LitQueuelitqueue

After

Odium

Claire C. Riley2013

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Fighting to Survive

    Rhiannon Frater2011

    Survivors in a walled Texas town defend against zombies and bandits. Two women lead the group through the logistics of food and law-making.

    Same tense register, still zombie apocalypse

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

tense → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → dark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+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.

    tense → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

tense → playful

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Comfort Book

    Matt Haig2021

    A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.

    tense → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    tense → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

tense → bleak, still zombie apocalypse

3 more ↓

  • The Fall

    Thomas A. Watson

    A survivalist uses his preparation and skills to protect his family during a sudden global collapse. The focus is on tactical defense.

    tense → earnest, still zombie apocalypse

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The remaining

    D. J Molles2014

    A soldier emerges from a bunker into a world where a bacterium has turned most people into predators. He attempts to find survivors.

    Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Soldier On

    Shawn Chesser

    A former Delta Force operator navigates a zombie outbreak to find his family. He uses military tactics to survive encounters with the undead.

    tense → propulsive, still zombie apocalypse

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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·prose+2·bleak-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·prose+2·bleak+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·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Walking Dead Vol. 7: Calm before

    Robert Kirkman

    Survivors attempt to maintain a stable community within a prison. Tensions rise as they prepare for an inevitable attack from a rival leader.

    Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1

  • The Night of the Living Dead

    John A. Russo

    A group of strangers barricades themselves in a farmhouse to survive a night against reanimated corpses.

    Same tense register, still zombie apocalypse

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • One

    Conrad Williams2009

    A man walks across a scorched, post-apocalyptic Britain to find his son. He encounters red rain, ruins, and cannibalism.

    tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1