Blood's Pride

The Bone Doll's Twin

Lynn Flewelling

To protect a royal bloodline from a murderous king, a girl is magically disguised as her own dead twin brother. She grows up in a haunted palace.

pace0·prose0·bleak0

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges1945

A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.

tense → meditative

pace0·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

pace0·prose+2·bleak-2

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-1·prose+2·bleak-1

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Kimberly Lemming2021

A spice trader saves a demon while intoxicated and joins his quest to kill a witch. The story features frequent sexual content and humor.

tense → playful

pace+1·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

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

Heretical Fishing

Haylock Jobson2025

A man is transported to a fantasy world with a power system but chooses to ignore quests in favor of fishing. He focuses on his hobby and pets.

tense → playful

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

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+2·prose0·bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-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.

tense → playful

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

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-1·prose+2·bleak-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-1·prose+2·bleak-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-1·prose+2·bleak-1

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.

tense → bleak, still military fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak+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 epic fantasy

pace0·prose+2·bleak+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 epic fantasy

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1