Books like The Steel Remains
30 fantasy books to read after The Steel Remains, by Morgan, Richard K., the closest match first.
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A Land Fit For Heroes book 2
1. The Cold Commands
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same series
- Same author
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Kirkus Reviews • Fantasy Book Critic “Pulpy and hard-core, but with a heart of gold.”—io9 The otherworldly Kiriath once used...
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2. A Land Fit For Heroes
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same series
- Same author
Subversion gone over the edge is how you can describe Richard Morgan's anti-fantasy series A Land Fit For Heroes. Morgan writes some of the blackest grimdark you'll ever read and...
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A Land Fit For Heroes book 2
3. The Cold Command
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same series
- Same author
Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath--Gil, for short--a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah. Only a select few have earned...
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4. The Barrow
by Smylie, Mark
- On the same lists
The Barrow was a 2014 release of pure, unadulterated grimdark with a cast of antiheroes. Vicious, action-packed, brutal with more bad language throne in than Eminem song. And did I...
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5. Herald Of The Storm
by Ford, Richard
- On the same lists
A new author who pays some serious tribute to Abercrombie with his style of grimdark. Do read if you like depressing, action ridden fantasy with a cast of troubled heroes....
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Low Town book 1 Start here
6. Low Town
by Polansky, Daniel
- On the same lists
Low Town (titled the Straight-Razor Cure in the UK), is the first instalment in the Low Town series, and is a noir detective mystery transplanted to a fantasy setting. The...
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Grim Company book 1 Start here
7. The Grim Company
by Scull, Luke
- On the same lists
With 'grim' in the title, it's not hard to guess that this book is clearly camped in the grimdark sub-genre, and it hits all the right beats for gritty, amoral...
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8. Broken Empire / Red Queens War
by Lawrence, Mark
- On the same lists
The first in The Broken Empire series, this gritty and violent novel focuses on a single character, who is an anti-hero, with a very dark past.
Mark Lawrence doesn’t use an abundance of technical explanations and diagrams, but that doesn’t make his magic system any less interesting. In fact, it lets him focus on his astonishing...
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Takeshi Kovacs book 1 Start here
9. Altered Carbon
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same author
Humans can transfer their conciousness into new bodies. This sets up a detective style story about a murder.
After dying in a particularly gruesome death, ex UN-envoy Takeshi Kovacs wakes up to find himself "re-sleeved" into a fresh body with a job offer: find who killed Laurens Bancroft...
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Takeshi Kovacs book 2
10. Broken Angels
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same author
Written by the author of "Altered Carbon, Broken Angels" features the return of Takeshi Kovaks, an imperfect hero with a violent streak and a thirst for action.
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Takeshi Kovacs book 3
11. Woken Furies
by Morgan, Richard K.
- Same author
Mixing classic noir sensibilities with a searing futuristic vision of an age when death is nearly meaningless, Richard K. Morgan returns to his saga of betrayal, mystery, and revenge, as...
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12. The First Law
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
This series takes place in an epic fantasy world at war and contains gritty violence and realistic characters.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny,...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
13. Heroes Die
by Stover, Matthew Woodring
- On the same lists
A novel about two worlds that blends Science Fiction and Fantasy. An action packed adventure filled with real danger, sorcery, and a complex social system.
The Acts of Caine series takes adventure fantasy and drags it sixteen miles through the mud, and then tortures what's left. In a dystopian future, humanity has discovered a way...
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Gentleman Bastards book 1 Start here
14. The Lies Of Locke Lamora
by Lynch, Scott
- On the same lists
Not all Grimdark lacks humor. This series blends the darkness of Grimdark Fantasy with some lighter, comedic moments.
There's so much about this wonderful series that's right. From a thrilling Robin Hood caper story (think a magical Oceans 11), compelling and complex characters, deep and expansive world-building, fascinating...
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15. The Prince Of Nothing
by Bakker, R. Scott
- On the same lists
In a world saturated by religious fanaticism, Maithanet, enigmatic spiritual leader of the Thousand Temples, declares a Holy War against the infidels. Ikurei Conphas, military genius and nephew to the...
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The Red Queen's War book 1 Start here
16. Prince Of Fools
by Lawrence, Mark
- On the same lists
This first entry into the Red Queen's War trilogy is about a layabout, womanizing, alcoholic prince. He's also just funny enough not to think he's an utter bastard. Okay, he's...
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Manifest Delusions book 1 Start here
17. Beyond Redemption
by Fletcher, Michael R.
- On the same lists
In a world where belief defines reality, the world could be a paradise, right? Not in Fletcher's world of Manifest Delusions, where corpses line the streets and narcissists spawn false...
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The Crimson Empire book 1 Start here
18. A Crown For Cold Silver
by Marshall, Alex
- On the same lists
The Crimson Empire trilogy, of which there are two instalments published at the time of writing, is one of the best additions to darker fantasy in recent years. It's the...
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19. The Incorruptibles
by Jacobs, John Horner
- On the same lists
This book is an odd mix of Western, Ancient Roman, steampunk, demons, elves and dwarves. It's a one of a kind book primarily just about the fates of a small...
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The Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
20. The Black Company
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
An elite mercenary unit is the focus of this series. It is a mix of fantasy, gritty realism, and military fiction. It is often cited as an inspiration for the Grimdark sub-genre.
In an era when fantasy was about honorable farm boys with magic swords and a noble destiny, Glen Cook said 'fuck that mess; let's have some amoral pricks doing bad...
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The Traitor Son Cycle book 1 Start here
21. The Red Knight
by Cameron, Miles
- On the same lists
The first in its series, this book introduces readers to a mysterious character who returns from a campaign and fights for money.
The Red Knight and the Traitor Son Cycle it begins are the most historically-accurate depictions of medieval-era warfare that I've ever read. In fact, if you want to continue enjoying...
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22. The Coldfire Trilogy
by Friedman, C.s.
- On the same lists
Influenced by Isaac Asimov, the magical force in these novels is derived from natural forces and governed by consistent rules, a force that humans must learn to control.
There are few things harder to control than emotion and this makes magic in The Cold Firetrilogy immensely difficult. The planet Erna is controlled by a force known as the...
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23. The Witcher
by Sapkowski, Andrzej
- On the same lists
Polish fantasy has come to North America and, judging from how awesome it is, here to stay.If you've played the fabulous 'Witcher' video games, you'll have some idea what this...
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The Dark Tower book 1 Start here
24. The Gunslinger
by King, Stephen
- On the same lists
For a fantasy-ish recommendation, which features a whole many worlds concept.
Roland, the world's last gunslinger, tracks an enigmatic Man in Black toward a forbidding dark tower, fighting forces both mortal and other-worldly on his quest
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25. A Cavern Of Black Ice
by Jones, J. V.
- On the same lists
The first in the Sword of Shadows series (which is still not yet complete with over 5 years since Jones published the last book) and a gritty, epic fantasy. Jones...
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26. Kane
by Wagner, Karl Edward
- On the same lists
One of the original anti-heroes in the fantasy genre; together with the Conan stories by Howard, Wagner's Kane helped shape (even start) the Sword and Sorcery genre.Kane is arguably one...
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27. Midnight Sun
by Wagner, Karl Edward
- On the same lists
Welcome to the world of Kane, perhaps the most complex characters in early Sword and Sorcery pulp. Wagner with his Kane stores together with Howard's Conan helped shaped the Sword...
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Instrumentalities Of The Night book 1 Start here
28. The Tyranny Of The Night
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
Another entry from the always awesome Glen Cook, a new almost mystical figure in the fantasy world with his genre defining work The Black Company which pretty much helped birth...
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Aeons' Gate book 1 Start here
29. Tome Of The Undergates
by Sykes, Sam
- On the same lists
Another one of those grimdarks that borrows heavily from the Joe Abercrombie style of it. But, perhaps a bit much of it. If you like your world bleak and dirty...
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30. The Black Company
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
A military fantasy where there is no real definition of good and bad. These books center on the exploits and struggles of The Black Company, a famous badass mercenary company...
Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to The Steel Remains.
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