LitQueuelitqueue

After

Sorceress of Darshiva

David Eddings1989

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

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

    Brandon Sanderson

    A street urchin joins a crew of thieves to overthrow an immortal ruler using a metal-based magic system. The story spans a full revolution.

    playful → earnest, still high fantasy

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Claw of the Conciliator

    Gene Wolfe1981

    An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.

    playful → dreamlike, still chosen one

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

    A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.

    playful → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • 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.

    Same playful register

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    playful → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The Lost Metal

    Brandon Sanderson2022

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

    playful → propulsive, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • 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.

    playful → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    playful → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

  • 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.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • 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.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    playful → bleak, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • 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.

    playful → grim, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • 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.

    playful → tense, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3