The Shining Girls

Rose Madder

Stephen King1995

A woman flees her abusive husband and finds a painting that acts as a portal. Her husband, a violent police officer, uses his skills to hunt her.

pace0·prose0·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

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.

tense → playful

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

Noble Prince

Devney Perry2020

A police chief takes a witness into his home to protect her from a motorcycle gang. She refuses to follow his rules despite the danger.

tense → earnest

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Ghost Ship

Clive Cussler2014

Kurt Austin survives a yacht sinking but suffers from conflicting memories. He investigates a global cybercrime conspiracy to find the truth.

tense → propulsive

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Killer Blonde

Laura Levine2004

A freelance writer investigates a murder in the Hamptons after a socialite is killed. She balances the case with her work for a demanding boss.

tense → playful

pace0·prose-1·bleak-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, still cat and mouse

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

Dead Fall

Brad Thor2023

Scot Harvath tracks a rogue Russian unit through war-torn Ukraine to exact revenge. He operates alone in a landscape of shifting loyalties.

tense → propulsive, still thriller

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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

Among Others

Jo Walton2011

A teenage girl at a 1970s boarding school copes with her twin's death through books and subtle magic. It is written as a series of diary entries.

tense → tender

pace-2·prose0·bleak-1

Tehanu

Ursula K. Le Guin1990

A widow cares for an aging mage who has lost his magic. The story focuses on domestic life and the aftermath of past adventures.

tense → meditative

pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

The Damnation Game

Clive Barker1985

An ex-con becomes a bodyguard for a billionaire who made a deal with a supernatural gambler. The debt comes due through gore and resurrection.

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

The Black Company

Glen Cook1984

An elite mercenary unit serves an immortal sorceress. The story is told through the cynical journals of the company's doctor and historian.

tense → grim, still dark fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Snow, Glass, Apples

Neil Gaiman2019

A retelling of Snow White from the stepmother's perspective. The princess is a vampiric creature and the queen struggles to protect the kingdom.

tense → cold, still dark fantasy

pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1