After
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The Silmarillion
J. R. R. Tolkien1977
A history of the First Age of Middle-earth, from the creation of the world to the fall of the Elven kingdoms. It is written as a mythic chronicle.
meditative → elegiac, still high fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Solitudes
John Crowley1987
An out-of-work teacher moves to the country and begins to suspect that the laws of the world change over time. The focus is on ideas and atmosphere.
Same meditative register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Tales from Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin2001
A collection of five stories and an essay exploring the history and magic of Earthsea. It bridges gaps between the main novels in the cycle.
Same meditative register, still high fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Imager
L.E. Modesitt Jr.2009
A portraitist discovers he can materialize objects with his mind. He joins a secret order of mages and learns to navigate city politics.
Same meditative register, still high fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Winter of the Wolf
R. A. MacAvoy1993
An elderly martial arts master travels across a fantasy landscape to find his missing student. The story focuses on technique and philosophy.
Same meditative register, still high fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Pawn of Prophecy
David Eddings1982
A farm boy travels with a storyteller and a sorceress to recover a stolen magical orb. It is a traditional quest through various kingdoms.
meditative → earnest, still high fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Master of the Five Magics
Lyndon Hardy1980
A man attempts to master five distinct disciplines of magic by following their strict logical laws to save a kingdom.
meditative → earnest, still high fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
meditative → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
meditative → earnest
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+3prose-2bleak0
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.
meditative → earnest, still high fantasy
pace+3·prose-2·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
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.
meditative → sardonic
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-3bleak-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.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
The Atlantis Gene
A.G. Riddle2013
A geneticist and a counter-terrorism agent uncover a global conspiracy involving human evolution and an ancient Antarctic discovery.
meditative → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
Heavier
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin2015
A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.
meditative → bleak
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak+2
Pet Sematary
Stephen King1983
A family moves to Maine and discovers a burial ground that can return the dead to life. They use it, and the consequences are absolute.
meditative → tense
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-2bleak+2
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang2018
A war orphan enters a military academy and discovers shamanic powers. She leads a unit into a total war inspired by 20th-century Chinese history.
meditative → bleak
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Seth Dickinson2015
An accountant infiltrates the empire that conquered her home to destroy it from within. She uses economics and politics as her primary weapons.
meditative → cold
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+2
