LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Night Angel Trilogy Boxed Set

Brent Weeks2009

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Before They Are Hanged

    Joe Abercrombie2007

    Three separate storylines follow a siege, a military campaign, and a magical quest. Characters deal with betrayal and logistical failures.

    gritty → sardonic, still grimdark

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Against All Things Ending

    Stephen R. Donaldson2010

    Thomas Covenant is resurrected, an act that threatens to destroy the world. Linden Avery and her son search for a way to stop the coming apocalypse.

    gritty → bleak, still grimdark

    pace-1·prose+2·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.

    gritty → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    gritty → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Castle of Wizardry

    David Eddings1984

    A young sorcerer and his companions travel across a continent to return a powerful artifact to its rightful throne.

    gritty → playful, still epic fantasy

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Star Wars: The Last Command

    Timothy Zahn

    Grand Admiral Thrawn launches a final offensive against the New Republic while a Jedi clone descends into madness.

    gritty → propulsive

    pace0·prose0·bleak-2

  • Rev It Up

    Julie Ann Walker2012

    A former Navy SEAL returns to win back the woman he left behind years ago. He must protect her while working for her brother's security agency.

    gritty → propulsive

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    gritty → sardonic

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    gritty → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    gritty → propulsive

    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.

    gritty → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Unfinished Tales

    J.R.R. Tolkien1980

    A collection of incomplete narratives and essays that expand the history, geography, and lore of Middle-earth.

    gritty → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·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.

    gritty → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    gritty → tense, still grimdark

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Mirror Empire

    Kameron Hurley2014

    Parallel worlds collide as a celestial event allows one reality to invade another. It follows multiple characters during a global genocide.

    gritty → cold, still grimdark

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Against All Things Ending

    Stephen R. Donaldson2010

    Thomas Covenant is resurrected, an act that threatens to destroy the world. Linden Avery and her son search for a way to stop the coming apocalypse.

    gritty → bleak, still grimdark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1