I find fiction that doesn't contain

- Time-travel
- Ninjas
- Parallel dimensions
- Characters that speak like a David Mamet play
- Derring-do
- A mano-e-mano fight to the death on top of a mountain or other high surface as a thunderstorm rages in the background.

...to be utterly pretentious and not worth the effort. What can you recommend in this vein?