Best Dark Fantasy Books

The Coldfire Trilogy

by Friedman, C.s.

There are few things harder to control than emotion and this makes magic in The Cold Firetrilogy immensely difficult. The planet Erna is controlled by a force known as the fae, which makes humans subconscious emotions an...

Perdido Street Station

by China Meiville

In the sprawling city of New Crobuzon, a maverick scientist is asked to give a winged man his wings back. His experiments release something terrifying. A dense, inventive mix of fantasy, science fiction and horror.

Gormenghast

by Peake, Mervyn

A startling work of imagination that will evoke feeling when you read it. Reading Gormenghast is like feasting your eyes on a masterfully drawn painting -- you might not always get the context, but you're drawn to the be...

The Black Company

by Cook, Glen

In an era when fantasy was about honorable farm boys with magic swords and a noble destiny, Glen Cook said 'fuck that mess; let's have some amoral pricks doing bad deeds in a dark world, that's way cooler'. And you kn...

Gods In Darkness: The Complete Novels Of Kane

by Wagner, Karl Edward

Kane is the original anti-hero, both a bloodthirsty warrior and a cunning intellectual, and in his stories he's more often than not one of the bad guys, but with a little spark of goodness within him. He's one of the...

Shadowlands

by Straub, Peter

Two boys at a Vermont prep school spend a holiday with a mysterious magician uncle on a remote farm, and the horror there haunts them for the rest of their lives. A long, layered novel from Peter Straub.

American Gods

by Gaiman, Neil

American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.

At The Mountains Of Madness

by Lovecraft, H. P.

The book is a story of an arctic expedition that discovers the remains of a yet unknown, intelligent extraterrestrial civilization that predates human life on earth. The survivors of this expedition have to face unknown...

Weaveworld

by Barker, Clive

A carpet woven by a lost race hides an entire world, and when a young man from Liverpool sees its hidden land, he is drawn into a fight to save it from a relentless enemy. A rich dark fantasy from Clive Barker.

A Game Of Thrones

by Martin, George R. R.

Because, duh, it was going to be on here somewhere. I almost feel as if it isn't worth writing an entry on this one, because everyone knows it so well, but here goes.A Game of Thrones was the forerunner of the modern...

Tamir Triad

by Flewelling, Lynn

This is a series that's fallen a bit by the wayside in that many don't know about it. But it's a rare treat for those who want a well drawn dark fantasy tale with elements of horror. This is a tale that's moody and suspe...

The Dark Tower

by King, Stephen

"The Dark Tower" is a series of books by Stephen King that blends elements of multiple genres, including horror, western, fantasy, and science fiction. The series follows the quest of Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger...

Elric of Melnibone

by Moorcock, Michael

**Elric of Melniboné** is a 1972 fantasy novel by **Michael Moorcock**. It is the first original full-length novel to feature **Elric**, the last emperor of the stagnating island civilisation of Melniboné who wields the...

The Magicians

by Grossman, Lev

School fantasy is often aimed at children, and it's very successful at hitting that market. It's much harder to appeal exclusively to adults, and that's where The Magicians shines. Rather than the typical twelve-year-old...

The First Law Trilogy

by Abercrombie, Joe

One of the best fantasy book series period and one of the best audiobook performances to boot. This is one of those rare reading performances by a master narrator where the audiobook makes a great book into something gra...

The Masque of the Red Death

by by Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allan Poe's short story of Prince Prospero, who shuts himself and his courtiers inside an abbey to escape a deadly plague, and throws a lavish masquerade ball. At midnight an uninvited guest in a blood-stained shro...

The Scavenger Trilogy

by J.K. Parker

Broken Empire / Red Queens War

by Lawrence, Mark

Mark Lawrence doesn’t use an abundance of technical explanations and diagrams, but that doesn’t make his magic system any less interesting. In fact, it lets him focus on his astonishing world-building and its unusual...

Abhorsen Trilogy

by Nix, Garth

A dark epic fantasy tale about a girl who will go into the land of the dead to save her father. It's an exciting adventure that's also scary. Nix is a talented author who has an excellent command of the English language...

The Steel Remains

by Morgan, Richard K.

This book is a thoroughly grimdark adventure, following a world-weary PTSD sufferer on his quest to save the world he doesn't much care for. It's messy, gross, intense, brooding and also fucking awesome. Richard K. Mo...

Dusk

by Tim Lebbon

Kosar the thief senses that Rafe Baburn is no ordinary boy. After witnessing a madman plunder Rafe's village and murder his parents, Kosar knows the boy needs his help. And now, for a reason he cannot fathom, others are...