
After
The Hounds of God
Judith Tarr1986
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same meditative register, still historical fantasy
- pace0prose0bleak0
Lord of the Two Lands
Judith Tarr1993
An Egyptian priestess travels to meet Alexander the Great, believing he is the prophesied pharaoh who will liberate her land from Persian rule.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon
Lisa Goldstein1993
In Elizabethan London, a bookseller discovers her son is a changeling while Christopher Marlowe becomes entangled in faerie politics.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Stars Dispose
Michaela Roessner1997
In Renaissance Florence, a young cook works for Catherine de' Medici amidst political schemes and occult rituals. The pace is slow and deliberate.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Soldier of Aretê
Gene Wolfe1989
A mercenary in ancient Greece loses his memory every time he sleeps. He records his travels and his interactions with gods in a daily scroll.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Territory
Emma Bull2007
In 1881 Tombstone, a newcomer discovers that the conflict leading to the O.K. Corral involves secret sorcery practiced by the Earp brothers.
meditative → tense, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak0
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.
Same meditative register, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak0

- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
meditative → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
Same meditative register, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

- pace0prose+1bleak+1
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.
meditative → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

- pace0prose+1bleak0
The Wandering Unicorn
Manuel Mujica Lainez1965
A shapeshifting fairy falls in love with a medieval knight and follows him through the Crusades. The prose is dense and formal.
meditative → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
meditative → earnest
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
Anna's return
Marta Perry2010
An unmarried woman returns to her Amish community with an adopted baby. She seeks forgiveness while hiding the child from a violent father.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Happy, Happy, Happy
Phil Robertson2013
The founder of Duck Commander recounts his life from a difficult upbringing to business success. He focuses on his faith and outdoor lifestyle.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire2013
This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.
meditative → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
And One Last Thing...
Molly Harper2010
After a public divorce, a woman moves to a small town to start over and finds herself pursued by a local deputy.
meditative → wry
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

- pace0prose-2bleak-1
Where Angels Go
Debbie Macomber2007
Three angels descend to Earth during Christmas to intervene in the lives of a lonely elderly man, a fearful woman, and a young boy.
meditative → warm
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
The Girl with Ghost Eyes
M.H. Boroson
A young priestess uses Taoist magic to fight spirits in 1890s San Francisco Chinatown. She must protect her community while her powers fade.
meditative → propulsive, still historical fantasy
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+2prose-2bleak0
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.
meditative → sardonic
pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-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.
meditative → playful
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

- pace+2prose-2bleak0
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.
meditative → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

- pace+2prose-2bleak0
Warbound
Larry Correia2013
In an alternate 1930s, people with magical abilities fight a war against a trans-dimensional threat. It is the final book in a trilogy.
meditative → propulsive, still historical fantasy
pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
Same meditative register, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
meditative → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak+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.
meditative → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
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.
meditative → elegiac
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Unfinished Tales
J.R.R. Tolkien1980
A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.
Same meditative register
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose-1bleak+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.
meditative → elegiac, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2

- pace+1prose0bleak+2
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.
meditative → bleak, still historical fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
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.
meditative → sardonic, still historical fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

- pace+1prose0bleak+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.
meditative → bleak
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

- pace+1prose-1bleak+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.
meditative → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2
