After
Count to a Trillion
John C. Wright2011
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Endymion
Dan Simmons1996
Set 274 years after a galactic collapse, a young man is tasked with protecting a messianic child from the Catholic Church. They flee across worlds.
Same earnest register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Redemption Ark
Alastair Reynolds2002
Two factions of humanity clash while an ancient alien threat begins to systematically destroy star systems. It is a direct sequel to Revelation Space.
earnest → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Sky Road
Ken MacLeod1999
Two timelines follow a woman during a nuclear crisis and a scholar centuries later as he helps build a new spacecraft.
Same earnest register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Primary Inversion
Catherine Asaro1995
A telepathic fighter pilot from one empire falls in love with the heir of an enemy empire during an interstellar war.
Same earnest register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Phoenix Exultant
John C. Wright2003
An exiled immortal attempts to reclaim his starship and status in a technologically advanced solar system. The prose is dense and formal.
Same earnest register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
Radiance
Catherynne M. Valente2015
A documentary filmmaker disappears on Venus in an alternate 1980s solar system. The story is told through scripts, interviews, and letters.
earnest → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Perhaps the Stars
Ada Palmer2021
A global war between ideological factions reaches its conclusion. The story is told through a dense, 18th-century style narrative voice.
earnest → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
Empty Space
M. John Harrison2012
Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.
earnest → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
VAS
Steve Tomasula2002
A man considers a vasectomy while the book uses diagrams and varied typography to explore the history of eugenics and biotechnology.
earnest → clinical
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+1bleak+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.
earnest → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
To recover
earnest → playful
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
The Love Hypothesis
Ali Hazelwood2021
A biology PhD candidate enters a fake relationship with a young professor to satisfy a friend. They navigate academic politics and attraction.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
Beautiful Bastard
Christina Lauren2013
An MBA intern and her demanding media executive boss engage in a series of sexual encounters while competing at work. It is an erotic romance.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
If You Give A Jerk A Gingerbread
Jana Aston
A cheerful baker enters a holiday competition and clashes with a cynical, high-profile pastry chef.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
The Hating Game
Sally Thorne2016
Two executive assistants at a publishing house compete for a single promotion through a series of psychological games and mutual sabotage.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
The Score
Elle Kennedy2016
A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
earnest → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
earnest → wry, still hard sci fi
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
The Android's Dream
John Scalzi2006
A diplomat must find a specific, genetically engineered sheep to prevent an interstellar war. The story is a fast-paced, irreverent space comedy.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Chilling Effect
Valerie Valdes2019
A spaceship captain completes dangerous missions to pay off a ransom for her kidnapped sister. The crew includes a pilot who is a sentient plant.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
The Star Kings
Edmond Hamilton1949
A 20th-century man swaps bodies with a prince 200,000 years in the future. He must lead a galactic empire against a tyrant's fleet.
earnest → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-2prose+1bleak+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.
earnest → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino1972
Marco Polo describes fifty-five imaginary cities to Kublai Khan. The book is a series of short, prose-poem meditations on urban existence.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Beelzebub's tales to his grandson
Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950
An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
earnest → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Consider Phlebas
Iain Banks1987
A shape-shifting mercenary works for an alien empire to retrieve a rogue AI during a galactic war. He faces a series of deadly set-pieces.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
An Exchange of Hostages
Susan R. Matthews1997
A surgeon is drafted into a space empire's corps of torturers. He tries to maintain his ethics while being trained to inflict pain.
earnest → clinical, still space opera
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
A space pirate, a victim, and a police officer are trapped in a cycle of abuse and betrayal. The narrative shifts perspectives to reveal lies.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Dark Age
Pierce Brown2019
An outlawed revolutionary fights a losing war on Mercury while an exiled heir attempts to reclaim a space empire. It is a violent military epic.
earnest → propulsive, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose-1bleak+2
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice
Karen Traviss2007
Jacen Solo hunts his own parents during a galactic civil war. He commits increasingly ruthless acts to secure his power as a Sith apprentice.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
