Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine, Book 2)

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

P. Djèlí Clark

An undead assassin serving a goddess of the lost breaks her vows to investigate her own forgotten past.

sardonic → wry, still urban fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Palimpsest

Catherynne M. Valente2009

Four strangers visit a secret city accessible only through sexual contact. They become obsessed with returning to the city and its inhabitants.

sardonic → dreamlike, still dark fantasy

pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

Murder of Angels

Caitlín R. Kiernan2004

Two women are haunted by supernatural entities and their own deteriorating mental states. The narrative shifts through fractured memories.

sardonic → dreamlike, still dark fantasy

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

sardonic → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Grunge

Larry Correia2016

A Marine killed in a bombing is resurrected to hunt supernatural creatures. He joins a private company that kills monsters for government bounties.

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Electric Idol

Katee Robert2022

In a modern-day Olympus, Eros is ordered to kill Psyche but chooses to enter a fake marriage with her to protect her from his mother.

sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

This Girl

Colleen Hoover2013

A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.

sardonic → earnest

pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

Battle Ground

Jim Butcher2020

A wizard leads the supernatural defense of Chicago against an invading army led by a Titan. The book is a single, continuous battle.

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Blood Engines

Tim Pratt2007

A sorceress who uses blood magic to power her spells defends her city from a rival. She makes ruthless choices to maintain her power.

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Sandman Slim

Richard Kadrey2009

A magician crawls out of Hell to hunt the people who murdered his girlfriend in Los Angeles. He uses black magic and a stolen shotgun.

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak-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.

sardonic → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Unfinished Tales

J.R.R. Tolkien1980

A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.

sardonic → meditative

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Moonwise

Greer Gilman1991

Two women are pulled into a world created by their own folk-tales. The narrative uses dense, archaic language to describe a shifting landscape.

sardonic → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

The Damnation Game

Clive Barker1985

An ex-con becomes a bodyguard for a billionaire who made a deal with a supernatural gambler. The debt comes due through gore and resurrection.

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

The Black Company

Glen Cook1984

An elite mercenary unit serves an immortal sorceress. The story is told through the cynical journals of the company's doctor and historian.

sardonic → grim, still dark fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Snow, Glass, Apples

Neil Gaiman2019

A retelling of Snow White from the stepmother's perspective. The princess is a vampiric creature and the queen struggles to protect the kingdom.

sardonic → cold, still dark fantasy

pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1