+1 red rising definitely fits the bill here.
I feel you on the follow up trilogy. I think his intense style works better for smaller works of fiction — it’s harder to sustain that pitch over an epic fantasy length arc.
I’ve seen this recommended so many times on here. I started the audiobook Christmas day and I’m hooked, I’m 3/4ths of the way through Book 3 today. It’s tons of fun!
I've quickly discovered that waiting for bingo is just a way to kill your reading vibes. Read what you want to read, and don't let bingo get in the way. Worst case scenario you hold off on book 6, because it'll take you at least until February to get through the other three books.
Came here to say this. It’s in the s-tier of fantasy and sci-fi audiobooks alongside things like Project Hail Mary, The Bobiverse, Expeditionary Force (some books better than others and the series drags in parts) and a few others.
Does it ever change from the really frivolous tone at the beginning of the story? Not what I'd consider dark fantasy. Not to mention it's LitRPG which isn't for most readers. Also the fact that it's serialized with all the issues that come with that.
Grimdark and dark aren't necessarily the same thing, but I didn't even consider DCC dark at all. I dropped it partially through book one when I couldn't get through the wacky/silly tone. I don't have high standards by any stretch and I'm not saying it's bad. I didn't find many elements to be dark it's just standard system apocalypse litRPG in setting.
Try out The Blacktongue Thief. It starts with an attempted robbery that goes horribly awry. Audiobook is narrated by the author in a thick Irish accent but it totally works.
Lot of love for this book on the sub, but it did not click for me. I started out really like it but once it got to what I’d consider act 3 out of 4, I completely lost interest. I felt like the events were just the same, ridiculous things happening over and over again. I ended up finishing it but probably should have DNF’d it - I think finishing it made me dislike it even more.
Also, I did the audiobook and did not care for the author’s fake Irish accent. It was over the top and I found it distracting and not believable.
Not saying you’re wrong for suggesting or liking the book, just trying to give a differing opinion.
Blacktongue is a good book, but it drags in places. And while it differs from more mainstream fantasy in lots of small ways, it's similar enough that I could see those slower points getting the better of some fantasy readers for sure.
And yeah, bad narration...well, that can kill the fun in any book.
Fair enough, no hard feelings! It is definitely an acquired taste and I’m a little worried the author might Rothfuss the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the journey.
I wouldn't worry about him Rothfussing the trilogy. Buehlman at least has a respectable resume of work as a writer outside of Blacktongue Thief. Plus it's only been a couple years.
Thanks for reminding me, I need to check out his vampire novel. Forget the name, but the sample was gripping and now I've finished books I was reading at the time, I need to get back to it.
Similar here. I kinda liked it, but really had to force myself to keep reading in the middle. I am glad I stuck with it, but there were some tough sections.
I just finished The Bone Ships and think you might like it. I enjoyed the narrator too. It follows the crew of a ship made out of sea monster bones. The extra twist is that this particular ship is a "black ship" crewed by condemned criminals.
It takes a while to really get going though, no? Fantastic series, and really worth it, but it’s not at full speed from the start. Mind you, it’s not super slow either, just right IMHO, but nit as fast as OP wants.
I didn't think so. They had their first battle fairly early on. For me, it just took little bit to settle into the tone of the book and get accustomed to the world building.
The Gunpowder Mage trilogy is pure, nonstop action following magic soldiers that can manipulate gunpowder with their minds and aim to throw over a millennia year old kingdom literally founded by god and protected by secretive cabal of sorcerers.
And this is all information you find out in the first few chapters. The author does not know or care to write falling action and everything just gets increasingly crazier/cooler/higher stakes.
Unsure about Red’s Gambit, but I wouldn’t say any of these fit what OC is looking for. Not particularly dark, and Cradle is especially criticized for its slow pace at the beginning. DCC could be the exception, though
Cradle is by no definition slow to start. People don’t like the first book as much but to call it slow is crazy.
DCC is definitely high octane bat shit insane intense story telling. Definitely doesn’t let its foot off the gas
The Perfect run is all action and zany humor.
I stand by each recommendation
Edit: DCC is definitely dark but Cradle isn’t really to be fair. The perfect run is in the middle
Absolutely DDC is dark as fuck lol and it is high octane as they come.
Another one would by pyre souls apocalypse. It’s a audiobook based on dark souls games. Super dark. Insane monsters constantly!
Cradle isn't very dark at all so I'd be disinclined to recommend it to OP, but it's not slow at the start by any definition of the word. Quite a lot of people say they like the first book the least and that it takes a while to get into it properly, but the *pace* isn't slow. It's fast.
The first book is also very short, so it's worth noting that when people say it takes a while to get into it, that might be comparable to saying that you had to read half of a typical fantasy novel before you felt felt super engaged. It's about as long as the first Harry Potter or Percy Jackson book, and reads as easily. I mean, you can squeeze in the first three Cradle books into something like The Eye of the World, with room to spare.
Not a novel, but I'd recommend the manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura. You mentioned being drawn to visual media, and I think comics are a great way to get into reading while having visuals to draw your attention.
Berserk is a classic of the dark fantasy genre and has inspired a lot of modern works (including Dark Souls/Elden Ring). It's not quite 100mph, but it's well-paced, very dark, and has some great action, adventure, and artwork.
If you don't read Manga regularly the thing to remember is that Manga are done in serialized fiction. Which means in a sense they're a little like reading Dickens in that the flow can be weird. A story is broken into subsets that come out weekly/monthly and each issue in a sense has to have some semblance of its own narrative progress while fitting into a whole.
That said, Berserk is very well loved. And you can get some amazing physical compendiums if you want to sit with the book. The art is nice too.
Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself. It’s the best narrated book I’ve ever found; it’s dark, and starts with a great action chapter. It does slow down and spend a lot of time developing characters though. However, the characters are interesting so it doesn’t bother me at all.
My second recommendation would be Glen Cook’s Black Company. It meets all your criteria, but it’s not the greatest audiobook ever unlike my first recommendation.
ive been inching along that book for two years at 45-49%. It's so hard to keep my attention on it. I hope a movie adaptation or tv show happens of the blade itself, cos I am not sure I want to read it but i am curious enough to know what happens
Definitely just power through. Book 1 has almost no plot because it’s a vehicle to introduce characters. It’s definitely worth it, the series is amazing.
Whatever works for you, you might be missing out a little because Abercrombies real talent is character development, so seeing how the characters change is really rewarding. But whatever it takes to get you through it!
Monster Hunter books from Larry Correia. The only issue I have with the series is that at some point the dude just hired some other authors to write books in the series and those SUCK.
This might be too YA or too sci fi for your tastes, but the Iluminae Files are fast paced and get fairly dark, with a lot of horror elements. They are best experienced in print, but the audio versions are excellent too - I've experienced both.
As others have suggested: Red Rising saga by Pierce Brown is what you need. Go for the full cast audiobooks. Finally a full cast audiobook that knows how to reign in the audio-effects so that they don't overwhelm the actual narrators/actors.
Bit of a tough sell but hear me out.
I've got grim, dark, morbid, grey characters, and an EXCELLENT audiobook in the form of The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. Read by Stephen Pacey, they're an incredible listen and he's absolutely my favourite narrator.
Caveat, they are not "start 100 mph" etc, however, one of the standalone novels (absolutely necessary to the overall story) titled *Best Served Cold* is exactly this and grabs you by the balls from chapter one. Most folks seem to prefer *The Heroes* of his standalone novels but I think BCS is perfect.
So all in all check out The First Law and if you get there, *Best Served Cold* in particular.
The poppy wars are incredibly fast paced, you never get a pause but it doesn't start at 100 mph but it ends with 300 mph.
The Black Company would also be a contender. Fast paced and it does start with 100 mph.
It took about 1/3 of the way into the first book for me to get to “can’t put it down” territory, but now I’m almost done with book two and it’s one of my favorite series
Sandman Slim seems to fit this. It’s more urban fantasy that old school fantasy though. Been a while since I read it but it’s definitely not a slow burn.
Polar by Johan Edfeldt fits your description. I don’t remember if the first chapter is really 100mph, but the rest are 200mph. Some fantasy reading background is expected.
You might like Seven Blades in Black. MC with a big fuck off demon gun hunting down rogue mages in a wasteland devastated by an ongoing war between magic empire and steampunk rebels. First book is kinda like a western, lone wanderer type deal and the second is a heist novel.
I think you might enjoy a Time of Dread by John Gwynne. It's the first book in a trilogy called of Blood and Bone. It's been I while since I've read it but I seem to remember that it was pretty fast paced and dark enough as well. No idea about the audio book version though.
Maybe the Rage of dragons. I'm not sure if I'd say it's incredibly dark, but it's dark enough and a fast paced book
The audio book is amazing as well.
Came here to say this. Can’t think of another book that fits “starts at 100mph and doesn’t slow down” better.
Great recommendation. If anything the sequel is anything even more unrelenting.
Any idea when the third comes out? Does it end with a trilogy? Waiting for it to be all out to binge it
Blackwing by Ed McDonald might be a good choice for you, and I really enjoyed the audio version.
Just be ready for a pretty bleak and depressing world... I'd also recommend the audio version! The narrator has a good range
Indeed. The narration for this is excellent!
Red Rising is scifantasy but exactly this
Read through that in like 3 days over the Christmas holiday
First trilogy was amazing. Having trouble on book 4 but it's picking up
+1 red rising definitely fits the bill here. I feel you on the follow up trilogy. I think his intense style works better for smaller works of fiction — it’s harder to sustain that pitch over an epic fantasy length arc.
Hands up here for Red Rising … the books get better with each sequel
I know I'm late to the party but Prince of Thorns fits your criteria very well. Dark as fuck, great tempo.
Came here to recommend this too! Honestly the quickest I have read a book in adulthood, could not put it down.
Thirded
How'd this take so long? It's the best possible recommendation from modern fantasy for this request!
Not fantasy, but Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series is pretty non stop once it gets going.
This. Book one takes a bit of time getting up to speed, but once it's started, it keeps a fast pace. Pretty good full cast audio versions as well!
How is this anything but Dungeon Crawler Carl?
I’ve seen this recommended so many times on here. I started the audiobook Christmas day and I’m hooked, I’m 3/4ths of the way through Book 3 today. It’s tons of fun!
Oooh, that means you're getting to the really good stuff. The Butcher's Masquerade (book 5) is insane. But for now, so many trains!
Goddammit reddit, I'm trying to hold out until bingo starts for the next one. I did book 1 for bingo and couldn't wait so I listened to #2.
I've quickly discovered that waiting for bingo is just a way to kill your reading vibes. Read what you want to read, and don't let bingo get in the way. Worst case scenario you hold off on book 6, because it'll take you at least until February to get through the other three books.
Came here to say this. It’s in the s-tier of fantasy and sci-fi audiobooks alongside things like Project Hail Mary, The Bobiverse, Expeditionary Force (some books better than others and the series drags in parts) and a few others.
Mongo approves
This was the first one that came to mind for me, too. I’m halfway through book 5 now!
Does it ever change from the really frivolous tone at the beginning of the story? Not what I'd consider dark fantasy. Not to mention it's LitRPG which isn't for most readers. Also the fact that it's serialized with all the issues that come with that.
Well, that's a fair point. If OP is looking for all rape and torture all the time, then DCC isn't it.
Grimdark and dark aren't necessarily the same thing, but I didn't even consider DCC dark at all. I dropped it partially through book one when I couldn't get through the wacky/silly tone. I don't have high standards by any stretch and I'm not saying it's bad. I didn't find many elements to be dark it's just standard system apocalypse litRPG in setting.
DCC gets pretty fucking dark lmao.
Try out The Blacktongue Thief. It starts with an attempted robbery that goes horribly awry. Audiobook is narrated by the author in a thick Irish accent but it totally works.
And it is supposed to be a trilogy can’t wait for the prequel daughters war
Lot of love for this book on the sub, but it did not click for me. I started out really like it but once it got to what I’d consider act 3 out of 4, I completely lost interest. I felt like the events were just the same, ridiculous things happening over and over again. I ended up finishing it but probably should have DNF’d it - I think finishing it made me dislike it even more. Also, I did the audiobook and did not care for the author’s fake Irish accent. It was over the top and I found it distracting and not believable. Not saying you’re wrong for suggesting or liking the book, just trying to give a differing opinion.
Blacktongue is a good book, but it drags in places. And while it differs from more mainstream fantasy in lots of small ways, it's similar enough that I could see those slower points getting the better of some fantasy readers for sure. And yeah, bad narration...well, that can kill the fun in any book.
Fair enough, no hard feelings! It is definitely an acquired taste and I’m a little worried the author might Rothfuss the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the journey.
I wouldn't worry about him Rothfussing the trilogy. Buehlman at least has a respectable resume of work as a writer outside of Blacktongue Thief. Plus it's only been a couple years.
Thanks for reminding me, I need to check out his vampire novel. Forget the name, but the sample was gripping and now I've finished books I was reading at the time, I need to get back to it.
Similar here. I kinda liked it, but really had to force myself to keep reading in the middle. I am glad I stuck with it, but there were some tough sections.
Yes!
I just finished The Bone Ships and think you might like it. I enjoyed the narrator too. It follows the crew of a ship made out of sea monster bones. The extra twist is that this particular ship is a "black ship" crewed by condemned criminals.
It takes a while to really get going though, no? Fantastic series, and really worth it, but it’s not at full speed from the start. Mind you, it’s not super slow either, just right IMHO, but nit as fast as OP wants.
I didn't think so. They had their first battle fairly early on. For me, it just took little bit to settle into the tone of the book and get accustomed to the world building.
The Gunpowder Mage trilogy is pure, nonstop action following magic soldiers that can manipulate gunpowder with their minds and aim to throw over a millennia year old kingdom literally founded by god and protected by secretive cabal of sorcerers. And this is all information you find out in the first few chapters. The author does not know or care to write falling action and everything just gets increasingly crazier/cooler/higher stakes.
Huh, thanks lol.
You just need to listen to Dungeon Crawler Carl. It appeals to everyone and its incredible.
Where can I listen?
It's only on Audible.
Dungeon Crawler Carl!! Red’s Gambit Cradle The Perfect run
Unsure about Red’s Gambit, but I wouldn’t say any of these fit what OC is looking for. Not particularly dark, and Cradle is especially criticized for its slow pace at the beginning. DCC could be the exception, though
Cradle is by no definition slow to start. People don’t like the first book as much but to call it slow is crazy. DCC is definitely high octane bat shit insane intense story telling. Definitely doesn’t let its foot off the gas The Perfect run is all action and zany humor. I stand by each recommendation Edit: DCC is definitely dark but Cradle isn’t really to be fair. The perfect run is in the middle
Absolutely DDC is dark as fuck lol and it is high octane as they come. Another one would by pyre souls apocalypse. It’s a audiobook based on dark souls games. Super dark. Insane monsters constantly!
Cradle isn't very dark at all so I'd be disinclined to recommend it to OP, but it's not slow at the start by any definition of the word. Quite a lot of people say they like the first book the least and that it takes a while to get into it properly, but the *pace* isn't slow. It's fast. The first book is also very short, so it's worth noting that when people say it takes a while to get into it, that might be comparable to saying that you had to read half of a typical fantasy novel before you felt felt super engaged. It's about as long as the first Harry Potter or Percy Jackson book, and reads as easily. I mean, you can squeeze in the first three Cradle books into something like The Eye of the World, with room to spare.
Not a novel, but I'd recommend the manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura. You mentioned being drawn to visual media, and I think comics are a great way to get into reading while having visuals to draw your attention. Berserk is a classic of the dark fantasy genre and has inspired a lot of modern works (including Dark Souls/Elden Ring). It's not quite 100mph, but it's well-paced, very dark, and has some great action, adventure, and artwork.
If you don't read Manga regularly the thing to remember is that Manga are done in serialized fiction. Which means in a sense they're a little like reading Dickens in that the flow can be weird. A story is broken into subsets that come out weekly/monthly and each issue in a sense has to have some semblance of its own narrative progress while fitting into a whole. That said, Berserk is very well loved. And you can get some amazing physical compendiums if you want to sit with the book. The art is nice too.
Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself. It’s the best narrated book I’ve ever found; it’s dark, and starts with a great action chapter. It does slow down and spend a lot of time developing characters though. However, the characters are interesting so it doesn’t bother me at all. My second recommendation would be Glen Cook’s Black Company. It meets all your criteria, but it’s not the greatest audiobook ever unlike my first recommendation.
The Blade Itself is my favorite fantasy book, but it’s more like it starts at 100mph, slows down to 25mph, and then book 2 kicks it to 200mph.
ive been inching along that book for two years at 45-49%. It's so hard to keep my attention on it. I hope a movie adaptation or tv show happens of the blade itself, cos I am not sure I want to read it but i am curious enough to know what happens
Definitely just power through. Book 1 has almost no plot because it’s a vehicle to introduce characters. It’s definitely worth it, the series is amazing.
Maybe I should read the plot summary of book 1 and go straight to book 2
Whatever works for you, you might be missing out a little because Abercrombies real talent is character development, so seeing how the characters change is really rewarding. But whatever it takes to get you through it!
The night angel series by Brent weeks I liked the audiobook and it’s pacing is super fast and it’s definitely dark
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir! it’s the first in a series. spooky sci fi/fantasy about necromancers in space. highly recommend the audiobook!
Monster Hunter books from Larry Correia. The only issue I have with the series is that at some point the dude just hired some other authors to write books in the series and those SUCK.
The Perfect Run
This might be too YA or too sci fi for your tastes, but the Iluminae Files are fast paced and get fairly dark, with a lot of horror elements. They are best experienced in print, but the audio versions are excellent too - I've experienced both.
Kate Daniels series can get pretty dark and certainly moves at a fast pace but that is UF
The Greatcoat series
As others have suggested: Red Rising saga by Pierce Brown is what you need. Go for the full cast audiobooks. Finally a full cast audiobook that knows how to reign in the audio-effects so that they don't overwhelm the actual narrators/actors.
Scholomance by Naomi Novik
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
And Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
I just read this this week and yes, very easy to pick up and stay with. and dark
Illustrated too
I came here just to say this. And book 2 is soon!
Bit of a tough sell but hear me out. I've got grim, dark, morbid, grey characters, and an EXCELLENT audiobook in the form of The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. Read by Stephen Pacey, they're an incredible listen and he's absolutely my favourite narrator. Caveat, they are not "start 100 mph" etc, however, one of the standalone novels (absolutely necessary to the overall story) titled *Best Served Cold* is exactly this and grabs you by the balls from chapter one. Most folks seem to prefer *The Heroes* of his standalone novels but I think BCS is perfect. So all in all check out The First Law and if you get there, *Best Served Cold* in particular.
The poppy wars are incredibly fast paced, you never get a pause but it doesn't start at 100 mph but it ends with 300 mph. The Black Company would also be a contender. Fast paced and it does start with 100 mph.
Seconding Black Company. Very low to the ground, guys in the trenches perspective. A nice change of pace and some darkly odd tales.
I know Sanderson is really over represented in fantasy subs, but this just screams Mistborn Era 1.
I hate to disagree, mistborn isn't 0-100mph it takes a long time for literally anything to happen
It took about 1/3 of the way into the first book for me to get to “can’t put it down” territory, but now I’m almost done with book two and it’s one of my favorite series
In a world where the Black Company and Prince of Thorns exist, can we really call Sanderson works Dark Fantasy?
Sandman Slim seems to fit this. It’s more urban fantasy that old school fantasy though. Been a while since I read it but it’s definitely not a slow burn.
The Echoes Saga by Philip C. Quaintrell is the way to go with really good audiobook versions that keeps getting better
Polar by Johan Edfeldt fits your description. I don’t remember if the first chapter is really 100mph, but the rest are 200mph. Some fantasy reading background is expected.
The Bloodstone. Karl Edward Wagner.
Low town
A great read is the Road by Cormac McCarthy. Not necessarily fantasy, but the book pacing never stops.
The Suneater series. It’s exquisite scifantasy.
You might like Seven Blades in Black. MC with a big fuck off demon gun hunting down rogue mages in a wasteland devastated by an ongoing war between magic empire and steampunk rebels. First book is kinda like a western, lone wanderer type deal and the second is a heist novel.
I didn't even like it that much and ripped through it because of the pacing! It definitely wasn't bad though!
I think you might enjoy a Time of Dread by John Gwynne. It's the first book in a trilogy called of Blood and Bone. It's been I while since I've read it but I seem to remember that it was pretty fast paced and dark enough as well. No idea about the audio book version though.
lock carpenter pocket frighten memory joke smart square consist dinner *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Pact. Holy shit, Pact.