After
Of Noble Family
Mary Robinette Kowal2015
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same earnest register, still historical fantasy
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Glamour in Glass
Mary Robinette Kowal2012
A newly married couple of magicians travels to Napoleonic France and becomes entangled in a plot to rescue a fellow illusionist.
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
Babel
R.F. Kuang2022
A student at a 19th-century Oxford translation institute discovers how magic powers the British Empire. It follows his path toward revolution.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Written in My Own Hearts Blood
Various2014
In 1778, a time-traveling nurse and her family navigate the American Revolution. The plot follows multiple characters across battlefields and years.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Salt Roads
Nalo Hopkinson2003
A Caribbean deity inhabits the minds of three women across different eras. The narrative follows their struggles with slavery and survival.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
King's Dragon
Kate Elliott1997
Two illegitimate children are caught in a war between a king and his rivals. The story uses a setting based on tenth-century Germany.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
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.
earnest → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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.
earnest → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
The Tourmaline
Paul Park2006
A girl from our world navigates a magical, alternate-history Europe where Romania is a superpower. The narrative is dense and non-linear.
earnest → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
earnest → meditative
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
An Offer From a Gentleman
Julia Quinn2001
The illegitimate daughter of an earl works as a servant for her stepmother. She sneaks into a masquerade ball and meets Benedict Bridgerton.
earnest → playful, still regency romance
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
When I'm Gone
Abbi Glines2015
A Texas rancher visits Rosemary Beach and becomes involved with a local woman while navigating his family's rock star legacy.
earnest → tender
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
Her Russian Billionaire: 50 Loving States, Texas
Theodora Taylor
A woman reunites with a wealthy Russian man she once knew, leading to the revelation of a child he did not know existed.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
Rich People Problems
Kevin Kwan2017
An extended family gathers in Singapore as their matriarch lies dying. They scheme against one another to inherit a massive estate.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Royal Dad
Leanne Banks2001
An American tutor travels to a foreign kingdom to teach a young prince and enters a romantic relationship with his widowed father.
earnest → warm
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
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+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
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+2·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-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+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-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.
earnest → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-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.
earnest → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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.
earnest → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
earnest → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
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-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The Burning God
R.F. Kuang2020
A general leads a peasant army in a civil war across a fantasy version of China. She grapples with her sanity and the influence of a fire god.
earnest → bleak, still historical fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
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.
earnest → elegiac, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The sad tale of the brothers Grossbart
Jesse Bullington2009
Two murderous brothers travel across 14th-century Europe to rob Egyptian tombs. They encounter monsters and religious zealots along the way.
earnest → sardonic, still historical fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
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.
earnest → bleak
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
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.
earnest → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
