After
Moonwise
Greer Gilman1991
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
Same dreamlike register, still mythic fiction
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke2020
A man keeps a careful journal of a house that has an ocean in it. The pleasure is watching him notice things.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
The Starless Sea
Erin Morgenstern2019
A graduate student finds a book describing his own childhood and searches for a hidden underground library. The narrative is non-linear.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter's Tales
Greer Gilman2009
A triptych of stories set in a mythic Yorkshire, told in dense, archaic dialect. It follows the intersections of folk magic and celestial myth.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Little, Big
John Crowley1981
A man marries into a family living in a massive house where the borders of the natural world blur. It follows several generations over a century.
Same dreamlike register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
This Girl
Colleen Hoover2013
A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.
dreamlike → earnest
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
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+2·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
All Rhodes Lead Here
Mariana Zapata2021
A woman moves back to her Colorado hometown after a breakup and rents a garage apartment from a grumpy single father.
dreamlike → warm
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
Hannah's List
Debbie Macomber2010
A widower receives a letter from his late wife suggesting three women he should date. He begins to interact with each woman over the following year.
dreamlike → warm
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
The Comfort Book
Matt Haig2021
A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.
dreamlike → warm
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
He Who Fights With Monsters, Vol. 1
Travis Deverell2026
An office worker is transported to a magical world where he must navigate a video-game-like system to survive. He uses sarcasm and new powers.
dreamlike → sardonic, still portal fantasy
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
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.
dreamlike → sardonic
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
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.
dreamlike → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
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+3·prose-3·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
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+3·prose-3·bleak0
Heavier
- pace+1prose-1bleak+2
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, #1-3)
Stephen R. Donaldson
A man with leprosy is transported to a magical realm where he is a prophesied savior. He refuses to believe the world is real.
dreamlike → bleak, still portal fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose-2bleak+2
Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu
Andrus Kivirähk2015
A boy in medieval Estonia learns the ancient language of snakes to command animals as his forest culture is erased by Christian invaders.
dreamlike → elegiac, still mythic fiction
pace+1·prose-2·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak+2
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin2015
A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.
dreamlike → bleak
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-2bleak+2
Pet Sematary
Stephen King1983
A family moves to Maine and discovers a burial ground that can return the dead to life. They use it, and the consequences are absolute.
dreamlike → tense
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-2bleak+2
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang2018
A war orphan enters a military academy and discovers shamanic powers. She leads a unit into a total war inspired by 20th-century Chinese history.
dreamlike → bleak
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
