After
Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness
John Layman2007
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Marvel Zombies
Robert Kirkman2006
Marvel superheroes are infected by an alien virus that turns them into sentient, flesh-eating ghouls who retain their powers.
Same sardonic register, still zombie apocalypse
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Flesh
Richard Laymon1987
An eyeless, slug-like parasite enters human hosts and forces them to commit acts of extreme violence and sexual assault.
Same sardonic register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hellsing
Kohta Hirano2003
A secret British organization uses a powerful vampire to fight a supernatural Nazi uprising. The Vatican intervenes as London is besieged.
Same sardonic register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Omega days
Campbell, John L. (Investigator)2014
A priest, a college student, and a pilot struggle to survive as a virus turns the population into zombies. The story follows multiple perspectives.
sardonic → propulsive, still zombie apocalypse
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Johnny Gruesome
Greg Lamberson2008
A murdered teenager returns from the grave to kill the classmates who betrayed him. It is a fast-paced slasher story with high gore.
Same sardonic register
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
sardonic → dreamlike
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski1998
A man finds a door in his house that should not exist. The story is told through layers of academic footnotes and a decaying manuscript.
pace-2·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
Ambergris
Jeff VanderMeer2020
This collection follows the history of a city built atop a subterranean race. It uses fake histories, journals, and detective noir.
pace-2·prose+3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
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.
sardonic → dark
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
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.
sardonic → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
Ghost Stories
Henry James2001
A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+3·bleak0
To recover
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
The Book of Hope
Jane Goodall2021
A dialogue-based book where Jane Goodall discusses her life's work and her reasons for remaining optimistic about the environment.
sardonic → earnest
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
The Man Who Quit Money
Mark Sundeen2012
A biography of Daniel Suelo, who abandoned currency in 2000. It follows his daily life scavenging and living in caves in the Utah wilderness.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-2
The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead (Zen of Zombie Series)
Scott Kenemore
A satirical self-help guide that uses the behavior of zombies as a model for achieving mindfulness and reducing stress.
sardonic → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-2
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron
Julia Quinn2022
A graphic novel adaptation of a fictional melodrama where an orphan flees a cruel aunt and encounters a man in a remote castle.
sardonic → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
sardonic → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
sardonic → elegiac
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
sardonic → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
Heavier
sardonic → elegiac
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
Frankenstein
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818
Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
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.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
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.
sardonic → meditative
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
The Terror
Dan Simmons2007
Two British ships searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 become trapped in ice and are hunted by a creature.
sardonic → bleak
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Lottery
Shirley Jackson1983
Villagers gather for an annual ritual in a small town. The story follows the procedural steps of a lottery that ends in a public execution.
sardonic → cold
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
