After
Return to the Whorl
Gene Wolfe2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
In Green's Jungles
Gene Wolfe2000
A narrator travels to different worlds while his physical form and memories shift. He recounts past voyages to prove his identity to his companions.
Same elegiac register, still science fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Soldiers of Paradise
Paul Park1987
In a city where seasons last for decades, a noble doctor and a prince provide medicine to the poor. They interact with a culture that uses music.
Same elegiac register, still science fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Radix
A. A. Attanasio1981
A social outcast undergoes a series of physical and mental transformations on a future Earth mutated by cosmic radiation.
elegiac → dreamlike, still science fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Illustrated Man
Ray Bradbury1951
Eighteen short stories are told through the moving tattoos on a vagrant's body. The tales explore the intersection of technology and human nature.
Same elegiac register, still science fantasy
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Biography of X
Catherine Lacey2023
A widow investigates the secret life of her late wife, a famous artist, in an alternate United States that was divided by a wall.
Same elegiac register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Split Infinity
Piers Anthony1980
A man travels between a high-tech world of games and a parallel world of magic. He must master both systems to avoid being assassinated.
elegiac → playful, still science fantasy
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace0prose-3bleak-2
Anna's return
Marta Perry2010
An unmarried woman returns to her Amish community with an adopted baby. She seeks forgiveness while hiding the child from a violent father.
elegiac → earnest
pace0·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Happy, Happy, Happy
Phil Robertson2013
The founder of Duck Commander recounts his life from a difficult upbringing to business success. He focuses on his faith and outdoor lifestyle.
elegiac → earnest
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
Vampires Are Forever
Lynsay Sands2008
A woman suspects her business partner is a vampire after he attempts to bite her. He tries to convince her they are fated mates.
elegiac → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
The Mane Event
Shelly Laurenston2007
A female cop reunites with a childhood friend who is now a lion-shifter. They navigate a romantic attraction while he pursues her in New York.
elegiac → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
elegiac → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
elegiac → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Skin Game
Jim Butcher2014
Wizard Harry Dresden joins a team of villains to rob a vault in the Underworld. It is a fast-paced heist set in a modern fantasy Chicago.
elegiac → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
elegiac → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Night Land
William Hope Hodgson2014
In the distant future, a man leaves the last human stronghold to find a woman across a sunless, monster-filled wasteland.
elegiac → dreamlike, still dying earth
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
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.
elegiac → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury1946
A twelve-year-old boy experiences a series of vignettes over one summer in 1928 Illinois. The chapters focus on small-town life and aging.
Same elegiac register
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-2bleak-2
For Us, the Living
Robert A. Heinlein2003
A 1930s pilot wakes up in the year 2086. The book consists of long dialogues explaining the social, economic, and sexual norms of the future.
elegiac → earnest
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
Hav
Jan Morris2006
A travel writer describes the culture and history of a fictional Mediterranean city-state before and after a massive political upheaval.
Same elegiac register
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Golem100
Alfred Bester1980
In a future city, a group of women accidentally summon a psychic monster that commits acts of extreme violence while investigators track it.
elegiac → sardonic, still science fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Seed to Harvest (Patternist, #1-4)
Octavia E. Butler
An immortal man breeds telepaths over centuries to create a master race. The story follows the evolution and eventual conflict of his descendants.
elegiac → cold, still science fantasy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Sugar Rain
Paul Park1989
During a revolution against a theocracy, a doctor in exile tries to protect his family while a new, pragmatic faith rises.
elegiac → bleak, still science fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Winterlong
Elizabeth Hand1990
In a decaying, post-apocalyptic Washington D.C., a girl with empathic powers is drawn into the plots of a decadent ruling class.
elegiac → dreamlike, still science fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood1985
In a totalitarian state with a plummeting birth rate, a woman is enslaved as a reproductive vessel. She records her daily life and memories.
elegiac → cold, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
