After
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
Wole Talabi2023
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
California Bones
Greg van Eekhout2014
In a flooded Los Angeles, a thief who can consume bones to gain magical powers attempts a heist against his uncle. It is a fast-paced revenge quest.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Jack of Kinrowan
Charles de Lint1995
A young woman discovers she is part of a hidden world of faerie folklore existing alongside modern Ottawa.
propulsive → earnest, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Changer
Jane Lindskold1998
The last of the shapeshifters must protect her daughter from various mythological beings in the modern world. It features many figures from folklore.
propulsive → warm, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Frostbitten
Kelley Armstrong2009
A female werewolf and her partner travel to Alaska to investigate a series of brutal murders that threaten to expose their kind to the world.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Undead Pool
Kim Harrison2014
Witch Rachel Morgan attempts to save Cincinnati from a magical virus while navigating her complicated relationship with an elf businessman.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → meditative, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Vellum
Hal Duncan2005
Humans transformed into angels and demons fight across a multiverse for a book that controls reality. The narrative jumps through time and myth.
propulsive → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
propulsive → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → tense, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → earnest, still mythic fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Dark Lover
J. R. Ward2005
A vampire king seeks revenge against the slayers who killed his parents while protecting a woman discovering her own supernatural heritage.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Brutal Prince
Sophie Lark2020
The heirs of two rival Chicago mafia families are forced into an arranged marriage to prevent a gang war.
propulsive → sardonic
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Big bad beast
Shelly Laurenston2011
A wolf-shifter Marine investigates a hybrid fighting ring while dealing with her persistent boss. It is a paranormal romance set in an urban world.
propulsive → playful, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
Faster
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Touch the dark
Karen Chance2006
A clairvoyant woman is forced to work for a vampire senator to escape a mob boss. She navigates a supernatural underworld with high-speed action.
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
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·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
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.
propulsive → sardonic, still urban fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak0
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.
propulsive → sardonic, still urban fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
Slower
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still mythic fiction
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
A Dirty Job
Christopher Moore2006
A beta-male widower is forced to become a Soul Merchant. He collects glowing objects from the dying while avoiding ancient monsters.
propulsive → dark, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Alchemy of Stone
Ekaterina Sedia2008
An alchemist automaton is caught in a political struggle between gargoyles and her creators. She must find a way to wind her own heart key.
propulsive → elegiac, still urban fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu
Andrus Kivirähk2015
A boy in medieval Estonia learns the ancient language of snakes to command animals as his forest culture is erased by Christian invaders.
propulsive → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose0bleak+2
A Matter of Blood
Sarah Pinborough2010
A detective investigates a serial killer in a London plagued by a failing economy and a supernatural virus. The tone is consistently grim.
propulsive → bleak, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin2015
A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.
propulsive → bleak
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
