After
Clytemnestra
Costanza Casati2023
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Trouble the Saints
Alaya Dawn Johnson2020
In 1940s Harlem, three Black individuals with supernatural gifts navigate a world of mobsters and assassins while working for a white socialite.
Same tense register, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Mere Wife
Maria Dahvana Headley2018
A modern retelling of Beowulf set in a gated community and the nearby mountains. It follows a mother in the wild and a mother in the suburb.
Same tense register, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Wolf and the Woodsman
Ava Reid2021
A magicless pagan woman and a disgraced captain travel across a kingdom to find a legendary creature. It is based on Hungarian and Jewish myths.
Same tense register, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hide Me Among the Graves
Tim Powers2012
The ghost of John Polidori haunts his Rossetti family descendants in 1860s London. He attempts to use their artistic souls to gain physical life.
Same tense register, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
He Who Drowned the World
Shelley Parker-Chan2023
Zhu Yuanzhang and General Ouyang compete for the throne of 14th-century China. Both characters pursue power through betrayal and sacrifice.
Same tense register, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Soldier of Sidon
Gene Wolfe2006
A mercenary in ancient Egypt loses his memory every time he sleeps. He records his days in a scroll while interacting with gods and spirits.
tense → meditative, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
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, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter's Tales
Greer Gilman2009
A triptych of stories set in a mythic Yorkshire, told in dense, archaic dialect. It follows the intersections of folk magic and celestial myth.
tense → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
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.
tense → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
tense → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
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.
Same tense register, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
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
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
tense → propulsive
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Starter Villain
John Scalzi2023
A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.
tense → wry
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
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.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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+1·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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.
tense → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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.
tense → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
Slower
tense → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
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.
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter's Tales
Greer Gilman2009
A triptych of stories set in a mythic Yorkshire, told in dense, archaic dialect. It follows the intersections of folk magic and celestial myth.
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
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.
tense → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
tense → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Soldier of Sidon
Gene Wolfe2006
A mercenary in ancient Egypt loses his memory every time he sleeps. He records his days in a scroll while interacting with gods and spirits.
tense → meditative, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace-1prose-1bleak+1
Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu
Andrus Kivirähk2015
A boy in medieval Estonia learns the ancient language of snakes to command animals as his forest culture is erased by Christian invaders.
tense → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Burning God
R.F. Kuang2020
A general leads a peasant army in a civil war across a fantasy version of China. She grapples with her sanity and the influence of a fire god.
tense → bleak, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The sad tale of the brothers Grossbart
Jesse Bullington2009
Two murderous brothers travel across 14th-century Europe to rob Egyptian tombs. They encounter monsters and religious zealots along the way.
tense → sardonic, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin2015
A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.
tense → bleak
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Pet Sematary
Stephen King1983
A family moves to Maine and discovers a burial ground that can return the dead to life. They use it, and the consequences are absolute.
Same tense register
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
