First published in 1984, Glen Cook’s The Black Company would go on to become a foundational work of dark fantasy. For those unfamiliar with the work, it follows a mercenary unit known as The Black Company as they navigate an evil empire ruled by a powerful sorceress simply known as the Lady. What sets the Lady apart from other magic users is that she’s capable of subjugating even her most powerful enemies and turning them into her loyal minions. It's a very useful ability to have when you're trying to maintain power, especially when many of your supposedly loyal servants would rather see you dead. And wouldn’t you know it—Lady soon becomes the Black Company’s newest employer.
The Black Company launched a long-running series exploring the lives and fates of this military unit. Twists and reversals of fortune abound, as well as the kind of violence and death you’d expect from a mercenary unit. If some of this sounds familiar, Cook’s novels inspired authors like Joe Abercrombie and Steven Erickson.
Military units, mercenary bands, brutal empires, and deadly magic—these things characterize The Black Company books. You’ll also find similar themes in the novels on this list. If you’re looking for grey characters who balance the knife-edge of good and evil, they’re here too. Classic adventures across new landscapes? Fights involving seemingly insurmountable odds? Unlikely alliances? We got you.
It’d be easy to put together a list of dark fantasy and grimdark novels filled with the usual suspects. Instead, this list steps off the beaten path and tries to offer up some lesser-known selections for fans of The Black Company.
Savage Legion
The empire is a paradise and utopia for those who live within its borders, or so its ruling elite would have you believe. Anyone who says otherwise mysteriously disappears, and savvy readers will know that’s not a good sign … usually, it points toward the opposite of “paradise.”
Another chink in the façade? The empire fights endless wars, and a key component of these wars is the Savage Legion: brutal fighters assembled from the empire’s lower class, criminals, and conveniently “disappeared” critics. Their sole purpose is to hold off the empire’s enemies until the actual trained military arrives. It's not a great deal, and that’s where Evie comes in. She purposefully gets herself drafted into the Savage Legion. This seems foolish considering the high risk of death. But she’s been asked to find a former lover (a lawyer who disappeared after questioning the empire’s practices) by her former lover’s current wife.
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In the Eye of Heaven
Durand thought he was all set to inherit the fiefdom from his father. Unfortunately, on the eve of his knighting ceremony, his father’s true heir returns, and Durand loses everything. Left with no other options, he starts a new life as a knight-errant, taking on jobs for money. But if you’re thinking he’s embarking on a journey of chivalry and honor, try again. He often finds himself in the employ of cruel, vengeful men. Durand just wants to find lands of his own, but that’s proving easier said than done—especially when it seems like the gods are against him.
The Desert of Souls
Many fantasy novels set their epic tales in pseudo-European lands or cultures reminiscent of medieval times. Howard Andrew Jones opts for something different and transports readers to 8th century Baghdad. Part mystery, part Arabian adventure, The Desert of Souls introduces us to the brains-and-brawn duo of Dabir and Asim.
The mystery begins when a stranger desperately seeks aid from a ruler—specifically to protect the tablet in his possession. Unfortunately, the stranger is killed before he can share the pertinent details and even worse, the tablet is stolen. That’s where Dabir, a scholar, and Asim, a warrior, come in. Sent to retrieve it, their quest leads them into the desert and to a mysterious city that was supposedly destroyed by God and may be home of the djinn.
If you’re a fan of the sword and sorcery subgenre, this one is for you.
Child of a Mad God
Perhaps best known for his Drizzt Do’Urden books from the Forgotten Realms setting, Salvatore returns to his original world of Corona with Child of a Mad God. Here, he explores a corner of that world characterized by a brutal, tribal culture.
In this harsh environment, we meet Aoleyn. After losing her parents, she’s left to fend for herself and that’s no easy thing given her vicious, misogynistic surroundings. Her only chance at freedom hinges on mastering her magical abilities. But while she may be the strongest witch alive, that same talent has also painted an enormous target on her back for those who covet her power, whether they be man or god.
Kings of the Wyld
Clay Cooper and his mercenary band were once the best of the best. Those glory days are well behind them, however. Age and vice have caught up to them at last. But as any good warrior in a fantasy novel will know, retirement is hardly a permanent state. One of Clay’s former comrades seeks his aid for an impossible mission: rescue his daughter who’s trapped in a besieged city. The only way to reach her is to travel through a forest filled with deadly monsters. So what can Clay do but reunite his once-great mercenary band?
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The Daughters' War (Blacktongue)
Set before the events of Buehlman’s The Blacktongue Thief, The Daughters’ War plunges us into a brutal world where goblins wage war on humanity and kill everything in sight. After two of her brothers are killed, Galva enlists in the army against her parents’ wishes. She joins a new all-female unit called the Raven Knights who march against the goblins with enormous, magically enhanced birds at their side.
