Sadman Hossain
The Traveler's Gate Series, starting with House of Blades, deserves a mention. The premise is pretty simple: evil kingdom sends soldiers into a remote village, chosen one lives in said village, and he joins rebels attempting to overthrow the kingdom. Instead of focusing on the chosen one, though, it focuses on another villager, ungifted, who is determined to become just as strong, no matter the cost. There are some twists and turns as well, but honestly most of the fun is watching the protagonist struggle to become powerful rather than have it handed to him through destiny.
Check out Low Town. Closer to the First Law in tone. A government agent turned small time drug lord investigates a chain of murders in his territory. Dark, funny, gritty. Better yet, the story's tied up in a single book, although it has sequels that stand alone as well. It's first person, so it doesn't have the problem of multiple perspectives stretching the scope.
The Broken Empire series and the Red Queen's War are set in the same universe. Both fit quite nicely with the whole “one man's journey to greatness”, although they're darker than the usual fare. Jorg, the protagonist of the Broken Empire, is an absolute bastard who's only redeemable trait at first is his sheer determination in getting what he wants. Jalan, the protagonist of the Red Queen's War, is a lustful coward who just might be more than that, if pressed. Great stuff; just different enough from the typical fantasy stories to be interesting. Both are mostly first person, and focus on a handful of characters.
You might get on well with {{Rivers Of London}}. It's not exactly the same premise (of course) but there's that “sure there's magic but rules is rules” vibe; RoL is a “fantasty police procedural”. And it's funny - witty/irreverent narration, a bit of slapstick/physical comedy in it. But then over the course of the books, we see different characters grow & change in skill, personality, morality, etc.
Yeah, I think you might move from Artemis Fowl over to these books pretty happily.
Have you read Robin Hobb? If not I suggest starting in the Farseer Trilogy.
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[deleted]
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7 yr. ago
I agree, they are among the best books I have ever read.
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tkinsey3
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7 yr. ago
Seconded. I love all of the series in your list, and I like Hobb's stuff even more. Definitely worth your time!
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SuperSheep3000
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7 yr. ago
Prepare to cry. The farseer and tawny man made me weep like a little boy.
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wappe123
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7 yr. ago
Got it. On it. Thank you!
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u/IamKirby avatar
IamKirby
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7 yr. ago
Rereading now and it's like visiting old friends.
Stephen King's The Stand, while not strictly full on Dystopian, is absolutely brilliant. The characters are fantastically well written, including the characterization of society itself as crumbles away to nothing and slowly begins to be reformed. I have a tattoo of the original dusk jacket art from the first edition, if that helps convey just how fucking amazing I think it is.
I'm surprised no one mentioned the Locked Tomb Trilogy by Tamsyn Muir, that would be my personal recommendation! Take a look at this tagline from the first book, Gideon the Ninth: “The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.” Doesn't this make you want to immediately read it?
The setting: it is wildly different from GB, it's mainly sci-fi with some elements of fantasy. It's really unique and compelling, it takes place in a solar system where humanity has achieved space travel and colonized other planets. It is ruled by an Emperor, who after a great cataclysm that wiped out humanity, resurrected them and is now worshipped by all as their savior. He taught humanity necromancy and now rules over the Nine Houses (that's what the empire is called).
The characters: The protagonist, Gideon, is basically Locke but if he were a woman, buff, and knew how to wield a sword. She is witty and funny, but also surprisingly caring. We also follow another protagonist, Harrowhark. She's sarcastic, cold and has kind of a stick up her butt, but she's also a very gentle person underneath her shell. Honestly, she reminds me a bit of Sabetha, but in a good way. The supporting cast is very memorable, all of them leave an impression on you.
The writing: oh my god, the writing. The banter. The memes. If you liked Scott Lynch's writing, then Tamsyn Muir's is definitely up your alley. It's both funny and serious, the interaction between Gideon and Harrow is the highlight of the book. They start off hating each other, but through trials and tribulations get to know one another and develop a friendship that is not unlike Jean and Locke's in that they'd literally die for one another.
I conjure you all to give this book a try if you haven't already! I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the first novel, in the hopes that it might pique your interest enough to head to your local bookstore and/or library.
“Nonagesimus,” she said slowly, “the only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted someone to hold the sword as you fell on it. The only job I'd do for you would be if you wanted your ass kicked so hard, the Locked Tomb opened and a parade came out to sing, ‘Lo! A destructed ass.' The only job I'd do would be if you wanted me to spot you while you backflipped off the top tier into Drearburh.”
“That's three jobs,” said Harrowhark.”
Garrett P.I. series by Glen Cook (the guy who wrote The Black Company). Fantasy setting, organized crime, noir feel with a hard boiled detective. Alternately funny, exciting, and pulling on the heart strings.
Kings of the Wyld is really solid and the author Nicolas Eames even says he drew inspiration from Scott Lunch as well as Joe Abercrombie (first law). Genuinely funny with a brutal side. Reads quickly too
I HIGHLY recommend War of the Flowers.
The universe is very similar to the Artemis Fowl style. There exists another world populated by faeries, goblins, dragons and all sorts of folktale and mythological creature. Their world developed a different form of technology based on old magics. Its all very similar to Artemis Fowl but the writing style and plot are very much for adults. Gruesome deaths, full on sex scenes and a regular guy fighting to survive.
The Dire series is amazing.Basically a Doctor Doom type bad guy. They start out on the street with Amnesia during a world wide blackout, and slowly build there way up to being one of the most feared Villains in the world.I loved the way the amnesia was eventually explained. A noteworthy fact about this series: It started out as Worm fanfiction!The “original” was a story where the titular character got dimensionally displaced into worm and proceeded to be op and muck up canon (pretty standard for fanfics).
the Doctor Dire series, which was spun off a Worm fanfic to begin with. AU where Tesla won the electricity wars and all forms of superpowers coexist at once. Follows the PoV of an Anti-Villain (for example: she tries to blow up the Yellowstone Caldera, but in a controlled way so that it wouldn't be catastrophic -> heroes stop her and pacify the volcanic activity permanently) who deliberately gave herself brain damage to lock her identity away. Six books, all on Amazon. Start with DIRE:BORN.
Strong Female Protagonist. A webcomic with an amusing message that might as well be an AU of Worm. Follows the life of an open cape of the Brute persuasion who semi-retired after getting tired of the PR aspect of superheroics. There's a severe undercurrent of fridge horror related to power expressions and the (as yet unrevealed) origins of powers themselves.
u/NickedYou May 06 ‘19
Seconding Strong Female Protagonist. While not as constantly dark and disturbing and depressing as the Wormverse, it still goes places many wouldn't, and it's interesting to explore moral ambiguity in a world that has gone less to shit.
I feel like you might like The Library at Mount Char. It's very weird and dark and shares a lot of DNA with the horror elements of Worm (I'd also compare it to Pact and the Umbrella Academy, maybe?). I read it a while ago, so I'm blanking on some of the specifics, but I remember it had a pretty cunning and morally grey protagonist a la Taylor. The characters have supernatural powers from being raised in a library where they each had to master a particular “catalogue”. The writing was excellent.
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u/Lonewolf8424 Thinker 1 May 06 ‘19
Seconded. This is also one of the few books I've ever read that has made me actually laugh out loud several times.
Very memorable book all around.
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u/A-wild-comment May 06 ‘19
One of my new favorites. Picked it up randomly and was blown away.
Terry Pratchett's discworld series. 30+ books of world-building epicness. I read my first discworld book when I was fourteen. Fifteen years later and I still feel like I'm reading a different book every time I pick it up. It's like peeling the layers off a wahoonie, only funner and less fragrant.
Warning-your inner author will suffer a severe bout if self-consciousness with this series. He got knighted for writing this series. No matter how good you are, getting knighted for writing? That's gonna take a while...
If you are looking for other Superhero web serials, Legion of Nothing by Jim Zoeteway is right up there with Worm and Super Powereds in terms of quality. It's still ongoing, and has been for over 12 years. He's got it separated into 10 books, but only the first 2 are self published. I'm not sure if they have audio.
Unlike Worm and Super Powereds, Legion of Nothing is more of a kitchen sink kind of super power universe. The others have a specific way powers work, but this one has everything from aliens to magic to alternate universes.
Traitor's Blade(Greatcoats book 1) features a trio of swashbuckling swordsmen in the vein of The Three Musketeers. Like The Gentleman's Bastards books, the setting is somewhat dark, and bad things happen but the humorous banter between the protagonists keep the story fun rather than depressing. The plot moves quickly, but the first person viewpoint means the focus is on why the characters do what they do. The ramifications of their actions are explored in the sequels.
Wearing the Cape is a good superhero series; powers are generic compared to Worm's and tend to fall into common “packages” such as the protagonist being an Atlas class hero (flight, strength, durability). Think of it as a deconstruction of the genre rather than a full reconstruction like Worm.
The superheros organizations main day-to-day concern is being seen patrolling and helping people and building good will because they know one day things will go to shit in a huge villain attack and they will need the public on their side to reduce backlash.
Superheros have no legal powers but work with local police on enforcing warrants, including controversy about the use of “no knock” warrants against powered targets.
Aircraft have “powered assist lift here” markings indicating where a flying hero should lift from if supporting them in an emergency.
the Villain in the first book has a proper rational motivation and goals, even though this is not clear at first and he just seems like a random terrorist. I'd rate him as very compelling in characterization and motivation, but telling you why without major spoilers isn't possible.
Overall I'd say it's the best superhero series I've read other than Worm. Worm tying backstory and powers together via trigger event and making every power unique is missing, but I can't think of any other superhero setting that comes close to doing that as well as Worm.
Jalan, the protagonist of the Red Queen's War, is a lustful coward who just might be more than that, if pressed. Great stuff; just different enough from the typical fantasy stories to be interesting. Both are mostly first person, and focus on a handful of characters.
The Darwath Trilogy. Again, small cast and no distracting sideplots. The atmosphere is excellent and the cast is very, very likeable. Also, the two protagonists are taking up a trade, so you have the “protagonist becoming more powerful” box checked.
Stephen King does it again.
I've never read Stephen King (minus [b:The Jaunt|52317884|The Jaunt|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561266112l/52317884.SX50_SY75.jpg|71429287] and that one short story of his where a man stranded on an island eats himself to death. But after reading this, I get it.
I don't normally write reviews (I'd like to, I've been meaning to, but I've just never got around to actually doing it), but after reading Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream I've been emotionally moved enough to sit down at my computer and write this out. Because it is truly something incredible.
I don't want to spoil anything. Because it's always better if you experience yourself, summarizing it would only negate any suspense or intrigue in the mystery that is Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream. And it is a mystery, albeit an unrelenting one, oh dear, it is unrelenting, it shocks you, angers you, puzzles you. It's a story that captured me far more than anything I've read these past few months, so much so that I could not tear myself away from the book until I had finished it.
I expected untold horrors when I read the title You Like It Darker. All I found was a coldness called humanity. Maybe I found what I expected all I along.
But I suppose that's I like it anyways.
Pines by Blake Crouch is pretty similar. FBI agent wakes up in a small town with no idea how / why he got there. Lots of mysteries and very intriguing resolution to the plot. IMO the first book works as a standalone but there are two sequels which aren't very good. It's a case IMO of a book that got way popular beyond an authors expectations so he had to come up with sequels even though the story didn't demand it. First book is really good though with Lost / Silo type of mystery. → The tv show had 2 seasons. The 1st season covered all of the books from beginning to end, so you really could just watch that and be done. The 2nd season continues the story beyond the books but it does have a clear ending.
Shattered Sigil Trilogy by Courtney Schafer for you Gentleman Bastards fix. You want likeable characters? You get them and then some. You want cons and clever lies? Just you wait. The cast is focussed (two protagonists and and a small assortment of sidecharacters/villains), the story is very engaging and moves at a brisk pace. As a bonus, the trilogy is finished and not only do the stakes get higher, Courtney's skills get better with each book like she's some kind of crazy writer Pokemon. And yes, the characters grow with each book.