Hey all,
 I'm a relatively new reader/author to the site and I can't find anything that appeals to me. Please can someone recommend a dark fantasy story, that's not an Isekai. I'm looking for something reminiscent of a Berserk, Bastard!!, Slayers or Full Metal Alchemist. If you have found something that resonated with you, or sounds like it is in my ball park, please don't hesitate to share.  

Katalepsis? Gets realllllly fluffy and harem-y later on, though. It is pretty dark at the beginning.

I was never able to determine how dark my fantasy is. One reviewer dubbed it "Beauty and the Beast meets Game of Thrones." There is some dark, creepy magic being performed, some nasty politicla plays, some traumatic events happen too, but, at its core, it is a romance story...
Still, if you want something else, give my work a try (For more information, check the reviews.)

• Fox’s Tongue and Kirin’s Bone
• Underland
• Never Die Twice
• Vigor Mortis
• Lament of the Fallen
• Everybody Loves Large Chests **mature warning**

A very dark fantasy and the story that come to my mind when you asked for dark fantasy stories: The Oath of Oblivion
A little more historical fantasy than regular fantasy: A journey of Black and Red
A really good epic fantasy style (but not really "dark", but since you mentioned FMA I'm adding it): Path of the Stonebreaker
This one seems interesting (and potentially dark), I'm not quite far enough yet in it to be certain of its darkness: The Unclaimed Ambassador

well

gods of the mountain
witch world
paranoid mage
jounry of black and red
dungeon w o a system
tru confessions 9 tail fox
tree of aeons
lady handbook of intruge and murder
adventurer slayer
fleshcrafter
calamity of reborn witch
may aien have mercy
desolada
dungeon mage

Ariana Wrote: I was never able to determine how dark my fantasy is. One reviewer dubbed it "Beauty and the Beast meets Game of Thrones." There is some dark, creepy magic being performed, some nasty politicla plays, some traumatic events happen too, but, at its core, it is a romance story...
Still, if you want something else, give my work a try (For more information, check the reviews.)

LOL the audacity. i know you are just promoting your work, but please dont lump it with dark fantasy

Hm, since you've mentioned FMA, you might want to take a look at my own work, The Stormcrow Cycle. It's mostly romantic slice-of-life for Book I, but even in Book I you'll see plenty of grimdark worldbuilding: slavery is legal everywhere with the exception of one culture, and you can see the downstream effects of that once you pass Act I (Like...immediately after you pass Act I, haha). The MC also has a secret in Act I (and beyond) that's pretty dark and leads to problems down the line. 

It doesn't measure up to Berserk in Book I, though, so if this is too fluffy for you, feel free to give it a pass! =) 

Cheers!

fiendz Wrote:

Ariana Wrote: I was never able to determine how dark my fantasy is. One reviewer dubbed it "Beauty and the Beast meets Game of Thrones." There is some dark, creepy magic being performed, some nasty politicla plays, some traumatic events happen too, but, at its core, it is a romance story...
Still, if you want something else, give my work a try (For more information, check the reviews.)

LOL the audacity. i know you are just promoting your work, but please dont lump it with dark fantasy

I actually do not see anything wrong with this recommendation, since the OP also mentioned Slayers and Full Metal Alchemist. Slayers is pretty much a comedy, though it does tend to get dark in later seasons, especially TRY (yeah, I stopped watching at TRY, so I have no idea if it gets darker or not from there). I don't get the impression OP is referring to dark fantasy in a very strict way at all. 

First off, I'm a huge fan of Berserk. Good taste OP. 
Gonna have to promote myself on this one. 
The Kill List is a fantasy novel I'm writing currently that may fit what you're looking for. The protagonist has anti-hero tendencies, and as the story goes on, I'm going to be leaning heavily into my experience in writing horror-esque fiction. I'm really excited to keep it going, and I'd be flattered if you gave it a look. At the time of this post, the story is still pretty young, so the darker elements have only been hinted at. But yeah, I think it'll be up your alley. 

Nowhere Stars is an ongoing fantasy-horror web novel about traumacore magical girls, nightmares clothed in ribbons and lace, alienation from reality, and broken children twisting the world into whatever shape they must to make their dreams come true.

It reminds me a lot of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Have I got the thing for you! Having loved evil protagonists myself, I decided to do it myself. I update regularly so it would be greatly appreciated if you check out my novel! It’s the one on my signature. Moreover, there’s no tropes of reincarnation or isekai, and my mc has the power of transmutation!

I'd recommend my own story, a Dark Urban Fantasy centered on a Veteran returning from war. No LitRPG elements.


Aleks’Andros Titanos returns home after five decades at war, hoping to find a place to belong and a chance at peace.
Only time will tell.


I was taken from my home and brought to a distant land, Alone.
After decades of fighting a war I had no part in, and having lost all those I hold dear. I returned home, a broken and tired man. Only to find that maybe my war has only just begun.