Wyrd & Wonder: Grimdark Forest

Wyrd & Wonder’s daily challenges are extra special in 2024 because they’ve been put on a map and you can use the prompts of your choosing to journey from Mount TBR to Journey’s End. You can check out Ariana’s post at The Book Nook for more information and the lovely map!

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Today I’m journeying through Grimdark Forest – time to feature a few of my favorite Grimdark books from over the years. I don’t read this genre as much as I used to, but it was instrumental in getting me heavily back into reading in college (all those years ago).

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
The quintessential grimdark recommendation. Would you believe I didn’t love this the first time I read it? Tis true, I like it, but not enough to carry on with the series until I re-read it in audio format. Steven Pacey really brings this story to life!

The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson
Malazan is probably one of the longest and best series I have ever read and I can safely say that it fits well in the grimdark subgenre. It’s bleak and  the characters you love are probably going to die. I decided to feature The Bonehunters because this is actually my favorite of the entire series, followed by Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice. I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to order the upcoming special editions from The Broken Binding!

Blackwing by Ed McDonald
This is like a weird western. This is about as close to Lovecraftian horror as I get voluntarily, but this was so excellent. I mean, there’s an entire monster-festooned landscape called the Misery where you might get eaten while you sleep and the longer you spend there, the more insane you get.

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
Though I think this is debatably grimdark, I’m  putting it in here anyway. This firmly cemented my love for military fantasy, particularly ‘flintlock fantasy’ that’s set in an era with guns/cannons and some industrialization. This remains one of my favorite series of all time.

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
This book was transformative for me and I utterly loved it when I picked it up back in college. This was before I even started my blog, so I don’t have my thoughts on it written down anywhere. It’s a great blend of coming of age and grimdark, balancing things like newfound friendships with bloody violence and forbidden magics.