After
High-Rise
J.G. Ballard
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote1965
A reconstruction of the 1959 murder of a Kansas family and the subsequent investigation. It follows both the victims and the killers.
Same clinical register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Black Monastery
Stav Sherez2009
Two friends travel to a remote Greek island where a series of murders occurs near a local monastery. The tone is dark and claustrophobic.
clinical → bleak, still isolated community
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Circle
Dave Eggers2013
A young woman gets a job at a dominant social media corporation that demands total transparency. She gradually gives up her privacy to the firm.
Same clinical register, still dystopian
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
HARM
Brian Aldiss2007
A British Muslim man is detained and tortured in a secret prison. He hallucinates a second life on a distant planet to escape the pain.
clinical → bleak, still dystopian
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
History of violence
Édouard Louis2018
The author recounts being raped and nearly killed on Christmas Eve. The narrative shifts between the event and its psychological aftermath.
Same clinical register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak0
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
clinical → cold, still satire
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Amberes
Roberto Bolaño2002
A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.
clinical → cold
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
clinical → meditative
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
The Doves Necklace
Raja Alem2014
A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.
clinical → dreamlike
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
clinical → playful, still satire
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Rich People Problems
Kevin Kwan2017
An extended family gathers in Singapore as their matriarch lies dying. They scheme against one another to inherit a massive estate.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
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.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Year zero
Reid, Robert2012
Aliens discover that Earth's music is the best in the galaxy and they owe humanity trillions in copyright fines.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
Artemis
Andy Weir2017
A porter and smuggler on a lunar colony takes a high-stakes sabotage job to pay off a debt. She uses technical knowledge to solve problems.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
An Offer From a Gentleman
Julia Quinn2001
The illegitimate daughter of an earl works as a servant for her stepmother. She sneaks into a masquerade ball and meets Benedict Bridgerton.
clinical → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Get Jiro!
Anthony Bourdain2012
In a future Los Angeles, master chefs rule as warlords. A sushi chef who kills rude customers is caught between two warring food factions.
clinical → sardonic, still dystopian
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Pines
Blake Crouch2012
A Secret Service agent searches for missing colleagues in an Idaho town he cannot leave. The townspeople and physics itself seem to work against him.
clinical → tense, still dystopian
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden2023
A housemaid with a criminal record takes a job for a wealthy couple. She becomes obsessed with the wife she is forbidden from seeing.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Behind Closed Doors
B.A. Paris2016
A woman is held captive by her husband in a high-security home. She must find a way to escape before her sister moves in with them.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Blood on the dining-room floor
Gertrude Stein1948
A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Translated Accounts
James Kelman2001
Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.
clinical → bleak, still dystopian
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-3
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
