Here is a list of the best Gritty Fantasy books, some I have read myself, some that I did research on, and all have great reviews!
- Water Sleeps: A Novel of the Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company) (2000)
- A Vampire’s Bane: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2019)
- The fantasy fiction formula (2016)
- A Shifter’s Curse: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2018)
- A Vampire’s Fury: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2019)
- A Shifter’s Rage: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2018)
- The Invisible City (The Stolen Future) (2018)
- Rise of a Necromancer (2019)
- On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume I (2019)
- Son of Perdition (2018)
- Witch’s Bite: The Complete Series (2019)
- Water (The Six Elements) (Volume 3) (2017)
- Eve of Snows: Sundering the Gods Book One (2018)
- Nightwise (2018)
Water Sleeps: A Novel of the Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company) (2000)
Regrouping in Taglios, the surviving members of the Black Company are determined to free their fellow warriors held in stasis beneath the glittering plain. Journeying there under terrible conditions, they arrive just in time for a magical conflagration in which the bones of the world will be revealed, the history of the Company unveiled, and new world gained and lostall at a terrible price.
A Vampire’s Bane: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2019)
“The monster isn’t under my bed. It’s screaming inside my head.” Cursed by the Kiss of Eternal Night, Samira lives her life as an ancient and powerful vampire, guarding her emotions carefully. One slip up and the darkness inside her could send her on a rage-filled, bloodlust path of death and destruction.
The fantasy fiction formula (2016)
There’s more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, multi-dimensional characters, fantasy author Deborah Chester guides novices and intermediate writers through a step-by-step process of story construction.
A Shifter’s Curse: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2018)
“Karma takes too long. I’d rather beat the shit out of you right now.”With a dagger in her boot and blades in her bra, Briar, a powerful shifter, arrives in Rouen with one goal: find and kill Dominic, the man responsible for the destruction of her entire family and wolf pack.
A Vampire’s Fury: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2019)
“The beast inside me is awake, and it is hungry.” Her heart gutted by Korin’s betrayal, Samira turns her focus on not just killing him but destroying everything he holds dear. Only tearing apart the ones he loves will give her the revenge she requires. To do so, she must reawaken the beast inside her, the Kiss off Eternal Night. It is both a gift and a curse. If she’s not careful, tapping into those dark powers may destroy a lot more than Korin.
A Shifter’s Rage: A Gritty Urban Fantasy Novel (Rouen Chronicles) (2018)
“I never go to bed angry. I stay awake and plot my revenge.”Imprisoned for killing Silas, Briar’s only chance of surviving is to rely on her roommates and Luke, the sexy shifter she loves to hate. But getting free won’t solve her problems. She still has to kill Dominic, the pack Alpha who murdered her entire family.
The Invisible City (The Stolen Future) (2018)
When the woman he loves is kidnapped by one of Earth’s alien overlords, he becomes the enemy of one of the most powerful men in the world.But his quest to rescue her is complicated when he learns that a working time machine may still exist with which he could return to his own era and save his troops from certain annihilation.Now, torn be…
Rise of a Necromancer (2019)
Rise of a Necromancer is a standalone character-driven origin story in the Six Elements universe. Reading the completed Six Elements series is recommended but not required. While the beginning of the novel features a juvenile protagonist, like all of Rosie Scott’s works it contains extreme mature content.
On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume I (2019)
Writing advice tends to be full of 'rules' and 'tips' which are either too broad to be helpful or outright wrong.
Son of Perdition (2018)
Set in the gutted, devastated remains of the American South in the aftermath of the Civil War, Son of Perdition follows a Union solder named Samuel Glazer as he tracks down the Confederate guerillas that brutally murdered his family.
Witch’s Bite: The Complete Series (2019)
We all have our secrets. Mine involves a felony record, illegal potions, and magi–wellthe last one could get me killed.I’ve been living in a small town working for the vampires for the last six months. All I want is to save up enough to open an apothecary, so I don’t have to heal the neckers anymore.Of course, nothing in my life can be that simple.Two detectives show up at my door asking questions about a dead girl and trying to pin the murder on my employer.
Water (The Six Elements) (Volume 3) (2017)
The War of Necromancers has begun.After her first victory in battle against her former home, Kai Sera and the Seran Renegades are now a force to be reckoned with. They plan to garner support from far away lands, and set off across the ocean in search of more allies.Word of Kai’s identity and her actions in Nahara have spread across the world, however. The gods are on her trail and angry with her transgressions, and their powers equal hers in strength.
Eve of Snows: Sundering the Gods Book One (2018)
Five hundred years ago the world shattered, banishing the gods from the Sister Continents and stealing the memories of the mortal peoples in an event known as the Great Forgetting. In seventeen days the stars will align, and a religious cabal will summon the gods back to the realms of men. In the northern tundra priests search the Steaming Lakes, a place tormented by the Wakened Dead. Deep in the mountains, demonic shadows assail priests at a holy shrine.
Nightwise (2018)
R.S. Belcher, the acclaimed author of The Six-Gun Tarot and The Shotgun Arcana launches a gritty new urban fantasy series set in today’s seedy occult underworld in Nightwise.In the more shadowy corners of the world, frequented by angels and demons and everything in-between, Laytham Ballard is a legend.
Best Gritty Fantasy Books Worth Your Attention
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some gritty fantasy books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Devil's Night Dawning: A Gritty Dark Fantasy Epic
Author(s): Damien Black, Red Raven
ID: 2186231, Publisher: Damien Black, Year: 2016, Size: 911 Kb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are really hot items according to Chicago Tribune, others are drafted by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.