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After

Orphans of Chaos

John C. Wright2005

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Earthquake Weather

    Tim Powers1997

    A group of people in California attempt to resurrect the Fisher King. The story ties together characters from the author's previous novels.

    earnest → tense, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Ink

    Hal Duncan2007

    Gods and mortals clash in a shifting city where reality is written on skin. The story follows a cycle of mythic archetypes across time.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • In the Night Garden

    Catherynne M. Valente2006

    A girl with tattooed eyelids tells a prince interlocking stories of monsters and folklore. The narrative is a series of nested myths.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • At Swim-Two-Birds

    Flann O'Brien1939

    A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.

    earnest → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Four Agreements

    Don Miguel Ruiz1997

    A guide to personal conduct based on four principles derived from Toltec traditions. It focuses on changing internal dialogue to reduce suffering.

    earnest → warm

    pace-1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire

    Kerrelyn Sparks2005

    A vampire who broke a fang kidnaps a dentist who is afraid of blood. She is hiding from the mafia while he needs his smile repaired.

    earnest → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Undead and Unwed

    MaryJanice Davidson2004

    After dying in a car crash, a fashion-obsessed woman wakes up as a vampire. She resists the local undead community's claim that she is their queen.

    earnest → playful, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Touch the dark

    Karen Chance2006

    A clairvoyant woman is forced to work for a vampire senator to escape a mob boss. She navigates a supernatural underworld with high-speed action.

    earnest → propulsive, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Battle Ground

    Jim Butcher2020

    A wizard leads the supernatural defense of Chicago against an invading army led by a Titan. The book is a single, continuous battle.

    earnest → propulsive, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Blood Engines

    Tim Pratt2007

    A sorceress who uses blood magic to power her spells defends her city from a rival. She makes ruthless choices to maintain her power.

    earnest → sardonic, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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+1·bleak0

  • Among Others

    Jo Walton2011

    A teenage girl at a 1970s boarding school copes with her twin's death through books and subtle magic. It is written as a series of diary entries.

    earnest → tender, still boarding school

    pace-2·prose-1·bleak0

  • Tehanu

    Ursula K. Le Guin1990

    A widow cares for an aging mage who has lost his magic. The story focuses on domestic life and the aftermath of past adventures.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose0·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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, still science fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • A Matter of Blood

    Sarah Pinborough2010

    A detective investigates a serial killer in a London plagued by a failing economy and a supernatural virus. The tone is consistently grim.

    earnest → bleak, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2

  • The Unconquered Country: A Life History

    Geoff Ryman1986

    A woman lives through the colonization and industrial destruction of her country by magical invaders. It mirrors the history of the Vietnam War.

    earnest → elegiac, still science fantasy

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2