LitQueuelitqueue

After

Pawn of Prophecy

David Eddings1982

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Crimson Sword

    Eldon Thompson2005

    A village youth is drawn into a war when a wizard assassinates a king in a world where magic was thought to be extinct.

    Same earnest register, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Ink

    Hal Duncan2007

    Gods and mortals clash in a shifting city where reality is written on skin. The story follows a cycle of mythic archetypes across time.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • 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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Promise of Blood

    Brian McClellan2013

    A Field Marshal stages a bloody coup against his king and must defend the new government using soldiers who gain magic powers from gunpowder.

    earnest → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The Lost Metal

    Brandon Sanderson2022

    Wax and Wayne track a shadowy organization to a city developing nuclear technology. It concludes the second Mistborn era.

    earnest → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The worm Ouroboros

    Eric Rücker Eddison1900

    The Lords of Demonland engage in a long war and a mountain quest against the King of Witchland. It is written in archaic, ornate prose.

    earnest → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

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.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

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.

    earnest → bleak, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • 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.

    earnest → grim, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • 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.

    earnest → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3