LitQueuelitqueue

After

The good, the bad, and the uncanny

Simon R. Green2010

5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster

More like it

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

1 more ↓

  • Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile

    Bill Willingham

    Fairy tale characters live in a secret community in modern New York. Bigby Wolf investigates the apparent murder of Snow White's sister.

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

sardonic → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

    A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • At Swim-Two-Birds

    Flann O'Brien1939

    A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace-1·prose-1·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.

    sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Wicked Appetite

    Janet Evanovich2010

    A Salem pastry chef discovers she is a 'finder' and must help a mysterious man locate ancient stones representing the seven deadly sins.

    sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → dreamlike

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak0

  • Unfinished Tales

    J.R.R. Tolkien1980

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

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → dreamlike

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → elegiac, still urban fantasy

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Last Days

    Brian Evenson2009

    A detective is kidnapped by a cult that practices ritual amputation and forced to investigate a murder within their ranks.

    sardonic → clinical, still noir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • A Man Lies Dreaming

    Lavie Tidhar2014

    A Jewish writer in a concentration camp imagines a world where Hitler is a disgraced private eye in London. The two narratives intertwine.

    Same sardonic register, still noir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2