After
The Night Angel Trilogy (Night Angel, #1-3)
Brent Weeks
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same tense register, still grimdark
- pace0prose0bleak0
Shadow's Edge
Brent Weeks2008
A retired assassin attempts to live a quiet life with a new family, but returns to his trade when he learns a friend might be alive in a prison.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
Blood of the Fold
Terry Goodkind1996
Richard Rahl faces a fanatical religious order that seeks to eliminate all magic. He must unite various factions against an invading emperor.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin1996
Noble families compete for the throne of a kingdom while an ancient threat rises in the north. The story moves between many perspectives.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
The Emperor's Blades
Brian Staveley2014
Three siblings pursue separate paths of military training, monastic discipline, and politics to avenge their father's assassination.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

1 more ↓ ↑
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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
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
The Darkness That Comes Before
R. Scott Bakker2003
A monk, a barbarian, and a sorcerer navigate a holy war. The narrative focuses on philosophical manipulation and a cold, strategic view of power.
tense → cold, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+2bleak+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

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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

- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak-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
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Apprentice to the Villain
Hannah Nicole Maehrer2024
Evie Sage assists an evil overlord while a magical threat endangers their kingdom. The story follows their workplace dynamic and a looming siege.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Castle of Wizardry
David Eddings1984
A young sorcerer and his companions travel across a continent to return a powerful artifact to its rightful throne.
tense → playful, still epic fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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
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- pace0prose-1bleak-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

- pace0prose-1bleak-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
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
A Memory of Light
Robert Jordan2013
The final volume of a long-running series where various nations and magical users unite for a final battle against an ancient evil.
tense → earnest, still epic fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

- pace+1prose0bleak-1
First lord's fury
Jim Butcher2009
The final book of the series follows Gaius Octavian as he leads a military defense against an insectoid hive mind. It concludes the war.
tense → propulsive, still epic fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
tense → elegiac
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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

- pace-2prose+2bleak-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
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
The Darkness That Comes Before
R. Scott Bakker2003
A monk, a barbarian, and a sorcerer navigate a holy war. The narrative focuses on philosophical manipulation and a cold, strategic view of power.
tense → cold, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace0prose+1bleak+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.
tense → bleak, still grimdark
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+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.
Same tense register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

- pace0prose+1bleak+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

- pace-1prose+2bleak+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
