Captain's Fury

Blood Song

Anthony Ryan2011

A young man is abandoned at a military religious order to be trained as a warrior. He tells his life story to a chronicler while a prisoner.

propulsive → earnest, still epic fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak0

The Claw of the Conciliator

Gene Wolfe1981

An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.

propulsive → dreamlike

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

propulsive → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

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.

propulsive → playful

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

On a Pale Horse

Piers Anthony1983

After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.

pace0·prose-1·bleak-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.

propulsive → earnest, still epic fantasy

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Grunge

Larry Correia2016

A Marine killed in a bombing is resurrected to hunt supernatural creatures. He joins a private company that kills monsters for government bounties.

propulsive → sardonic

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

propulsive → earnest, still epic fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

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.

propulsive → sardonic

pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

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.

propulsive → playful

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.

propulsive → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Unfinished Tales

J.R.R. Tolkien1980

A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

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.

propulsive → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

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.

propulsive → bleak, still military fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak+2

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.

propulsive → cold, still epic fantasy

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

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.

propulsive → bleak, still epic fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2