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After

Dream Dancer

Janet Morris1980

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same propulsive register, still space opera

1 more ↓

  • Caliban's War

    Ty Franck2012

    A botanist, a marine, and a politician search for a missing girl amidst a brewing interplanetary war. It is the second book in a series.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Shadow & Claw

    Gene Wolfe1983

    A torturer travels across a far-future Earth where technology is indistinguishable from magic. He recounts his exile in dense, archaic prose.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+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.

    propulsive → dreamlike, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Naked Lunch: The Restored Text

    William S. Burroughs

    A series of nonlinear vignettes follow a drug addict's hallucinations and travels. The prose is fragmented and satirical.

    propulsive → sardonic

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

To recover

propulsive → playful, still space opera

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • The Stainless Steel Rat

    Harry Harrison1961

    A futuristic con man is caught by the Special Corps and forced to use his criminal skills to catch other lawbreakers.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

    Same propulsive register, still space opera

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • Ancillary Justice

    Ann Leckie2013

    A lone soldier, once the artificial intelligence of a massive starship, seeks revenge in a single human body.

    propulsive → meditative, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Children of Dune

    Frank Herbert1976

    The twin heirs of Paul Atreides navigate political conspiracies and their own evolving biology to secure the future of the desert planet.

    propulsive → meditative, still space opera

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    propulsive → bleak, still space opera

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+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.

    propulsive → bleak, still space opera

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Star by Star

    Troy Denning2001

    Jedi strike teams infiltrate enemy space to destroy a biological weapon that tracks Force-users. The plot focuses on a high-stakes mission.

    propulsive → tense, still space opera

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2