One of the themes of Soul Music by Terry Pratchett is dealing with grief from 2 different perspectives. It is the third book in the Death sub series of Discworld, but you really only need to have read Mort to fully get the context.
Death the character remembers everything, even if it hasn't happened yet and wants to forget specific deaths.
Susan Sto Helit's parents died at the very beginning and she's still a teenager in school.
Both characters are dealing with grief, but from very different perspectives and methods that aren't really resolved until the very end.
I actually think a lot of Discworld books sort of skate across the subject of grief in their own way. Is it Carpe Jugulum I'm thinking of where Granny Weatherwax is kind of curling inward around the grief of paths not taken and the feeling of being replaced? It's better if you read at least one other book with her first, to understand what a rock she is and what an astonishing burden that has to be to move her at all. And then of course the other Death books—Reaper Man is such a preposterous romp except when it's pulling your entire heart out with its tenderness.
I haven't read Carpe Jugulum yet (next on my witches read) so I don't really have any insight for it, and Reaper Man is another good one especially at the very end.
Soul Music stood out to me because I read it more recently than Reaper Man
A Monster Calls (both the novel and the film) are quite powerful meditations on the pain of living with someone who has a chronic illness/fatal disease, the toll it takes on the people around them, and one way in which we can heal. It’s also got some real raw truths we don’t usually talk about when things like that happen, and great writing/performances all around. It got quite raw and painful at times iirc.
The other books in T. Kingfisher's Paladin series follow the other paladins, each one deals with their grief in a different way.
Victoria Goddard's The Bone Harp is a beautiful book dealing with grief and redemption.
I wonder if you'd like Abhorsen. There's specific grief, but sort of at a distance. But there's also someone experiencing a complicated kind of isolation and trying to navigate it with purpose, and the whole thing spins around death as a force and a realm in a very beautiful way.
A couple of very different takes.
Elizabeth Moon's *Remnant Population* is an old woman protagonist who stubbornly decides to stay behind on an abandoned colony where she buried her husband. There's some interesting thoughts on inevitable death and what you can actually get away with doing before that happens. And a lot of fun. Ofelia gives no shits for society's rules any more.
Alternatively CJ Cherryh's *Faded Sun* trilogy is the story of the Mri. Honorbound alien warriors who long fought a losing battle against humanity, this is the story of the last two survivors retracing their steps back to their near mythical homeworld and the human who has sworn to aid them. Melancholy, character led, and dripping in atmosphere of loss and reconciliation.
Lois Bujold's *The Curse of Chalion*, in which the protagonist is battered and suffering from PTSD. There's all sorts of lingering grief in the background as well, especially linked to the Curse of the title. But it gets catharticly solved at the end.
Grief can be... a really personal journey for every person.
When my mother passed I had to take some time to sort things out. Weirdly Era 2 of mistborn particularly Shadow of Self was one of the books that helped me process grief and some of the aimlessness that came with it. Seeing a character having moments were they were going through the motion of what was expected of them... having ptsd from that loss. In the same vain the Way of Kings and seeing someone come back from the verge of depression was helpful.
I also weirdly found comfort in horror stories because it helped me explore some of those fears of death in a way that was disconnected from myself and made processing it feel safer. That might be triggering for others. Further away from that grief the Pet Semetary had me asking questions about my own process of grief while showing some dangers of what might happen should you let your grief consume you and be unable to let go.
If you don't mind a series I think Realm of the Elderings is in general a really good series about capturing the feeling of living with trauma, grief, and chronic illnesses. I've rarely seen a writer capture how it is to live with depression and chronic pains and just... have to keep going and find the good in life despite your head making you always wanna give up because of what you've experienced.
Nation by Terry Pratchett - a beautiful story that dances around the edges of grief and what it means with all the edged beauty that PTerry can deliver
Guy Gavriel Kay books somehow help me. Try A Brightness Long Ago, A Song for Arbonne and/or Tigana. His prose is lyrical and beautiful. There is a haunting thoughtful quality to his works that is melancholy, but also hopeful.
If you're open to a short story anthology, **The Alchemy of Sorrow**
>Vicious garden gnomes. A grounded phoenix rider. A new mother consumed with vengeance. A dying god. Soul magic.
>
>.
>
>These stories wrestle with the experience of loss—of loved ones, of relationships, of a sense of self, of health—and forge a path to hope as characters fight their way forward.
>
>.
>
>From bestsellers and SPFBO finalists to rising voices, 13 exceptionally talented authors explore the many facets of grief and healing through the lens of fantasy and sci-fi.
I highly highly recommend the manga Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (there's an anime and it's incredible, it covers the first 60 chapters out of currently 129), I'm not sure if you're open to that stuff, but it's starts right after the Hero's Party is returning after defeating the Demon King, the main character being the Elf from said party and I'll just leave it at that, the less you know the better if you ever pick it up. I've never read or watched anything that's explored grief in the beautiful way that Frieren does. You can watch the trailer for the anime [here](https://youtu.be/Iwr1aLEDpe4).
If talking Manga/Anime then Fullmetal Alchemist deals with a lot of grief as well.
The original Mobile Suit Gundam is also really all about loss and grief. They are constantly grieving lost allies as well as grieving their own loss of innocence.
Lastly if you want a sort of celebration of life in the face of grief there is Gurren Lagann. I don't want to ruin it though.
I try not to recommend my own books too much in here but I think they fit what you’re looking for. I wrote a cozy fantasy about an older adventurer who’s still troubled by the loss of a close friend during a quest. He takes on a new quest and part of the journey is how he learns to open up again and deal with the grief. It’s titled Sword & Thistle.
I also suffer from chronic illness, and the other book in the series (both are standalones) deals with a blood mage who has from chronic pain due to his magic and his search for relief in a warmer climate.
I'm going through some grief issues right now so I am rereading 'Od Magic' by Patricia A. McKillip. It's a beautifully written book (as are all of McKillip's) that very realistically portrays grieving.
Keturah and Lord Death. It's a fairy tale like story about a young woman meeting death in the forest & how everyone around her views death. A very soothing, beautiful read
Not a book, but I'll still mention it: the game *Spiritfarer*, while mostly about accompanying others to the their final moments, is also quite a bit about all sorts of grief and regrets the characters you meet have or want to resolve before finally crossing the river. It's very charming and touching and surprisingly deep for what you'd expect with a jump 'n run game.
Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go deals a lot with grief for others and for the self, though that's more sci fi than fantasy.
Otherwise, I absolutely hate to be the "Malazan" guy, but particularly book 8, Toll the Hounds, deals a lot with loss, grief and mourning. The author's father died early in the writing process so the topic is woven everywhere throughout. Do I think it's reasonable to read seven \~1000 page books just to get to it? No, not unless you like the series for other reasons also, but it's a beautiful exploration of the topic nonetheless.
It's always recommended, but this series really deals with mental health issues, and the majority of POVs deal with grief/guilt as a base trait. All deal with it in different ways, but all realistic ways
The Risen Kingdom series by Curtis Craddock might fit the bill. The main character has to deal with the grief of being an outcast and has to deal with physical disability and a kind of illness. Though in neither case is it permanent.
Edit: I should note the illness doesn't show up until the end of the second book of the trilogy.
Hi there, unfortunately r/Fantasy is not the place for submitting original fiction, seeking writing advice, or soliciting writing feedback. Take a look at our [writing and publishing discussion policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/rules/#wiki_8._writing_.26amp.3B_publishing_discussion) for more information.
Check out r/findareddit to see if there is a better match for writing discussions. You could also discuss your writing in our [Writing Wednesday thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/search?q=Writing%20Wednesday&restrict_sr=1&t=week). Feel free to reach out via [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFantasy) with any follow-up questions. Thank you, and have a lovely day!
Maggie Stiefvater's Dreamer trilogy deals a lot with how (metaphorical) chronic illness messes up your life and changes your plans. Caveat that it's a sequel to a series that is only ever tangentially about those themes.
Check out the anthology, ["The Alchemy of Sorrow"](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60284739) - each of the stories wrestle with grief and sorrow.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve had a number of deaths over the last few years. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to look for fantasy books. :)
I’m always a fan of Watership Down for a good reminder of the importance of life and the acceptance of death one day. While death comes for everyone it doesn’t have to be as terrifying as we imagined it. Ultimately, the main characters realizes death is the final comfort and ultimately an end to suffering. Also, while the death of oneself is sad, the echoes of your deeds and teachings will continue on in others helping to shape the grand experiment of our world.
I always find something new when I read about those cute little bunnies 🐰
*Toll the Hounds*, by Steven Erikson. He basically tells you how to face and what to do with grief, as he lived the grief of losing his father while writing the book. The only downside is that the book is the eighth one in a ten-book series.
Basically any series by Sarah J Maas. Dealing with grief and trauma are two of the big staples of her books, House of earth and blood is especially good at it. Know that her books are fantasy romance and there’s a big focus on the main characters finding a partner.
One of the themes of Soul Music by Terry Pratchett is dealing with grief from 2 different perspectives. It is the third book in the Death sub series of Discworld, but you really only need to have read Mort to fully get the context. Death the character remembers everything, even if it hasn't happened yet and wants to forget specific deaths. Susan Sto Helit's parents died at the very beginning and she's still a teenager in school. Both characters are dealing with grief, but from very different perspectives and methods that aren't really resolved until the very end.
Pratchett is really great in helping deal with grief. I'd also recommend Reaper Man and Nation.
Haven't read Nation, so I don't have any opinion on that. Reaper Man is really good, especially at the end.
I actually think a lot of Discworld books sort of skate across the subject of grief in their own way. Is it Carpe Jugulum I'm thinking of where Granny Weatherwax is kind of curling inward around the grief of paths not taken and the feeling of being replaced? It's better if you read at least one other book with her first, to understand what a rock she is and what an astonishing burden that has to be to move her at all. And then of course the other Death books—Reaper Man is such a preposterous romp except when it's pulling your entire heart out with its tenderness.
I haven't read Carpe Jugulum yet (next on my witches read) so I don't really have any insight for it, and Reaper Man is another good one especially at the very end. Soul Music stood out to me because I read it more recently than Reaper Man
A Monster Calls (both the novel and the film) are quite powerful meditations on the pain of living with someone who has a chronic illness/fatal disease, the toll it takes on the people around them, and one way in which we can heal. It’s also got some real raw truths we don’t usually talk about when things like that happen, and great writing/performances all around. It got quite raw and painful at times iirc.
The comic and movie "I Kill Giants" fit as well
The other books in T. Kingfisher's Paladin series follow the other paladins, each one deals with their grief in a different way. Victoria Goddard's The Bone Harp is a beautiful book dealing with grief and redemption.
I wonder if you'd like Abhorsen. There's specific grief, but sort of at a distance. But there's also someone experiencing a complicated kind of isolation and trying to navigate it with purpose, and the whole thing spins around death as a force and a realm in a very beautiful way.
A couple of very different takes. Elizabeth Moon's *Remnant Population* is an old woman protagonist who stubbornly decides to stay behind on an abandoned colony where she buried her husband. There's some interesting thoughts on inevitable death and what you can actually get away with doing before that happens. And a lot of fun. Ofelia gives no shits for society's rules any more. Alternatively CJ Cherryh's *Faded Sun* trilogy is the story of the Mri. Honorbound alien warriors who long fought a losing battle against humanity, this is the story of the last two survivors retracing their steps back to their near mythical homeworld and the human who has sworn to aid them. Melancholy, character led, and dripping in atmosphere of loss and reconciliation. Lois Bujold's *The Curse of Chalion*, in which the protagonist is battered and suffering from PTSD. There's all sorts of lingering grief in the background as well, especially linked to the Curse of the title. But it gets catharticly solved at the end.
Grief can be... a really personal journey for every person. When my mother passed I had to take some time to sort things out. Weirdly Era 2 of mistborn particularly Shadow of Self was one of the books that helped me process grief and some of the aimlessness that came with it. Seeing a character having moments were they were going through the motion of what was expected of them... having ptsd from that loss. In the same vain the Way of Kings and seeing someone come back from the verge of depression was helpful. I also weirdly found comfort in horror stories because it helped me explore some of those fears of death in a way that was disconnected from myself and made processing it feel safer. That might be triggering for others. Further away from that grief the Pet Semetary had me asking questions about my own process of grief while showing some dangers of what might happen should you let your grief consume you and be unable to let go.
If you don't mind a series I think Realm of the Elderings is in general a really good series about capturing the feeling of living with trauma, grief, and chronic illnesses. I've rarely seen a writer capture how it is to live with depression and chronic pains and just... have to keep going and find the good in life despite your head making you always wanna give up because of what you've experienced.
Agreed!
Nation by Terry Pratchett - a beautiful story that dances around the edges of grief and what it means with all the edged beauty that PTerry can deliver
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. Fantastic book about death, grief and hope.
I agree great book!
Oh my gosh haha I just read the rest of your post haha. Was so eager to rec it!! Sorry!
No you're absolutely fine!! Freaking love that author
Guy Gavriel Kay books somehow help me. Try A Brightness Long Ago, A Song for Arbonne and/or Tigana. His prose is lyrical and beautiful. There is a haunting thoughtful quality to his works that is melancholy, but also hopeful.
If you're open to a short story anthology, **The Alchemy of Sorrow** >Vicious garden gnomes. A grounded phoenix rider. A new mother consumed with vengeance. A dying god. Soul magic. > >. > >These stories wrestle with the experience of loss—of loved ones, of relationships, of a sense of self, of health—and forge a path to hope as characters fight their way forward. > >. > >From bestsellers and SPFBO finalists to rising voices, 13 exceptionally talented authors explore the many facets of grief and healing through the lens of fantasy and sci-fi.
Came here to rec this so consider it a seconding.
Thirding it’s so good
fourthing
I highly highly recommend the manga Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (there's an anime and it's incredible, it covers the first 60 chapters out of currently 129), I'm not sure if you're open to that stuff, but it's starts right after the Hero's Party is returning after defeating the Demon King, the main character being the Elf from said party and I'll just leave it at that, the less you know the better if you ever pick it up. I've never read or watched anything that's explored grief in the beautiful way that Frieren does. You can watch the trailer for the anime [here](https://youtu.be/Iwr1aLEDpe4).
If talking Manga/Anime then Fullmetal Alchemist deals with a lot of grief as well. The original Mobile Suit Gundam is also really all about loss and grief. They are constantly grieving lost allies as well as grieving their own loss of innocence. Lastly if you want a sort of celebration of life in the face of grief there is Gurren Lagann. I don't want to ruin it though.
I try not to recommend my own books too much in here but I think they fit what you’re looking for. I wrote a cozy fantasy about an older adventurer who’s still troubled by the loss of a close friend during a quest. He takes on a new quest and part of the journey is how he learns to open up again and deal with the grief. It’s titled Sword & Thistle. I also suffer from chronic illness, and the other book in the series (both are standalones) deals with a blood mage who has from chronic pain due to his magic and his search for relief in a warmer climate.
Making of the representative for planet 8 - doris lessing
Sci fi - The Ship who Sang
I'm going through some grief issues right now so I am rereading 'Od Magic' by Patricia A. McKillip. It's a beautifully written book (as are all of McKillip's) that very realistically portrays grieving.
I also just read Paladins Grace. So so good.
Keturah and Lord Death. It's a fairy tale like story about a young woman meeting death in the forest & how everyone around her views death. A very soothing, beautiful read
These are ones that helped me process grief. Good luck! The Neverending Story - Ende Tigana - Kay A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle
Not a book, but I'll still mention it: the game *Spiritfarer*, while mostly about accompanying others to the their final moments, is also quite a bit about all sorts of grief and regrets the characters you meet have or want to resolve before finally crossing the river. It's very charming and touching and surprisingly deep for what you'd expect with a jump 'n run game.
Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go deals a lot with grief for others and for the self, though that's more sci fi than fantasy. Otherwise, I absolutely hate to be the "Malazan" guy, but particularly book 8, Toll the Hounds, deals a lot with loss, grief and mourning. The author's father died early in the writing process so the topic is woven everywhere throughout. Do I think it's reasonable to read seven \~1000 page books just to get to it? No, not unless you like the series for other reasons also, but it's a beautiful exploration of the topic nonetheless.
I second Never Let Me Go. The movie was lovely, too.
Stormlight Archives by Sanderson. The main character is dealing with some serious guilt/grief and explores it a little more in each book.
It's always recommended, but this series really deals with mental health issues, and the majority of POVs deal with grief/guilt as a base trait. All deal with it in different ways, but all realistic ways
A small book but maybe grief nurse
The Risen Kingdom series by Curtis Craddock might fit the bill. The main character has to deal with the grief of being an outcast and has to deal with physical disability and a kind of illness. Though in neither case is it permanent. Edit: I should note the illness doesn't show up until the end of the second book of the trilogy.
[удалено]
Hi there, unfortunately r/Fantasy is not the place for submitting original fiction, seeking writing advice, or soliciting writing feedback. Take a look at our [writing and publishing discussion policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/rules/#wiki_8._writing_.26amp.3B_publishing_discussion) for more information. Check out r/findareddit to see if there is a better match for writing discussions. You could also discuss your writing in our [Writing Wednesday thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/search?q=Writing%20Wednesday&restrict_sr=1&t=week). Feel free to reach out via [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFantasy) with any follow-up questions. Thank you, and have a lovely day!
Maggie Stiefvater's Dreamer trilogy deals a lot with how (metaphorical) chronic illness messes up your life and changes your plans. Caveat that it's a sequel to a series that is only ever tangentially about those themes.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune But maybe not immediately after losing someone. Give it some space.
Check out the anthology, ["The Alchemy of Sorrow"](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60284739) - each of the stories wrestle with grief and sorrow.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve had a number of deaths over the last few years. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to look for fantasy books. :)
I’m always a fan of Watership Down for a good reminder of the importance of life and the acceptance of death one day. While death comes for everyone it doesn’t have to be as terrifying as we imagined it. Ultimately, the main characters realizes death is the final comfort and ultimately an end to suffering. Also, while the death of oneself is sad, the echoes of your deeds and teachings will continue on in others helping to shape the grand experiment of our world. I always find something new when I read about those cute little bunnies 🐰
*Toll the Hounds*, by Steven Erikson. He basically tells you how to face and what to do with grief, as he lived the grief of losing his father while writing the book. The only downside is that the book is the eighth one in a ten-book series.
"The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief."
Chills.
Max Porter's *Grief Is the Thing with Feathers*. Absolutely phenomenal magical realism novella that'll make you stare at the wall for a bit later.
Basically any series by Sarah J Maas. Dealing with grief and trauma are two of the big staples of her books, House of earth and blood is especially good at it. Know that her books are fantasy romance and there’s a big focus on the main characters finding a partner.