Walter Jon Williams once gave me his breakdown of speculative fiction genres. It went something like this:
In fantasy, the world is essentially benign; in science fiction, the world is essentially amoral; in horror, the world is malefic. Put in terms of illness, fantasy evil is an illness from which the world must recover. In science fiction, evil is a social construct put on a universe that simply is the way it is. In horror, evil is the natural deformity of the world from which there is no way to recover. Noir—and I suspect grimdark fantasy—get its power from the same source as horror. They are expressions of pessimism about the nature of the world. Noir, I think, goes farther than horror. To misquote Walter Sobchak, say what you will about the morality that informs Freddy Krueger’s and Jason Voorhees’ selective slaughter of sexually active teenagers, at least it’s an ethos. “Forget it Jake. It’s Chinatown.” actively turns away from the hope of any moral compass.
So where does grimdark fall in that spectrum? Is it Tolkienesque horror? Is it existential despair with a cloak and a magic sword? Or is it something more its own?
It varies according to the individual project, of course, but at the risk of over-generalizing; I’ll put my flag on an opinion. I think grimdark is now and has—at least since the time of Thomas Covenant—been a rejection of heroism’s ability to save the world. The modern template of fantasy ends with the decent, gentle, bourgeois Frodo Baggins being saved in the end by an act of mercy he’d made when there was no reason to think it would do him any good. The book that—for me—embodies the purest grimdark response is Abercrombie’s thoroughly brilliant The Heroes, in which the final moments (and spoilers here, so turn away if you don’t want to know) affirm that the violence will not only continue, but that the heroic men and women who are dedicated to it will never escape it except through death.
Honestly, until I read The Heroes, I didn’t have much use for the grimdark projects, and now that I have, I feel like I’ve seen this expressed as clearly, powerfully, and beautifully as anyone ever will, and I don’t have to read another one pretty much ever. I can respect it, understand it, appreciate it, but I have a hard time enjoying it. Not long ago, Thea of Booksmugglers summed up the recent noir bestseller Gone Girl with this: “It is a brilliantly written book, but I hated reading it.” Like that.
Except.
There is a small voice in the back of my head. It doesn’t come from the happier places, and it doesn’t speak loud. And it points out that grimdark, like noir, is a literature of despair. And maybe the one thing worse than indulging in other people’s despair is despairing alone and in isolation.
So there is that.
About the Author
Daniel Abraham is a writer of genre fiction with a dozen books in print and over thirty published short stories. His work has been nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Hugo Awards and has been awarded the International Horror Guild Award. He also writes as MLN Hanover and (with Ty Franck) as James S. A. Corey. He lives in the American Southwest.
Editor’s Desk:
How Did This Happen?
Neil Clarke
As last month came to a close, the World Science Fiction Association announced the nominees for the 2013 Hugo Awards. If you’ve missed the news, you can find the complete list of nominees at thehugoawards.org, but I’d like to take a moment to spotlight the Clarkesworld nominees:
Best Novelette: “Fade to White” by Catherynne M. Valente
Best Short Story: “Immersion” by Aliette de Bodard
Best Short Story: “Mantis Wives” by Kij Johnson
Best Editor (Short Form): Neil Clarke
Best Semiprozine: Clarkesworld Magazine—Edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, Jason Heller, Podcast directed by Kate Baker
A special congratulations goes out to four-time Clarkesworld cover artist, Julie Dillon, for her nomination in the Best Professional Artist category.
Thank you for your vote of confidence—and, as always, we’re extremely grateful for your support. In light of the challenges I’ve faced in the last year, this news is particularly heart-warming.
If you’ve ever wondered what it is like behind the curtain, the Hugo Administrators contact you in advance of the public announcement to confirm your eligiblity and willingness to be a nominee. This year, that was about a week before the official announcement and during that time you are expected to keep everything confidential. It’s brutal.
I have to admit that I didn’t completely contain myself. I told my parents. Apparently, my announcement got my father thinking. “So how did you end up doing this?” he asked. “Probably all those episodes of Lost in Space you watched as a kid, right?”
The question surprised me, but he was right to ask. I graduated with a computer science degree. I never worked for a school newspaper, journal, or publication. I’ve spent the last twenty-plus years working in educational technology. This was never a course that I expected my life to take.
Lost in Space had its influence. What young boy wouldn’t want to have Will Robinson’s adventures, complete with a faithful Robot and the antics of Dr. Smith? As I grew up, that sense of wonder stayed with me. When I could, I bought the show on DVD and I’ve since rewatched it straight through with my own children. Seeing that wonder through their eyes has added more fond memories to the pile.
But there is more. Lost in Space may have played a role, but it was ultimately my family that set me on this course. My father likes to tell the tale of how he held toddler-me up to the TV so I could see Armstrong walk on the Moon. They read to me—The Lorax comes to mind—and encouraged me to read on my own. I never had to worry about the availability of books. They were always there.
In my tween years, my cousin introduced me to the works of Heinlein and Clarke and gave me a copy of the classic anthology Adventures in Space and Time. Well-read copies of these books still sit on my shelf. I remember our family outing to see Star Wars shortly after its release and looking to the stars as we walked back to our car that night. They set the stage.
As I made my way through college, I met people who shared the same interests. They introduced me to science fiction conventions, but I didn’t feel comfortable with most of them until I was introduced to Readercon by a friend. Ironically enough, the very same place where Clarkesworld Magazine was born and the site of my heart attack years later.
So, Dad, this is how I came to be where I am today. Thanks for making me think about it and thanks for everything you’ve done to get me here. Now, following your lead, off I go to nudge my own children. Can’t wait to see where they go.
About the Author
Neil Clarke is the editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, owner of Wyrm Publishing and a 2012 Hugo Nominee for Best Editor (short form). He currently lives in NJ with his wife and two children.
Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 79 Page 16