"It's like Obscenity: I know it when I see it"-From Red Tash, Author of This Brilliant Darkness-(Guest post)

I recently met a woman online who impresses me daily with her drive and determination. Some people moan when fate throws them a wild card but not my new friend, Tash. She turns it into This Brilliant Darkness that we call dark Fantasy.


I invited her to stop by and tell you her definition of this magical, terrifying genre and she graciously accepted. I hope you'll make her feel welcome and give her new book a try. There's a free sample available and you should read it first, to be sure her level of darkness is right for you. I found it perfectly chilling.

What is Dark Fantasy?

It’s no secret—I found Angela’s blog while I was searching for other authors who write dark fantasy.  I wasn’t surprised, however, when I learned our books were so different.  So what does “dark fantasy” mean, anyway?

According to Wikipedia, there’s some debate about the term, but I’ll spare you the academic esoterics.  How about an illustration, instead? If you’re familiar with Angela’s books, you realize her dark vision includes apocalypse, man’s seedy, animal nature—and the flip side of that, the heroes who rise above destruction and fight for what’s right.

Then there are the works of Holly Black, which seem to so adore seediness that they revel in them, while at the same time making it clear that even the good guys have their nasty sides.  I confess, I was very inspired by Black when I started writing my current work-in-progress, Troll or Derby.  In fact, I’ve been trying to fill it with so many guilty pleasures, it’s probably bordering on satirical at this point.

But I digress.  Here’s the definition of Dark Fantasy I posted on my site, when I first “came out” as a dark fantasy author:  What is dark fantasy? It’s a cocktail of imagery from the most secret places of your mind. It’s scary, at times funny, imaginative, and simultaneously familiar. If you like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or Holly Black, you like dark fiction.

But there are other dark fantasy authors:

Charlaine Harris

Jim Butcher

Kim Harrison

Laurell K Hamilton

Ambrose Bierce

Jonathan Stroud

Suzanne Collins

And shows!  Oh, the dark fantasy shows, movies, etc. are the best:

The Walking Dead

True Blood

Game of Thrones

The Stand

Terminator

Harry Potter

Pan’s Labyrinth

Edward Scissorhands

Hot Fuzz

Bladerunner

Personally, I can’t wait to see the upcoming Hunger Games movies.  Those books are dark fantasy that meets us in a very chilling dystopian future, not unlike Angela’s books The Survivors, and the Bachelor Battles.

So, have you decided what Dark Fantasy is yet, exactly?  Angie defines it up there, in the header of her site.
As for me, I know it when I see it.

If you’ve read your way through Angie’s works, don’t forget to check out her dark fantasy blog on Amazon.  If you’d like to check out my latest book, This Brilliant Darkness, I’d love to hear what you think!

Visit me soon at RedTash.com/bash and you can enter in my Kindle giveaway.  What’s even better than a free Kindle?  How about free dark fantasy books from nearly 40 authors?  If you like your fiction scary, you’ll be reading lots of it—for free, if you’re the lucky winner!  There are also great prizes for the 2^nd & 3^rd place winners, as well.  Hope to see you there!

Want a free sample?