LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Warden

Daniel M. Ford2023

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same earnest register, still high fantasy

1 more ↓

  • The Measure of the Magic

    Terry Brooks2011

    A young Knight of the Word must use a powerful black staff to defend a valley of refugees from an invading army and a demonic presence.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

earnest → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • The Silmarillion

    J. R. R. Tolkien1977

    A history of the First Age of Middle-earth, from the creation of the world to the fall of the Elven kingdoms. It is written as a mythic chronicle.

    earnest → elegiac, still high fantasy

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Ficciones

    Jorge Luis Borges1945

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

    earnest → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Traitor's Knot (Wars of Light & Shadow)

    Janny Wurts2004

    Two cursed half-brothers continue a magically enforced blood feud. One masters shadow magic while the other leads a holy crusade to destroy him.

    earnest → elegiac, still high fantasy

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Death on Demand

    Carolyn G. Hart1987

    A mystery bookstore owner becomes the lead suspect when a local author is killed. She must find the real murderer to save her business.

    earnest → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Murder is Binding

    Lorna Barrett2008

    A bookstore owner in a small New Hampshire town finds a rival dead. She investigates the local community to clear her own name.

    earnest → warm

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Mum's the Word

    Kate Collins2004

    A flower shop owner tracks down a hit-and-run driver in her small town. The investigation leads her into a murder case.

    earnest → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

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.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • 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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → tense

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • The Poppy War

    R.F. Kuang2018

    A war orphan enters a military academy and discovers shamanic powers. She leads a unit into a total war inspired by 20th-century Chinese history.

    earnest → bleak

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • The Traitor Baru Cormorant

    Seth Dickinson2015

    An accountant infiltrates the empire that conquered her home to destroy it from within. She uses economics and politics as her primary weapons.

    earnest → cold

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2