Any Good Fantasy/ Sci fi novels where "evil" reigns...

sxt

...where "good" does not overcome "evil". I wouldn't mind reading a book where darkness prevails ...

AnCapaillMor

Story about a legendary Irish big cat.

ixoy

Surely this would involve massive spoilers if people had to give away the ending of the series? Wouldn't it better to ask about novels set in a bleak setting instead?

mcgovern

The Mission Earth books by L. Ron Hubbard are told from the side of the bad guys/alien invaders. I quite like them, but they are not everyone's cup of tea (there is little to no reference to scientology or any of that crap in them thankfully).
However, I've only read the first 8, but only in one or two of them would the baddie come out on top.

Manach

Offhand, the Drakka(?) series by SM Sterling.

ixoy

"The Prince of Nothing" series by R. Scott Bakker.

Black Sheep

SM Stirling's Draka novels (available in an omnibus edition from Baen) are definitley pretty grim.

I'd also suggest John Whitbourn's 'A Dangerous Energy' and its sequel novels, although they might be hardish to come by. Essentially a 'from rags to ritches' tale set in an olde england alternative England where magic is real and a counter-reformation succeeded. Except the main character is a rapist, murderer and thief who claws his way up through a hierarchy as corrupt as he is.

I guess you could broaden this and look at the whole genre of dystopian SF. For example, Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaiden's tale', Stephen King's 'The Running Man' etc.

moomoo113

I'd recommend Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. The series hasn't ended yet so I don't know if evil will prevail or not but he definitely doesn't shy away from making things go badly for his characters!

Lyanna

Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" series is set in a world where the clichéd prophesised hero defeated a mysterious dark power a thousand years ago and then promptly set himself up as both dictator and god. It's a decent read, with the first book "Mistborn: The Final Empire" being particularly good.

I'd also recommend "A Game of Thrones" and the rest of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series even though it doesn't quite fit your requirements. I'm not sure darkness will prevail there, but there's certainly no clear "good" side. It's an excellent series, probably the best fantasy out there.

super_furry

Glen Cook's The Black Company series is definately worth checking out.

pH

Not sure it's really 'evil' but I can recommend Joe Abercrombie's work!

The First Law is an epic adventure where one of the main characters is pretty much a possessed killer, and Best served Cold a tale of revenge (by someone hardly an innocent in the first place), with the "hero team" consisting of (among others) a serial killer and a poisoner.

But don't just take my word for it, here's a recent "review" of Abercrombie's work:

“Think of a Lord of the Rings where, after stringing you along for thousands of pages, all of the hobbits end up dying of cancer contracted by their proximity to the Ring, Aragorn is revealed to be a buffoonish puppet-king of no honor and false might, and Gandalf no sooner celebrates the defeat of Sauron than he executes a long-held plot to become the new Dark Lord of Middle-earth, and you have some idea of what to expect should you descend into Abercrombie’s jaded literary sewer.”
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lgrin/2011/02/12/the-bankrupt-nihilism-of-our-fallen-fantasists/

Playboy

ixoy wrote: »

"The Prince of Nothing" series by R. Scott Bakker.

+ 1 ... The first book in the second trilogy was brilliant also just as dark.

Playboy

pH wrote: »

Not sure it's really 'evil' but I can recommend Joe Abercrombie's work!

The First Law is an epic adventure where one of the main characters is pretty much a possessed killer, and Best served Cold a tale of revenge (by someone hardly an innocent in the first place), with the "hero team" consisting of (among others) a serial killer and a poisoner.

But don't just take my word for it, here's a recent "review" of Abercrombie's work:

“Think of a Lord of the Rings where, after stringing you along for thousands of pages, all of the hobbits end up dying of cancer contracted by their proximity to the Ring, Aragorn is revealed to be a buffoonish puppet-king of no honor and false might, and Gandalf no sooner celebrates the defeat of Sauron than he executes a long-held plot to become the new Dark Lord of Middle-earth, and you have some idea of what to expect should you descend into Abercrombie’s jaded literary sewer.”
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lgrin/2011/02/12/the-bankrupt-nihilism-of-our-fallen-fantasists/

Sounds intersting .. cheers

Trojan

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: thoroughly depressing, sounds exactly like what the OP is looking for.

Funglegunk

Don't forget 1984, not as heavy a read as you might think!

Gearheart

Or you could try some 40k, some of the chaos orientated books are very good but I have only read the ones concerning the Imperium. This is one chaos book that got very good reviews:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Night-Warhammer-000-Novels/dp/1844161579

Colmhayden76

have that 40k book it's ok but for evil hammering good check out the horus heresy series.
The first 4 books up to fulgrim are really good the next few not as much.
Stephen Erikson's gardens of the moons series IMO don't have good and bad heros they are just many shades of grey:D

..Brian..

Way of the Pilgrim by Gordon R. Dickson

Shane, a gifted linguist, has spent his life learning the language of the old and powerful alien race that has conquered Earth. He has learned it so well that the interstellar masters, old hands at enslaving planets, regard him as a valuable servant.

But Shane has a secret. One day, in a rebellious moment, he invented The Pilgrim: a mysterious figure who incites rebellion and vanishes unseen, leaving a distinctive icon behind him.

Now the human underground is preparing to rebel. Shane knows how hopeless their rebellion will be. He knows, as well, that he will be unable to keep himself from taking part.

Kadongy

Lots of Philip K Dick books are pretty dark and I think some have evil winning out.

L

China Mieville tends to write excellent (but bleak) fantasy. Try Perdido Street Station - it's not so much evil wins as ... well, you'll see.