Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

In the Dark of the Night

John Saul2006

A family discovers a collection of surgical tools in their summer home, unaware they are being watched by a local killer.

Same tense register, still supernatural horror

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The Unholy Consult

R. Scott Bakker2017

A messiah leads his armies toward a final confrontation with an ancient, soul-devouring force. The world is ending.

tense → bleak, still dark fantasy

pace0·prose+3·bleak+1

Racconti [55 stories]

Edgar Allan Poe2011

A collection of 55 stories featuring unreliable narrators and gothic settings. Themes include obsession, premature burial, and the macabre.

tense → dreamlike

pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake1950

A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

tense → dark

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

Bloom

Kelle Hampton2012

A mother recounts the first year of her daughter's life following a Down syndrome diagnosis. The book includes personal essays and photography.

tense → tender

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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.

tense → playful

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On Dublin Street

Samantha Young2012

An American woman in Scotland enters a sex-only arrangement with her roommate's brother to avoid emotional intimacy. It is a contemporary romance.

tense → warm

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Hellsing

Kohta Hirano2003

A secret British organization uses a powerful vampire to fight a supernatural Nazi uprising. The Vatican intervenes as London is besieged.

tense → sardonic, still dark fantasy

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Something is Killing the Children, Book One

James Tynion IV2021

A monster hunter arrives in a town where children are being eaten by invisible creatures. It is a graphic novel about systemic violence.

Same tense register, still dark fantasy

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Cell

Stephen King2006

A signal sent through cell phones turns people into murderous killers. An artist walks across New England to find his son among the survivors.

Same tense register

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Ulysses

James Joyce1914

Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

tense → playful

pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

tense → elegiac

pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Either/Or

Søren Kierkegaard1992

A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

tense → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

House of Bone and Rain

Gabino Iglesias2024

Five friends in Puerto Rico seek revenge for a mother's murder during a hurricane. Their quest involves both gangsters and spirits.

tense → bleak, still supernatural horror

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

Seed

Ania Ahlborn2011

A man who survived a childhood encounter with a demon sees the same entity targeting his daughter. It is a story of inescapable family curses.

tense → bleak, still supernatural horror

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Last Days

Adam L.G. Nevill

A documentary filmmaker investigates the history of a 1970s cult. As he visits their former sites, he realizes he is being followed.

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