In Joe Ambercrombie’s Best Served Cold, Revenge is a Tired Trope
Why do some revenge stories work and others, like Best Served Cold, fall flat?
In Last Argument of Kings, It’s Evil Versus Evil
There is no room for epic fantasy in this grimdark universe.
Before They Are Hanged: The Antihero’s Journey
Conventional fantasy goes back to the mud. It's tromped on. Ground down in the dirt. There are people to kill and scores to settle. Conventional fantasy tropes are among the dead.
The Blade Itself: Gritty Realism in Fantasy
The novel is dark, twisted, and delightfully subverts fantasy tropes.