LitQueuelitqueue

After

Beneath a Scarlet Sky

Mark T. Sullivan2017

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same earnest register, still historical fiction

1 more ↓

  • My Name is Resolute

    Nancy E. Turner2014

    A young girl is kidnapped from Jamaica and sold into slavery in colonial New England. She survives decades of labor and the Revolutionary War.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    earnest → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Translated Accounts

    James Kelman2001

    Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.

    earnest → bleak

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Mirror and the Light

    Hilary Mantel2020

    Thomas Cromwell navigates the final four years of his life in Henry VIII's court. He attempts to maintain power as his allies and influence erode.

    earnest → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

earnest → playful

3 more ↓

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    earnest → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

    Kimberly Lemming2021

    A spice trader saves a demon while intoxicated and joins his quest to kill a witch. The story features frequent sexual content and humor.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    earnest → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Candide

    Voltaire

    A naive young man travels the world while his tutor insists that everything is for the best. He encounters a series of global catastrophes.

    earnest → sardonic

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    earnest → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Umbrella

    Will Self2013

    A psychiatrist in 1971 treats a woman who has been catatonic for decades. The prose shifts between eras and consciousnesses without paragraph breaks.

    earnest → clinical

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • The English Patient

    Michael Ondaatje1992

    Four people shelter in a ruined Italian villa at the end of WWII. They care for a burned, anonymous man who recounts his past in the desert.

    earnest → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

  • Translated Accounts

    James Kelman2001

    Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.

    earnest → bleak

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Schindler's Ark

    Thomas Keneally1982

    A German businessman uses his factory and connections to protect Jewish prisoners from execution in occupied Poland.

    earnest → clinical, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Ghost Road

    Pat Barker1995

    During the final months of WWI, an officer returns to the front while his doctor reflects on the war. It concludes the Regeneration Trilogy.

    earnest → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Tree of Smoke

    Denis Johnson2007

    An ensemble cast navigate the Vietnam War through CIA operations and ground combat. The narrative spans years and multiple countries.

    earnest → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1