After
A Man Lies Dreaming
Lavie Tidhar2014
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Jack Faust
Michael Swanwick1997
A scholar receives modern scientific knowledge from a demon in the 16th century. He uses it to force an industrial revolution on the world.
Same sardonic register, still alternate history
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Doctor Rat
William Kotzwinkle1976
A laboratory rat loyal to his human captors defends the practice of vivisection while animals worldwide begin a bloody revolt.
Same sardonic register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Bullettime
Nick Mamatas2012
A teenager about to commit a school shooting is intercepted by his future self. He explores various timelines of his own life and death.
Same sardonic register, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Sub: A Study in Witchcraft
Thomas M. Disch1999
A substitute teacher discovers she has the power of witchcraft. She uses her abilities to manipulate her small town as her sanity deteriorates.
Same sardonic register, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Harrow the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir2020
A necromancer struggles with grief and memory loss while training to become an immortal servant. The narrator is unreliable and confused.
Same sardonic register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
The Wizard Knight
Gene Wolfe2005
A teenager enters a magical realm and inhabits the body of a knight. He navigates feudal politics and Norse mythology across two volumes.
sardonic → elegiac, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
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Tours of the Black Clock
Steve Erickson1989
A ghostwriter for Hitler's private pornography lives in a surreal version of the 20th century where history and memory blur.
sardonic → dreamlike, still alternate history
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
sardonic → meditative, still unreliable narrator
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.
sardonic → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
To recover
sardonic → playful
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
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The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
sardonic → wry
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
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Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
sardonic → propulsive
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
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The Comfort Book
Matt Haig2021
A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.
sardonic → warm
pace-1·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.
Same sardonic register
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.
sardonic → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → 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.
sardonic → elegiac, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
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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.
sardonic → tender
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-2
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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.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
