Soul of the Fire

Savage Messiah

Robert Newcomb2005

Prince Tristan and his sister use their magical blood to lead a kingdom against a new threat following the death of their sorcerous half-brother.

pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Against All Things Ending

Stephen R. Donaldson2010

Thomas Covenant is resurrected, an act that threatens to destroy the world. Linden Avery and her son search for a way to stop the coming apocalypse.

earnest → bleak, still epic fantasy

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

The Warrior Prophet

R. Scott Bakker2005

During a holy war, a monk with the power to manipulate thoughts positions himself as a messiah to seize control of the crusading armies.

earnest → cold, still epic fantasy

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

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

pace0·prose+2·bleak-1

Playing with Fire

Gena Showalter2006

A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.

earnest → playful

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Fifty Shades of Grey

E.L. James2000

A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.

Same earnest register

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

David and Goliath

Malcolm Gladwell2013

A series of case studies arguing that perceived disadvantages can become strengths. It covers topics from dyslexia to the civil rights movement.

Same earnest register

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

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+2·prose0·bleak0

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.

earnest → sardonic

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

earnest → playful

pace+2·prose-1·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-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Unfinished Tales

J.R.R. Tolkien1980

A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·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-1·prose+2·bleak-1

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

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

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

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

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

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1