Okay, nerd moment. I have spent so much of my life lost in this subgenre. Since high school I’ve been a massive fan of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and countless weekends have been spent painting, assembling, and marshaling my plastic soldiers to victory on miniature tabletops. The lore of the universe is what always brings me back, with its endless supply of terror-filled worlds and battles with killer aliens and demonic invaders. This unique mesh of fantasy and science fiction continues to intrigue me to this day! Join me for as we venture into the dark, hopeless worlds and despairing populations that inhabit these offshoot realms from the Warhammer vibe…
What is Grimdark?
This subgenre draws its name from the tagline for the Warhammer 40,000 universe: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” This concept sums up so much of what it means for fiction to fall under the grimdark umbrella. Dystopian settings, bleak subject matter, tyrannical organizations, and violence all make up this high-speed method of storytelling. Fighting and death are commonplace and frequent, and it is often difficult to see any type of hope on the horizon for the people involved.
Common Tropes
Grimdark relies on the bleak and the violent, but there are specific tropes that really help this subgenre stand out from its peers.
- “Good guys” you say? Good one.: There is often no focused moral compass for a reader to latch onto and root for within grimdark stories. The protagonists may be an exception to this, but even they are often morally gray individuals who struggle with their own choices and expectations in a world filled with insanity. This creates an interesting sense of uncertainty for the reader; exactly who would best serve the future when everyone involved is a tyrant?
- Cynicism, caricatured: Not only are these worlds filled with suffering and death, but the characters are often incapable of even envisioning a world where things could be any different. Every action of the authorities leads to more carnage and atrocity— to the surprise of absolutely no one involved.
- Gallows humor: If you don’t laugh at the absurdities of the world, you’ll lose your mind, and this is highly representative of grimdark fiction. Characters often laugh at the bleakest and most absurd of occurrences, simply because there is no escape from the cycle. Joe Abercrombie is a master of this, and The Blade Itself (along with the rest of the First Law trilogy) does a great job of showcasing this.
Why I Like Grimdark
I’ve already gone on about my love for 40k, but I also find that the overlap between Grimdark and Dark Fantasy appeals to my own interests in writing. It offers an opportunity to step clear of the norms and safety of a sane world and examine the darkness of existence from a safe distance. This also offers interesting conundrums for characters within the stories, when there is no sense of societal expectations leading choices to a place of rationality and goodness. Will a protagonist make the right choice, when everything in their world rails against it?
Why YOU Should Explore Grimdark
Grimdark’s focus on the violent and despairing sides of existence offer some unique opportunities to writers!
- Change the framing: We get so used to the good guy vs bad guy motif in writing, and grimdark really offers an opportunity to mix that up. You don’t have to feel bad about the misfortunes you visit on your two warring dictatorships!
- Change the POV: I’ve read some absolutely fantastic Grimdark work that switches things to the eyes of the “antagonist” (more on this in my recommendation). Seeing the story from the eyes of the aggressor/villain offers some brand new ways to envision your narrative!
- Change the mood: There’s something cathartic to me about dwelling in this kind of story for a time. Seeing things at their bleakest really helps perspective, and gives me a deeper sense of gratitude for what is good and right in the world. With the right framing, it can even help me see more light in the “IRL” world that surrounds me!
Grimdark Fiction That We Love
I’ve been into 40k for decades now, and one of my first forays into the fantastic lore of this universe was Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill. This book showcased the Chaos Space Marines in a light I’d never seen before; so often set up as musing villains waiting to be struck down by the Imperium’s moral crusaders, here they took center stage with personalities and ambitions of their own. McNeill accomplished this without ever even hinting at the idea of them being somehow “good,” and still managed to have me rooting for Honsou as he fought to carve out his place among the older traitors. This story was so compelling to me that it has turned me into a lifelong Iron Warriors fanboy, and I regularly revisit this book. Iron within! Iron without! (IYKYK)
Despite loving dark media, I can’t say I’ve ever dived into Grimdark novels, so preparing for this blog post was a bit of a new experience for me. When looking for a book to consume and talk about, I stumbled over to Grimdark Magazine and found Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor. It’s a relatively short read, but it serves as a good introduction to Grimdark for the uninitiated—at least it did for me! What I like most about this book is how it decenters the Western perspective on what fantasy and science fiction can look like, all while maintaining its deliciously grim core.
Clash of Kings is the book that says, “You think you know grim? Let’s dial it up to eleven.” George R.R. Martin gleefully paints a world where honor is optional, betrayal is an art form, and every character seems to be one bad day away from plunging into a moral abyss. Unlike in your typical fantasy, where heroes gallop on noble steeds and villains twirl their mustaches, Clash of Kings throws all that out and gives you characters so gray that even a color wheel would surrender. No one is truly safe; Martin’s pen is merciless, dishing out doom with such frequency that the only consistent thing in Westeros is that hope should always be followed by dread. It’s grimdark because it’s not about saving the world – it’s about surviving in it, and if you’re lucky, doing so with most of your fingers still attached.