The reign of the sun is nearing its end. I've waited all year for this. When the nights get longer, the air chills up my spine, and my favorite flavors are on sale everywhere. My favorite flavor of genre, that is. Dark fantasy, speculative horror, weird fiction—the spooky season of Halloween is where the morbid and macabre receive the most appreciation.
What dreadful tomes should you be reading this autumn? There's something for everyone on the shelf. From household classics, cult niches, to breakout hits, here's a list of seven addicting dark fantasy books to kick off spooky season.
1. Sabriel by Garth Nix
We're kicking off the list with a young adult novel, but don't let the age rating deceive you. Sabriel by Garth Nix, the first book in the Old Kingdom series, is better at dark fantasy than most gore-ridden, abuse-filled titles out there.
That's not to say Nix's YA novel is without gross elements, but it's handled surprisingly maturely. Sabriel tackles morbid themes like what awaits our souls after we die and what the process of death means to us.
The plot follows a young girl named Sabriel, who is on a quest to the Old Kingdom, where Free Magic and wandering Dead are abundant. Lying at the end is either her adoptive father held captive, or a darker truth that could rot the world to its core.
2. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski is a household name among bookworms and gamers alike for his international hit The Witcher.
First a collection of short stories, then expanded into a novelized series, and has been adapted into award-winning video games and a Netflix series, the Witcher series has outstanding reach for a dark fantasy story that doesn't pull its punches on themes of child soldiers, war crimes (medieval style), and unromanticized mystical creatures.
It's a brutal world, and only Witchers like Geralt can look danger in the eye and cause the abyss to flinch. The Last Wish follows Geralt, a monster hunter, on many quests that test both his steel and silver swords and his moral compass. Having to exterminate nightly horrors can be hard enough, but not every job is as simple as cutting the head of a monster.
3. Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber
Star Wars depicted in TV and movies has mostly been bright and hopeful in spite of the eternal war of light versus dark. Most of the heroes always make it out alive, get what they're searching for, and the villains' motives are comprehensible.
However, in Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber, that narrative structure is flipped on its head. The imperial ship Purge, transporting hundreds of prisoners, encounters a stray Star Destroyer drifting aimlessly through space.
What started as a simple scout mission to loot parts from the decommissioned vessel turns into a sinister outbreak. Those gripped by the cold hand of this dark disease arise twisted and brimming with an insatiable hunger.
The survivors, which includes a surprising cameo, must band together to escape the clutches of the cosmic damned or join its horde of mindless drones. It's fast-paced, gruesome, and a lot of fun. While it leans on horror, there is hope to be had in this story, and it's what keeps you turning the page until the bitter end.
4. H.P Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu adapted by Gou Tanabe
While H.P. Lovecraft's original novella, The Call of Cthulhu, would've fit perfectly in this list alone, I had to shout out this fantastic adaptation by Gou Tanabe.
It is one of the darkest, most beautiful manga I've ever read. Despite it being visually-driven, the Gothic and intricate language of H.P. Lovecraft is not lost in this black-inked reimagining. Each panel is brimming with expression, and the madness unfolds with the flip of each page, inching closer to the horrible realization of an eldritch mystery.
The story is largely unchanged from the original, just brought to life with wallpaper-worthy artwork by Gou Tanabe. It follows Francis Wayland Thurston as he studies disturbing research from his late uncle that details a legend that drove him mad. Connected to strange cults, shared dreams, and a language older than humanity itself.
"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."H.P. Lovecraft
5. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
The modern king of grimdark himself, Joe Abercrombie, wrote the first book outside his Age of Madness and First Law universes, The Devils.
It's only what I can describe as a historical high fantasy spin on the Suicide Squad. A devout priest, Brother Diaz, accepts a holy assignment in the Sacred City. His assistants? Blasphemous, sacrilegious, and unrepentant criminals. He's got his work cut out for him, but surely it's all God's plan, right?
With the man-eating Elves infesting the shadows and corrupt rulers sinking the city deeper in debt and blood, Brother Diaz is going to need faith as strong as mythril.
6. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Dark academia is the perfect autumn genre. Sinister secret societies, haunted catacombs near school grounds, and the suffocating hierarchy culture within elite education. It's all so gothic.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo has this aura in spades and more. Set in a real school inspired by the real secret societies there, Leigh weaves an esoterically authentic world of political intrigue in the education system, as well as the occult world lingering under it.
The protagonist, Galaxy, who prefers to be called Alex, has the "gift" to see ghosts, more commonly referred to as greys. She's recruited to help oversee ritualistic experiments of the student societies, but comes to find out there's a damning plot that's causing girls to go missing.
7. Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Last on our list undoubtedly has the best cover. I mean, look at it. So much motion, energy, and tone. It demands you take it off the shelf and buy it immediately.
Jay Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire is not only the best-named novel on this list, but also arguably is the best example of dark fantasy to read near Halloween. It doesn't get better than vampires, and I'll die on that hill.
Empire of the Vampires is about a silversaint, Gabriel de León, who's seemingly already lost the war against the unrelenting bloodsuckers. In captivity, he retells the events that got him there, and for what purpose. Gabriel was searching for the Holy Grail, supposedly the only thing that could lift humanity from the shadow of the vampires.
Beautifully illustrated by Bon Orthwick, Empire of the Vampire offers gorgeous prose, breathtaking spreads, and an epic story that affects everyone down to the bone.
Have you picked your poison? Maybe you were looking forward to another mention. In that case, let us know! We all can add another novel to our flooded TBRs.