After
Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires (Berenice / Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Colloquy of Monos and Una / Conversation of Eiros and Charmi / Devil in the Belfry / Fall of the House of Usher / Four Beasts in One / Hop-Frog / Imp of the Perverse / Island of the Fay / King Pest / Lionizing / Man of the Crowd / Masque of the Red Death / Oval Portrait / Pit and the Pendulum / Power of Words / Shadow / Silence / Some Words with a Mummy / Tell-Tale Heart / William Wilson)
Edgar Allan Poe1857
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Ligeia
Edgar Allan Poe2004
A narrator mourns his first wife, Ligeia, then marries another who falls ill. He watches as the second wife's body appears to transform.
Same dreamlike register, still gothic
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
dreamlike → cold, still psychological horror
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Rebecca
Daphne du Maurier1938
A young woman marries a widower and moves to his estate, where the memory of his first wife is maintained by a hostile housekeeper.
Same dreamlike register, still gothic
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones: A Novel
Jack Wolf2013
A medical student in 1751 London struggles to reconcile his scientific studies with his compulsion to inflict pain.
dreamlike → bleak, still gothic
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-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.
Same dreamlike register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
dreamlike → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace0prose-3bleak-3
Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom1994
A journalist reconnects with his dying college professor for weekly lessons on life. They discuss aging, regret, and love as the professor declines.
dreamlike → tender
pace0·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
The Last Question
Isaac Asimov2007
A short story told in seven vignettes spanning billions of years. Humanity asks a supercomputer if the heat death of the universe can be avoided.
dreamlike → meditative
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Thoughtful
S.C. Stephens2015
Kellan Kyle falls for his best friend's girlfriend, Anna. The story retells the events of Thoughtless from Kellan's perspective.
dreamlike → earnest
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-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.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-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.
dreamlike → propulsive, still unreliable narrator
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-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.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Kiss the Girls
James Patterson1995
Detective Alex Cross tracks two serial killers operating on opposite coasts who are communicating and competing with one another.
dreamlike → tense
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Verity
Colleen Hoover2018
A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.
dreamlike → tense, still unreliable narrator
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
Same dreamlike register, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-3
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
A maça no escuro
Clarice Lispector1961
A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.
dreamlike → meditative
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1