After
The Girl with Ghost Eyes
M.H. Boroson
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
A Conjuring of Light
V. E. Schwab2017
The final entry in a trilogy about four parallel Londons facing a magical shadow. It follows a magician and a thief trying to save their city.
Same propulsive register, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
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
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The City of Brass
Shannon Ali Chakraborty2017
A con artist in 18th-century Cairo accidentally summons a djinn warrior. He takes her to a hidden city of brass built on tribal politics.
Same propulsive register, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Death Masks
Jim Butcher2003
A wizard for hire is tasked with recovering the stolen Shroud of Turin while being hunted by a professional assassin.
Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
propulsive → meditative, still historical fantasy
- pace-2prose+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.
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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.
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+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 historical fantasy
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
propulsive → playful, still urban fantasy
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → sardonic, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
The Drawing of the Dark
Tim Powers1979
An Irish mercenary in 1529 Vienna is hired to protect a brewery. The beer is magical, and the Siege of Vienna is a battle for Western magic.
propulsive → wry, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
California Demon
Julie Kenner2006
A suburban mother balances raising her children with her secret life as a retired demon hunter. She must return to work when monsters reappear.
propulsive → playful, still urban fantasy
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose-1bleak-1
This Girl
Colleen Hoover2013
A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.
propulsive → earnest
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+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, still historical fantasy
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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 historical fantasy
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+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
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+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-3·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace-1prose+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
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Burning God
R.F. Kuang2020
A general leads a peasant army in a civil war across a fantasy version of China. She grapples with her sanity and the influence of a fire god.
propulsive → bleak, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-2prose0bleak+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 historical fantasy
pace-2·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak+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
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
