Grimdark, a sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists. The tone is always grim and dark—from whence the name comes—and valourises the protagonist’s struggles as they choose between good and evil.

Some reading examples;

• A Song of Fire and Ice—George R.R. Martin
• The Gaslight Dogs—Karin Lowachee
• Certain Dark Things—Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Poppy War—R.K. Kuang
• Lord Foul’s Bane—Stephen Donaldson
• Gardens of the Moon—Steven Erikson
• The Court of Broken Knives—Anna Smith Spark

Your characters might be human or speculative fiction—vampires, werewolves, androids, aliens, fae. Can include romance elements and comedy, but, as always, err on the very dark side.