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After

Extinction Horizon

Nicholas Sansbury Smith2015

5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Infected

    Bobby Adair

    A slow-acting virus turns the population into aggressive predators. The story follows a survivor navigating the initial societal collapse.

    Same propulsive register

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

propulsive → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Gormenghast

    Mervyn Peake1950

    A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

    propulsive → dark

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

    James Hogg1824

    A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

    propulsive → cold

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Uplift War

    David Brin1987

    A gorilla-like alien race invades the planet Garth. A small group of humans and uplifted chimpanzees lead a guerrilla resistance in the mountains.

    propulsive → earnest, still military sci-fi

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • A Galaxy Unknown

    Thomas DePrima2010

    An ensign uses her tactical skills to rise through the ranks of a space navy while fighting pirates and internal bureaucracy.

    propulsive → earnest, still military sci-fi

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-2

  • The Colour of Magic

    Terry Pratchett1983

    A failed wizard and a naive tourist travel across a flat world carried by a turtle. The story parodies fantasy tropes and clichés.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    propulsive → elegiac

    pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1

Heavier

propulsive → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

3 more ↓

  • The Fall of the Governor: Part One

    Jay Bonansinga

    This novel tracks Philip Blake's transformation from a desperate father into the dictatorial villain known as the Governor.

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • One

    Conrad Williams2009

    A man walks across a scorched, post-apocalyptic Britain to find his son. He encounters red rain, ruins, and cannibalism.

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Resistance

    William C. Dietz2009

    In 1951, an American soldier joins the British resistance against an evolving alien species that has conquered Europe. It is a military war story.

    propulsive → tense, still post-apocalyptic

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1