An Entire Fiction Genre Emerged In Response To Game Of Thrones-Style Epics, And It Will Be The Future Of Fantasy TV – Looper

The term “grimdark” originates from the “Warhammer 40k” tabletop game, which uses the tagline, “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” In short, it’s a subgenre of fantasy fiction that favors hyperrealistic worlds, morally grey characters, and general depravity. Glen Cook’s “The Black Company,” released in 1984, is often credited as the first grimdark story. It follows a group of hardened mercenaries as they work for anyone who’s willing to pay them, forcing the soldiers to make tough decisions along the way.

Elsewhere, Joe Abercrombie, Steve Erickson, R. Scott Bakker, Mark Lawrence, and George R.R. Martin are widely regarded as the subgenre’s most influential authors. However, Martin is arguably the only writer who’s truly infiltrated the mainstream, based on the success of “Game of Thrones” and the exposure it’s given to his novels and celebrity profile. Still, don’t be surprised if Martin’s peers’ stories find their way to the small screen at some point.

If you want to go back further, however, early 20th-century pulp stories by Robert E. Howard can be considered grimdark. “Conan the Cimmerian,” “Solomon Kane,” and “Kull the Conqueror” reject the noble idealism that was commonplace in early fantasy stories in favor of hard-boiled storytelling. Howard’s “heroes” are barbarians and savages who inhabit cruel, violent worlds; cold warriors who are more interested in their own survival than saving humanity. Howard’s stories are grim, gritty, and brutal, and their influence on grimdark fiction can’t be overlooked.