After
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert1856
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
A middle-aged professor documents his obsession with his twelve-year-old stepdaughter. He uses complex prose to justify his crimes.
Same tense register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-2bleak0
Master of Crows
Grace Draven2009
A woman spies on a renegade sorcerer to earn her freedom from mage-priests. She must find his weakness before a dark god consumes his mind.
Same tense register, still romance
pace0·prose-2·bleak0
- pace0prose-2bleak0
Battle Royal
Lucy Parker2021
Two rival London bakers compete as judges on a royal wedding cake reality show while dealing with their professional history.
Same tense register, still romance
pace0·prose-2·bleak0
- pace0prose-2bleak0
After
Anna Todd
A studious college freshman begins a volatile relationship with a tattooed student. Their dynamic is defined by secrets and frequent arguments.
Same tense register, still romance
pace0·prose-2·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-3bleak-2
Ayesha at Last
Uzma Jalaluddin2019
A modern Muslim retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Toronto. A poet and a conservative man clash over their differing values.
tense → playful, still romance
pace0·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace0prose-3bleak-2
Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
Same tense register, still romance
pace0·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-3bleak-2
Steamed
Katie MacAlister2010
A modern woman is transported to a Victorian steampunk world. She must navigate a romance with a local inventor while trying to return home.
tense → playful, still romance
pace0·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-3bleak-2
- pace0prose-3bleak-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
pace0·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
tense → propulsive
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
Quantum Radio
A.G. Riddle2023
A scientist at CERN discovers a signal from a parallel universe. He must flee a conspiracy while exploring the implications of the data.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
Paper Princess
Erin Watt2016
An orphaned girl is taken in by a wealthy family with five hostile sons. She must navigate high school bullying and mansion politics.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
Savage Prince
Meghan March2018
A powerful man in the New Orleans underworld becomes obsessed with a woman and pursues her despite the danger of his lifestyle.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
The Professional: Part 2 (The Game Maker, #1b)
Kresley Cole
A Russian enforcer continues his pursuit of a graduate student across Europe. The focus is on their sexual power dynamic and his mafia duties.
Same tense register
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-1
Victory at Prescott High
C.M. Stunich
A high school girl seeks revenge against the boys who bullied her while navigating a complex relationship with all of them at once.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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
pace-2·prose0·bleak0
- pace-2prose0bleak-2
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.
tense → playful
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose0bleak-1
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.
tense → playful
pace-2·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-2prose0bleak+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.
tense → elegiac
pace-2·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-2prose0bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose0·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Good Thief
James Buchanan2008
A thief witnesses a crime committed by a high-ranking police officer. He must rely on an LAPD contact to survive and expose the truth.
tense → dark, still romance
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Alchemised
SenLinYu2025
An alchemist is held prisoner by necromancers after her side loses a war. She must protect her memories while her mind is systematically probed.
tense → dark, still romance
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose-1bleak+1
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë1846
Two families on the Yorkshire moors deal with the arrival and subsequent revenge of an adopted orphan. The story is told through nested narrators.
tense → bleak
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose-2bleak+1
A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway1929
An American ambulance driver and a British nurse conduct a love affair during the Italian campaign of World War I.
tense → elegiac
pace-1·prose-2·bleak+1
