LitQueuelitqueue

After

Chasing the Shadows (Nikki & Michael)

Keri Arthur2002

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Soul Taken

    Patricia Briggs2022

    A coyote shapeshifter searches for a missing, unstable vampire to prevent a war between local werewolf packs and vampire seethes.

    Same tense register, still paranormal romance

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

tense → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Gormenghast

    Mervyn Peake1950

    A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

    tense → dark

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

    James Hogg1824

    A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

    tense → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

To recover

tense → playful, still paranormal romance

3 more ↓

  • Dragon Bound

    Thea Harrison2011

    A woman steals a penny from a dragon's hoard, forcing her into the world of a powerful Wyr leader. It follows their immediate, forced connection.

    tense → propulsive, still paranormal romance

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Big bad beast

    Shelly Laurenston2011

    A wolf-shifter Marine investigates a hybrid fighting ring while dealing with her persistent boss. It is a paranormal romance set in an urban world.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • 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.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

tense → propulsive, still paranormal romance

3 more ↓

  • Tempt the Stars

    Karen Chance2013

    A supernatural seer manages a possessive vampire lover and rogue acolytes while attempting to rescue a friend from a magical fate.

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Wicked All Night

    Jeaniene Frost2021

    A vampire and a siren enter a marriage of convenience to protect her from a supernatural threat. They hunt a dark god across the globe.

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Monster Hunter Nemesis

    Larry Correia2014

    A Frankenstein-like government agent is hunted by his creators while trying to stop a magically enhanced serial killer.

    tense → propulsive, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    tense → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Flowers in the Attic

    V.C. Andrews1979

    Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.

    tense → elegiac

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Hamlet

    William Shakespeare

    A prince of Denmark is told by a ghost that his uncle killed his father. He feigns madness while deciding whether to take revenge.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • The Terror

    Dan Simmons2007

    Two British ships searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 become trapped in ice and are hunted by a creature.

    tense → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2