Lavondyss

Moonheart

Charles de Lint1984

An Ottawa heritage house becomes a portal to a world of Celtic and First Nations myth. Characters move between modern reality and a magical forest.

Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Mortal Suns

Tanith Lee2003

A rejected princess in a mythic world seeks her place amidst prophecies and royal power struggles. The prose is dense and stylized.

Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

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.

dreamlike → meditative, still mythic fiction

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Vellum

Hal Duncan2005

Humans transformed into angels and demons fight across a multiverse for a book that controls reality. The narrative jumps through time and myth.

Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

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.

dreamlike → playful

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Walking Disaster

Jamie McGuire2013

This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

dreamlike → propulsive

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

This Man

Jodi Ellen Malpas2013

An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.

dreamlike → tense

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

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-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.

Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

The Centaur

Algernon Blackwood1911

A traveler on a ship becomes obsessed with a man and his son who seem to be remnants of an older, non-human world.

Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction

pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

The Damnation Game

Clive Barker1985

An ex-con becomes a bodyguard for a billionaire who made a deal with a supernatural gambler. The debt comes due through gore and resurrection.

pace+1·prose0·bleak+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.

dreamlike → grim, still dark fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

Snow, Glass, Apples

Neil Gaiman2019

A retelling of Snow White from the stepmother's perspective. The princess is a vampiric creature and the queen struggles to protect the kingdom.

dreamlike → cold, still dark fantasy

pace0·prose0·bleak+1