HELLSTONE CAPTURE | SECOND ENTITY.
And then, she felt it, felt that beautiful, twisted darkness … and she crawled toward it.
I’ve often oscillated between saying my Dark Legacy Series is grimdark fantasy or just dark fantasy. Today, we’re going to nail it down definitively. The brimstones are calling for no mercy, just blood, and we’ve got to feed them.
Here’s the cut and dry answer up front, and as we go along, we’ll figure out how I arrived at that decision. The Dark Legacy Series is dark fantasy with grimdark teeth. To start, let’s look at the definitions of both dark and grimdark, and we’ll break down where I sit.
Definitions:
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that combines elements of horror with traditional fantasy, often featuring disturbing themes, morally complex characters, and bleak settings. It explores darker implications of magic and the human experience, creating a tone that is unsettling and oppressive.
Grimdark fantasy is a subgenre of speculative fiction characterized by a bleak tone, morally ambiguous characters, and a world that is often hostile to ideals like justice and hope. It typically features complex, flawed characters and a narrative that strips away the idealism found in traditional high fantasy.
So, why did I pick one over the other? It comes down to the sentiments. I never say justice is dead. Sometimes, justice isn’t how we perceive it, but the end comes, and it’s never delivered with a sameness. Sometimes it’s quiet, other times it’s delivered with interest. Either way, the debt is paid.
Let’s break it down…