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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The Girl with a Thousand Faces
Verity Guild
Bone of My Bone
Death's Daughter (Children of the Old Ones, #1)
All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron, #2)
Mortedant's Peril (The Trials of Irody Hasp, #1)
A Queen Crowned in Flames (Bonded to Beasts #2)
A Dark and Wild Wood
A Mark Cursed by Stars (The Cursed Celestials Book 1)
Crown Me Dead (Heartstring Duet, #1)
The Wicked Sea (The Wicked Sea, #1)
Deathbringer (Deathbringer, #1)
An Arcane Study of Stars
Honor & Heresy
Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, #2)
Crown Me Dead (Heartstring Duet, #1)
Alchemised
One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)
The Poet Empress
Blood Over Bright Haven
Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)
The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy, #2)
Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
The Devils (The Devils, #1)
Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)
Storm of Secrets and Sorrow (Legacy, #2)
The Ascended (Aesymarean Duet, #1)
The Shattered King (The Shattered King, #1)
Angelfall by Susan EeSwitched by Amanda HockingMy Blood Approves by Amanda HockingThe Darkest Frost, Vol. 1 by Tanya HolmesHell's Teeth by James Fahy
Indie Books - Paranormal Fiction
3,196 books — 3,975 voters

The Name of the Wind by Patrick RothfussA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinThe Wise Man's Fear by Patrick RothfussMistborn by Brandon SandersonThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
My Favorite Fantasy Books
958 books — 702 voters
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. RowlingA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinThe Name of the Wind by Patrick RothfussMistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Best Fantasy World
1,700 books — 2,093 voters

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

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