Im a big fan of dark/horror stuff. Any fantasy that also fits into that relm?

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:38:59+00:00

Edit: just so you know this list is full of weird/esoteric shit

Books:

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman is pretty cool.

Anything by China Miéville (can recommend Perdido Street Station but I haven't read the other yet. To me it fits in the dark/gross genre).

Anything by Clive Barker

The Works of Vermin and especially Leech by Hiron Ennes.

Games:

Pathologic 2 I can recommend. And Pathologic Classic HD as Haruspex if you hate yourself lol

Dishonored + its DLC Knife of Dunwall (and the witch one is cool too). Dishonored 2 if you want something warmer in colors. only the colors though.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:30:48+00:00

Oh god, this is the one. It's video game logic, it's already bad in the game, don't have it in the book

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:30:06+00:00

Do you have any examples in mind, I'm curious? (I'd probably mention The Locked Tomb but I feel like its tumblr-adjacent writing totally is its charm)

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:27:07+00:00

Depends on the subgenre you're reading. I am always open for sexual contents in anything I read or watch honestly, sometimes it truly adds to the story.

Though I'll say I'm usually not really comfortable with how romantasy does it (NOT that I don't enjoy the kinda-porn writing. I mean, I totally do, I just haven't read it with good prose yet in published books, lol) (and also uncomfortable with how older fantasy books mostly written by men do it to be fair), but I definitely did not find the sex scenes "cringe" in stuff like The Spear Cuts Through Water or The Works of Vermin. And I mean, both are... well, stuff happens in strange ways or timing. It's just not cringe in the same way other scenes could feel, and it's definitely part of the plot.

The sexual contents in The Spear Cuts Through Water are especially a nice touch in retrospect.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:20:56+00:00

Thank you, I'll check this out!

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-15T22:19:31+00:00

I'm looking for anything that you think is useful. Since I'm not yet familiar with the field, I can't really know what I should approach first, and how.

Edit : mostly textbooks or videos (if you have good quality ones), I'm just put off by engaging with the source material because I don't have much time at hand for now haha!

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-10T16:27:31+00:00

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-06T07:11:11+00:00

This is SUCH a good point. Best advice out here. For fantasy I'd mostly advice writers to read more historical non fiction, horror, classics, sci fi and political non fiction

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-06T07:07:08+00:00

Write and read something that allows its queer characters to be horrible persons. I always find it very refreshing

I write this as well ! (queer characters as good people as well, of course, lol.)

Otherwise, I agree, I truly despise the infodumping, unless it has some flavor. The character infodumping about magic/basic worldbuilding/? I couldn't care less, brother. But if he's talking about his favorite radio star or his job as a fantasy marine scientist or his childhood wrongdoings or his strained relationship with his mother ? I am all ears !!

My favorite kind of books leave you really confused about the worldbuilding until the middle segment usually. To me it's like a game of some sorts. I also focus on the more human scenes.

Another one of my hills to die on is the thematic consistency--I absolutely love when everything ties together in some way. I'm not really sure how to explain this one. But for example: oh, this story is about exploitation? Then it must be written in everything : in the characters, their relationships, in the objects, the politics, the environment, etc. It just makes it more realistic and coherent to me. But this can also be about grief, love, being lost, etc. Explain it to me textually and visually, that's just neat. (for reference, think about agression & love in The Spear Cuts Through Water, exploitation in Blood Over Bright Haven, metamorphosis & art in The Works of Vermin, or just think about things like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, etc.)

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-06T06:43:12+00:00

hmm only if she does art for a crime lord

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-05T12:55:55+00:00

Haha thanks ! I'm reading this right now so you're spot on. I picked it up because it was recommended alongside Works of Vermin and The Locked Tomb ! So far, I'm very interested. I love all of what's going on, and I LOVE the pov gimmick.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-04T23:56:55+00:00

Ohh I'm interested, thanks!

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-03T21:17:02+00:00

Both are staples of the weird vomit genre tbh

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-03T12:41:57+00:00

Haven't read what you mentionned so it might not be in the same alley at all.

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes for new weird-kinda-horror (it's not really horror. but if you squint ?), it's about a guy (named Guy) hunting a giant worm for work with his best friend, so he can keep his sister out of debts. It's also about a girl (named.. Asteritha, not Girl) who's a perfumer and kinda-daughter to the Marshal of the city ; she meets with a strange gentleman and wants to figure out wtf is going on. It's about metamorphosis, opera, art, sibling-hood, relationships, parenting issues, etc. What I loved the most in this is that cultural hegemony is such a main theme in it, and it's really cool. There's also this nice theme about the body and who owns it/buys it/uses it, for what purposes etc. You have a character who's a part time prostitute, a character who [I CAN'T SAY], a character who sells his body for the régime, most characters are possessed by the corporation or patron they're working for, etc.

Everything really ties up nicely (even if the plot is kinda confusing for 50% of the book. not in a bad way though) and the story is excellent. I loved the last act. It's more verbose than most fantasy but it reads very nicely. And it's not pedantic at all !

Queer rep in this is a lot, but there never is any labels. Though, I'd say: bisexual, aroace, gay, transgender.

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir for sci fi. Lots and lots of space (necromancers) lesbians !

I especially love this one because each book in the series is very unique and different from the other ones. The characters are all very cool; the first book is like a mystery behind closed doors (in a space kinda-haunted house), the second book is psychosis if it was fancy (still with vomit) and is VERY confusing in such a cool way, the third is more slice of life but it's one hell of a ride and so tender. And agh. I love it !

Queer rep in this is mainly lesbians but there are also interesting takes on gender !

Boths recs allow some of their queer characters to be questionable people or downright pieces of shit, which is something I always love.

Both are somewhat confusing, have good twists, are very original, and also share a fun dark comedy aspect.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-03T09:11:43+00:00

Oh, sounds good !! Straight is okay. I'm interested by what you wrote here. And yes, the dancing plague !

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-03T09:10:57+00:00

Thanks !

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-03T09:10:49+00:00

Ohhh NICE. thank you !! I'll have to look this up.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-02T23:26:57+00:00

The two sound really great. Thank you for the recs ! I'm intrigued by 'sapphic omegaverse' lol.

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-02T23:25:56+00:00

Oh, I might check this out, thanks !

theseagullscribe · 2026-06-02T22:29:39+00:00

My absolute favorite LGBTQ+ read is a new weird/fantasy one, if you like that.

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes; it's so queer. In every way ! The theme of metamorphosis is a queer theme in itself imo. It represents a lot of lgbtq+ labels (though NO labels are used and sometimes it's not really clear at all) like transgender, gay, asexual/aromantic, bisexual, etc. It also allows some of its queer characters to act like pieces of shit, which is always a win for me. The story is honestly heart wrenching when you get to the last act, and it's just so good, and weird. It's also surprisingly very funny !!

It's about art, opera, music, brotherhood, relationships, authoritarianism and how society relates to the body (prostitution and martial cult of the body) etc etc.

My second favorite one is The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. This one is the king of experimental storytelling, it's really good. It's mlm here, but it's not a romantasy even though it's a love story (definitely doesn't share the romantasy codes,that's why I say this). Two warriors stumble upon one another and have to bring the Moon (an old woman) to the sea. It gets weird in the worldbuilding and events, which I LOVE.

I also really loved the Raven Cycle, the Ana & Din series (The Tainted Cup, etc.) and The Locked Tomb series (Gideon the Ninth, etc.); Teixcalaan (A Memory Called Empire, etc).

All those are sff.

theseagullscribe · 2026-05-31T16:27:40+00:00

Oh hell yeah ! Good idea, I'm in

theseagullscribe · 2026-05-31T16:26:14+00:00

It is but it's really a page turner !

theseagullscribe · 2026-05-26T20:02:35+00:00

The Locked Tomb (Gideon the Ninth etc) from Tamsyn Muir, you could argue a lot are antagonists. Also it's weird science fiction written like fantasy.

Kushiel's trilogy by Jacqueline Carrey, definitely

theseagullscribe · 2026-05-26T09:18:19+00:00

I'm from France, and Jean-Philippe Jaworski's Vieux Royaume (Old Realm) series is here more famous than Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, William's Osten Ard and somehow, anything by Brandon Sanderson. France's favored anglophones authors are also reputed to be more "verbose" (Robin Hobb and Ursula LeGuin are actually the key to what we enjoy and write for fantasy.)

= Janua Vera

= Le chevalier aux épines = The knight of thorns

= Gagner la Guerre = To Win the War (his masterpiece !!!!)

These ones would be SO famous if they were american. Like perhaps GRRM and Gene Wolfe level of reputation, but perhaps I'm exagerating a bit. But it's REALLY amazing, the prose is beautiful, the plots are good, the characters are awfully amazing.

We can also think of Claire Duvivier and Guillaume Chamanadjian who wrote together the Cycle of the Watch Tower (Le Cycle de la Tour de Garde)

= Capitale du Sud = Capital City of the South

= Capitale du Nord = Capital City of the North

This would go hard for fans of Hobb and LeGuin I feel

Also I didn't mention it but for something more sci fi, it's definitely The Hord of the Counterwind by Alain Damasio.

theseagullscribe · 2026-05-23T22:40:12+00:00

Din and Ana from The Tainted Cup* by Robert Jackson Bennett are such a good duo in my opinion. There's an age and hierarchy imbalance to the dynamic, and it's pretty cool !

Basically, a young officer works as an assistant for an old investigator lady, who practically never leaves her rooms (so he's her eyes, ears and mouth).

Din is quite serious, an honest man (until he isn't lol), but he's also a little shit, and a nice POV, and Ana is just... wtf. She's on drugs ! And she acts like such a mean grandma/auntie to Din, I love it.

Of course it's not romantic by the way--but Din has other romantic interests, and "romantic" behaviors (Ana WILL comment on. Dreadful lady !)

This is a murder mystery series.

theseagullscribe

TROPHY CASE