In case you’ve been living under a rock or in a cave somewhere … the world is kind of a crazy place right now. And sometimes when things get crazy, people enjoy reading feel-good books.
Buuuut … not me. Give me a good dark fantasy that makes me appreciate the world we live in at least a little bit more any day. The more the book makes me cringe and go, “Man, that’s messed up,” the happier I am. What can I say? I’m weird.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is books that make me smile, and nothing makes me smile more than betrayal, stabbiness, and carnage!
Wait … no … I don’t think that’s where I was going with that.
I know it might seem completely contrary, but the more our world spirals into chaos, the deeper I delve into dark fantasy. Think we have it bad? Well, at least there’s not zombies. *snort* Wait … have you seen zombies?! EXECUTE ZOMBIE PLAN A!
The Jumbies
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Jumbies (mythical spirits or demons) exist.
- They’re not particularly fond of people, and you, presumably, are a people.
- Some of the jumbies are downright freaky.
- Like the Lagahoo, which is a giant wolfish creature wrapped in chains that would be more than happy to eat your face. Along with the rest of you.
- Douen may look tiny, but they mimic others’ voices, and their feet are backwards, and they nonchalantly steal children.
- La Diablesse seduces men in order to whisk them away into the forest and … well … I’m not sure what they do after that, but rest assured, it’s obviously nothing good. They’re for sure not like, “Here, you’ve won a year’s worth of cake!”
- Oh, and the real kicker? Jumbies can turn humans into jumbies, which okay, may sound kind of cool at first, but I’m willing to bet it’s not as fun as you think.
David Mogo, Godhunter
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- The Orisha (Yoruban pantheon of gods) have fallen to Earth and overrun Nigeria.
- I assure you, this sounds much more exciting if you don’t know stories about the Orisha. But if you do? Phew. This is not a pantheon you want walking among humans in the flesh, so to speak.
- The Orisha have completely taken over (you know, as you do when you’re freaking gods among humans) leaving Nigeria mostly a wasteland.
- Basically, it just sucks to be human in this world, okay? Do not recommend.
Into the Drowning Deep
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Basically our world, but mermaids exist for a fact, and these people are going to prove it, once and for all.
- But oh, these monsters also massacred a ship of people previously, and they’re very fond of devouring humans.
- Should be called murder mermaids. Murmaids? Maybe that’s how it was supposed to be spelled and English speakers just messed it up.
- Surprise, though. Murmaids aren’t the only things lurking in the deep! Dun dun duuuun!
- Never. Swim. Again.
Come Tumbling Down
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- The Moors might be cool to visit, but to live there? Well … that’s a misnomer, because you’d be doing a whole lot less living and much more dying.
- Dead isn’t dead … at least twice. Maybe three times. Just like Mario, you get a couple do-overs to get it right.
- Skeleton horses! Which sound super cool, but on the flipside, sometimes it’s just horse corpses sewn together. Depends on how good you are.
- World torn apart by various creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc.) all claiming different areas and subjugating the weak humans that live there.
- Oh, and the ocean? Also not even safe because of the freaking Drowned Gods, which should give you a good idea of their nature.
Knightmare Arcanist
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Let’s start with the really cool part of this world: mythical creatures exist, and if you merge with one, you become an arcanist and can wield its power! Freaking neat, right?!
- But yeah, also, there’s a plague going around that’s infecting these creatures and turning them dark and evil and murdery, along with their masters, if they’re bonded.
- The plagued creatures? Scary as hell, okay? First, the descriptions of them are disgusting and cringe-worthy, and you know it’s serious when even I nope the heck out of there, because I … have a reputation.
- Did I forget to mention that the mythical creatures can talk, which adds another level of creepy to the infected ones?
- You know a world is hardcore when the pirates are the least of your worries.
Forest of Souls
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Two words: Murder. Forest.
- By which I mean trees that will literally eat your soul. And probably enjoy it.
- Oh, and once they’ve finished devouring you? You become a part of them. And the souls of the devoured attack, taunt, and haunt anyone else who wanders in there.
- Also … giant spiders. Ugh. Nope. Miss me with that.
- Yes, I may have just said the giant spiders are scarier than murder forest, but I said what I said and I have no regrets. Priorities, guys.
- As if that’s not enough, there are also wenders with the power to, you know, influence water or create fire or rip freaking souls out of people’s bodies. You know, all the normal elements.
Deeplight
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Giant eldritch horrors known as gods that casually demand humans to worship them and then indiscriminately eat them.
- Because humans are fleshy and delicious and conveniently live next to large bodies of water despite knowing murder gods lurk in them.
- World that is not nice to children and orphans and … well, anyone, really. It’s a brutal place.
- Con: the entire economy of the island is based on the ocean, and diving eventually ends up killing your ear drums, leading to deafness. Pro: Deafness is celebrated and revered, because it means you’ve faced the ocean and overcome it!
- But also, this is really a post-gods era, because, surprise, the giant horror gods turned on each other and destroyed each other, and now the island is lost, because what do you do without your murder deities?!
- If you’re brave and seek pieces of these gods’ corpses, though (because that’s not creepy), they’re super strong and can be used to build things that normal organic materials wouldn’t be able to build. So … practical? Talk about a recycling plan.
- Also, most people end up dead, wounded, or missing attempting to retrieve these carcass pieces, so … there’s that, too. Just the cherry on the murder sundae.
Dread Nation
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Remember those zombies I mentioned in the opening? This book’s got you covered.
- But also hardcore Civil War-era racism, because the zombies rose up before civil rights could happen, which is very freaking inconsiderate of them. Dang zombies ruining everything.
- If you’re a person of color, you’re probably going to die. Just saying. Particularly if you’re Black or Indigenous, because white people hate you. The Asians, at least, took California, and good for them.
- How do we solve the zombie uprising? Let’s just throw Black people at them! It’s a legit strategy!
- People’s nature is hot trash in post-apocalyptic situations. I’m almost rooting for the zombies at this point.
Marrow Charm
Goodreads
Facts about this world:
- Magic has completely corrupted the surface world, transforming it into a post-apocalyptic hellscape.
- Yet again, humans are pretty much the most terrifying creatures in this book. There seems to be a pattern here. Hmm.
- GIANT FREAKING MURDER SPIDERS, which none of those things are words you want preceding “spider,” thank you very much.
- Cannibalism. Casual cannibalism. Which makes sense, given the circumstances, but I’m with the protagonist on this one. Paaaaass.
- Magic corrupts humans, sometimes turning them into murder monsters, which is kind of interesting and fun. Best kind of monster, in my opinion.
Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air
Goodreads
- Again, our world, except where certain people have powers, and as we’ve already established, people suck and ruin everything.
- Probably fine if you live on the East Coast, because you’ve been secretly hoping the West Coast falls into the ocean all this time anyway.
- I can’t say too much due to spoilers, but what I will say is what’s in the blurb: child with powers to create earthquakes + San Andreas fault = … well, I think you can do the math.
- I’ve been in exactly one earthquake in my life, and it was a 5.7. If you know anything about the Richter scale, that’s nothing compared to what the San Andreas fault can do.
- Listen, people with powers in the first place is a bad idea, because as I think I’ve proven by now, people suck. I rest my case.
I think its comforting to read stories where the characters are in worse situations than we are😁 Happy to see Random Sh*t on this list, I’ll be reading it soon😁
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…THE MIDNIGHT LULLABY by Cheryl Low – Review
I agree. Makes me think maybe times aren’t so bad after all. xD I hope you enjoy it! I still need to write my review. Go in expecting more feels than the first book. I didn’t expect that and was totally blindsided by all the feels, which is such a betrayal lol.
OMG, The Jumbies sounds like such a fun universe!
My TTT .
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Project or Hobby of Mine Inspired By a Book
It was super fun, and I highly recommend it! I hadn’t heard of these legends before, so I did look up some stories about jumbies after reading this book, and it’s super neat lore!
Marrow Charm deserves all the love it can get!
I so agree with this! I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book already. 😀
Sometimes I love your intros more than your post content. They always make me laugh! I love fantasy novels, but I rarely see/get recommended dark fantasy books. I haven’t read any of these, but they all sound so good! Probably all of these are going on my TBR.
Holliehocks @ My Thing About Books recently posted…Mid Year Freak Out Tag 2020
Ha, thanks! I have a lot of fun with it, and I’m glad I could make you laugh! Woe to your TBR. I hope you enjoy them if you read them, though!
Same! I seem to shy away from light, happy reads. This prompt has made me realize that I need more smiley books in my life, so it’s been super helpful to read everyone’s lists today and get some great recommendations.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
So glad I’m not the only weirdo that does that! xD I added sooo many new books to my TBR with this prompt, too, because I think I don’t gravitate towards many smiley books, so it’ll be fun to check some of them out.
This post is amazing, I was cracking up so much the whole way through 😂 It does make sense! Escapism of a different sort to make you appreciate what we have now, even if 2020 is pretty nasty so far. I’ve only read Dread Nation out of these but I’ve wanted to read Deeplight for ages too! (I think I prefer the other cover, this one seems to be triggering my trypophobia 😂 woe is me.) And now I’ve gotta go add the others to my TBR pile…
Sabrina @ Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad recently posted…Review: ‘The Dream Thieves’ (‘The Raven Cycle’, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Ha, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Have you read Deathless Divide yet? It was fantastic!
Oh, really? Huh. I love that cover for Deeplight, but I can see how it’d trigger your trypophobia haha. Doesn’t seem like that’s a very common cover anyway. Hope you enjoy any of these that you check out!
I loved Into the Drowning Deep, it was such a thrilling read!
Kyla @ Kyla’s Library recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Make Me Smile
Yes! I so agree. Have you read the Newsflesh series yet? I enjoyed this one, but I’m not a huge zombie fan and was really wondering whether or not I should pick up that series.
I’m reading Into the Drowning Deep right now and it’s so good so far! Also I love the formatting you’ve used for this post, with little facts about the world!
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! And thank you!
I *might* could handle some dark fantasy right now. As long as it’s hard-core fantasy. Nothing that closely resembles non-fiction. 😉
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Make Me Smile
Bwahaha, so stay away from Jackson Ford’s series. *cough* But can I interest you in murder gods or a murder forest, perhaps? Totally high fantasy, no worries on that front. 😉 But hey, if you ever DO find a murder forest in real life? Please let me know. For … research.
Hi there Sammie! First of all – I love your writing style. Very quirky and fun. Second – I don’t know ANY of these books… Please do not ban me to any of the above listed worlds.
Great post! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
Thank you! I’m glad you like it. 😀 Bwahaha, none of them? Not one? Well, fiiiine, I suppose not. No bans for you, since now you know. 😉
Aaaaaah I need to read Deeplight. It’s been sat on my shelf since October and it sounds soooo gooood.
It was really good! The plot itself was a little bit slow in places, but the world was SO FREAKING VIVID. Which in a dark fantasy is both thrilling and terrifying, but I still loved it.
loved your take on this!! 🙂 and I think I read and loved the Jumbies though the other ‘fascinating’ reads are new to me and I am adding a few to my TBR
Did you read the sequels to The Jumbies yet? I just read Jumbies this month, so I really want to pick up the other two books soon. :3 Hope you enjoy them when you get a chance to read them!
Great list! I have read Dread Nation and Jumbies but have not followed up with any additional books in the series. I should do that. 🙂 Reading has been hit or miss this year for me given everything happening, but I know I have been drawn to books that make me happy. Thanks for dropping by my list!
Stephanie @ Love.Life.Read recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Made Me Smile
Oh, you should for SURE read Deathless Divide! It was even better than Dread Nation … and I loved Dread Nation.
You’re for sure not alone in that. Most people I talk to are looking for uplifting, happy books right now. I’m obviously the weirdo. 🙂
I really want to read Dread Nation! It’s one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for what feels like forever. I should get on that. Thanks for the reminder!
I have … way too many books like that? Oops? xD I actually bought Dread Nation a couple months after it came out, and it took me all the way until Deathless Divide coming out to read it. So I hear you. I definitely recommend picking it up, though! One of my favorite reads this year.
I’ve only recently started seeing Knightmare Arcanist but now I am really interested. Great list 😀
Annemieke recently posted…More Camp Half-Blood For Me! | PJO/Heroes of Olympus Book Tag
Probably because there’s a tour going on for it now, but phew, it’s a good one! You gifted my TBR Bones and Bourbon, so here, I’m returning the favor. Read Knightmare Arcanist. xD
Got some great titles on your list, Sammie.
Flora recently posted…BBNYA: Semi-Finalists Book Bloggers’ Novel Of The Year Award
Thank you!
Dread nation is great.
I agree! You should read Deathless Divide if you haven’t yet. :3
[…] Sammie recommends 10 dark fantasies for dark times. […]
Aaahhh thank you so much for these recommendations! I cannot even begin to articulate my thoughts on how much thrill the prospect of reading a good grimdark fantasy gives me. There is some kind of a dark (probably disturbing) pleasure in reading about betrayals and stabbing 🙈 Aaaand yes it is perfect for when the world is such a mess, as reading these books makes me feel better about my world I guess 😂😂
Yeees. Dark fantasy is where it’s at. I’m glad I’m not alone in that. <3 I feel like it almost puts everything else in perspective, like okay, I had a crappy day, but yo, at least no one's tried to stab me in my sleep lately or had me cast into some man-eating forest or something. xD