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After

Assail

Ian C. Esslemont2014

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Charnel Prince

    Gregory Keyes2004

    A princess flees assassins while a knight searches for her. Meanwhile, an ancient king's awakening spreads madness and monsters across the land.

    Same tense register, still dark fantasy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Denser prose

tense → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

    A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.

    tense → meditative

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Warrior Prophet

    R. Scott Bakker2005

    During a holy war, a monk with the power to manipulate thoughts positions himself as a messiah to seize control of the crusading armies.

    tense → cold, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Mortal Suns

    Tanith Lee2003

    A rejected princess in a mythic world seeks her place amidst prophecies and royal power struggles. The prose is dense and stylized.

    tense → dreamlike, still dark fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

tense → playful

3 more ↓

  • Fifty Shades of Grey

    E.L. James2000

    A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.

    tense → earnest

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Smokin' Seventeen

    Janet Evanovich2011

    A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    tense → wry

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl

    Matt Dinniman2020

    Earth is converted into an 18-level televised death game. A man and a cat must navigate traps and monsters to survive.

    tense → sardonic

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • The Stainless Steel Rat

    Harry Harrison1961

    A futuristic con man is caught by the Special Corps and forced to use his criminal skills to catch other lawbreakers.

    tense → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Mind's Eye

    Douglas E. Richards2014

    A man discovers he has the ability to access the internet and process data directly with his mind. He is hunted by a secret organization.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Habitation of the Blessed

    Catherynne M. Valente2010

    A priest finds the lost kingdom of Prester John. The story is told through three nested layers of journals, myths, and historical accounts.

    tense → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Among Others

    Jo Walton2011

    A teenage girl at a 1970s boarding school copes with her twin's death through books and subtle magic. It is written as a series of diary entries.

    tense → tender

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Tehanu

    Ursula K. Le Guin1990

    A widow cares for an aging mage who has lost his magic. The story focuses on domestic life and the aftermath of past adventures.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • We Dream of Gods

    Devin Madson2022

    Four protagonists navigate the collapse of empires as a god returns to the world. The story concludes a series defined by total war and betrayal.

    tense → bleak, still dark fantasy

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Forge of darkness

    Steven Erikson2012

    A civil war begins in an ancient realm of darkness. The narrative follows aristocrats and soldiers as their society fractures into factions.

    tense → elegiac, still dark fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Queen of the Conquered

    Kacen Callender2019

    A noblewoman with mind-control powers enters a royal competition to kill the colonizers who murdered her family.

    tense → bleak, still dark fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1