After
Bullseye
James Patterson2016
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Firm
John Grisham1991
A young lawyer joins a high-paying law firm only to discover it is a front for the mob and the FBI wants him to inform on them.
Same propulsive register, still conspiracy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hunt Them Down
Simon Gervais2019
A former special forces operative hunts down a ruthless drug cartel after they murder his family. It is a high-speed revenge story.
Same propulsive register, still action thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
End Game
David Baldacci2017
Two government assassins travel to a remote Colorado town to find their missing handler and uncover a local conspiracy.
Same propulsive register, still action thriller
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Terminal List
Jack Carr2018
A Navy SEAL seeks revenge against a government conspiracy after his entire team is killed in an ambush. He uses his training to hunt targets.
Same propulsive register, still action thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The President Is Missing
Bill Clinton2018
The U.S. President goes underground to stop a cyberattack that threatens to wipe out the nation's electrical and financial infrastructure.
Same propulsive register, still techno thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
Amberes
Roberto Bolaño2002
A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
The Doves Necklace
Raja Alem2014
A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+2
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2
To recover
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Much Ado About You
Eloisa James2005
The eldest of four orphaned sisters seeks a husband to secure her family's future. She enters a complicated arrangement with a wealthy peer.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Becoming
Michelle Obama2018
Michelle Obama recounts her life from her childhood in Chicago to her years in the White House. It focuses on her personal growth and public roles.
propulsive → earnest
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance
Lois McMaster Bujold2012
A military officer enters a marriage of convenience to protect a woman from a criminal syndicate. It is a comedic space opera set in a larger series.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
The Quiet Gentleman
Georgette Heyer1951
An earl returns from the Napoleonic Wars to claim his estate. He faces a hostile family and a series of suspicious accidents.
propulsive → wry
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Double Star
Robert A. Heinlein1956
A struggling actor is hired to impersonate a kidnapped politician on Mars to prevent an interplanetary war.
propulsive → earnest
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany1975
An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
Ulysses
James Joyce1914
Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
A maça no escuro
Clarice Lispector1961
A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.
propulsive → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
Heavier
- pace-2prose+3bleak+2
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn2006
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two girls while grappling with her own history of self-harm.
propulsive → tense
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+2
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote1965
A reconstruction of the 1959 murder of a Kansas family and the subsequent investigation. It follows both the victims and the killers.
propulsive → clinical
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+2bleak+2
Lord of the Flies
William Golding1954
Schoolboys are stranded on an island and try to organize a society. Order collapses into tribalism and violence.
propulsive → tense
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2
