Books Like The Gunslinger
If you finished The Gunslinger and want more grimdark, morally gray, demons, start here. Each pick shares at least two tropes with it, and we've rated every one for spice and darkness so you know what you're getting into.
For reference, The Gunslinger is:
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The picks
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1. Perdido Street Station
Shares: morally gray, grimdark
A scientist in the filthy city of New Crobuzon takes a commission from a birdman whose wings were cut off, and accidentally releases something that feeds on dreams. The city itself is the star. The prose is thick, so give it 100 pages.
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
- Found Family
Content warnings
Drug or alcohol abuse, Gore, Graphic violence, Sexual assault
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2. The Warded Man
Shares: demons, morally gray
Every night demons rise from the ground, and people survive behind magic wards. Arlen watches his mother die because his father froze, and decides he'll fight back. Great first half. The handling of sexual violence in the back half is a common complaint.
- Demons
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Revenge
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Physical or emotional abuse
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3. The Wretched Divine
Shares: demons, morally gray
Grace's adult debut: a knight bonded to an angel has to team up with a demon to find a cure. Way darker than Belladonna and a bit overstuffed, but the emotional core is the most complicated thing she's written.
- Demons
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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4. We Ride the Storm
Shares: morally gray, grimdark
Three narrators in a crumbling empire: a princess forced to marry for alliance, a soldier from the plains, and an assassin who hears the voices of the dead. The first chapter has a severed head and it sets the tone. Starts confusing, then locks in.
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Torture, Murder
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5. The Blade Itself
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
A torturer, a barbarian and a vain nobleman walk into a war. Abercrombie is funny, which is the only reason the darkness goes down so easily.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Torture, Graphic violence, War
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6. Gardens of the Moon
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
Erikson drops you into the middle of an empire's war with zero explanation and expects you to swim. Sorcerers level cities, gods meddle in Darujhistan's politics, and the Bridgeburners just want to survive. Book one is the roughest. It gets much better.
- Grimdark
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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7. Godblind
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
The Red Gods' followers are planning to invade Rilpor, and a dozen narrators get caught up in it. Short chapters, a huge cast and some of the most graphic torture in the genre. Know that going in.
- Grimdark
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Torture, Gore, Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence
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8. The Black Company
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
Croaker, the company's doctor and record keeper, writes down what a mercenary band does after signing on with the Lady, who is pretty clearly the villain. Dry, cynical and short. The book half of modern grimdark is quietly copying.
- Grimdark
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Torture, Murder
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9. The Blacktongue Thief
Shares: morally gray, grimdark
Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a fortune, so a botched robbery turns into a job escorting a knight across a country wrecked by goblin wars. The narrator is a funny, profane liar. Then there are the giants, and the war flashbacks, which are not funny at all.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Animal death, Gore
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10. The Court of Broken Knives
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
A band of mercenaries is hired to assassinate the emperor of a rotting empire, and one of them, Marith, turns out to be something much worse. The prose is fevered and fragmented, close to poetry. You either love the style or you can't get through it.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Harm to children, War
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11. The Darkness That Comes Before
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
A holy war is forming, and a monk named Kellhus, trained for generations to read and steer people, walks out of the wilderness to use it. Dense, philosophical and relentlessly bleak, especially toward its women. Some readers find it profound and others bounce off hard.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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12. The Grey Bastards
Shares: morally gray, grimdark
Half-orcs riding war hogs patrol the badlands like a biker gang, and Jackal thinks his chief has gone soft. Crude, violent and a lot of fun if you can handle the language. The other two books in the trilogy are better.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder
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13. Between Two Fires
Shares: demons, grimdark
France, 1348. The plague is killing everyone, and a disgraced knight ends up protecting an orphan girl who says angels speak to her. Fallen angels are making war on the world and the imagery is straight out of a medieval nightmare. Proper horror.
- Demons
- Grimdark
- Found Family
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Sexual assault, Harm to children
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14. Empire of the Vampire
Shares: grimdark, morally gray
The sun hasn't risen in 27 years and vampires rule. Gabriel de León, the last silversaint, tells his life story to a vampire historian the night before his execution. Huge, swaggering and very gory. Kristoff's style is a lot, in the best way if it works for you.
- Vampires
- Grimdark
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Torture, Death of a loved one, Harm to children
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15. House of Earth and Blood
Shares: demons, morally gray
Urban fantasy Maas: phones, clubs, angels and a half-fae party girl hunting whoever killed her best friend. The first 200 pages are a slog and the last 200 are a sprint.
- Fae
- Demons
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder, Drug or alcohol abuse, Death of a loved one
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