LitQueuelitqueue

After

Working for the Devil

Lilith Saintcrow2006

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Once Bitten, Twice Shy

    Jennifer Rardin2007

    A CIA agent who hunts vampires works with her undead partner to stop a biological weapon. The story follows their mission and tense partnership.

    Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Madame Bovary

    Gustave Flaubert1856

    A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

    sardonic → tense

    pace0·prose+2·bleak0

  • The Marriage Portrait

    Maggie O'Farrell2022

    In 1550s Italy, young Lucrezia de' Medici is married off to a duke. She becomes convinced her new husband intends to kill her.

    sardonic → tense

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Paradise Logic

    Sophie Kemp2025

    A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

    sardonic → epic

    pace0·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

3 more ↓

  • Here Be Sexist Vampires

    Suzanne Wright2013

    A female vampire enters a male-dominated pack and challenges their hierarchy while being pursued by their leader.

    Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

    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.

    sardonic → propulsive, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Night Pleasures

    Sherrilyn Kenyon2002

    An immortal warrior and a skeptical accountant are handcuffed together while being hunted by supernatural predators.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

sardonic → propulsive, still urban fantasy

3 more ↓

  • Wicked All Night

    Jeaniene Frost2021

    A vampire and a siren enter a marriage of convenience to protect her from a supernatural threat. They hunt a dark god across the globe.

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • Hounded

    Kevin Hearne2011

    A two-thousand-year-old Druid lives in modern Arizona and runs an occult bookshop. He must fight a vengeful Irish god who wants his sword.

    sardonic → wry, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Killing Dance

    Laurell K. Hamilton1997

    A necromancer with a bounty on her head seeks help from a professional hitman. She navigates a love triangle with a werewolf and a vampire.

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles

    Thomas Hardy

    A country girl is sent to claim kinship with wealthy relatives. Her life is derailed by a sequence of social betrayals and rigid moral standards.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Brokeback Mountain

    Annie Proulx1997

    Two ranch hands begin a secret sexual and emotional relationship in 1963 Wyoming. The story follows their occasional meetings over twenty years.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Bright Side

    Kim Holden2014

    An optimistic college student moves to Minnesota for a fresh start while hiding a terminal diagnosis from her best friend.

    sardonic → tender

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1