Browsing all articles tagged with dark fantasy.
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith-Spark
As I recall, the first rumours I heard of the book that became The Court of Broken Knives was seeing the author’s lament on social media that an agent had found it too brutal, too gory, too grimdark to contemplate representing it. Nonetheless – as has happened to so many authors – one agent’s poison […]
Anna Stephens Interview
Today we are talking with Anna Stephens, a UK-based writer of epic-y, gritty, grimdark-y fantasy. Her debut novel, Godblind, was released by Harper Voyager on June 15, 2017, with the sequels penciled in for 2018 and 2019. Hello Anna, thanks for joining me here today. I always start my interviews differently, sometimes with easy questions, […]
The Black Guard by A. J. Smith
The Black Guard has been described as “Martin meets Lovecraft,” and doesn’t disappoint on either count. With bleak personal stories of loss and hardship, wars between rival nations and a plot to resurrect a dead god, the novel is packed with action and intrigue. The book is not without its flaws, there are moments where […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Nightmares
Everybody knows about nightmares, so I felt that in this case an introduction wasn’t necessary. Rules: 1. This must be prose or poetry. 2. A nightmare or nightmares must be a central part of the story 3. Prose must be 500-1500 words long. 4. Poetry must be 100-500 words long. 5. You will be disqualified […]
Skullsworn by Brian Staveley
Skullsworn is a standalone novel set in the world established by The Chronicles of the Unhewn but set before the events of that trilogy. It follows one of the Chronicle’s deadliest characters and a huge fan favourite Pyrre Lakatur in an origin type story that allows us to bear witness to her final trial before […]
They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick
You may recognise this book. You should recognise this book. At least, you should if you’ve been following the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off and/or are part of Fantasy-Faction’s social media circles. I myself have been desperately enamoured with Benedict Patrick’s debut novel since I first laid eyes on its cover last year. Jenny Zemanek did such […]
The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher
Sequel to Michael R. Fletcher’s grimdark masterpiece Beyond Redemption, The Mirror’s Truth, continues the tale of the deranged characters with new additions to the cast. The story opens with a bloody scene and Bedeckt re-emerges with a new companion called Zukunft. After abandoning his friends in the Afterdeath and escaping back to the living world […]
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence – US Cover Reveal
When Fantasy-Faction started out it was just a tiny review site with a forum full of readers and writers with too much free time on their hands. One of the writers who would hang out and chat fantasy with us was Mark Lawrence. We watched as his career took off and followed him fondly from […]
Infernal by Mark de Jager
Infernal is truly a book that raises hell across its pages. After beginning in a quiet meadow one scarcely expects the kind of chaos that occurs throughout the story. The plot focuses on the amnesiac Stratus who awakens in said meadow with nothing but his name and a headache, yet he quickly discovers that while […]
Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher
Beyond Redemption is a classic Western adventure tale. Three cowboys, bound by beautiful friendship, return home to their ranch after a hard day’s work only to find— Wait! I’m kidding. Heh. Beyond Redemption is, in fact, a classic case of DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. Surreal and bloody, this first instalment in Michael […]
The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence
Have you ever wanted to applaud upon reaching the end of the last book in a series – and not because you were glad it was over? In recent years there have been two outstanding books that have made me want to do just that. The first was Emperor of Thorns. The second is The […]
Marc Turner Interview
Here at Fantasy-Faction we’re stupendously excited to host Marc Turner, author of the epic fantasy series The Chronicles of the Exile. It’s no secret that we have a soft spot for this series. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when the Overlord himself expounded on the awesomeness of book two, Dragon Hunters. And it […]
