Dark Fantasy

At its most basic, dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element. A stricter definition is difficult to pin down, as authors, publishers, and readers have used "dark fantasy" in various contexts throughout the years.

Dark fantasy is often used as a synonym for supernatural horror. Some authors and critics also apply the term to high fantasy stories that feature anti-heroic or morally ambiguous protagonists. Fantasy works by writers typically associated with the horror genre are sometimes described as "dark fantasy." Conversely, the term is also used t
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Wicked Onyx (The Veritas Legacy, #1)
Half City (Harker Academy, #1)
The Red Winter
Queen of Faces (Queen of Faces, #1)
A Stage Set for Villains
The Lies that Summon the Night (Songs for the Sinless, #1)
Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass, #1)
Weavingshaw (Weavingshaw, #1)
The Wicked and the Damned (Dark Inheritance Trilogy, #2)
A Secret in the Garden (Dark Manor Chronicles, #1)
Tortured Souls
Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path, #1)
This Safe Darkness (Sols & Shades)
A Forest, Darkly
The Price of Fear (The Wretched Trilogy, #1)
Alchemised
One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)
The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy, #2)
Blood Over Bright Haven
Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)
The Shattered King (The Shattered King, #1)
Storm of Secrets and Sorrow (Legacy, #2)
Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)
Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy, #3)
Hollow (Crown of Hearts and Chaos, #1)
The Devils (The Devils, #1)
The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (The Broken Accords, #1)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonThe Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins GilmanHer Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria MachadoFrankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Female-Authored Weird Fiction
466 books — 182 voters
The Poppy War by R.F. KuangThe Dragon Republic by R.F. KuangJade City by Fonda LeeSpin the Dawn by Elizabeth LimWe Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Asian Inspired Fantasy Novels
175 books — 114 voters

Neverwhere by Neil GaimanAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanThe Graveyard Book by Neil GaimanStardust by Neil GaimanCoraline by Neil Gaiman
Best of Neil Gaiman
116 books — 507 voters
Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoVicious by V.E. SchwabThe Cruel Prince by Holly BlackPrince of Thorns by Mark  LawrenceThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Villain Protagonist
389 books — 651 voters


The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)
Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire, #1)
Last Argument of Kings (The First Law, #3)
Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)
One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
Alchemised
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)
Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)
The Black Company (The Chronicles of the Black Company, #1)
Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1)
The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)
King of Thorns (Broken Empire, #2)
Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1)
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)

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It’s easy to be yourself in the dark.
Marisha Pessl, Night Film

Lana Del Rey
Who are you? Are you in touch with all of your darkest fantasies? Have you created a life for yourself where you can experience them? I have. I am fucking crazy. But I am free.
Lana Del Rey

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