After
Dead Man's Steel
Luke Scull2016
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
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The Cold Commands
Richard K. Morgan2011
An exiled warrior seeks asylum in a southern empire while being hunted by slavers and gods. It is a gritty story with a cynical protagonist.
Same sardonic register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The conqueror's shadow
Ari Marmell2010
A retired warlord returns to his violent ways to stop a new threat from destroying the land he once conquered.
Same sardonic register, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The First Law Trilogy
Joe Abercrombie2016
A barbarian, a torturer, and a nobleman are drawn into a wizard's scheme. The series focuses on the subversion of traditional heroic archetypes.
Same sardonic register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Adamantine Palace
Stephen Deas2009
Aristocrats control the world using drugged dragons, but one dragon regains its intelligence. Political schemes threaten the empire.
Same sardonic register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
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King of Thorns
Mark Lawrence2012
A teenage king defends his castle from an army while flashbacks reveal how he gained his crown. The protagonist is amoral and vengeful.
Same sardonic register, still grimdark
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
Denser prose
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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.
sardonic → cold, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
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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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
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Mordew
Alex Pheby2020
A boy living in a slum discovers he has the power to create life from magical mud. He is taken in by a Master who rules a dark, decaying city.
sardonic → bleak, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Against All Things Ending
Stephen R. Donaldson2010
Thomas Covenant is resurrected, an act that threatens to destroy the world. Linden Avery and her son search for a way to stop the coming apocalypse.
sardonic → bleak, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
sardonic → earnest
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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.
sardonic → tense
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3 more ↓ ↑
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Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
sardonic → propulsive
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Starter Villain
John Scalzi2023
A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.
sardonic → wry
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
sardonic → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
Same sardonic register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
sardonic → meditative
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- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
sardonic → elegiac
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
Forge of darkness
Steven Erikson2012
A civil war begins in an ancient realm of darkness. The narrative follows aristocrats and soldiers as their society fractures into factions.
sardonic → elegiac, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
sardonic → cold, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Empire of the Damned
Jay Kristoff2024
A vampire hunter protects the Holy Grail while navigating a war between rival vampire bloodlines. The world is trapped in a permanent night.
sardonic → bleak, still grimdark
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+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.
sardonic → bleak, still grimdark
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
The Black Company
Glen Cook1984
An elite mercenary unit serves an immortal sorceress. The story is told through the cynical journals of the company's doctor and historian.
sardonic → grim, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
