LitQueuelitqueue

After

Flip This Zombie

Jesse Petersen2011

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • A Night in the Lonesome October

    Roger Zelazny1993

    A guard dog narrates a 31-day countdown to a magical ritual in Victorian London. Famous literary figures compete to open or close a portal.

    Same playful register, still horror comedy

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

playful → 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.

    playful → dark

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+3

  • 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.

    playful → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+3

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

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

    playful → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

Faster

playful → propulsive, still urban fantasy

3 more ↓

  • The Getaway God

    Richard Kadrey2014

    A half-angel hitman tries to stop ancient gods from destroying Los Angeles. The story involves a serial killer and a trip to Heaven.

    playful → sardonic, still urban fantasy

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The President's Vampire

    Christopher Farnsworth2011

    A vampire working as a secret agent for the U.S. President tracks an ancient biological threat alongside a human partner.

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Hunter's Prayer

    Lilith Saintcrow2008

    A hunter of supernatural entities investigates a series of murders in a city plagued by hellish creatures. She seeks revenge against an old enemy.

    playful → sardonic, still urban fantasy

    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.

    Same playful register

    pace-2·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.

    playful → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+3

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Flowers in the Attic

    V.C. Andrews1979

    Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.

    playful → elegiac

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3

  • Hamlet

    William Shakespeare

    A prince of Denmark is told by a ghost that his uncle killed his father. He feigns madness while deciding whether to take revenge.

    playful → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+3

  • The Terror

    Dan Simmons2007

    Two British ships searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 become trapped in ice and are hunted by a creature.

    playful → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+3