'm here for

Excellent recommendations, thanks!!!

Thanks for this man im part way through the first law world and this helped me realize the book im working on is in the grimheart category, real nice to get into the best works that aimed for the same kinda tone before me

A few of these already grace my shelves, and others I will absolutely have to give a try. Thanks for the sub-genre breakdown.

You had me at "Michael Moorcock on steroids." 😂For real, though, I'm sharing this video with my mom, who introduced my to Michael Moorcock when I was either a teenager or maybe it was my early 20's. She influenced by reading a LOT, introducing me to Tolkien, Lovecraft, Moorcock, Dan Simmons, C.S. Friedman, and many others. Pretty sure she's gonna get a kick out of your suggestions. Also, I just found you this evening and am subscribing now! Can't wait to watch more of your videos.

New Grim Dark reader fresh off the First Law Trilogy. I appreciate the list, and look forward to delving deeper into this genre 🤟.

You sold me on the Prince of Nothing series. I had the first one at one point, as well as Locke Lamora, the Steel Remains etc but never got to reading them before losing everything in a house fire. I'm rebuilding my book collection, so far I've only re-purchased first law and broken empire but this video gave me alot to put on my list. We have similar taste in books so I trust these recommendations. Thanks!

This was useful thanks! I've added some on my tbr :) I would love to have even more recommendations on the darkest stuff 😈

Hell yeah this is awesome! I’ve been wanting to read more grimdark material. I’m currently working my way through Last Argument of Kings and the First Law trilogy as a whole is top notch.

This was so informative! I liked how you explained some of the sub genres and the style of the authors! Great video 👍

Mannnnn! Now I have to move the Prince of Nothing higher up on the list. haha. I did notice you replaced the Broken Empire books on your shelf with The Prince of Nothing trilogy so I had a feeling it must be good. Fantastic recommendations Mark, I will be checking out a few of these this year.

I read a lot of high fantasy, and normally purchase audio books while at work. I didn't know what Prince of Thorns was going to be, I had never heard of it, just bought it and pushed play. Immediately knew I had found something different and loved it, I've been looking for more grimdark to fill the void since I finished Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy.

I've really started getting into grimdark recently. This video is an excellent resource with a lot of great recommendations. Thank you!

This was helpful as I'm relatively new to grimdark. I appreciate the laid back presentation style too. Cheers!

Thanks for taking the time to do this video. I'm not an avid reader, but I wanted to see what Grimdark is about and picked up The Blade Itself after seeing some recommendations. Going to make note of these, especially the first-person books.

Dude, you are fast becoming my fav booktuber! Be safe, keep reading, keep cool!

Thank you for your recs man. I'm currently creating a fantasy world of myself with lots of dark themes about constant war and tons of dark themes, but do want to compliment it with what you call Grimheart.

I just found your channel. Keep it up. I love Grim Dark. Mark Lawrence has been my favorite as of now.

Just found your channel and I love it... I am super new to fantasy at 44 coming from 30+ years of horror and you have set me on a wallet emptying path of bliss... By the Gods thank you... What I've read this year has made me a grim dark fan

Thanks for this video! I’m so excited to add a couple of these books to my TBR for 2021. Currently working my way through Broken Empire then sounds like I’ll jump into some Morgan and Baker now after your recommendations in this video.

Just found your channel and glad I did. Glen Cook's Black Company is, I believe, way underrated. You can see the influence he has had on grim dark that follows. Thanks for the video, although I'm a bit late to it.

Definitely added some books to my TBR from here! I haven't read a ton of grimdark, but have enjoyed most of what I've read.

This was excellent! I loved the categories names. Grimheart! Hahaha! I'm really enjoying Before They are Hanged right now. I think I need more grim-dark in my life. Thanks to you, I now have a great guide to refer to.

definitely saved this video. thanks man, probably will add all of this to my list

Some great recommendations definitely be checking these out

I appreciate your attention to detail. Excellent video

These are fantastic! I think I definitely gravitate more toward the Grimheart genre than pure grimdark, but I do enjoy grimdark as well. Love that new category.

Dude you really motivated me for some picks considering i m new to the genre Thanks a ton ❤️

Dude i just fpund ypur channel and mad respect. I follow alot of top fanatasy booktubers but they mostly talk about the most talked books and famous books and authors . You are more my taste when it comes to reading and hope ypur channel grows . Plus i got to give mad respect to the beard man

First time watching you bro, I loved your video, you are very knowledgeable, and I can tell you truly love doing this!! I loved Abercrombies books!! My favorite! John Gwynn’s “Faithful and the fallen” is amazing series! Nicholas Eames “ kings of the wyld” was great too!! Loved broken empire, but I’m really not the 3rd person, multiple character points of view like Abercrombie, GRR, Gwynn. Thanks brother looking forward to more recommendations

Fantastic video! I now have some new series to read thanks to you. You definitely earned a like and sub

That chapter in priest of bones which deals with child abuse was very confronting. Still love that book and series. Great video by the way 🤓

Great video. I have been wanting to try grim dark and wasn't sure where to start. I have heard many recommend First Law and Black Company. That sounds like the perfect starting point for me. This is a great breakdown for me to sample.

I like the categories you made,, I was looking for something to read and the only grim dark was the first law trilogy a couple of years ago and wanted to read something similar

Great stuff, bro. Will read every single one, damn.

Great video! And thank you for the recommendations. I will be checking out The Lies of Locke Lamora this year. I am in the middle of the First Law Trilogy. Prince of Thorns and The Prince of Nothing Trilogy are on my radar as well. But so many more great suggestions of books to check out here as well. :)

Absolutely terrific summary. I’ve read all of the books you’ve covered and I’m with you 100%.

Good Video ! ,looking forward to read Greatcoats and the Gentleman Bastards after your crisp reviews 👌

As soon as you mentioned your Grimheart definition, I immediately thought of the Gentleman Bastard series. Was glad to see you mention it, even though it wasn't your thing. It is true about it having a great insight into the friendship between two of the characters in the books.

Great overview- wish you could spend some more time talking about the Black Company

Grim, Dark, and Deep end is what I'm here for. Great list.

Awesome video. I've seen and even participated in grim dark conversations from your discord server lol. I'll have to read Prince of Fools this year. I'm ready for it. Also, more Abercrombie and Best Served Cold.

This is spot on, couldn't agree more. Especially Bakker, the master!

Your grandpa theories were intelligent, insightful, and compelling. I definitely agree with you in regard to the lies of luck Lamora. My reason being in order for something to be Grimm dark, the world must seem like a hopeless place full of despair. And not getting any better. That doesn’t mean that characters don’t have moments of happiness. However, the world is just not a good place.I think that Grimm dark is about people trying to navigate through hopeless world filled with despair.

New to grim dark. I’ve loved fantasy a long time and I’ve recently enjoyed horror. Grim dark may be the perfect place for me. Currently reading shadow of the gods. Maybe that’s grimdark. Great video!

Excellent video, thank you.

I’ve heard of and read some of the series mentions in this video and have to say I’m happy someone decided to break down the sub-genre down. Thank you

Great guide thank you!!

Great set of recommendations!

Thank you so much for the suggestions, I feel like reading them all lol

Thanks for the fantastic recommendations! I finished the Broken Empire series and loved it. The First Law trilogy, colossal masterpiece. I bought the Manifest Delusions book and and the first prince of nothing book, Incredibly excited 🤘🧟‍♂️

i’ve been reading a clash of kings and i’m really enjoy it because of the characters but my morbid curiosity definitely wants more grotesque details of violence and darker characters. excited to check some of these out!

to me my first grim dark was thomas covenant, annihilistic worlds , great phrase for grim dark black company was great...your centered great presentation...

Thank you for the recommendation of books 😊

Great video, going to have this as a reference for the future

Oh no more great books to read. Thank you for another great video.

Keep those excellent recommendations coming! I should be getting my first Fletcher novel in a delivery this afternoon, looking forward to reading it 🤓 Grimdark is hard to pin down, especially since morally grey characters have been on the rise for quite some time - but your picks should satisfy anyone who has, or wants to cultivate, a black heart 😋 As an aside Warhammer's Black Library has plenty of nice books that offer just the kind of grim darkness you'd expect from the quote that named all this stuff 😉

That is the best piece of information about the grimdark subgenre I ever came across. I have an ambigous feeling about the genre. For one I think there are some really awesome grimdark books which deserves way more attention and I would love if more people would dive into that genre. On the other hand I know a lot of people who would be brought down by such dark and bleak stuff. Even watching News makes them depressive. Those people should better stay away from grimdark novels. I myself can get quite some fun out of dark stories, heck I sometimes listen to brutal metal to liften my mood (it is more likely that I get depressions from german schlager music which is supposed to bring you some fun). Edit: I have a theory that I need some dark stories and dark music to set my dark side at peace. To still the hunger of the monster within me. That kind of enables me to disregard my dark side for the rest of my daily life.

So glad to see the Manifest Delusions series get some love, one of the best series out there and so few people know about it.

Thanks for this brother! I just got Priest of Bones thanks to this video. I've been waiting for the new season of peaky and have wondered if there are any books similar to the show and then you come galloping in on a black horse and armor covered in blood to hand me this book

Thank you for the video!

brah.....i love it the vid your style.....gonna bindge some of your vids you look cool😎

Thanks for the recommendations man. I’ve noted all the ones i haven’t read yet. Reason i love grim dark is that it builds a fantasy world you can actually relate to. Makes the experience so much more viscerally real and believable if that makes any sense. I agree about The first law books, best grim dark characters ever written but personally i think it all goes downhill with Abercrombie after his first trilogy.

As a fellow grimdark fan, I also find it to be such a nebulous genre to explain and define so this breakdown was really helpful! Hurts me to hear my baby Locke didn't work for you, but I definitely agree that it's a great rec for Grimheart :) If you want a series that very overtly combines Lovecraftian horror and grimdark I highly recommend Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar! It takes place in the middle east and centers around a holy war where the gods mayyy not be as far away as people think 👀

Thanks for the help

Great video, great channel!

I'm currently in the middle of Malazan series, and every time you start talking about Bakker's The Second Apocalypse, it makes me want to set my book down and do a Bakker reread instead.

Great post.. thank you

Great video, thanks!

This was the best video I’ve ever seen on book tube!!! Fuck ya. Thanks for making our black hearts laugh.

Man your channel is nuts. I feel like I've found a long lost brother looool

Finally taking the dive into prince of nothing today.

Just found your channel. Love it. Subscribing.

I just started reading grimdark and Joe Abercrombie. Thank you for giving me an understanding of the genre.

I love Ulrika the Vampire trilogy. One of my favorites of all time!

This randomly came up in my feed and I only clicked to see if 2nd Apocalypse was mentioned.

You're description of Morgan made me giggle with dark delight.

A great Grimheart series would be Peter V. Brett's "Demon Cycle." It's not perfect, but it is a fun ride. If you like Grimheart and 'anime' like inspiration, then you will love it.

New to channel, great stuff. Grim dark, Abercrombie is the only one I guess, no clue but my son recommended it to me and its awesome.

I was really hoping that the end pick in "the deep end" woukdnt be Bakker. Not because I dislike Bakker, quite the contrary. Earlier this year I finished the entire Second Apocalypse, and frankly everything I've read since I can't help but compare to it and everything...falls short. Its the only work where, multiple times, I've finished a passage, read it again and again with the slow dread sinking in of the implications of those lines and just stared out blankly for a while. At what he does, in my view Bakker is an unrivaled master. In the hands of an author with an ounce less talent the story would fall apart, but that's part of the tension for me; it's like watching an F1 driver performing at the very limit of performance and knowing that at any second it can all go horribly wrong. But for me it never did. Having said all that, it's not a series I would blanket recommend. The subject matter it tackles is so sensitive, and it mixes the macro horrors of war and atrocities with the micro terrors of individual strife and torment so well that the reader is never "comfortable" or desensitised, as is often the case with gore-fest style grim dark. The sheer quality of the prose makes it more resonant as well, at least for me, because it is that bit more challenging and dense that it forces the reader to play a more active role in interpreting what's occuring. The style in and of itself can also be a bit of a hurdle, as can the at-first incompressible naming conventions of the characters. I shan't name the character, anyone who's read it already knows who I'm talking about, but the slow and methodical revelation of one character in particular is one of the most spine chilling yet rewarding experiences I've ever had in my reading journey. I'm currently reading Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe and I think I've finally found something that scratches the itch until Bakker comes out of hiatus.

“Drugs, rape, stabbing in the neck” wink wink

This guide is missing The Vagrant Trilogy by Peter Newman, other than that, pure awesome, youve read the best stuff ive read & more & you are passionate abt it in a great way. Wish knew ppl like you irl to nerd out.

Great info, cheers. Will line up Prince of Nothing as next on reading list.

Never heard of this genre until about 5 years ago and the more i hear about it, the more I'm convinced David Gemmell's Drenai saga is proto-grimdark. It's usually called heroic fantasy, but it's set in a world, or circumstances that are usually hopeless and war torn. Characters are usually morally grey and gain redemption from dark pasts.

Awesome video, starting black stone heart

Thanks, this was a fun video! Binging Chasing Graves atm, almost finished Grim Solace. You're right, it's too light to be called real grimdark. Dark and dastardly(-isch), but also lighthearted and fun. Also: Abercrombie 🖤🖤🖤! Though i really enjoyed Prince of Nothing, i missed some (black) humor (and women). So i guess i'm not totally into the deep stuf, i just like to put my toe in there sometimes. For me personally Malazan is the perfect mix between "the deep stuff" and fun.

i was sent here by mike. my favorite genre is grimdark so looks like i found the right place!