After
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Star by Star
Troy Denning2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
Same tense register, still space opera
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Dark Tide II - Ruin
Michael A. Stackpole2000
Jedi Knights conduct a reconnaissance mission on an occupied planet during an invasion by an alien race that exists outside the Force.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Inferno
Troy Denning2007
During a galactic civil war, Jacen Solo seizes political power while Luke Skywalker mourns his wife. The Jedi must decide how to stop Jacen.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Fury
Aaron Allston2007
Han and Leia fight their son Jacen in a galactic war while Luke Skywalker hunts an assassin with Sith powers.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Outbound Flight
Timothy Zahn2005
Jedi and colonists launch a massive vessel to explore beyond the known galaxy, unaware of the threats waiting in the Unknown Regions.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
tense → dreamlike, still space opera
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Empty Space
M. John Harrison2012
Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Radiance
Catherynne M. Valente2015
A documentary filmmaker disappears on Venus in an alternate 1980s solar system. The story is told through scripts, interviews, and letters.
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+2bleak-1
Perhaps the Stars
Ada Palmer2021
A global war between ideological factions reaches its conclusion. The story is told through a dense, 18th-century style narrative voice.
tense → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Valis
Philip K. Dick1981
A man experiences a beam of pink light that imparts vast information. The narrative explores his mental breakdown and search for God in California.
tense → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
tense → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
This Girl
Colleen Hoover2013
A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.
tense → earnest
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-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.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
The Score
Elle Kennedy2016
A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
To Sir Phillip, With Love
Julia Quinn2003
Eloise Bridgerton travels to meet a widowed baronet she has only known through letters. They consider a marriage of convenience.
tense → warm
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
tense → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Edge of Victory I - Conquest
J. Gregory Keyes2001
Anakin Solo travels to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to rescue students from an invading fleet of Yuuzhan Vong warriors.
tense → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
The Android's Dream
John Scalzi2006
A diplomat must find a specific, genetically engineered sheep to prevent an interstellar war. The story is a fast-paced, irreverent space comedy.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
Chilling Effect
Valerie Valdes2019
A spaceship captain completes dangerous missions to pay off a ransom for her kidnapped sister. The crew includes a pilot who is a sentient plant.
tense → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
The Star Kings
Edmond Hamilton1949
A 20th-century man swaps bodies with a prince 200,000 years in the future. He must lead a galactic empire against a tyrant's fleet.
tense → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino1972
Marco Polo describes fifty-five imaginary cities to Kublai Khan. The book is a series of short, prose-poem meditations on urban existence.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
Beelzebub's tales to his grandson
Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950
An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-3
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
