The Best Grimdark Series I Have Read & Those I Get Recommended The Most

Mike talks about his 5 favorite grimdark series and 5 he gets recommended the most that he hasn't started...yet.

ℙ𝕦𝕣𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠:

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕝𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕖:
@PetrikLeo
@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
@iWizard

𝕎𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘? 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕕𝕠 𝕤𝕠 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 𝕒𝕕𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤:

Mike K.
15201 Mason Rd
Suite 169
Cypress, TX 77433

0:00 Introduction
0:58 What is Grimdark?
2:35 A Song of Ice & Fire
4:26 The Last War
5:44 War For the Rose Throne
7:42 The First Law
10:17 Godblind
11:57 Most Recommended To Me
------------------------------------------------------
Theme music provided by Infraction
Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0(CC BY 3.0)
------------------------------------------------------
#MikesBookReviews #Grimdark #recommendations

[wyluli-dtwv]

The original is still the best! Glen Cook's "The Black Company" novels are at the top of the charts for me. You really get to feel what its like for mere mortal men to walk the earth along side the darkest of sorcerers and an evil which threatens to dominate the world. Some of the best fantasy ever written!

[SwagDragon]

I think the darkness and bleakness of the world is particularly necessary to showcase the motivations of the morally gray characters in GrimDark. Without it, they’re just villainous, self-serving people who do mostly horrible things. But against the backdrop, you can understand why they do what they do. How such a horrible world crafted such a twisted person. It’s not just the nihilism behind the points of view. It’s the reason behind it that makes it so special.

[VicRibeiro]

What I love about Abercrombie is that he knows how to tell a dark tale, but also throws in humour at the right time. That sets him apart from some of the other series that is just depressingly dark.

Beyond Redemption is also on my TBR. I'm cautious though, because I believe I've heard it is a bit too nihilistic for my tastes.
Thanks for the vid Mike, your recs are always on my TBR.

[jcwoodman]

Bakker is the grim dark definition for me..
Oh boy does it ever get darker😬
A+ work!

[RedViper]

Bakker is the darkest tale you can find and the bleakest but grimdark is such a restraining term for its content. Its so thought provoking, experimental, philosophical, grand scope and meta. Its amazing

[susinok]

I listened to The First Law series on Audiobook. Amazing narration, and I loved it. All 72 hours of it!

[PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Since you mentioned it but didn’t include it on this list, I’m taking this as your admission that Malazan isn’t Grimdark. 😁 Excellent list, Mike! I’m following your Second Apocalypse read with much interest!

[carlk]

Thanks for the list. I'm just finishing the First Law Trilogy now. Joe Abercrombie's a genius.
I read his Half a King trilogy first on a recommend from a friend, enjoyed it, but not as much as First Law.

[Lycan]

Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods."

[elstriker]

I really, REALLY wish you would start The Black Company by Glen Cook soon

[NakedSnake]

R. Scott Bakker is the absolute peak of Grimdark. There is nothing that comes even close to the level of cruelty and despair to the Second Apocalypse.
And i really hope he will never wrote another sequel, cuz the absolutely hopeless open ending of The Unholy Consult was perfect.

[lunarstormhammer]

Thanks for this video and for your channel. I very much appreciate your opinions and your honesty. I’m a relative newbie to fantasy and have found that I love grim dark. The First Law was the gateway series for me and now I can’t get enough of fantasy and grim dark. Keep up the good work Mike.

[ianmartinezcassmeyer]

Yes! I LOVED the War For the Rose Throne quartet. Amazing series, and Tomas Piety is one of my favorite narrators in fantasy.

[scottv]

I'm about 300 pages into The Darkness Comes Before and I'm absolutely loving it. I wouldn't say there's much hope to be found in this one though lol

[iWizard]

Oh, man! Just got to the Coldfire part. So pumped for you to read that!

[mattmorris]

Glokta is the very definition of a Grimdark character. He is not a good man but we as readers cant help but root for him and love him.

[albinorhino]

I will definitely read Betond Redemption with you! And will probably read The Darkness that Comes Before as well!!

[ikekobrinsky]

Bakker, Erikson, Martin. May not be pigeonholed into grimdark but I've never experienced anything like the darkness portrayed and in the case of Martin and Bakker some brilliant real life historical parallels. These all changed the landscape for me despite having read Martin in the late 90s and and endured the subsequent decades long torture

[koves]

I know Mark Lawrence wasn’t your cup of tea, but The Broken Empire trilogy was my non GoT introduction to grimdark. Excited to add Abercrombie and Shackle to my list.

[AcerbusShroud]

Thanks Mike! I just read the sample of the Court of Broken Knives and it flowed really well, total first law vibes