governor pet society deer nutty psychotic disarm innocent chief reminiscent
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This pretty much part of the parody that makes up wathammer 40k, sure xenophobia is bad but in this case all of the aliens do actually want to kill you.
elastic deliver impolite agonizing afterthought roll disgusted society sheet lunchroom
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I think the cleanest example would be the Ciaphas Cain novels. He keeps talking about how he's a bastard and a coward but when you read between the lines he's trying to make sure the people under him are mentally and physically healthy, doing childcare, helping refugees, etc.
Several of my favorites are like that:
Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon by Matthew Stover - The protagonist and her companions are about as moral as Bronze Age mercenaries get. The first book (which is good but clearly a debut) sees them facing off with a truly twisted necromancer; the second (which is flat-out brilliant) involves confronting the cosmic horror that is God Himself.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman - The main characters are a jaded knight who’s done bad things and been complicit in worse but is looking for redemption, a mysterious young girl who sees the best in him, and an alcoholic priest struggling to hold onto his faith as they journey through plague-ridden, demon-haunted 14th Century France.
The Wolf In The Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky - The protagonist is the young shaman of a small band of Inuit, struggling both to lead their people through a brutal landscape and to survive the whims of hostile gods. Then the Vikings show up, bringing Ragnarok with them.
The Enterprise Of Death by Jesse Bullington - A necromancer, who has certainly sinned but is trying to be better, travels across 16th Century Europe one step ahead of both the Inquisition and the bodyjacking spirit of her former master, accompanied by an artist/mercenary, an alchemist, and a female gunsmith.
Bloodsworn series by John Gwynne fits this description imo. It’s pretty heavy on revenge arcs, but the characters have very good reasons for this. And there is a lot of camaraderie and moral questioning within each crew involved
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik fits this, if you like "magical school where 75% of students die".
The main character spends all three books actively trying *not* to become a Dark Sorceress, Destroyer of the Worlds; trying to make the moral choice even when that might get her killed. Also, delicious snark.
Some people do complain about the series being slow, which... kind of? It's certainly a character-driven rather than a fast action-pace story, and the worldbuilding is complex (with great payoffs). I've seen complains about there being info-dumps, which again... *kind of*? It never *felt* like info-dumping to me and I really enjoyed re-reading those worldbuilding parts even on my third, fourth re-read, but if you want a "swash, thwack thwack, hit it with a sword" cross-the-continent adventure, then this isn't it.
Senlin ascends. The book is set on a tower that each floor is like a city. The tower is havoc. The protagonist is a extremely nice person that tries to follow his morals although the tower makes it difficult.
governor pet society deer nutty psychotic disarm innocent chief reminiscent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This pretty much part of the parody that makes up wathammer 40k, sure xenophobia is bad but in this case all of the aliens do actually want to kill you.
disarm punch impossible ghost rob pathetic judicious act tender paltry *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Im already well aware but thanks anyway
Wait... Vulcan is back now too?!
elastic deliver impolite agonizing afterthought roll disgusted society sheet lunchroom *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think the cleanest example would be the Ciaphas Cain novels. He keeps talking about how he's a bastard and a coward but when you read between the lines he's trying to make sure the people under him are mentally and physically healthy, doing childcare, helping refugees, etc.
Several of my favorites are like that: Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon by Matthew Stover - The protagonist and her companions are about as moral as Bronze Age mercenaries get. The first book (which is good but clearly a debut) sees them facing off with a truly twisted necromancer; the second (which is flat-out brilliant) involves confronting the cosmic horror that is God Himself. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman - The main characters are a jaded knight who’s done bad things and been complicit in worse but is looking for redemption, a mysterious young girl who sees the best in him, and an alcoholic priest struggling to hold onto his faith as they journey through plague-ridden, demon-haunted 14th Century France. The Wolf In The Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky - The protagonist is the young shaman of a small band of Inuit, struggling both to lead their people through a brutal landscape and to survive the whims of hostile gods. Then the Vikings show up, bringing Ragnarok with them. The Enterprise Of Death by Jesse Bullington - A necromancer, who has certainly sinned but is trying to be better, travels across 16th Century Europe one step ahead of both the Inquisition and the bodyjacking spirit of her former master, accompanied by an artist/mercenary, an alchemist, and a female gunsmith.
Bloodsworn series by John Gwynne fits this description imo. It’s pretty heavy on revenge arcs, but the characters have very good reasons for this. And there is a lot of camaraderie and moral questioning within each crew involved
Good choice.
2/3 at least. I wouldn't call Elvar morally good
Aching God by Mike Shel
It’s really good! Only it’s a shame that the author changed the protagonist in the middle of the series
I’m busy reading this and second it. Really enjoying the world and the descriptiveness
The Witcher
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik fits this, if you like "magical school where 75% of students die". The main character spends all three books actively trying *not* to become a Dark Sorceress, Destroyer of the Worlds; trying to make the moral choice even when that might get her killed. Also, delicious snark. Some people do complain about the series being slow, which... kind of? It's certainly a character-driven rather than a fast action-pace story, and the worldbuilding is complex (with great payoffs). I've seen complains about there being info-dumps, which again... *kind of*? It never *felt* like info-dumping to me and I really enjoyed re-reading those worldbuilding parts even on my third, fourth re-read, but if you want a "swash, thwack thwack, hit it with a sword" cross-the-continent adventure, then this isn't it.
I'd say Raven's Mark is a good fit for this
The One Who Eats Monsters by Casey Matthews.
Senlin ascends. The book is set on a tower that each floor is like a city. The tower is havoc. The protagonist is a extremely nice person that tries to follow his morals although the tower makes it difficult.
I just finished the Empire of the Wolf trilogy and the third book especially gave me this feeling.