After
Ambergris
Jeff VanderMeer2020
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Ligeia
Edgar Allan Poe2004
A narrator mourns his first wife, Ligeia, then marries another who falls ill. He watches as the second wife's body appears to transform.
Same dreamlike register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
City of Saints and Madmen
Jeff Vandermeer2001
A collection of stories, histories, and pamphlets about the city of Ambergris. It uses found documents to build a surreal urban history.
Same dreamlike register, still weird fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Rouge
Mona Awad2023
A woman obsessed with skincare returns home after her mother's death and enters a surreal, cult-like spa. The narrative is dreamlike and gothic.
Same dreamlike register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski1998
A man finds a door in his house that should not exist. The story is told through layers of academic footnotes and a decaying manuscript.
Same dreamlike register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Growing Things and Other Stories
Paul Tremblay2019
Nineteen short stories explore psychological dread and the supernatural. The narratives often feature unreliable perspectives and ambiguity.
Same dreamlike register, still weird fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
dreamlike → propulsive
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown2009
Symbologist Robert Langdon follows a trail of Masonic puzzles through Washington D.C. monuments to save his kidnapped mentor.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire2013
This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
This Man
Jodi Ellen Malpas2013
An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.
dreamlike → tense
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Real Murders
Charlaine Harris1990
A librarian in a small Georgia town belongs to a club that studies famous crimes. A real murder occurs that mimics a historical case.
dreamlike → wry
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak0
Hellsing
Kohta Hirano2003
A secret British organization uses a powerful vampire to fight a supernatural Nazi uprising. The Vatican intervenes as London is besieged.
dreamlike → sardonic, still dark fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak0
- pace+2prose-3bleak0
Something is Killing the Children, Book One
James Tynion IV2021
A monster hunter arrives in a town where children are being eaten by invisible creatures. It is a graphic novel about systemic violence.
dreamlike → tense, still dark fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Creepers
David Morrell2005
Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.
dreamlike → tense
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Patient Zero
Jonathan Maberry2009
A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak+1
The Rising
Brian Keene2003
A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.
dreamlike → bleak
pace+2·prose-3·bleak+1
Slower
- pace-1prose-3bleak-1
Lady Audley's Secret
Mary Elizabeth Braddon1862
A man returns from Australia to find his friend's wife is a governess with a hidden past. He investigates her identity after his friend disappears.
dreamlike → mysterious
pace-1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The night land
William Hope Hodgson1972
Millions of years after the sun dies, a man leaves an underground fortress to rescue a woman. The prose uses archaic, repetitive syntax.
Same dreamlike register
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak+1
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race
Thomas Ligotti2010
A series of philosophical essays arguing that human consciousness is a tragic evolutionary accident. It posits that non-existence is preferable.
dreamlike → bleak
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose-2bleak-1
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.
dreamlike → tender
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
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.
dreamlike → meditative
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Dark Eidolon
Clark Ashton Smith2009
A sorcerer seeks revenge against a king in a dying world under a dim sun. The story uses dense, archaic prose to describe necromancy and demons.
dreamlike → cold, still weird fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Croning
Laird Barron2012
An elderly geologist discovers his wife and her social circle belong to an ancient cult. The narrative shifts between his past and present.
dreamlike → tense, still weird fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Song for the Unraveling of the World
Brian Evenson2019
A collection of short stories where characters experience physical and psychological distortions. The reality of each narrator is unreliable.
dreamlike → cold, still weird fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Fever Dream
Samanta Schweblin2014
A dying woman talks to a boy in a clinic. They reconstruct her memories to find the exact moment a toxin entered her life.
Same dreamlike register, still weird fiction
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The Unholy Consult
R. Scott Bakker2017
A messiah leads his armies toward a final confrontation with an ancient, soul-devouring force. The world is ending.
dreamlike → bleak, still dark fantasy
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
