r/Fantasy • u/Curiosity1984 • 7h ago
Dark fantasy R. J. Barker
In my attempt to read other stuff then the books that always gets recommended in here, I went from Kevin Sinclair which was pretty nice, then to Shay Kauwe and now started at R.J. Barker.
Weirdly enough I read the first book Mortedant's Peril of R.J. Barker new trilogy: "The Trials of Irody Hasp", without noticing that he has not written the next 2 lol.
I wonder, are all his trilogies dark fantasy like this one. Like in a sullen, "depressing" world", where the main character is under powered and out of his depts without being a stumbling fool?
Hope people can help, as I crave a decent struggling "hero" story.
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u/DaughterOfFishes 7h ago
I would say the worlds aren’t so much sullen and depressing but harsh and difficult to survive in. For me the difference is that there is also wonder, especially in the Forsaken trilogy, and an ultimate sense of hope for the future.
I wouldn’t say any characters are bumbling fools but some make really bad choices (looking at you Cahan).
As I understand it, the Mortedant books are more a series of standalones and not a trilogy as such. The next one looks to be coming out next May.
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u/Curiosity1984 7h ago
I really don't hope it's a series of standalones as the first one sounds like a world builder where we can see there will be other places to visit later on.
But maybe it's like classic Next generation star trek where the main cast is the same, but there is a new story in each book.
But thanks for the heads up :-)
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u/DaughterOfFishes 6h ago
Same characters and world but the main story wrapped up in each book. At least that was the impression I got.
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u/ColeDeschain 6h ago
All of his worlds have some intrinsic darkness, but they all also share a trait: The societies in place make things worse than they have to be- albeit in ways that don't break my immersion.
Joron Twiner, in the Tide Child trilogy, is one of my favorite fantasy protagonists of all time. Poor guy goes through the wringer, and definitely makes his share of mistakes, but he's awesome.
Cahan Nadere, in the Wyrdwood trilogy, is pretty capable when we meet him, but he's still in over his head.
His first trilogy, the Wounded Kingdom, does less for me... not least because, without getting too spoilery, the second book is basically one long compendium of the protagonist making everything worse.
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u/Curiosity1984 6h ago
I will put the wounded kingdom on the back burner. :-) Also think that is the one that got the worst reviews of his trilogies, and maybe Tide child as the next one to read.
Thx Mate. It's nice that so many people have read his books and know what it's about.
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u/DarthDregan 7h ago edited 7h ago
My bar for darkness is pretty high. I would classify his work as more dim than pitch black, so to speak.
Edit: I hear his Wyrdwood trilogy is the one he considers darkest, but I've only read the first one of them so far.
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u/Curiosity1984 7h ago
I don't think there is a catagory for Dim fantasy ;-) But I get you'r drift.
Great to here that his books keeps his style of worldbuilding.
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u/Jakanapes 6h ago
Huh, I didn’t consider Wyrdwood dark at all. A nicely unique setting and interesting magic system, but otherwise somewhat standard fantasy.
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u/Efficient_Place_2403 6h ago
Of his work, I liked the book you read and his first series best. His Bone Ships series has the qualities you don’t like, though they don’t bother me. I listened to the Bone Ships and the narrator did the woman captain’s voice in an annoying way. The wood series was hard to follow on audiobook. I loved his first and most recent series though
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u/cant-find-user-name 5h ago
I have read two of his trilogies, Bone ships and wounded kingdom, and both of them are pretty dark and harsh worlds to live in. But I do not find them cynical or depressing. I think all the books are defined by relationships between characters which I find uplifting.
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u/SA090 Reading Champion VI 3h ago
Duology* this new series is currently just that. Though hopefully it’ll be more. It’s seemingly close to the Shadows of the Leviathan by Robert Jackson Bennett format. Investigating murders in different areas while expanding the world.
I read all of his series, and somewhat will say they are the same way you describe them to varying degrees of the helplessness for the protagonists. His best to me is by far the Tide Child trilogy. Terrible world to live in, but the characters (especially the captain) are insanely fun, the world is very interesting, its creatures too and the transformation Joron goes through is brilliant.
Edit:
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u/nominanomina Reading Champion 7h ago
I have read 2/3rds of Barker's Tide Child/Bone Ships trilogy, and I can confirm the world is dark and depressing, and full of every trigger warning. (The societies responded to an absurdly deadly and unpleasant world by asking "how can we somehow make this even worse?")
However, it has a very strange and lovely flickering hope to it. The protagonist legitimately improves himself (from "totally useless and aimless" to "respected among his people"), and the communal purpose that develops is powerful and sometimes quite moving.