Mark Lawrence

The Broken Empire, the Red Queen's War, the Book of the Ancestor — grimdark and dark fantasy at the top of the modern field.

Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy — Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns — introduced Jorg Ancrath, one of grimdark's most controversial and unforgettable protagonists. The Red Queen's War, the Book of the Ancestor (which includes Red Sister and its sequels), and the Library trilogy extend his catalogue significantly. The prose is sharp and the moral universe runs gray; Lawrence is unusual among grimdark writers for the genuine craft and psychological precision he brings to material most writers handle with less care.

For adult readers. Content includes graphic violence, dark themes (including assault in the Broken Empire books that requires informed reader consent), and morally compromised protagonists rendered without softening. The Book of the Ancestor pivots to a young female protagonist at a convent of assassins and runs slightly less brutal. The reading experience is grimdark with literary instincts — Lawrence trusts the reader to follow his protagonists into dark places. Pick this shelf when you want grimdark at the modern field's highest level.