At first, I rejected the category. Now I realize I’m wrong.
Want a list of incredibly awesome grimdark authors? Look no further! https://t.co/iCkXtrQh2B
My initial reaction was dismissive: grimdark is merely dismantling tropes. I am also interested in dismantling some tropes, but I didn’t think I was quite as grim or dark as the benchmark books. A Song of Ice and Fire, and the whole sequence of Elric of Melniboné stories and books seemed darker to me.
I felt the number of actual, bloody fights in Tales of the Red Ranger was a little too low to be properly grimdark. It’s important that fights never involve any real victory. And there’s no particularly shocking or deeply horrific stuff. Personally, I’m unhappy with protracted torture and abuse as a narrative frame.
Tales of the Red Ranger seems to be at the edge of #grimdark. There are a lot of moral failings. The Red Knight really can be a jerk, and may not be good for the earldom or the kingdom. The Mage, also, is willing to destroy things that could have been preserved.
I’ve updated my reading list:
http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2018/10/the-women-of-grimdark/
And I’m updating my blog hash-tags. Why hide from it?