Deathless

Rhinegold

Stephan Grundy1994

A retelling of the Sigurd and Fafnir myth set in a grounded Germanic landscape. It follows the hero from his birth to his cursed end.

dreamlike → elegiac, still historical fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

Same dreamlike register, still historical fantasy

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Endless Things

John Crowley2007

A scholar travels to Europe to find a secret history of magic hidden within real-world myths. This is the conclusion of a four-book cycle.

dreamlike → meditative, still historical fantasy

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Winter's Tale

Mark Helprin1983

A thief and a flying horse navigate a mythic version of New York City across a century. The prose focuses on the city's mechanics and magic.

Same dreamlike register, still historical fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Love Bites

Lynsay Sands2004

A vampire turns a coroner into an immortal to save her life after an accident. They navigate their new bond while being pursued by others.

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

This Girl

Colleen Hoover2013

A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.

dreamlike → earnest

pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

The Duke and I

Julia Quinn2000

A duke and a debutante enter a fake courtship to avoid social pressure. They navigate Regency London's marriage market while hiding their deal.

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-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.

dreamlike → propulsive

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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.

dreamlike → propulsive

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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.

dreamlike → propulsive

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-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.

dreamlike → meditative, still historical fantasy

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-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.

dreamlike → elegiac, still mythic fiction

pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Unfinished Tales

J.R.R. Tolkien1980

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

dreamlike → meditative

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

The sad tale of the brothers Grossbart

Jesse Bullington2009

Two murderous brothers travel across 14th-century Europe to rob Egyptian tombs. They encounter monsters and religious zealots along the way.

dreamlike → sardonic, still historical fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin2015

A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.

dreamlike → bleak

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

Pet Sematary

Stephen King1983

A family moves to Maine and discovers a burial ground that can return the dead to life. They use it, and the consequences are absolute.

dreamlike → tense

pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1