Hey everyone!
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I am looking for some recommendations on books that delve deep into religious matters, but dark/gory/very evil. Think of the video games Blasphemous, Castlevania, or Dark Souls. I want that kind of cibe. I want it to be the typical “evil has unleashed upon the world” but go into the details of the Church, artifacts, religion, etc (preferably relating to the Catholic religion). It does not have to be action packed, it can be boring, slow, long/epic. I am in the process of reading Between Two Fires, which is pretty good, but I dunno, I want more for when I am finished.
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P.S. – If you have any non-fiction recommendations that delve into this kind of stuff, that is welcomed too.
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Thanks!
by astr0lux88
12 Comments
Karen Liebreich, *Fallen Order*.
The Bible
-jokes aside it really is funny if you’re not religious
Hyperion is sci-fi but does have very biblical plotlines and talks quite a bit about religion. It has a very interesting take on the trial of Abraham.
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White might fit this description. It is YA, and so some of the interpersonal relationships can feel a little less deep than they could be, but I think it has wonderful body horror and gore tied with Christian imagery.
The Mayfair Witches (kind of, lots of Catholicism, but maybe not the deep dive you are hoping for?)
The Locked Tomb series. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy/horror and the religion in it isn’t quite Catholicism/Christianity, but it heavily borrows from Christianity. I can’t recommend it enough.
“His Dark Materials” by Phillip Pullman. It’s fantasy, but rooted in a profoundly anti-religious point of view.
“His Dark Materials” by Phillip Pullman. It’s fantasy, but rooted in a profoundly anti-religious point of view.
Not fantasy, and not “dark” in the sense of gothic, but Blood Meridian is violent, philosophical, dark in the sense of its themes, it touches religion, war, biology, etc. and there are a lot of allegories and metaphors relating to the Bible and religious topics. You might like it. And the language is special like that of Dark Souls, Bloodborne etc.
And oh boy was evil unleashed upon the world.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Carrie by Stephen King
the bible
Given those comparisons all I can think is the manga *Berserk* which was a direct inspiration for both Dark Souls and the Castlevania show.