11 Dark Fantasy Books You Should Read
Dark Fantasy is a genre that provides a wonderful sense of escapism. If you’ve never read it, it’s essentially regular fantasy with some edgier, horror elements to it. More than that though, dark fantasy books often have morally ambiguous heroes, villains you can relate with, and a ‘shades of grey’ sense of right and wrong. If you’re a massive dark fantasy fan, or someone looking to dip a toe into reading, here’s a list of the best dark fantasy novels getting around. It’s an extension of my top 5 dark fantasy masterworks post for those who want a little bit more flesh to bite into.
These are the best dark fantasy books I’ve found…
1. The Warded Man by Peter V Brett
Also known as The Painted Man in Australia and the UK, this is the first in Peter V Brett’s Demon Cycle series. The in-depth storytelling involved in this book is extraordinary. You get an amazing sense of the characters, even delving into the minds of ‘villains’ to change perspective and see their side of things. I would absolutely recommend getting into this sooner rather than later. The fifth and final book in the series, The Core, has just been released so it’s the perfect time to start and binge it all the way to the end.
The get your hands on the Warded man, head here. (all book links are Amazon Affiliated).
If you’re a Podcast kind of person, here’s an interview with the author about how he mostly wrote the first book in the series on a smartphone while commuting. Wild.
2. The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks
The Way of the Shadows follows young orphan Azoth’s path to becoming the deadliest assassin the world has ever seen. Set in a medieval-style fantasy world with kings, queens, guilds, apprentices and, of course, magic, this book is the first in a trilogy and has all of the elements of a great anti-hero’s journey. There’s sex, political intrigue, violence, and a love story woven into the mix. Queue them up on your Kindle and rip through the whole lot in a holiday break. Just don’t start if you don’t have much time to spare because you’ll neglect your job, friends, partner, and children in favour of diving into the story.
To dive into this Dark Fantasy epic, start here.
3. Imajica by Clive Barker
When it comes to classic dark fantasy look no further than Clive Barker. While he’s better known for his horror titles (like Hellraiser/The Hellbound Heart), for my money Barker’s best work comes when he delves even deeper into his twisted imagination to create entire universes.
Imajica is a monster of a dark fantasy book at 824 pages. It’s part fantasy, part philosophy, part fast-paced thriller. To give you an indication of how ahead of his time Clive Barker was on a lot of this stuff, he was exploring gender fluidity in Imajica way back in 1991. Pretty crazy considering that topic is really only becoming a major discussion point in the world now.
Check out this insane illustrated version of Imajica here.
4. The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Speaking of classics, The Dark Tower by Stephen King is a dark fantasy powerhouse. It’s part fantasy, part horror, part western, all entralling. The story follows eleven-year-old Jake Chambers who meets the mysterious last Gunslinger of Mid-World. Dreams collide with reality, as Jake and the Gunslinger seek to stop The Man in Black from destroying the Dark Tower. It’s a movie now on Netflix, but I’d recommend diving into the novel first. It’s a much richer tapestry of good, evil, horror, and all things fantasy.
You can find The Dark Tower here.
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
When American Gods came out it won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards all in the same year. Think about that for a second. It won ALL the major awards for sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. That means it somewhat defies genre, yet is so amazing it has critics raving about how good it is. A true dark fantasy masterpiece. If you’re interested in Neil Gaiman in general, here’s a great guide on the best places to start reading his work.
6. The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Witcher has had an epic rise to fame over the last decade. From a hugely popular videogame series to a mega-hit show on Netflix. For some, it’s easy to forget this dark fantasy classic started as a short story and evolved into a dark fantasy novel series. The first of these is The Last Wish. Monster hunting, a hero that is definitely one dark guy, villains you learn to love, and a world that you can easily get lost in. If you’re looking for a guide on the best order to read the witcher books in, head here.
7. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
#stabstabstab. The hashtag Jay Kristoff used for Nevernight should give you a pretty good indication of what to expect. If you need something more explicit, it follows a teenage assassin who is so hellbent on revenge that she joins the cult of Our Blessed Lady of Murder. Yes. Dark fantasy indeed.
Get a taste of the terror here.
8. Bound by Alan Baxter
Like Jay Kristoff, Alan Baxter is an Australian author doing big things worldwide. Bound the start of a dark urban fantasy trilogy that blends ancient magic, underground fighting, and a high-octane chase across continents. This has been described by one reviewer as ‘Lee Child’s Jack Reacher with a spellbook’.
As an extra bonus, it’s often just 0.99c on Kindle.
9. This Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror edited by Paula Guran
If you’re an anthology kind of person that’s also into dark fantasy, this beast will make you squeal with morbid delight. It’s a 400+ page collection of some of the freshest talents in the genre. Hugo winners like Ken Liu are in there, as is celebrated literati Joyce Carol Oates!
It’s a 2020 release, so still fresh of the presses here.
10. The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Baron
Possibly my favourite collection of short stories ever. Laird Baron is what you’d get if Stephen King decided to write noir detective fantasy stories. Utterly twisted, plenty of horror, dry humour, and occult magic to boot. The Audible version of this featuring the bassy voice of Ray Porter is absolutely outstanding.
Jam it in your earholes here.
11. Hellbound by Tim Hawken
So I was going to make this a list of 10, but thought I’d be cheeky and tag an extra on. Even cheekier, I wrote the book. Rather than regale you with horrid attempts at self-promotion, here are a few quotes from reviewers who liked it instead.
“This trilogy is a must have.” — Fangs For The Fantasy
“If you thought the first book was mind bending, well then get ready to have your mind shattered…” — Scary Minds
“The final showdown and ending totally f***ed with my head…” — Biblio Babes
Now, if you’re into dark fantasy, you might be into an epic genre in that zone — cyberpunk. Check out the best cyberpunk novels here.
