LitQueuelitqueue

After

Spider's Bite

Jennifer Estep

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy

1 more ↓

  • The Scent of Shadows

    Vicki Pettersson2007

    A woman in Las Vegas discovers she is the 'chosen one' in a secret supernatural war between light and dark forces.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Madame Bovary

    Gustave Flaubert1856

    A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

    propulsive → tense

    pace0·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Paradise Logic

    Sophie Kemp2025

    A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

    propulsive → epic

    pace0·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Mad Mabel

    Sally Hepworth2025

    An eighty-one-year-old woman with a history of killing people tries to hide her past when a curious young girl moves into the neighborhood.

    propulsive → dark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

propulsive → playful, still urban fantasy

3 more ↓

  • First Grave on the Right

    Darynda Jones

    A private investigator who can see ghosts helps the police solve murders. She is also pursued by a mysterious entity from her dreams.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Nice Dragons Finish Last

    Rachel Aaron2014

    The smallest, weakest dragon in a ruthless family is cast out into Detroit. He must survive using diplomacy instead of fire.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Kitty Goes to Washington

    Carrie Vaughn2006

    A werewolf radio host testifies at a Senate hearing and navigates political threats from a hostile senator and a vampire mistress.

    propulsive → wry, still urban fantasy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Magic Bites

    Ilona Andrews2007

    In a future Atlanta where magic and technology fluctuate, mercenary Kate Daniels investigates her guardian's murder. It is an urban fantasy.

    propulsive → sardonic, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Ill Wind

    Rachel Caine2003

    A weather warden on the run from the law uses her ability to control storms to protect people from rogue elemental forces.

    Same propulsive register, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    propulsive → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles

    Thomas Hardy

    A country girl is sent to claim kinship with wealthy relatives. Her life is derailed by a sequence of social betrayals and rigid moral standards.

    propulsive → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Brokeback Mountain

    Annie Proulx1997

    Two ranch hands begin a secret sexual and emotional relationship in 1963 Wyoming. The story follows their occasional meetings over twenty years.

    propulsive → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Bright Side

    Kim Holden2014

    An optimistic college student moves to Minnesota for a fresh start while hiding a terminal diagnosis from her best friend.

    propulsive → tender

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2