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After

The Night Angel Trilogy (Night Angel, #1-3)

Brent Weeks

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same tense register, still grimdark

1 more
  • The Hunger of the Gods

    John Gwynne2022

    A dragon god is freed, prompting three warriors to pursue separate paths of rescue and revenge across a Norse-inspired landscape.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more
  • The Claw of the Conciliator

    Gene Wolfe1981

    An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.

    tense → dreamlike, still chosen one

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    tense → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

3 more
  • Rev It Up

    Julie Ann Walker2012

    A former Navy SEAL returns to win back the woman he left behind years ago. He must protect her while working for her brother's security agency.

    tense → propulsive

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → propulsive

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Hot mahogany

    Stuart Woods2008

    A lawyer guards a former spy with amnesia who restores antique furniture. They uncover a conspiracy linked to the man's service in Vietnam.

    tense → wry

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more
  • 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.

    tense → sardonic

    pace+1·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.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Mind's Eye

    Douglas E. Richards2014

    A man discovers he has the ability to access the internet and process data directly with his mind. He is hunted by a secret organization.

    tense → propulsive

    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.

    tense → dreamlike

    pace-2·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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·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.

    tense → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more
  • 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.

    Same tense register, still grimdark

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Mirror Empire

    Kameron Hurley2014

    Parallel worlds collide as a celestial event allows one reality to invade another. It follows multiple characters during a global genocide.

    tense → cold, still grimdark

    pace0·prose+1·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.

    tense → bleak, still grimdark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1