After
Crossover
Joel Shepherd2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Ragamuffin
Tobias S. Buckell2007
A human pilot and a modified warrior resist an alien empire that has enslaved humanity. It features orbital combat and cybernetic tech.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Engineman
Eric Brown1994
A former pilot of starships that travel through a psychic dimension is pulled back into service to investigate a new form of interstellar travel.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Nova
Samuel R. Delany1968
A starship captain recruits a crew to fly into a collapsing sun to harvest rare fuel. It uses elements of the Grail myth in a space setting.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Ghost Brigades
John Scalzi2006
Soldiers grown from the DNA of the dead hunt a traitorous scientist across the galaxy. It follows a new recruit with an inherited consciousness.
Same propulsive register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Up against it
M. J. Locke2011
Teens on an asteroid colony navigate surveillance and resource scarcity until a mechanical failure threatens the entire station.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
propulsive → clinical, still cyberpunk
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose+2bleak+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.
propulsive → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
In Green's Jungles
Gene Wolfe2000
A narrator travels to different worlds while his physical form and memories shift. He recounts past voyages to prove his identity to his companions.
propulsive → elegiac
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Murderbot Diaries
Martha Wells2023
A self-aware security android hacks its governor module to watch soap operas while protecting humans. It navigates corporate conspiracies.
propulsive → sardonic, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
A Spell for Chameleon
Piers Anthony1977
In a land where everyone has a unique magical talent, a man with no apparent power goes on a quest to avoid exile.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
My Roommate Is a Vampire
Jenna Levine2023
An artist moves in with a man who sleeps all day and speaks in an archaic style. She eventually discovers he is a vampire from the 1800s.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
It Happened One Summer
Tessa Bailey2021
A socialite is sent to a small fishing town to run a dive bar. She enters a relationship with a local sea captain who doubts her competence.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Bitten & Smitten
Michelle Rowen2006
Sarah is accidentally turned into a vampire and must rely on a grumpy, centuries-old vampire to teach her how to survive.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+1prose+1bleak0
The Stars My Destination
Alfred Bester1956
Gully Foyle is left for dead in space and spends years seeking revenge. He travels a future where humans can teleport using their minds.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
propulsive → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
Same propulsive register, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
propulsive → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
propulsive → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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-2·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose+1bleak+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.
propulsive → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Dr. Adder
K. W. Jeter1984
In a broken future Los Angeles, a surgeon performs extreme genital modifications for a subculture of outcasts.
propulsive → cynical, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Market Forces
Richard K. Morgan2004
In a future where executives duel in armored cars for promotions, Chris Faulkner joins a firm that profits from civil wars. It is a corporate satire.
propulsive → sardonic, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
Random Acts of Senseless Violence
Jack Womack1994
A twelve-year-old girl records her life in a diary as New York City collapses into riots and hyperinflation. Her family falls into poverty.
propulsive → bleak, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
Hellspark
Janet Kagan1988
A linguist travels to a new planet to investigate a murder. She must determine if the local species is sentient while navigating a conspiracy.
propulsive → tense, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
