Consolation of Grimdark: Why This Failed Quest Was More Satisfying Than Victory

Fantasy For Our Time

Today, we embark on a perilous journey into the world of Grimdark fantasy, where heroes are fools, victories are tragic, and morality is as murky as a tavern’s back alley.

After years of avoiding the genre, I finally took the plunge and read Joe Abercrombie’s Before They Are Hanged—the second book in The First Law trilogy. And what did I discover? A failed quest that somehow became one of the most unexpectedly profound fantasy narratives I’ve encountered.

Why do we need failed quest narratives? How do they console us in a world obsessed with relentless achievement? And what does this mean for epic fantasy, The Hero’s Journey, and even my own book, The Song of the Sirin? Let’s discuss.

⏰ Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome to the Studio: My Grimdark Adventure Continues
2:15 – Why I Avoided Grimdark for So Long
4:38 – Before They Are Hanged and the Quest That (Gloriously) Failed
8:22 – Giselle Dan Luthor: A Fool’s Journey to Something Like Wisdom
12:47 – The Unexpected Consolation of Grimdark
17:02 – Lord of the Rings as a Failed Quest (And Why That’s Brilliant)
20:10 – My Own Novel’s Failed Quest and Why It Matters
22:01 – Final Thoughts & What’s Next in the Grimdark Discussion