Elektra

The Witch's Heart

Genevieve Gornichec2021

The Norse giantess Angrboda survives being burned by Odin and raises three unique children in the forest. It follows her life through Ragnarok.

Same elegiac register, still historical fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak0

Alcestis

Katharine Beutner2010

A retelling of the Greek myth from the perspective of the woman who dies for her husband. She describes her life and her time in the underworld.

Same elegiac register, still historical fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Kaikeyi

Vaishnavi Patel2022

A reimagining of the Ramayana from the perspective of the queen who exiled Rama. It follows her childhood and her rise to political power.

Same elegiac register, still mythological fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Circe

Madeline Miller2018

The daughter of a sun god is exiled to a deserted island for practicing witchcraft. She interacts with figures from Greek myth over centuries.

Same elegiac register, still mythological fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Soldier of Sidon

Gene Wolfe2006

A mercenary in ancient Egypt loses his memory every time he sleeps. He records his days in a scroll while interacting with gods and spirits.

pace0·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.

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

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.

elegiac → earnest, still retelling

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

The Score

Elle Kennedy2016

A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.

elegiac → playful

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

elegiac → 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.

elegiac → playful

pace+2·prose-1·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.

elegiac → meditative, still historical fantasy

pace-1·prose+2·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.

elegiac → dreamlike, still historical fantasy

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

The Burning God

R.F. Kuang2020

A general leads a peasant army in a civil war across a fantasy version of China. She grapples with her sanity and the influence of a fire god.

elegiac → bleak, still historical fantasy

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu

Andrus Kivirähk2015

A boy in medieval Estonia learns the ancient language of snakes to command animals as his forest culture is erased by Christian invaders.

Same elegiac register, still historical fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak+1