After
Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu
Andrus Kivirähk2015
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
Same elegiac register, still historical fantasy
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Firebrand
Marion Zimmer Bradley1987
Kassandra, a princess of Troy, receives visions of her city's destruction that no one believes. It follows her life leading up to the Trojan War.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Witch's Heart
Genevieve Gornichec2021
The Norse giantess Angrboda survives being burned by Odin and raises three unique children in the forest. It follows her life through Ragnarok.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Forest House
Diana L. Paxson1994
In Roman-occupied Britain, a young woman is trained as a priestess while torn between her duty and her love for a Roman officer.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Ariadne
Jennifer Saint2021
The Princess of Crete aids Theseus in slaying the Minotaur, leading to her exile and a life shaped by the whims of Dionysus.
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Alcestis
Katharine Beutner2010
A retelling of the Greek myth from the perspective of the woman who dies for her husband. She describes her life and her time in the underworld.
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak-2
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, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace0prose+2bleak-2
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.
elegiac → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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.
elegiac → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-2
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.
elegiac → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
Being a Green Mother
Piers Anthony1987
Orb, the daughter of Fate, assumes the role of Nature. She uses her magical songs to manage the world's ecology and confront a demonic threat.
elegiac → earnest, still mythic fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
elegiac → tense, still mythic fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
elegiac → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose+1bleak-3
Sorcerer to the Crown
Zen Cho2015
A freed slave becomes the Sorcerer Royal of England and must restore the country's fading magic while facing prejudice from the elite.
elegiac → wry, still historical fantasy
pace+1·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-1bleak-3
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak-2
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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-3
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+2·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-2
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.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-2
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.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
elegiac → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
- pace-1prose+2bleak-2
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-1·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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-1·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-2
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.
elegiac → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-2
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.
elegiac → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2