LitQueuelitqueue

After

Candide, or, Optimism

Voltaire2019

5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster

More like it

1 more ↓

  • I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

    Jason Pargin2024

    A driver and a passenger transport a mysterious black box across the country. The plot focuses on internet culture, paranoia, and viral fame.

    Same sardonic register, still satire

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Doktor Faustus

    Thomas Mann1948

    A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.

    sardonic → elegiac, still philosophical fiction

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

    A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

sardonic → playful, still satire

3 more ↓

  • Factfulness

    Hans Rosling2018

    A data-driven look at global trends in poverty, health, and education. It uses statistics to correct common misconceptions about the world.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Rich People Problems

    Kevin Kwan2017

    An extended family gathers in Singapore as their matriarch lies dying. They scheme against one another to inherit a massive estate.

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Wielding a Red Sword

    Piers Anthony1986

    An Indian prince avoids an arranged marriage by accepting the supernatural office of War. He wields a sword that draws him into a conflict in Hell.

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Doktor Faustus

    Thomas Mann1948

    A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.

    sardonic → elegiac, still philosophical fiction

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    sardonic → mysterious

    pace-3·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank2001

    A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace-2·prose0·bleak+2

  • A Child Called "It"

    Dave Pelzer1987

    A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

    sardonic → bleak

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2

  • Twelve Years a Slave

    Solomon Northup1853

    A memoir by a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He details twelve years of labor on Louisiana plantations.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2