Grimdark Vs. Dark Fantasy: How to Tell the Difference

In fantasy, there are many sub-genres. From epic and portal to flintlock and urban, there are a lot of different settings and atmospheres to explore. It’s one of the many things I love about the fantasy genre: there’s an endless amount of versatility and variety in the stories that can be told.

However, some sub-genres are a little bit harder to keep apart than others. Some have a lot more bleed-over, and the lines can seem muddled and blurry.

One of those pairings of similar-but-different sub-genres is the one we’re going to explore today: grimdark fantasy and dark fantasy.

As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, even the names of these sub-genres are very similar to one another, and the general feel of either sub-genre is quite similar, too. Both have a focus on darker, more mature subject matter, with a higher level of violence and moral depravity than other sub-genres.

So…what’s the difference, then? What makes something grimdark rather than simply dark, and vice-versa? How do you know which term to use, especially when trying to market your own book?

First, let’s get the basic outlines of what either sub-genre is:

Grimdark

Grimdark tends to be characterized by:

• Heavy focus on morally grey characters, frequently with more character-focused stories.
• Gritty and grounded in a more realistic setting, with less focus on magic and more focus on the darkness and struggles that exist in the world itself.
• There isn’t an ultimate good or evil, just people making choices and those choices having real consequences on the plot, world, and characters.
• A generally bleak and grim atmosphere.
• Death and extreme bodily harm come frequently, and no character is safe.

Some Grimdark Examples:

• The First Law series; by Joe Abercrombie
• The Broken Empire; by Mark Lawrence
• The Walking Dead*
• A Song of Ice and Fire; by George R. R. Martin

*One cool note I like about grimdark is that it’s not only a fantasy genre, and is more about the generally gritty vibe and atmosphere than about a particular plot-line or plot elements. That’s why a lot of apocalyptic, sci-fi, and even thrillers could, technically, be described as grimdark. It’s a term mostly used in fantasy to distinguish that particular style of storytelling, but it’s really a cross-genre thing. I wouldn’t advise using the term for advertising outside of fantasy, since it’s so linked to the genre, but it’s still an interesting note.

Dark Fantasy

Dark Fantasy tends to be characterized by:

• There is a sense of ultimate good and evil, though evil tends to be winning.
• Dark magic playing a larger role, such as sorcery or necromancy.
• Morally grey characters, though there are also true heroes sometimes thrown into the mix.
• Death and extreme harm do come, but there is frequently a “fate worse than death” thrown into the mix, often involving giving oneself over to the dark powers.
• A heavy lean toward horror, particularly supernatural and cosmic horror, frequently featuring horror-style monsters and demons.
• A generally dark and gloomy atmosphere, often leaning into the gothic and melodramatic.

Some Dark Fantasy Examples:

• The Elric Saga; by Michael Moorcock
• The Dark Crystal
• Berserk; by Kentaro Miura
• The Witcher series; by Andrzej Sapkowski
• The Vagrant; by Peter Newman

“But wait!” you might be saying. “Some of those examples listed fit into other sub-genres, too! And some of them could be considered both dark and grimdark!”

Good observation, theoretical-question-asker, that leads to the next point…

The Subgenre Spectrum

A big thing to understand with sub-genres is this: all sub-genres exist on a spectrum, and frequently coexist with one another. Sub-genres are not mutually exclusive.

Basically, this means that a book can–and often does–have multiple sub-genres at the same time, coexisting and working off of one another. And, the more similar two sub-genres are, the more likely they are to cross over and mix.

One of my favourite examples of sub-genre/genre cross-over in fantasy (and, particularly, with grimdark and dark fantasy) is The Red Queen’s War trilogy; by Mark Lawrence.

Here’s a short list of sub-genres found in The Red Queen’s War:

• Grimdark
• Dark Fantasy
• Post-apocalyptic
• Norse
• Comedy
• Quest

And there are more. That’s all in one trilogy–and that trilogy can also be classified as either fantasy or science fiction, to add on top of it.

Another great example is A Song of Ice and Fire; by George R. R. Martin. Though it has a lot of grimdark characteristics and can easily be labelled as grimdark, it’s more commonly known as an epic fantasy, on account of its length and depth.

A book can have elements that are both grimdark and dark fantasy at the same time, and they frequently work well together. That’s one of the great things about sub-genres–mixing them together and having elements of more than one can create new and interesting effects in a story, leading to a fun, unique experience. There are even a lot of stories that only have a few scenes that touch on certain sub-genres, then move onward. It’s all a mix, and there’s no need to be rigid about rules and terminology when it comes to storytelling.

But Why Is it important, anyway?

One simple reason: Marketing.

As far as marketing goes, it’s a matter of looking at your manuscript and figuring out which points are most prominent in your story, choosing which sub-genres are most important and represent your story best and going from there. Beta readers and editors are also great to ask in regards to this if you don’t know what sub-genres are strongest in your story, as they have an outside view of your work.

The biggest takeaway to remember, however, is this: if you want to go deep into a specific sub-genre, research it. Consume stories known to do that sub-genre well, and learn to apply that to your work if that is what you are going for. Otherwise, write the story you want to write and learn where it fits after. Sometimes, that’s the best thing you can do.

Anyway, that’s all I have for this one. As always, have a great day, and I’ll talk to you in the next one.