You can try out my comic Cosmic Fish which I label as fantasy but only because I didn't think any other genre would fit in it. It's just starting out but once the ball rolls it can get pretty existential, so is the plan.
As for some I can recommend, you can check out my reading list1, I'm still catching up with them since I'm pretty new but so far, I don't regret reading any of these~
@efdvorsky Love your style, looks cool! And yeah...looks like something I'd call fantasy. Thanks for the reading list, too.
@xeithe I have no sensitivity to blood & guts whatsoever. XD
Ay, thank you so much /)'v'(\ And no problem, I hope you like it.
Ngl, I'm going to check out these other recommendations nyehehhe
Alright, books!
You said scifi leanings are okay - how are you with post-apocalypse stories? Because I've got two I want to recommend that I love, but I'm not sure you're into that. I can promise you 0% zombies, anyway!
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel - civilisation collapses in the wake of a sudden pandemic. Station Eleven skips back and forth across the divide between pre- and post-collapse, charting the old relationships and the new lives of those who made it through. Unlike so many other post-apocalypse stories, this book is about the average people - the office workers, accountants, paramedics, actors, artists, management consultants, secretaries and garbage truck drivers - and how they deal with the world after the collapse. And unlike so many other post-apocalypse stories, this one is centered firmly on hope. It's a lovely story.
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway - "The Jorgmund Pipe is the backbone of the world, and it's on fire. Gonzo Lubitsch, professional hero and troubleshooter, is hired to put it out, but there's more to the fire, and the Pipe itself, than meets the eye. The job will take Gonzo and his best friend, our narrator, back to their own beginnings." says Goodreads, conveniently leaving out reality-destroying bombs, Asian rebel-leaders, ninja-conspiracies, Elvis, a serious identity crisis and a whole troupe of mimes. This is the post-apocalypse book you didn't know you were looking for. It's seriously one of my absolute favourite books of all time.
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L Howard - Years ago, Johannes Cabal - necromancer, misanthrope, scientist - sold his soul to the Devil. He'd very much like it back now, thank you - but the Devil drives a hard bargain. Cabal has one year to gather 100 souls for the Devil, or he dies and goes to Hell (which he isn't keen on - he's been there, and it didn't suit his tastes). To accomplish his task, he's given a demonic circus with which to travel the countryside to fool the locals into giving up their souls. Now, if only his bothersome undead brother would quit nagging him about being a better person...
This is the first book in a series, of which I've read all but one (haven't gotten my hands on the latest one yet) and I love it. Johannes Cabal is the worst person, and doesn't care who knows it - which actually makes him kind of a great main character, because he's so unpredictable. You can't rely on him doing the right thing, and he gets up to the strangest adventures.
Embassytown and The Iron Council by China Mieville - China Mieville is the master of new weird fiction, and makes everything he touches very much his own. Embassytown is a scifi story in which humans are the aliens of the setting, settled on the fringes of an outpost world where the main conflict ends up hinging on linguistics and the nature of lying. Yes, this is a scifi story about linguistics (and a lot of other things too, but you know). And it's amazing. The Iron Council is my favourite of his Bas-Lag novels, which are all set in a dreamlike/nightmarish weird steampunk-like world; IC is about a bunch of railroad workers who steal the train and the railroad they're working on, and head off into freedom, adventure and mortal peril, chased by the authorities and desperate enough to do just about anything. Also involved; printing presses, social revolutions, the magical equivalent to nuclear fallout.
I've got a sci-fi fantasy story that does indeed include serious psychology, although it is really more sci-fi than fantasy, but it mixes both.
Hope that helps ^__^
Oh yes and it certainly isn't typical, I wouldn't say. ^__^'
I wanted to recommend mine as awlays, but then I remembered you already read it XD
Besides you can check out my reading list, it's not big, about 30 titles.
Hey there,
I think you'd be keen to a couple of our Web Comic titles, like...
WAR ACRE is the story of lone warrior forced to face off against beings from beyond the stars. Unsure of why he's left to wander the wastelands alone he battles on searching for answers.
http://tapastic.com/series/WAR-ACRE
ATOMIC TALES
http://tapastic.com/series/Atomic-Tales
Our anthology collection of Sci-Fi and horror starts with The Hollow Moon Theory! Soviet Cosmonauts find themselves face to face with...evil?
We'd appreciate you checking them out and even better if you subscribe! We update them weekly!
Thank you for your time!
-Unearthly Comics
Books. Where do I start. (though you've probably already read those, haha)
Chronicles of the Black Company : while this might be in a 'medieval fantasy' category, it's really dark. It's about a mercenary company fighting for the bad guys.
I'm not a serial killer : about a boy who is obsessed with serial killers, and sees in himself lots of traits of a serial killer, so he sets rules for himself. Untill -spoiler- happens!
Just remember, this is a fantasy book. I didn't know and was quite disappointed by one plot twist, but still enjoyed it. As well as 2nd volume cx
Metro 2033 post-apo with people living in a metro. It's a really great book, though a bit depressing.
Sergei Lukyanenko's books. Night Watch, which is a modern fantasy, A Lord from Planet Earth, which is a mix of fantasy and science-fiction, Line of Delirium (sci-fi), Labyrinth of Reflections (sci-fi with virtual reality. for the whole book you want to play some mmorpg, after finishing you want to go outside and meet people CX)
The Lies of Locke Lamora1 : I don't even know how to describe it. It's an amazing book CX
Good lord, I've got my work cut out for me. XD But well, I asked for it.
@AnnaLandin I'm pretty open to post-apocalyptic settings, though you took the words out of my mouth: no zombies. XP Johannas Cabal the Necromancer and Embassytown sounds the most up my alley, but thanks for all the suggestions! I'm gonna have to start a list. XD
@mattcleaver Subbed! Will check it out.
@AffectedMind Yep, too late. XP But I'll have a look at your reading list.
@unearthlycomics Interesting retro style you have there, I'll give it a look.
(though you've probably already read those, haha)
Not likely, I really haven't read that many books in my lifetime. XD I'm really just starting to get into reading more now.
I was actually shocked you said "I'm Not A Serial Killer" was actually a fantasy. Even without that it sounded intriguing though.
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys!
Oh, so in this case I'd recommend Black Company and Locke Lamora the most from my list c;
And yes, it's good. Especially 2nd volume. I know that there's also 3rd one, but it wasn't published in my country 8C Haha well, it's a modern fantasy, not 'elves and dwarfs' one. And it's also teens/young adults book, so they don't go too far there with darker themes.
I have three comics I could recommend you could check if you get around to it.
The first being from a comic I read called RedSky1 by Daniel Longman. It's a great action comic with a little hint of mystery, especially the environment and the characters powers.
The second recommendation is my action, adventure fantasy comic Seishin Patona. It deals with fictionous racism and the main character wants to help the victimized race.
My last recommendation is my drama, romance, slice of life In The Midst. It's about a restaurant chain's collapse that causes everyone who involved with it and turns their life upside-down.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind1 is amazing, although it is a manga and I'm not sure if you're into reading those. It is literally this, though:
I'll send you the link to all three of Kristin Cashore's books (because I loved them all), but Bitterblue is the one I'd officially recommend. It definitely deals more with the psychological an political aspects of this particular fantasy world instead of just, you know, epic adventures and feats of arms, etc. Technically it's a trilogy, but each book can be read as a stand alone novel since it only deals with some of the same characters and not a direct plot line.
@ErithEl I love Kristin Cashore's books, I think they are fantastic, but they are definitely young adult. Just something to keep in mind...but don't write off a book just because of its category. Another author who writes amazing young adult books is Maria V. Snyder (specifically her Study series). I think the reason these authors are more enjoyable is because their main characters tend to be outside of the typical young adult age range of 15-17... well, that and they know how to build a world and characters that aren't just one-dimensional.
For dark fantasy that's definitely off-kilter the usual, I highly recommend short story Gabriel Marquez's "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." You can read it right here>>1, it shouldn't take you more than half an hour and it's awesome!
@WintreKitty Honestly, I'm not always clear on what's YA, but now that I think about it I guess her books would qualify. They're still good, though! My main focus for most stories I read are the characters, and she's created some very interesting, well-rounded ones. 
My Comic Retro is basically everything you described oddly enough. Or at least I see it as that. It'gotten sorta dark in the last few chapters I guess. It is also a steampunk/cyberpunk hybrid. It's also pretty obscure because of my poorly planned "transfer". You should check it out and let me know what you think!
Well, I have a steampunk webcomic that matches what you're looking for. It's called The Chronicles of SolLuna. There will be some serious and dark themes that the main characters will deal with in future chapters.
So many suggestions. You gonna have enough too read over the cold and quiet nights of holidays.
Any interest in modern drama? I'm writing an action/adventure tale about homeless people in Paris. Lots of psychology, character development and even guns at some point. It's called Shades Of Men.
If think it's fairly original, let me know what you think...
Otherwise I read Stand Still Stay Silent which is a nordic post apocalyptic story with a dark setting but lots of humor and a great cast of characters. No zombies but a mysterious plague that has taken over the world. You should definitely take a peak!
