What is Grimdark and How to Write Grimdark Fantasy?
Table of Contents
Fantasy comes in many different styles and forms, and there are so many kinds that you can read from out there. The idea of fantasy itself typically refers to a world that is different from our own in some capacity and it almost always involves the idea of a magic system or at least something whimsical. Realistically-speaking, there needs to be something that separates a world in a fantasy story from the world we live in every day. Of course, there are the well-known subgenres like high fantasy, dark fantasy, contemporary fantasy, etc… But there is one subgenre that I think sticks out as a very different kind, and that is grimdark fantasy.
Grimdark is a broad term used to describe a wide variety of fantasy novels and although no two grimdark stories are alike in all things, there are some telltale pieces of grimdark novels that make them, well, grimdark. So, for today’s post I’m going to be breaking down what grimdark fantasy is, as well as if you should write your own grimdark fantasy story!
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What Is Grimdark Fantasy, Anyway?
The term “grimdark” actually spun out of Warhammer 40K’s tagline: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” These stories mash horror and fantasy, shove hope off a cliff, and embrace moral grayness in place of noble quests.
If you don’t know what Warhammer is, I recommend you go and check it out becuase it’s really awesome stuff.
Fast Grimdark Checklist
| Feature | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Bleak Worldview | Victory costs more than defeat; nobody gets out clean. |
| Morally Gray (or Worse) Cast | Your “hero” isn’t really a hero and is probably willing to burn villages down (maybe even for fun) |
| Violence & Horror | Graphic battlefields, body horror, psychological dread. |
| Political Rot | Corrupt crowns, scheming guilds, state oppression. There are no good “leaders” here |
| Nihilistic or Cynical Tone | You have to be realistic about these things is the best example of this (From The Blade Itself – check out my review of it) |
Popular titles: George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Mark Lawrence’s The Broken Empire, Steven Erikson’s Malazan series, and Zainah Yousef’s The Fallen Age Saga. Want more grimdark book recommendations? Check out this post here 👉 Ten Amazing Grimdark Books That You NEED to Read!
Should You Write Grimdark?
Honestly, grimdark fantasy is a very rough subgenre because it requires quite a bit of cynicism and you need to be sure that you can deliver a very dark story the right way to your readers. So, I recommend you choose to write grimdark if you:
- Love exploring the darker sides of humanity.
- Don’t mind putting characters (and readers) through the wringer.
- Enjoy complex politics, ethically messy decisions, and large-scale war.
Skip it (or blend it lightly) if you:
- Prefer optimistic endings or heroic archetypes.
- Cringe at graphic violence on the page.
- Want a breezier tone for younger audiences.
If you find that you really enjoy reading grimdark or stories that fall under dark fantasy at least, then grimdark fantasy is probably a subgenre you’d enjoy.
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Five Essential Grimdark Ingredients
1. The Antihero (or Morally Gray Hero) or a Villain, Honestly
In grimdark fantasy, readers are more open to reading about terrible main characters and even rooting for them. That main character is most often morally gray, or an antihero (check out this post to learn more about what that means). However, sometimes, the main character can just be a straight-up villain.
Grimdark is all about being the anti-Tolkien, so the main characters aren’t elves who fight against the evil orcs or just good kings. Grimdark is basically about just the worst type of people fighting against even worse people, in essence.
Craft tip: Give the protagonist something relatable to readers though. This can be a tragic backstory, a warped moral code, a darkly funny voice, etc… This can keep readers invested even in the worst types of people.
Need help sculpting layered, love-to-hate characters? My Ultimate Character Creation Guide walks you through developing characters from start to finish with a breakdown of everything from the backstory to relationships and even some cool details on creating dark triad-oriented characters. 👉 Pick up a copy of The Ultimate Character Creation Guide here
2. Rotten Power Structures
Part of grimdark is knowing that there’s a whole lot of oppression at the top. The government is probably the worst thing you can think of, the law enforcement is absolutely evil, and the wealthy of society are just awful. Or something around that.
Either way though, the institutions that surround your story are often going to be very corrupt and twisted. They can take even the most innocent person and turn them into an arm of the oppressive forces themselves.
You want to think about why the institution is the way that it is though, because part of grimdark is actually having nuance on top of all that grim darkness.
The Ultimate Guide to World Building is a great resource to help you figure out everything you need to know about world building these systems for your story. I’ve included tons of instructional material and worksheets that break down governments, power, and similar systems that surround them.
3. A Robust (Often Sinister) Magic System
A lot of grimdark fantasy books include magic (not all of that magic is very in-depth) but if you are adding a magic system in, you want to make sure that you’re still following the standard rules of a fantasy magic system.
For the most part, any magic system is going to need defined rules and costs so the power never feels completly loose and free. You can grab a copy of The Ultimate Guide to World Building if you want to learn how to create a unique magic system for your next story and slot it in logically with everything else in your world.
Want a sample of what you can learn from my guide? Check out this post here 👉 How to Create a High Fantasy Magic System: A Guide
4. War… Terrible War
War is probably one of the biggest parts of any grimdark fantasy book and war is the churning engine behind a lot of conflict in those stories. You can have:
- Warring factions engaged in geurilla battles
- One or two epic set-piece battles (siege, ambush, field slaughter).
- Personal stakes for the antihero on the front line. Or maybe just money.
For the most part though, you need to understand why this war is happening. It’s not a very good idea to just drop the idea that there’s a war happening but no backing for why that war is taking place.
Don’t just write epic battle scenes for the sake of including violence and gore. You want to be purposeful with your writing decisions.
War isn’t always required in grimdark, but it’s definitely a big part of it.
Need battle-scene pointers? I’ve got a full post on writing epic fantasy combat. I’ve also got tons of instructional material on militaries and war in The Ultimate Guide to World Building, where you’ll learn how to create your nation’s empire, battle strategies, and more!
5. Tragedy by the Bucketload
Grimdark leans into loss pretty heavily. You never know which characters are going to make it by the end of the series. Loss can include friends, family, ideals, nations, etc… Tragedy is meant to transform the cast of your story and deliver a lesson on what your themes are.
You need to ensure that tragedy isn’t just dropped in there for the sake of shocking the reader in a cheap way. You want to give tragedy a meaning, a purpose, and a ripple effect across the pages.
Quick Start Plan: Draft Your Grimdark Novel in 30 Days
Yes, writing dark, intricate fantasy can fit a one-month sprint. The trick is focused daily goals and a lean outline.
- Week 1: Character + premise
- Week 2: World rules, magic costs, power hierarchy
- Week 3: Plot the first two major disasters
- Week 4: Draft 50–60 k raw words. Worry about the polish later
Want the full day-by-day roadmap (word trackers, pep talks, freewriting prompts)? Snag my Sprint to a Novel in 30 Days Guide. It’s tailored for beginner and advanced writers alike and can help you accomplish your goals fast! 👉 Grab the guide
FAQs
No. It’s easy to think that it is, but shock alone isn’t enough. Good grimdark explores power, corruption, and survival through a bleak lens while maintaining internal logic.
Definitely. Small sparks of hope can make the darkness hit a lot harder. Just be sure to completely destroy your characters’ lives immediately after (just kidding…)
Yeah, they will. Some might be turned away, but chances are, if you market your story as a grimdark, your readers know what to expect. Just give them motive, relatability up to a certain extent, and maybe a glimmer of redemption.
Check out The Ultimate Guide to World Building for a full breakdown of everything you need to know about world building!
That’s what The Ultimate Character Creation Guide is for :)! It includes over 150 pages for you to learn everything it is that you need to know about character creation. So, even your most diabolical grimdark protagonist can be developed right!
Final Thoughts
Grimdark fantasy isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you enjoy breakding down the darkest parts of humanity, it’s a great subgenre to write in. I personally chose to go down the grimdark route with The Fallen Age Saga because I felt like it fit telling the story of the “fall of humanity” basically. With a psychopathic MC, World War III, and aliens, I felt like it fit the grimdark bill pretty well.
Check out my grimdark sci-fantasy books here 👉 The Fallen Age Saga
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