After
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Seth Dickinson2015
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
Same cold register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Dark Crusade
Karl Edward Wagner1976
The immortal warrior Kane encounters a cult following a new god. He navigates a landscape of ancient magic and total war.
Same cold register, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Wisdom of Crowds
Joe Abercrombie2021
A violent revolution overthrows the social order in a fantasy industrial city. Characters from all social classes struggle to survive the purges.
cold → sardonic, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Empress
Karen Miller2008
A girl sold into slavery rises to power through religious zealotry and war. She believes she is chosen by a god to conquer her world.
Same cold register, still grimdark
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Empire of the Damned
Jay Kristoff2024
A vampire hunter protects the Holy Grail while navigating a war between rival vampire bloodlines. The world is trapped in a permanent night.
cold → bleak, still grimdark
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
cold → dreamlike
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The Fifth Head Of Cerberus
Gene Wolfe1972
Three interlocking novellas explore identity and colonization on twin planets. A young man grows up in a library under a mysterious father.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
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.
cold → bleak, still grimdark
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
cold → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak-3
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.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
To recover
- pace-1prose-2bleak-3
The Longest Ride
Nicholas Sparks2013
An elderly man trapped in a car crash remembers his late wife while a young couple's romance develops nearby.
cold → tender
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Ace of Hearts
Chantal Fernando2018
A woman finds herself drawn to a member of a motorcycle club after a chance encounter leads to a series of dates.
cold → propulsive
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
cold → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
cold → earnest
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
cold → sardonic
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
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.
cold → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
The Atlantis Gene
A.G. Riddle2013
A geneticist and a counter-terrorism agent uncover a global conspiracy involving human evolution and an ancient Antarctic discovery.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
Monster Hunter International
Larry Correia2007
An accountant kills his boss, who has become a werewolf, and is recruited by a private company that hunts monsters for government bounties.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
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.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+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.
cold → elegiac
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose-1bleak-2
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.
cold → tender
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose0bleak-2
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.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
