Looking for some good dark fantasy

[Victarion]

I've got Barker's Weaveworld; I'm slowly easing into it. I've read A Game of Thrones though I don't want to get too far into the series until its finished. Finally I have read The Dark Tower as well as The Stand.

I'm sure there's plenty out there I'm missing, but it seems like a niche genre of novels. What's good that ISNT Twilight or Wally World Twilight?

 

[LastSunrise1981]

What kind of dark fantasy are you looking for?

I recommend The Death Dealer series.

 

[Watson]

http://www.amazon.ca/Magicians-Lev-...UTF8&coliid=I2LES8P8NSF0N7&colid=8O80D4C2NN9I

http://www.amazon.ca/Jonathan-Stran...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262800210&sr=1-1

You may enjoy those.

 

[zanos]

Try the "Sword of Truth"

 

[Ahura Mazda]

I agree the Sword of Truth books are very good. I also just started the Painted Man and that is not too bad as well.

 

[Cosmic]

Check out Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

 

[Victarion]

I have Wizard's First Rule, but I've never been able to get past about page 100.

I did find a few things I'll post here incase anyone's interested:

The Demon Spirit by R.A. Salvatore
Shadowfall, Book 1 of the Godslayer Chronicles by James Clemens.

The Demon Spirit...I always knew Salvatore for his Drizzt novels but this one was really good. Tighter characters, and a very dark tone. Think Renaissance Europe, with goblins, bloody-caps, giants and elves. The main power is a church, the Abellican Church. Its Father Abbot begins to be influenced by the spirit of the demon dactyl.

This leads to the Father Abbot murdering, assassinating, and torturing those he feels to be a threat to his leadership and the church. He's getting old and wants to leave behind a spotless record of leadership. Everything he does, or orders done, he manages to justify as it being God's edict to him. And he believes himself, too. Except its the demon spirit that's dwelling within him.

The hero is somewhat like Drizzt. His origin isn't as interesting, but he is more relateable. Likewise there's a centaur whose speech and ecentricity reminds me of Bruenor Battlehammer. Overall, a very good piece of dark fantasy imo. The ending is delightfully bleak for the good guys.

 

[:eek:]

I've got Barker's Weaveworld; I'm slowly easing into it. I've read A Game of Thrones though I don't want to get too far into the series until its finished. Finally I have read The Dark Tower as well as The Stand.

I'm sure there's plenty out there I'm missing, but it seems like a niche genre of novels. What's good that ISNT Twilight or Wally World Twilight?

If you liked The Stand you could try Swan Song by Robert McCammon, which (for me at least) felt like a mix of The Stand and Mad Max. You should also try some other of Clive Barker's books (if you haven't already read them). And maybe China Mieville

 

[:eek:]

A novel to keep an eye on: Robert Mccammon returns to the epic, apocalyptic horror of Swan Song. This time with aliens:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Border-Robert-McCammon/dp/1596067039/ref=zg_bsnr_49_74

 

[tzarinna]

Weaveworld is pretty light compred a lot of Clive Barker's work. How dark do you want to get?

Clive's Damnation Game is extremely unsettling.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Glen Cook's Black Company books are pretty rad, and not as heavy on the Tolkien pastiche as some of the stuff you may have read.

 

[Victarion]

Weaveworld is pretty light compred a lot of Clive Barker's work. How dark do you want to get?

Clive's Damnation Game is extremely unsettling.

This thread's a blast from the past. My tastes were pretty tame. Ah, I'd say anything especially unsettling from the hero to the point that its more like I'm reading a case study in something like abnormal psychology.

@Whiskey Tango: Got a Tor reprint omnibus of the first three Black Company novels waiting for me. If you enjoyed it, you might try Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson.

I really enjoyed A Land Fit For Heroes. A strange little trilogy that sort of skews the genre between being sword and sorcery and science fiction. Anyway, the protagonist is a disillusioned war veteran who does some pretty TDKR Bane-esque stuff: executing noble personages, ganglords linked to said personages, and acting as a demagogue to the disenfranchised and downtrodden ala Bane's takeover of Gotham. What made this a fascinating read is we get to see how these deeds affect the vet's psyche and the sort of abuse he suffered at the hands of the government and religious authorities.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

@Whiskey Tango: Got a Tor reprint omnibus of the first three Black Company novels waiting for me. If you enjoyed it, you might try Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson.

Ya seems like most everyone who reads Cook recommends Erikson. Had those on the list for awhile.

 

[Iceman]

Do you know about The Black Library? All the novels are set in the Warhammer universe.

 

[Victarion]

Do you know about The Black Library? All the novels are set in the Warhammer universe.

I do, though its been my experience with shared world novels that there's a massive variation in quality between writers. Thank you, though.

 

[Iceman]

I do, though its been my experience with shared world novels that there's a massive variation in quality between writers. Thank you, though.

Yes, it's true. There is a variation in standards between books here too, although I like reading everything regardless t: even if just to experience more of the universe. It's a shame that one author can only write so many books as I'd ideally like a universe conceived by the one author to be continuously explored by the same mind (indefinitely).

I'd recommend David Gemmell and had a similar experience here as the guy died when I was really getting into his works.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Re: Black Library, Dan Abnett's 40K novels are very entertaining. The Eisenhorn trilogy (and the follow-up Ravenor) and Gaunt's Ghosts series I would both recommend.

40K isn't fantasy strictly speaking, but it has enough cultists, demons and psychic shenanigans that it feels like fantasy. Abnett even reigns in some of the grimness so it isn't wuite as over the top as some of the other GW material.

I've only read The Blackhearts from the Warhammer fantasy side. It's been awhile but I remember liking it.

 

[Victarion]

That's good. From just reading around about Warhammer40K, it seemed like the series leaned more toward being over the top grim to the point that its funny. However, I have looked at a couple of Warhammer collections in the past, the Malus Darkblade series. Have either of you read these?

I'd finished Moorcock's Elric and was looking for something in that vein and Malus looked like he took some inspiration from Elric. I know the general aesthetics of 40K borrow a bit from Moorcock's Hawkmoon series, which I also enjoyed (mostly for the setting, the characters were a bit bland).

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I haven't read that one but while most of GW stable of authors are very hit or miss Abnett is a pretty safe bet. I may check that one out myself.

 

[Iceman]

Yep I like the Malus Darkblade series although it's been years since I read it. If you're looking for dark and are interested in the bad guy perspective it won't disappoint. I happen to also love the dark elves race so I might be a bit biased. And on another comment I could see the level of darkness and gore in Warhammer Fantasy books generally being seen as way too over the top for some tastes. Opportunities for ultraviolence, whether necessary or not, are rarely missed.

 

[deadpo0l]

The Shannara series by Terry Brooks is my all-time favorite.

 

[Victarion]

The first one felt like a LOTR rehash.

Edit: Halfway into The Black Company. I like how each chapter feels like its own little novella.

 

[Art_of_Crime]

The night angel trilogy by Brent Weeks is quite good.

 

[Roose Bolton]

I've recently worked my way through the series Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi, which is a great mix of Phillip K Dick, Bram Stoker, and Robert E Howard. The usage of time, or the lack thereof as the protagonist wanders through the dystopia that is future earth means that there isn't a great deal of obvious continuity, aside from hints here and there about how a millennia or two has passed since the character last traversed a certain area or township.

But what was even better, was the spin-off prequel novel that Kikuchi wrote recently, Noble V: Greylancer, which is set during the height of the vampire's reign on earth as they struggle with their own politics and internal struggles, as well as their war with another race of mysterious beings that seek to destroy all life on earth.

Probably one of the most unique takes on immortal creatures I've come across.

 

[Cosmic]

Yep I like the Malus Darkblade series although it's been years since I read it. If you're looking for dark and are interested in the bad guy perspective it won't disappoint. I happen to also love the dark elves race so I might be a bit biased. And on another comment I could see the level of darkness and gore in Warhammer Fantasy books generally being seen as way too over the top for some tastes. Opportunities for ultraviolence, whether necessary or not, are rarely missed.

I agree with this. I'm in the middle of Bloodstorm, after having recently finished Daemon's Curse. They're very well-written, but people with weak stomachs might be unable to handle it.