Can you recommend some 'dark war stories'?

A great book for 'dark dark short stories' is 'Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber'. It reimagines classic fairy tales in a much darker and more adult way. For instance, 'The Company of Wolves' takes the Little Red Riding Hood story and turns it into a tale full of sexual tension and danger. Another book is 'Selected Stories' by H. P. Lovecraft. His stories often deal with cosmic horror, like in 'The Call of Cthulhu' where the existence of ancient and powerful beings that are beyond human comprehension is explored. And 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' in its original short story form is also a very dark and gory tale.

One great dark fantasy war novel is 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' series. It's filled with complex characters, epic battles, and a richly detailed world that combines dark magic and brutal warfare. Another is 'The First Law' trilogy, which presents a gritty and cynical view of war and power struggles in a dark fantasy setting. And 'A Song of Ice and Fire' also has elements of dark fantasy and war, with various factions vying for power through military might and political intrigue.

Another one could be 'The Red Badge of Courage'. It delves deep into the psychological state of a young soldier during the war, exploring themes like fear, courage, and self - discovery.

Sure. One might be the story about a brief skirmish that lasted only a few hours. It was a clash between two small military units over a strategic outpost. The action was intense but short - lived.

Sure. There's 'The Juniper Tree'. It involves a cruel stepmother who kills her stepson and cooks him into a stew. The Grimm Brothers collected many such dark German stories. These stories often had a moral or lesson in them, even if they were quite dark. For example, they might teach about the consequences of greed or bad behavior. They were also influenced by the superstitions and cultural beliefs of the time.

One dark kids story is 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Andersen. It's about a poor girl who freezes to death while trying to sell matches on a cold New Year's Eve. The descriptions of her cold and lonely state are quite dark.

Sure. There is a story where a spaceship gets lost in a region of the universe known as the Dark Zone. The crew experiences time dilation and encounters a race of beings that are made of pure dark matter. It's a really thrilling story.

Sure. 'The Little Mermaid' by Hans Christian Andersen can be considered a dark fairy story in some ways. The mermaid endures great pain, sacrificing her voice and ultimately turning into sea foam instead of achieving her happy ending with the prince as easily as in the Disney version. Also, 'Bluebeard' is a very dark one, where a man with a blue beard marries multiple women and kills them, hiding their bodies in a locked room.

One of the well - known dark short stories is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by an old man's vulture - like eye and eventually kills him. Another is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. In this story, a small town has an annual lottery where the 'winner' is stoned to death in a disturbing display of blind tradition.

There are also stories where an angel is sent on a mission to a dark and desolate place. The angel has to face the darkness within the hearts of the people there. The angel's own perception of good and evil is tested as it encounters extreme situations. Maybe the angel has to make difficult choices between saving a group of sinners who seem beyond redemption or following the direct orders from above which might lead to a more tragic outcome for the sinners.