Drood

Boulder

Eva Baltasar2020

A woman working on a merchant ship moves to Reykjavik for her partner. She struggles with isolation as her partner pursues motherhood.

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

cold → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

cold → meditative, still unreliable narrator

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

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.

cold → playful

pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

M.C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin is the prime suspect when her husband vanishes after a public fight. She investigates his disappearance to clear her name.

cold → wry, still mystery

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Walking Disaster

Jamie McGuire2013

This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

cold → propulsive

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

This Man

Jodi Ellen Malpas2013

An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.

cold → tense

pace+1·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.

cold → propulsive

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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.

cold → propulsive

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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.

cold → propulsive, still secret society

pace+2·prose-2·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.

cold → dreamlike

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

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

cold → elegiac, still historical fiction

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.

cold → tender

pace-1·prose-1·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.

cold → bleak, still horror

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

Pride of Baghdad

Brian K. Vaughan2006

Four lions escape the Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The graphic novel follows their perspective as they navigate the city.

cold → bleak, still historical fiction

pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

The Vengeance of Rome

Michael Moorcock2006

Pyat, an unreliable narrator and Nazi sympathizer, travels through the 1930s. He observes the rise of fascism while remaining self-deluded.

cold → sardonic, still historical fiction

pace0·prose0·bleak+1