LitQueuelitqueue

After

Grace of Kings

Ken Liu2015

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Naamah's Blessing

    Jacqueline Carey2011

    Moirin of the Maghuin Dhunn travels to far-off lands to find a lost prince. The story involves divine prophecy and sexual mysticism.

    Same earnest register, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

earnest → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    earnest → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → cold, still epic fantasy

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • At Swim-Two-Birds

    Flann O'Brien1939

    A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.

    earnest → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

earnest → playful

3 more ↓

  • Eggs in Purgatory

    Laura Childs2008

    Three widows running a cafe investigate the murder of a local lawyer. The plot involves a religious cult and the protagonist's past.

    earnest → warm

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Desperate housedogs

    Sparkle Abbey2011

    A pet groomer in a small town becomes an amateur sleuth. She investigates a local murder while managing her business and her dogs.

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Ghost Ship

    Clive Cussler2014

    Kurt Austin survives a yacht sinking but suffers from conflicting memories. He investigates a global cybercrime conspiracy to find the truth.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

    earnest → sardonic

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-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.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak0

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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·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.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → bleak, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • 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.

    earnest → grim, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • The Dragon Republic

    R. F. Kuang2019

    A shaman soldier joins a rebellion to overthrow the Empress while struggling with opium addiction and a vengeful god. It mirrors Chinese history.

    earnest → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2