LitQueuelitqueue

After

Empress

Karen Miller2008

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

1 more ↓

  • A Game of Thrones

    George R. R. Martin1996

    Noble families compete for the throne of a kingdom while an ancient threat rises in the north. The story moves between many perspectives.

    cold → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    cold → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-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.

    cold → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    cold → meditative, still unreliable narrator

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

To recover

cold → playful

3 more ↓

  • The Hating Game

    Sally Thorne2016

    Two executive assistants at a publishing house compete for a single promotion through a series of psychological games and mutual sabotage.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

  • 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.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

  • The Spanish Love Deception

    Elena Armas2021

    A woman convinces a colleague she dislikes to fly to Spain and pose as her boyfriend for a wedding. They have four weeks to prepare the ruse.

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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-1·bleak-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.

    cold → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3

  • 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-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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+2·bleak-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+2·bleak-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+2·bleak-2