What Remains Of Heroes

Sick and tired of reading the same old stale fantasy? Well David Benem has something to say about that. The answer is, of course, to read his remarkably good What Remains of Heroes. If you want an epic fantasy that dwells in the gritty spectrum while also retaining a philosophical and introspective edge to it, What Remains of Heroes delivers these in spades. This one scored well in the Mark Lawrence Fantasy Blog Off competition, scoring a #6 spot on a list of 10 books. And I see why: it's a compelling read from start to finish, especially if you wants you some good old grimdark fiction. Let's see what's inside the covers: morally conflicted anti-heroes. Check. A dark unforgiving world. Check. Subversion on the standard fantasy trappings. Check. Well developed character. Check. Raw violence and action. Check and check again. Grimdark and just the ways we likes it. The influences behind this book are numerous, ranging from historical Sword & Sorcery  fiction such as Robert Howard and Michael Moorcock's Elric books to modern grimdark works with clear inspiration from the likes of Abercrombie's The Blade Itself, Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire, and Scott R.R Bakker's Prince of Nothing. If this sort story peaks your interest and you want to read some quality indie fantasy that read likes a conversation between the classics of Sword & Sorcery classics and the modern grimdark aesthetic, look no further then What Remains of Heroes. And while the book springs from self publishing roots, the end product here is a book that's well-edited with smooth prose, a sharp plot, and complex characters. It's a book that holds up very well against any traditionally published book and one of those rare sought-after jewels you do find if you dig deep enough into slush of the self published landscape. And the cover is really fucking cool too -- one of the best I've seen in the indie fantasy space.