Fantasy For Our Time

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


Listen Later

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

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Fantasy For Our TimeBy Nicholas Kotar

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

22 ratings


More shows like Fantasy For Our Time

View all
Jay'sAnalysis by Jay Dyer

Jay'sAnalysis

816 Listeners

First Things Podcast by First Things

First Things Podcast

702 Listeners

Pints With Aquinas by Matt Fradd

Pints With Aquinas

6,488 Listeners

The Whole Counsel of God by Fr. Stephen De Young, and Ancient Faith Ministries

The Whole Counsel of God

509 Listeners

The Areopagus by Michael Landsman, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, and Ancient Faith Ministries

The Areopagus

321 Listeners

The Great Books by National Review

The Great Books

1,531 Listeners

The Symbolic World by Jonathan Pageau

The Symbolic World

826 Listeners

Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World by Jimmy Akin

Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World

2,812 Listeners

Amon Sûl by Fr. Anthony Cook, Richard Rohlin, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, and Ancient Faith Ministries

Amon Sûl

246 Listeners

Young Heretics by Spencer Klavan

Young Heretics

4,446 Listeners

The Lord of Spirits by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Fr. Stephen De Young, and Ancient Faith Ministries

The Lord of Spirits

1,424 Listeners

The Arena by Fr. Josiah Trenham

The Arena

193 Listeners

I Might Believe in Faeries by Aaron Irber

I Might Believe in Faeries

19 Listeners

The Exorcist Files by Ryan Bethea, Fr. Carlos Martins

The Exorcist Files

5,393 Listeners

Re-Enchanting by Seen & Unseen

Re-Enchanting

93 Listeners