Authors Like Joe Abercrombie: 6 Grimdark Fantasy Picks
If Joe Abercrombie's morally grey characters, brutal action, and black wit are your idea of perfect fantasy, these six writers deliver — each with a book to start.
Joe Abercrombie’s tagline says it all: “grim, dark.” But what makes The First Law special isn’t just the violence and the moral murk — it’s that he’s funny about it. His torturers have inner lives, his heroes are frauds, his wise mentors are manipulating everyone, and the whole bloody business is narrated with a black wit that keeps you grinning through the carnage. So the writers who satisfy Abercrombie fans share the cynicism and the consequences, and the best of them share the laugh.
If you’ve torn through Joe Abercrombie’s world, here are six writers who deliver the grimdark goods, each with a place to start.
George R.R. Martin — the one who started it
Abercrombie sharpened a blade that George R.R. Martin forged. A Game of Thrones established the modern template: no plot armour, no clean heroes, and a willingness to kill anyone. It’s less openly comic than Abercrombie but every bit as ruthless and politically intricate. Essential reading for anyone who loves the moral grey.
Start with: A Game of Thrones.
Mark Lawrence — the antihero, weaponised
Mark Lawrence takes the morally grey protagonist and dares you to keep rooting for him. Prince of Thorns hands the story to Jorg, a teenage prince and genuine monster, and the result is bleak, propulsive, and unforgettable. If Abercrombie’s Glokta is your favourite kind of character, Lawrence pushes that button hard.
Start with: Prince of Thorns.
Glen Cook — the grandfather of grimdark
Before grimdark was a label, Glen Cook was writing it. The Black Company follows a band of morally flexible mercenaries serving on the wrong side of a war, told in a terse, soldier’s-eye voice that influenced everyone who came after — Abercrombie included. The original, and still one of the best.
Start with: The Black Company.
Scott Lynch — the wit and the crew
For the comic, character-driven side of Abercrombie, Scott Lynch is the match. The Lies of Locke Lamora is a con-artist caper with razor dialogue, deep friendships, and real cruelty lurking beneath the fun. Lighter than The First Law, but the banter-over-blood sensibility is the same.
Start with: The Lies of Locke Lamora.
Robin Hobb — the emotional gut-punch
Robin Hobb is less cynical than Abercrombie but just as willing to put her characters through hell. Assassin’s Apprentice binds you to a young royal bastard trained as a killer, then makes you feel every wound. Read her when you want grimdark’s hard consequences delivered with a more tender hand.
Start with: Assassin’s Apprentice.
Brandon Sanderson — grim with a glimmer
Brandon Sanderson is more hopeful than the grimdark crowd, but The Final Empire — a heist against a god-emperor in a literally ashen world — has the oppressive setting and morally tangled rebellion Abercrombie fans appreciate, plus a magic system that’s pure pleasure. The palate-cleanser pick.
Start with: The Final Empire.
How to choose your next one
Pick by what you love most. The political ruthlessness? George R.R. Martin. The irredeemable antihero? Mark Lawrence. The original grimdark? Glen Cook. The wit and the crew? Scott Lynch. The emotional depth? Robin Hobb. A touch of hope with the grim? Brandon Sanderson.
These are mostly long series, so one hit can keep you reading for a long time. Browse more in our fantasy collection or the best epic fantasy series roundup, and start with whichever shade of dark sounds like your next read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who writes grimdark fantasy like Joe Abercrombie?
George R.R. Martin and Mark Lawrence are the closest matches. Martin pioneered the morally grey, anyone-can-die approach Abercrombie sharpened; Lawrence's Prince of Thorns pushes the antihero even further. Glen Cook's The Black Company is the grandfather of the whole grimdark mode.
What should I read after The First Law trilogy?
Continue with Abercrombie's standalone First Law novels, then branch to Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire for the same cynical, character-driven brutality. Scott Lynch offers the wit and crew dynamics with a slightly lighter touch.
What makes a book grimdark like Abercrombie?
Grimdark fantasy features morally compromised characters, realistic violence and consequences, and a refusal of clean heroism — often leavened with dark humour. Abercrombie's signature is that last part: the bleakness is funny. The writers here share the moral murk, and a few share the wit.
