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Grimdark

Grimdark is a subgenre of fantasy that portrays morally ambiguous characters and bleak settings, emphasizing the darker aspects of conflict and human nature.
Darkness Unleashed
Related Tropes and Genres
  • Creepy Settings
  • Cursed Items
  • Dark Fantasy
  • Dark Lord
  • Dark Fiction
  • Gothic
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Top Grimdark Books

Available on Campfire
The World of Heresy Within
by Rob J. Hayes
Published 2025
5/5
SPFBO winner Rob J. Hayes has teamed up with Jackson Dickert to put together a comprehensive world guide to The Ties That Bind trilogy for fans who want to experience the gritty, grimdark world of First Earth, now with even greater depravities and horrors. Included are two brand new novellas from Rob! In Sting of the Dragon, Travine squashes a rebellion, paving the way for his future as the Empress’s Dragon Herald. In The Princess Blade, discover the events that took Henry from royalty to a cold-blooded killer… under the guise of a child’s bedtime story. Monsters and gore included, obviously. Plus, a brand new short story, “The Serpent’s Tooth”, written by Jackson Dickert with Rob J. Hayes’ stamp of approval. It doesn’t take long for Harod to betray his old friend, Jezzet Vel’urn, during The Heresy Within. What dark secret was he willing to risk certain death from a blademaster to protect? Alongside these new adventures into the First Earth Saga, explore a worldbuilding companion, complete with more than 115 story extras that detail character backstories and world lore, over 140 exclusive, original artworks, and the ten previously published First Earth Saga short stories, now collected into one book. With over 120,000 words of content, The World of Heresy Within is easily as long as your standard fantasy novel and ten times as dark! Detailed blurbs for Sting of the Dragon, The Princess Blade, and The Serpent’s Tooth are available to read as part of the free sample.
The Heresy Within: The Ties that Bind #1
by Rob J. Hayes
Published 2017
4.3/5
This Enhanced Edition of “The Heresy Within” contains interior art not available on any other platform at no additional cost! For generations the Inquisition has stood between humanity and the forces of darkness. It has failed. Thanquil Darkheart is a witch hunter for the Inquisition, on a holy crusade to rid the world of heresy. He’s also something else... expendable. When the God Emperor gives Thanquil an impossible task, he knows he has no choice but to venture deep into the Wilds to hunt down a fallen Inquisitor. Even the best swordswoman is one bad day away from a corpse. It’s a lesson Blademaster Jezzet Vel’urn isn’t keen to learn. Chased into the Wilds by a vengeful warlord, Jezzet makes it to the free city of Chade. But instead of sanctuary all she finds are more enemies from her past. The Black Thorn is a cheat, a thief, a murderer and worse. He’s best known for the killing of several Inquisitors and every town in the Wilds has a WANTED poster with his name on it. Thorn knows it’s often best to lie low and let the dust settle, but some jobs pay too well to pass up. As their fates converge, Jezzet, Thanquil, and the Black Thorn will need to forge an uneasy alliance in order to face the truth the Inquisition has been hiding from them all. A dark epic fantasy full of zealous witch hunters, roving warlords, dark magic, and demons. Perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Brent Weeks.
Other Grimdark Books