Dark Fantasy

[rune]

Anyone here like reading dark fantasy books?

I would say The Scar falls under this label, and The Black Jewel Series by Anne Bishop.

 

[Jenna]

There are a number of things I would consider dark fantasy - vampires, werewolves, ghosts, things that go bump in the night. Psycho thrillers. Stuff like that. There is a big genre selling right now in electronic and small press in the paranormal area - vampires being the biggest. In fact, I also write that. Mine are dark fantasy romance though. Yeah, that sounds like a strange mix, huh? But it sells well as a genre. Hopefully, mine will be re-released soon.

 

[rune]

I find I get tired of vampire stories. I like Anita Blake because it has more than vampires in. But I'm not sure I want to read just vampire stories all the time.

 

[Ben Holiday]

I like dark fantasy it fulfills the dark sadastic side of me with joy to see that not everyone has to start out happy and joyfull. Add to the fact that the anti heroes in the majority of these stories don't have to talk or play nice under the same constraints that the noble side of me enjoys when reading some of the more epic stuff and I'm a happy boy when I sink my teeth into something new and dark.

Jirel of Joiry by C.L. Moore

Bloodstone
Dark Crusade
Darkness Weaves
The Midnight Sun by Karl Edward Wagner

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber (Along with all the other Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser tales)

The Dreamstone
The Tree of Swords and Jewels
Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh (These books aren't complety dark but they more then meet the requirements I think)

The Sword of the Lictor
The Shadow of the Torturer
The Claw of the Conciliator
The Citadel of the Autarch
The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (A nicely mixed blend of sci fi and dark fantasy)

The Flight of Michael McBride by Midori Snyder

The Last MAgicians by Joh Jakes

Nine Princes in Amber
The Guns of Avalon
Sign of the Unicorn
The Hand of Oberon
The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny

Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East by Terry Brooks

Thieves World
Tales From the Vulgar Unicorn
Shadows of Sanctuary
Storm Season
The Face of Chaos
Wings of Omen
The Dead of Winter
Soul of the City
Blood Ties
Aftermath
Uneasy Alliances
Stealer Sky edited by Robert Lynn Asprin (The first three books in this series were the definite best but occasional gems can be found throughout books four through twelve)

The Gypsy by Steven Brust & Megan Lindholm

Dark of the Moon by P.C. Hodgell

Melmoth the Wanderer by C.R. Maturin (This probably doesn't belong in this genre but it is good and dark if a bit overlong)

The majority of Michael Moorcock's books would fall into this category as well. But I think I'll stop here since I don't feel like trying to remember all the good short stories that I've read that would fall into this section as well this is my basic favorite dark/er fantasy list.

 

[Wabbit]

I notice that your user name is Ben Holiday. From the Magic Kingdom books, right? I loved those books!

Regards
SillyWabbit

 

[kskyhappy]

my favourites - Barbara Hambly's the darwath trilogy, who could forget the hideous creeping horror of the dark, and the pitifully trapped humans trying to figure out the nature of this horror as it decimates mankind around them.

ksky

 

[rune]

I like dark fantasy it fulfills the dark sadastic side of me with joy to see that not everyone has to start out happy and joyfull. Add to the fact that the anti heroes in the majority of these stories don't have to talk or play nice under the same constraints that the noble side of me enjoys when reading some of the more epic stuff and I'm a happy boy when I sink my teeth into something new and dark.

Jirel of Joiry by C.L. Moore

Bloodstone
Dark Crusade
Darkness Weaves
The Midnight Sun by Karl Edward Wagner

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber (Along with all the other Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser tales)

The Dreamstone
The Tree of Swords and Jewels
Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh (These books aren't complety dark but they more then meet the requirements I think)

The Sword of the Lictor
The Shadow of the Torturer
The Claw of the Conciliator
The Citadel of the Autarch
The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (A nicely mixed blend of sci fi and dark fantasy)

The Flight of Michael McBride by Midori Snyder

The Last MAgicians by Joh Jakes

Nine Princes in Amber
The Guns of Avalon
Sign of the Unicorn
The Hand of Oberon
The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny

Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East by Terry Brooks

Thieves World
Tales From the Vulgar Unicorn
Shadows of Sanctuary
Storm Season
The Face of Chaos
Wings of Omen
The Dead of Winter
Soul of the City
Blood Ties
Aftermath
Uneasy Alliances
Stealer Sky edited by Robert Lynn Asprin (The first three books in this series were the definite best but occasional gems can be found throughout books four through twelve)

The Gypsy by Steven Brust & Megan Lindholm

Dark of the Moon by P.C. Hodgell

Melmoth the Wanderer by C.R. Maturin (This probably doesn't belong in this genre but it is good and dark if a bit overlong)

The majority of Michael Moorcock's books would fall into this category as well. But I think I'll stop here since I don't feel like trying to remember all the good short stories that I've read that would fall into this section as well this is my basic favorite dark/er fantasy list.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all these recommendations . I really appreciate it and will be looking into these series. Great to have so much to try.
I have read Terry Brooks The Word Series, and really enjoyed it. I think it's one of the better series that Brooks has written.

I have heard of Michael Moorcock's books too, and wondered if they were not a bit complex. Are they very detailed?

 

[Carlos]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all these recommendations . snip
I have heard of Michael Moorcock's books too, and wondered if they were not a bit complex. Are they very detailed?

Not so complex, the premise is out there, (as in out of this world), multiverse multiplanes, eternal champion. Moorcock wrote a lot of books which can vary from one series to another quite a lot. Start with the Elric series, this is darker than say (wakens brain cells) Corum?

Elric
1. The Stealer of Souls (1961)
The Singing Citadel (1970)
2. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (1976)
3. The Weird of the White Wolf (1977)
4. The Sleeping Sorceress (1970)
aka The Vanishing Tower
4. Elric of Melnibone (1972)
aka The Dreaming City
The Jade Man's Eyes (1973)
5. The Bane of the Black Sword (1977)
6. Stormbringer (1977)
7. The Fortress of the Pearl (1989)
The Revenge of the Rose (1991)
The Dreamthief's Daughter (2001)

Taken from here
Jerry Cornelius is interesting, you may like those books as well, all to do with the same concept.

Edit: Just re-read my post, newborns do make you tired. I had trouble understanding it.
Hope the edits are a bit more clearer

 

[kskyhappy]

moorcock is definately my favourite after Tolkein (and thats a close fight!)

i would advise extreme caution with the elric books, i think the latter books suck big time. Fortress of the pearl and onwards are to be avoided, curiosity reads only. you can buy the eternal champion series in omnibus editions now, with elric i'd say start with "elric of melnibone" and "sailor on the seas of fate", the corum books are thoroughly excellent as well, and make for a more complete read than elric, The knight of swords, the queen of swords and the king of swords make a great complete trilogy. Also i recommend the first hawkmoon quattro, though hawkmoons second series should be read last as they contain one end of the eternal champion series.

these books are a great read - highly recommended.

ksky

 

[rune]

I often wonder why that happens that with longer series, the storytelling quality seems to dwindle off

I think authors should have a firm idea in their heads of what is going to happen during the series so has not to run out of ideas half way through.

So saying that, which books are best to read of the Elric series?

 

[kskyhappy]

bearing in mind that the titles changed a little from when they were first published and now i think they are available in omnibus i would recommend:

Erlic of melnibone - definately first in the series
Sailor on the seas of fate (jade man's eyes)

can't remember which order the next three are meant to be in but these are good

Weird of the white wolf
The vanishing tower
Bane of the black sword (not as good as the other two)

and definately round it off with "stormbringer"

kskyhappy

hope that helps - elric at the end of time is good read too, read it at any point in the sequence, then for an extra treat after reading Elric read the "dancers at the end of time trilogy" then read it again, it's a clever story

ksky

 

[rune]

bearing in mind that the titles changed a little from when they were first published and now i think they are available in omnibus i would recommend:

Erlic of melnibone - definately first in the series
Sailor on the seas of fate (jade man's eyes)

can't remember which order the next three are meant to be in but these are good

Weird of the white wolf
The vanishing tower
Bane of the black sword (not as good as the other two)

and definately round it off with "stormbringer"

kskyhappy

hope that helps - elric at the end of time is good read too, read it at any point in the sequence, then for an extra treat after reading Elric read the "dancers at the end of time trilogy" then read it again, it's a clever story

ksky

Thanks for your help, that cleared things up for me a bit

 

[Hyperstorm]

Here are some more books for you Rune

The chronicles of blood & stone by Robert Newcomb:
- The fifth Sorceress
- The gates of dawn
- The scrolls of the ancients

The world & void series by Terrry Brooks

 

[rune]

Here are some more books for you Rune

The chronicles of blood & stone by Robert Newcomb:
- The fifth Sorceress
- The gates of dawn
- The scrolls of the ancients

The world & void series by Terrry Brooks

I've got Brook's Knights of the Void series and personally think it's one of his best

I've read The Fifth Sorceress by Newcomb, didnt get any further as I didnt care much for his writing style. However, I wouldn't call this dark fantasy.

 

[Hyperstorm]

Well good for you then Rune

imo robert newcomb's good though his books have some real hardcore violence & sex

 

[Ainulindale]

Regarding Newcomb's work, it's most defintely epic/high fantasy. Adult themes do not predicate an novel being categorized as Dark Fantasy. Martin's A Song of ICe and Fire work for instance has much more of the same themes (not to mention it's written infinitely better) and it would not be considered Dark Fantasy either.

I'm glad someone enjoys this series, as I believe it is one of the worst series ever written, but that's just me