LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Getaway God

Richard Kadrey2014

5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster

More like it

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

1 more ↓

  • The good, the bad, and the uncanny

    Simon R. Green2010

    A private investigator in a supernatural London district is offered the job of running the city. He must decide while dodging various enemies.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

sardonic → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Gormenghast

    Mervyn Peake1950

    A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

    sardonic → dark

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

    James Hogg1824

    A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

    sardonic → cold

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • A Higher Call

    Adam Makos2013

    In 1943, a German fighter pilot chooses not to shoot down a crippled American bomber. The book follows both men before and after the encounter.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-2

  • Night Pleasures

    Sherrilyn Kenyon2002

    An immortal warrior and a skeptical accountant are handcuffed together while being hunted by supernatural predators.

    sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Grunge

    Larry Correia2016

    A Marine killed in a bombing is resurrected to hunt supernatural creatures. He joins a private company that kills monsters for government bounties.

    Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Bleeding Season

    Greg F. Gifune2003

    Three friends investigate the suicide of a childhood companion. They uncover a history of violence and a supernatural secret in their small town.

    sardonic → bleak, still noir

    pace-2·prose0·bleak+1

  • Frankenstein

    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818

    Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Flowers in the Attic

    V.C. Andrews1979

    Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1