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After

Magician's End

Raymond E. Feist2013

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Age of Myth

    Michael J. Sullivan2016

    A human kills a member of a supposedly immortal ruling race, sparking a rebellion. It follows a group of outcasts during the dawn of an empire.

    elegiac → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·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.

    elegiac → dreamlike, still chosen one

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Talking to GOATs: The Moments You Remember and the Stories You Never Heard

    Jim Gray

    A sports broadcaster recounts his interviews and interactions with famous athletes. He provides behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his career.

    elegiac → earnest

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • You Can't Make This Up: Miracles, Memories, and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television

    Al Michaels

    A veteran broadcaster recounts his fifty-year career in sports television. He provides behind-the-scenes anecdotes of major games and colleagues.

    elegiac → warm

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Master of the Five Magics

    Lyndon Hardy1980

    A man attempts to master five distinct disciplines of magic by following their strict logical laws to save a kingdom.

    elegiac → earnest, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → sardonic

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    elegiac → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    Same elegiac register

    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.

    elegiac → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    elegiac → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Last Argument of Kings

    Joe Abercrombie2008

    The Union faces internal revolt and external invasion as a dying king leaves a power vacuum. Multiple POV characters navigate a cynical war.

    elegiac → bleak, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • 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.

    elegiac → grim, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The Dragon Republic

    R. F. Kuang2019

    A shaman soldier joins a rebellion to overthrow the Empress while struggling with opium addiction and a vengeful god. It mirrors Chinese history.

    elegiac → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2