Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (Mistborn, #1-3)

Voice of the Gods (Age of the Five Trilogy, Book 3)

Trudi Canavan2007

A protector of the Siyee is caught between the demands of gods and a secret offer that could brand her a traitor during an escalating war.

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

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+3·bleak0

Dæmonomania

John Crowley2000

In the third book of the Aegypt cycle, characters in the 1970s and the Renaissance navigate secret histories and alchemy. It is a slow study.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

Against All Things Ending

Stephen R. Donaldson2010

Thomas Covenant is resurrected, an act that threatens to destroy the world. Linden Avery and her son search for a way to stop the coming apocalypse.

earnest → bleak, still epic fantasy

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

Magician (The Riftwar Saga, #1-2)

Raymond E. Feist

Two boys from a frontier town are caught up in a war between worlds. One becomes a soldier while the other is taught an alien form of magic.

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Danger in the Shadows

Dee Henderson2002

A woman in witness protection hides from a kidnapper while a FBI agent works to keep her safe. The story incorporates elements of Christian faith.

Same earnest register

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Paladin of Souls

Lois McMaster Bujold2003

A middle-aged dowager goes on a pilgrimage to escape her past and encounters a supernatural threat. It focuses on her internal spiritual growth.

earnest → warm, still high fantasy

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Promise of Blood

Brian McClellan2013

A Field Marshal stages a bloody coup against his king and must defend the new government using soldiers who gain magic powers from gunpowder.

earnest → propulsive, still epic fantasy

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

The Lost Metal

Brandon Sanderson2022

Wax and Wayne track a shadowy organization to a city developing nuclear technology. It concludes the second Mistborn era.

earnest → propulsive, still epic fantasy

pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

The worm Ouroboros

Eric Rücker Eddison1900

The Lords of Demonland engage in a long war and a mountain quest against the King of Witchland. It is written in archaic, ornate prose.

earnest → tense, still epic fantasy

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

Boneland

Alan Garner2012

An adult Colin searches for his lost sister while an ancient shaman performs rituals in the same landscape. The two timelines mirror one another.

earnest → elegiac

pace-2·prose+3·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.

earnest → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+3·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+3·bleak0

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·prose+2·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·prose+2·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