After
Dark Crusade
Karl Edward Wagner1976
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Barrow
Mark Smylie2014
A group of mercenaries and outcasts searches for a wizard's sword using a cursed map. The story follows their descent into a dangerous burial site.
cold → bleak, still sword and sorcery
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Wisdom of Crowds
Joe Abercrombie2021
A violent revolution overthrows the social order in a fantasy industrial city. Characters from all social classes struggle to survive the purges.
cold → sardonic, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Dark Defiles
Richard K. Morgan2014
Ringil Eskiath and his companions conclude their journey in a world of ancient technology and cynical violence.
cold → sardonic, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
He Who Drowned the World
Shelley Parker-Chan2023
Zhu Yuanzhang and General Ouyang compete for the throne of 14th-century China. Both characters pursue power through betrayal and sacrifice.
cold → tense, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Hood
Lavie Tidhar2021
A retelling of the Robin Hood myth where the forest outlaws are a violent, disparate gang in a gritty version of medieval England.
cold → sardonic, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
cold → dreamlike
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
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.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
In the Night Garden
Catherynne M. Valente2006
A girl with tattooed eyelids tells a prince interlocking stories of monsters and folklore. The narrative is a series of nested myths.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
cold → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Tales of Nevèrÿon
Samuel R. Delany1979
A collection of stories set in a prehistoric civilization. It uses the tropes of sword and sorcery to examine economics, power, and language.
cold → meditative, still sword and sorcery
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
The Warrior Prophet
R. Scott Bakker2005
During a holy war, a monk with the power to manipulate thoughts positions himself as a messiah to seize control of the crusading armies.
Same cold register, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
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.
cold → earnest
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
cold → tense
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Starter Villain
John Scalzi2023
A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.
cold → wry
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Playing with Fire
Gena Showalter2006
A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.
cold → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Digital Fortress
Dan Brown1998
The NSA's code-breaking supercomputer encounters an unbreakable algorithm. A cryptographer and a professor race to find the kill code.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
cold → sardonic
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
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.
cold → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
Monster Hunter International
Larry Correia2007
An accountant kills his boss, who has become a werewolf, and is recruited by a private company that hunts monsters for government bounties.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Boneland
Alan Garner2012
An adult Colin searches for his lost sister while an ancient shaman performs rituals in the same landscape. The two timelines mirror one another.
cold → elegiac
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
