After reading (and rereading, and rereading) everything that Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch have written, I've been trying to find some other authors that would scratch that same itch. So, I come to you with an open mind and kindly ask for suggestions. They don't have to be in the fantasy genre, it's just been one of the main genres I've been reading lately.
I'm looking for sharp dialogue, snappy retorts, creative use of language, flawed characters who are still trying to do their "best" (their goals don't have to be super noble), like Locke Lamora trying to be the best conman he can, or Glokta trying to be the best torturer. I want humor, dry humor, gallows humor, not so much toilet humor.
Other authors/books that I have enjoyed that had some of those elements:
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Dark Profits Saga by J Zachary Pike
by DadNotDead_
11 Comments
Empire of the Vampire trilogy by Jay Kristoff, perhaps? It is a darker world, and there is definitely snark.
Caiphas Cain? I feel like it’s too obvious an an answer. Like I’m walking into a trap suggesting it.
Piers Anthony…assuming pun -y is the same as snarky 😜
*Long Live Evil* by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
The Stranger Times by CK McDonnell
Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes
Attempted Vampirism by LG Estrella
Kage Baker might suit you, especially the parts of the Company series narrated by Joseph. I found SKY COYOTE on the new book shelf at the library and was hooked from the first sentence.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee, or the Raksura series by Martha C. Wells!
Blacktongue Thief or Locked Tomb series.
Scholomance Trilogy. Lots of snappy retorts, snark, sarcasm, and excellent name calling by MC. Also has multiple flawed characters trying to do their best.
What’s your favorite from each of the authors you listed?
Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir seems like a good fit. Tons of snark and witty dialogue. Very grim and gallows-esque considering it’s a society of necromancers.
If you’re fine with middle-grade fiction, Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is a really engaging series with snappy, quick dialogue and dry humor. Lots of morally grey characters.
Try the [Ciaphas Cain](https://www.goodreads.com/series/42531-ciaphas-cain) novels, which are set in the grimdark Warhammer 40k universe. Imperium propaganda made him out to be a hero of the Imperium, while his own memoirs (which narratively, the books are edited versions of) make him out to be a coward who simply wanted to get himself a cushy job far from the front lines. However, Cain himself is an unreliable narrator, and it becomes hard to tell if he really is the coward he makes himself out to be, or if it’s simply because he has some nasty self-image issues.