After
Feersum Endjinn
Iain Banks1994
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak0
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.
playful → earnest, still far future
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Fractal Prince
Hannu Rajaniemi2012
A post-human thief is sent to Earth to steal a memory from a city made of digital ghosts. The prose uses dense, unexplained jargon.
playful → dreamlike, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Space Opera
Catherynne M. Valente2018
Earth must compete in a galactic musical talent show to avoid extinction. The narrative uses maximalist prose and frequent footnotes.
Same playful register, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Collapsium
Wil McCarthy2000
Two rival scientists use programmable matter and black holes to manipulate the solar system. A disaster threatens to destroy the sun.
Same playful register, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Temporal Void
Peter F. Hamilton2008
Multiple factions across the galaxy compete to influence a human pilgrimage into a black hole. The Void consumes entire star systems.
playful → propulsive, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
playful → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace0prose-3bleak-1
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
Same playful register, still space opera
pace0·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-3bleak-1
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
Same playful register
pace0·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-3bleak-1
Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom1994
A journalist reconnects with his dying college professor for weekly lessons on life. They discuss aging, regret, and love as the professor declines.
playful → tender
pace-1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace0prose-3bleak-1
The Last Question
Isaac Asimov2007
A short story told in seven vignettes spanning billions of years. Humanity asks a supercomputer if the heat death of the universe can be avoided.
playful → meditative, still artificial intelligence
pace0·prose-3·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
playful → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
Same playful register, still space opera
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
Same playful register, still space opera
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
playful → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak0
The Star Wars Trilogy
George Lucas2018
A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.
playful → earnest, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak0
Slower
- pace-2prose0bleak+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.
playful → dreamlike
pace-2·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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.
playful → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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.
playful → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak0
- pace-2prose-1bleak-1
Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury1946
A twelve-year-old boy experiences a series of vignettes over one summer in 1928 Illinois. The chapters focus on small-town life and aging.
playful → elegiac
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose-2bleak-1
For Us, the Living
Robert A. Heinlein2003
A 1930s pilot wakes up in the year 2086. The book consists of long dialogues explaining the social, economic, and sexual norms of the future.
playful → earnest
pace-2·prose-2·bleak-1
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.
playful → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose-1bleak+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.
playful → clinical, still space opera
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak+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.
playful → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace0prose-1bleak+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.
playful → propulsive, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace0prose-2bleak+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.
playful → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose-2·bleak+2
