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The Heretical Dark
Aethan wanted to be a hero. Instead, he killed everyone he loved.
Now he wields an ancient, forbidden power in a land where even whispering the word magic is heresy. All he wants is his fifty pounds of gold and a quiet place to disappear.
Carlotte is an aristocrat, a scientist, and a woman on a mission. That same dark power murdered her sister. Now she'll tear apart the secrets of the Ryker Dominion to understand it, no matter what the church, the law, or God Himself has to say about it.
Saara was born with nothing. She'll climb to the top of Ryker society even if it means sacrificing her own family. She's bound herself to Carlotte's ambitions, and by Carlotte's rise or fall, her fate will be decided.
Erika just wants the world to see her as she was meant to be. Then a terrible accident puts blood on her hands, and survival means crawling into the skin of another woman's identity — becoming someone she's not, to escape what she's done.
Four lives. One forbidden power. A society built on lies.
For readers of Joe Abercrombie and Adrian Tchaikovsky — a grimdark debut with morally complex characters, sharp prose, and a world where faith and heresy are just a matter of who's holding the sword.
Now he wields an ancient, forbidden power in a land where even whispering the word magic is heresy. All he wants is his fifty pounds of gold and a quiet place to disappear.
Carlotte is an aristocrat, a scientist, and a woman on a mission. That same dark power murdered her sister. Now she'll tear apart the secrets of the Ryker Dominion to understand it, no matter what the church, the law, or God Himself has to say about it.
Saara was born with nothing. She'll climb to the top of Ryker society even if it means sacrificing her own family. She's bound herself to Carlotte's ambitions, and by Carlotte's rise or fall, her fate will be decided.
Erika just wants the world to see her as she was meant to be. Then a terrible accident puts blood on her hands, and survival means crawling into the skin of another woman's identity — becoming someone she's not, to escape what she's done.
Four lives. One forbidden power. A society built on lies.
For readers of Joe Abercrombie and Adrian Tchaikovsky — a grimdark debut with morally complex characters, sharp prose, and a world where faith and heresy are just a matter of who's holding the sword.
- GenresFantasy
571 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2025
About the author
William Zimmerman
1 book4 followersWilliam Zimmerman is an author and playwright based out of Seattle with his wife and cat. He went to school to become an actor and decided he preferred writing the stories to acting them out.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 26, 2025
Magic. Intrigue. Humanity. Romance. This book has it all.
“Aethan subvocalized the words Ashatee had taught him, and their symbols appeared before him in a spidery, silver script. They hung suspended against the darkness, morphing as his meaning was amended with rules and conditions. The words were old, older than humanity if Ashatee were to be believed, and even she did not understand them. Not entirely. What she did know, and what she taught Aethan, was that there was no room for double meaning in this tongue. The darkness demanded clarity.”
The best books give us at least one character to root for and change our lives by showing us another perspective. This book does both.
Not only are the two main characters, Carlotte and Aethan, relatable, but I was also rooting for some of the lesser characters such as Saara and Erika. And I didn’t root for them because they are perfect. Not at all. In fact, these persons have some serious character flaws, but that just makes them more real, more rounded.
I came to understand a new perspective from this book. From the rich to the poor – from the cisgender to the trans - it is a fantasy, but it is realistic about human interactions and motivations.
And what amazing writing. Take this description:
“Aethan shook his head, but the woman turned him in a pivot, her grip like iron on his frame, and the sun came to light up her face.
It was burned to ruin. The skin melted away and blackened bone shown through her cheeks. One eye stared at him, bleeding from its socket, while the other oozed, deflated and sagging down her face. He recoiled and struggled against her grip, pressing against her body with all his might. The clothing tore away and her skin sloughed off with it, like muck from a pond stone.
‘For it is death that you will find. You will kill all the world, but then,’ the charred skull said, ‘what is death after all?’”
There are many clever turns of phrase, beautiful descriptions, and best of all – at least for me – even in intense situations, there was often a bit of humor. And there are intense situations, so intense that even on a second read, even after I knew the outcome, I was still biting my fingernails.
It is an exciting and thoughtful story that will keep you engaged.
“Aethan subvocalized the words Ashatee had taught him, and their symbols appeared before him in a spidery, silver script. They hung suspended against the darkness, morphing as his meaning was amended with rules and conditions. The words were old, older than humanity if Ashatee were to be believed, and even she did not understand them. Not entirely. What she did know, and what she taught Aethan, was that there was no room for double meaning in this tongue. The darkness demanded clarity.”
The best books give us at least one character to root for and change our lives by showing us another perspective. This book does both.
Not only are the two main characters, Carlotte and Aethan, relatable, but I was also rooting for some of the lesser characters such as Saara and Erika. And I didn’t root for them because they are perfect. Not at all. In fact, these persons have some serious character flaws, but that just makes them more real, more rounded.
I came to understand a new perspective from this book. From the rich to the poor – from the cisgender to the trans - it is a fantasy, but it is realistic about human interactions and motivations.
And what amazing writing. Take this description:
“Aethan shook his head, but the woman turned him in a pivot, her grip like iron on his frame, and the sun came to light up her face.
It was burned to ruin. The skin melted away and blackened bone shown through her cheeks. One eye stared at him, bleeding from its socket, while the other oozed, deflated and sagging down her face. He recoiled and struggled against her grip, pressing against her body with all his might. The clothing tore away and her skin sloughed off with it, like muck from a pond stone.
‘For it is death that you will find. You will kill all the world, but then,’ the charred skull said, ‘what is death after all?’”
There are many clever turns of phrase, beautiful descriptions, and best of all – at least for me – even in intense situations, there was often a bit of humor. And there are intense situations, so intense that even on a second read, even after I knew the outcome, I was still biting my fingernails.
It is an exciting and thoughtful story that will keep you engaged.
November 20, 2025
Loved this book, the characters, the story, the adventure, the magic all fire!
October 26, 2025
I usually gravitate toward heroic fantasy with epic quests, but after a friend recommended Heretical Dark, I was pulled into something far murkier than my usual reads.
Zimmerman’s flintlock world is grim, his themes heavy with faith, power, and moral ambiguity. Without giving spoilers, my favorite part was that at its core are flawed, haunted characters trying to make sense of it all.
Even without traditional heroes, this book delivers the emotional stakes and personal growth I look for in fantasy. If you’re into Glen Cook or Mark Lawrence, or just want something a little heavier and smarter than the usual fare, give this a shot.
Zimmerman’s flintlock world is grim, his themes heavy with faith, power, and moral ambiguity. Without giving spoilers, my favorite part was that at its core are flawed, haunted characters trying to make sense of it all.
Even without traditional heroes, this book delivers the emotional stakes and personal growth I look for in fantasy. If you’re into Glen Cook or Mark Lawrence, or just want something a little heavier and smarter than the usual fare, give this a shot.
October 26, 2025
This book really pulled me in. It’s dark and messy in a way that makes you think without ever feeling pretentious. The world is harsh and heavy, a place where science is treated like religion and magic can get you killed, and.... it all feels believable.
The main characters are complicated people just trying to survive in a world that keeps knocking them down. They make bad choices, they learn, they keep going. I cared about all of them, even when I didn’t like what they were doing.
The story has that gritty, gunpowder fantasy feel with just enough weird magic and philosophy to make you stop and think. It reminded me a bit of Glen Cook or Mark Lawrence, but the focus on curiosity and truth gives it its own vibe.
If you like fantasy that feels raw, character-focused, and morally gray, you'll like this one.
What to expect
• Morally gray characters
• Found family
• Curiosity as rebellion
• Power that comes with a price
Vibes/tone
• Dark flintlock fantasy with a theocratic twist
• A world where science is holy and magic is heresy
• Multiple POVs that all hit differently
• Action, tension, and slow-burn character growth
The main characters are complicated people just trying to survive in a world that keeps knocking them down. They make bad choices, they learn, they keep going. I cared about all of them, even when I didn’t like what they were doing.
The story has that gritty, gunpowder fantasy feel with just enough weird magic and philosophy to make you stop and think. It reminded me a bit of Glen Cook or Mark Lawrence, but the focus on curiosity and truth gives it its own vibe.
If you like fantasy that feels raw, character-focused, and morally gray, you'll like this one.
What to expect
• Morally gray characters
• Found family
• Curiosity as rebellion
• Power that comes with a price
Vibes/tone
• Dark flintlock fantasy with a theocratic twist
• A world where science is holy and magic is heresy
• Multiple POVs that all hit differently
• Action, tension, and slow-burn character growth
March 17, 2026
A Dark Fantasy that pulls you right in
The Heretical Dark ended up being a really compelling dark fantasy for me. One thing that stood out right away was how well William Zimmerman writes characters. They feel complex and very human, which made it easy to get invested in their struggles and motivations. That depth made the story a lot more engaging and honestly just more fun to follow.
I was also really intrigued by the magic in this world. It’s something no one truly understands, which gives it a mysterious and almost dangerous feeling. Because of that lack of understanding, religion has stepped in to explain what people can’t comprehend. That mix of faith, fear, and curiosity made the world feel believable and added another interesting layer to the story.
Overall, the strong characters and the mysterious nature of the magic made this a really immersive read that kept me wanting to learn more about the world and what’s actually going on beneath the surface.
The Heretical Dark ended up being a really compelling dark fantasy for me. One thing that stood out right away was how well William Zimmerman writes characters. They feel complex and very human, which made it easy to get invested in their struggles and motivations. That depth made the story a lot more engaging and honestly just more fun to follow.
I was also really intrigued by the magic in this world. It’s something no one truly understands, which gives it a mysterious and almost dangerous feeling. Because of that lack of understanding, religion has stepped in to explain what people can’t comprehend. That mix of faith, fear, and curiosity made the world feel believable and added another interesting layer to the story.
Overall, the strong characters and the mysterious nature of the magic made this a really immersive read that kept me wanting to learn more about the world and what’s actually going on beneath the surface.
August 9, 2025
Wow this book has to be my favorite read of 2025. I could not put it down, and was sad it came to an end! I can't wait for the next one since the book ended at such a crucial point in the story. If you like fantasy adventure like lord of the rings this book is definitely for you. If you love a good gut wrenching twist and merciless killing of well established characters like game of thrones, then strap in this book is also for you. I cannot recommend this read enough! It's so refreshing to see a fantasy novel written so well and with a fresh take. This is book you won't regret reading. Side note its a great book to get your husband to read aloud to you every night as well!
September 13, 2025
The Heretical Dark scratched an itch. It reminded me of the fantasy adventure I voraciously consumed as a kid, but it satisfied my present-day craving for adult speculative fiction. The book's strengths include its tight pacing, rich (but clear) world-building, a plot that feels expansive without becoming diluted or distracted, and distinct narrative voices. It's not always comfortable to be inside the heads of these characters, or in the world they inhabit, and as a reader I greatly appreciate that discomfort. In addition to being an addictive read, there are some very chewy themes at play here, so suffice it to say I'm looking forward to more of what I hope will be at least a trilogy.
September 12, 2025
This was such a good book and a very original storyline. What surprised me the most about this fantasy was how dark and very real the world and the characters themselves felt. They came off the page and felt like real people with real problems and flaws. That’s something a lot of author miss. They want to make heroes heroic or villains evil, but most people in real life are chaotic neutrals. To put it bluntly the fuckups these characters make in this book are terrible and therefore very relatable.
March 15, 2026
The Heretical Dark ended up being a really compelling dark fantasy for me. One thing that stood out right away was how well William Zimmerman writes characters. They feel complex and very human, which made it easy to get invested in their struggles and motivations. That depth made the story a lot more engaging and honestly just more fun to follow.
I was also really intrigued by the magic in this world. It’s something no one truly understands, which gives it a mysterious and almost dangerous feeling. Because of that lack of understanding, religion has stepped in to explain what people can’t comprehend. That mix of faith, fear, and curiosity made the world feel believable and added another interesting layer to the story.
Overall, the strong characters and the mysterious nature of the magic made this a really immersive read that kept me wanting to learn more about the world and what’s actually going on beneath the surface.
I was also really intrigued by the magic in this world. It’s something no one truly understands, which gives it a mysterious and almost dangerous feeling. Because of that lack of understanding, religion has stepped in to explain what people can’t comprehend. That mix of faith, fear, and curiosity made the world feel believable and added another interesting layer to the story.
Overall, the strong characters and the mysterious nature of the magic made this a really immersive read that kept me wanting to learn more about the world and what’s actually going on beneath the surface.
August 5, 2025
This book is such a unique take on a fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Musketeers, The Mummy, and Outlander.
The book features four POV characters all with such strong desires and wants- Carlotte who believes she's on a mission from God to prove her sister's research wasn't in vain, Aethan who's running from his past eventually forces him to collide with the power he's been hiding, Saara who wants nothing more than to join the Ryker elite class, and Erika, who's only looking for her next dose of pike.
Between the unique world building of an 18th century flintlock fantasy mixed in with a bit of a frontier western, the writing that leads you through the plot so beautifully, and the characters who are all so so firm in their conviction- this made it an automatic five star read from me.
The book features four POV characters all with such strong desires and wants- Carlotte who believes she's on a mission from God to prove her sister's research wasn't in vain, Aethan who's running from his past eventually forces him to collide with the power he's been hiding, Saara who wants nothing more than to join the Ryker elite class, and Erika, who's only looking for her next dose of pike.
Between the unique world building of an 18th century flintlock fantasy mixed in with a bit of a frontier western, the writing that leads you through the plot so beautifully, and the characters who are all so so firm in their conviction- this made it an automatic five star read from me.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews