After
Blade of Tyshalle
Matthew Woodring Stover2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
Same sardonic register, still grimdark
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Heroes die
Matthew Woodring Stover1998
An actor travels to a parallel fantasy world to commit murders for a live-streamed audience on Earth. He must rescue his estranged wife.
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The Wisdom of Crowds
Joe Abercrombie2021
A violent revolution overthrows the social order in a fantasy industrial city. Characters from all social classes struggle to survive the purges.
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The Dark Defiles
Richard K. Morgan2014
Ringil Eskiath and his companions conclude their journey in a world of ancient technology and cynical violence.
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The Hood
Lavie Tidhar2021
A retelling of the Robin Hood myth where the forest outlaws are a violent, disparate gang in a gritty version of medieval England.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
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The Iron Dragon's Mother
Michael Swanwick2019
A pilot steals a mechanical dragon and flees into a world of industrial magic. She navigates court politics and a literal descent into hell.
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Denser prose
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The Claw of the Conciliator
Gene Wolfe1981
An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.
sardonic → dreamlike, still science fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
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In the Night Garden
Catherynne M. Valente2006
A girl with tattooed eyelids tells a prince interlocking stories of monsters and folklore. The narrative is a series of nested myths.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
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Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
sardonic → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
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At Swim-Two-Birds
Flann O'Brien1939
A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.
sardonic → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
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Love & Sleep
John Crowley1994
Pierce Moffett researches the history of magic while living in a small town. The narrative shifts between his life and the Renaissance.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
To recover
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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.
sardonic → earnest
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Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
sardonic → tense
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3 more ↓ ↑
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Starter Villain
John Scalzi2023
A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.
sardonic → wry
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Playing with Fire
Gena Showalter2006
A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.
sardonic → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
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Digital Fortress
Dan Brown1998
The NSA's code-breaking supercomputer encounters an unbreakable algorithm. A cryptographer and a professor race to find the kill code.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
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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.
Same sardonic register, still science fantasy
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
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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.
sardonic → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
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The Atlantis Gene
A.G. Riddle2013
A geneticist and a counter-terrorism agent uncover a global conspiracy involving human evolution and an ancient Antarctic discovery.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
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Monster Hunter International
Larry Correia2007
An accountant kills his boss, who has become a werewolf, and is recruited by a private company that hunts monsters for government bounties.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
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Love & Sleep
John Crowley1994
Pierce Moffett researches the history of magic while living in a small town. The narrative shifts between his life and the Renaissance.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Boneland
Alan Garner2012
An adult Colin searches for his lost sister while an ancient shaman performs rituals in the same landscape. The two timelines mirror one another.
sardonic → elegiac
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
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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.
sardonic → tender
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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.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
