LitQueuelitqueue

After

Working Stiff

Rachel Caine2011

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same sardonic register, still urban fantasy

1 more ↓

  • Bride of the fat white vampire

    Andrew Fox2004

    A 450-pound vampire cab driver in New Orleans investigates a series of attacks on elite vampires while dealing with his own transformation.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

sardonic → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • The Golden

    Lucius Shepard1993

    A vampire detective investigates the murder of a woman bred for her blood. The story takes place within a sprawling castle during a summit.

    sardonic → decadent

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Unholy Consult

    R. Scott Bakker2017

    A messiah leads his armies toward a final confrontation with an ancient, soul-devouring force. The world is ending.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Gormenghast

    Mervyn Peake1950

    A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

    sardonic → dark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

To recover

sardonic → playful, still urban fantasy

3 more ↓

  • Bitten & Smitten

    Michelle Rowen2006

    Sarah is accidentally turned into a vampire and must rely on a grumpy, centuries-old vampire to teach her how to survive.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors

    Molly Harper2012

    A librarian prepares for her wedding while managing a newly turned teenage vampire she is legally responsible for. Her fiancé becomes jealous.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The accidental demon slayer

    Angie Fox2008

    A preschool teacher gains demon-hunting powers and the ability to hear her dog's thoughts. She navigates a new world with a shapeshifting partner.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Dead City

    Joe McKinney2006

    A police officer attempts to navigate San Antonio and find his family during a sudden, violent zombie outbreak caused by a virus.

    sardonic → propulsive, still zombies

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

    Max Brallier2011

    An interactive story where the reader makes choices to navigate a zombie outbreak. Success or death depends on the paths selected.

    sardonic → playful, still zombies

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Creepers

    David Morrell2005

    Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.

    sardonic → tense

    pace+1·prose-1·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·bleak0

  • 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+2

  • 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·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Fall of the Governor: Part One

    Jay Bonansinga

    This novel tracks Philip Blake's transformation from a desperate father into the dictatorial villain known as the Governor.

    sardonic → bleak, still zombies

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • Frankenstein

    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818

    Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Flowers in the Attic

    V.C. Andrews1979

    Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2