After

Glasshouse

Charles Stross2006

pace
prose
structure
bleakness

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

pace0prose0bleak0
Lagoon
Nnedi Okorafor2014
Aliens land in the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria. The story follows a soldier, a rapper, and a biologist during the initial chaos.
Same tense register, still space opera
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The Steel Remains
Richard K. Morgan2008
A cynical war hero searches for a cousin sold into slavery. He discovers the return of an ancient, cruel race of beings.
Same tense register, still space opera
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pace0prose0bleak0
Idlewild
Nick Sagan2003
A student at a school for the elite wakes up with no memory. He discovers he is in a virtual reality simulation while a virus kills the real world.
Same tense register, still cyberpunk
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Catspaw
Joan D. Vinge1988
A telepathic half-alien is blackmailed into acting as a bodyguard for a corrupt corporate heir on Earth.
Same tense register, still space opera
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1 more ↓

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Spin Control
Chris Moriarty2007
A security commander and a clone travel to a terraformed Mars to investigate a physicist's murder. It involves interstellar diplomacy.
Same tense register, still space opera
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Denser prose

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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.
tense → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
tense → elegiac
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3 more ↓

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The golden age
John C. Wright2002
In a far-future utopia, an immortal man discovers he has had his memories erased. He searches for his identity while defying a collective mind.
tense → meditative, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
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VAS
Steve Tomasula2002
A man considers a vasectomy while the book uses diagrams and varied typography to explore the history of eugenics and biotechnology.
tense → clinical, still cyberpunk
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pace0prose+2bleak-1
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.
tense → dreamlike, still space opera
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To recover

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Murderbot Diaries
Martha Wells2023
A self-aware security android hacks its governor module to watch soap operas while protecting humans. It navigates corporate conspiracies.
tense → sardonic, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
pace0prose-1bleak-2
Vampires Are Forever
Lynsay Sands2008
A woman suspects her business partner is a vampire after he attempts to bite her. He tries to convince her they are fated mates.
tense → playful
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3 more ↓

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The Mane Event
Shelly Laurenston2007
A female cop reunites with a childhood friend who is now a lion-shifter. They navigate a romantic attraction while he pursues her in New York.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → propulsive, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

pace+1prose+1bleak-1
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.
tense → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1
pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

3 more ↓

pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → propulsive, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

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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.
tense → dreamlike, still amnesia
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

3 more ↓

pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
pace-2prose+1bleak-2
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.
tense → elegiac
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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.
tense → earnest
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2

Heavier

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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.
tense → bleak, still space opera
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pace0prose0bleak+1
Dr. Adder
K. W. Jeter1984
In a broken future Los Angeles, a surgeon performs extreme genital modifications for a subculture of outcasts.
tense → cynical, still cyberpunk
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3 more ↓

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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.
tense → sardonic, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
pace0prose+1bleak+1
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.
tense → bleak, still cyberpunk
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
pace+1prose+1bleak+1
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.
Same tense register, still cyberpunk
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1