After
Survivor Song
Paul Tremblay2020
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak0
Final Destination I
Natasha Rhodes2006
After surviving a plane crash they were destined to die in, a group of teenagers is hunted by an invisible, lethal force.
Same tense register, still horror
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Fail-safe
Eugene Burdick1962
A mechanical failure sends American bombers to nuke Moscow, forcing the President to negotiate a desperate solution to avoid total war.
Same tense register, still apocalyptic
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Bone Collector
Jeffery Deaver1996
A quadriplegic forensics expert and a young policewoman track a serial killer who uses old New York history as a template for his crimes.
Same tense register, still ticking clock
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Under the Dome [2/2]
Stephen King2011
An invisible barrier traps a Maine town, cutting it off from the world. Residents struggle for resources as a local leader seizes power.
Same tense register, still apocalyptic
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Deadline at Dawn
Cornell Woolrich1944
A sailor and a dancer have until sunrise to find a killer and clear their names. The story follows their frantic search through New York City.
Same tense register, still ticking clock
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Amberes
Roberto Bolaño2002
A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.
tense → cold
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+2bleak-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.
tense → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
tense → cold
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
Grunge
Larry Correia2016
A Marine killed in a bombing is resurrected to hunt supernatural creatures. He joins a private company that kills monsters for government bounties.
tense → sardonic, still horror
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
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.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
tense → playful
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
tense → wry
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace-2prose-1bleak-3
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-2·prose-1·bleak-3
Slower
- pace-3prose+2bleak-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.
tense → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-3prose+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-3·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+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-3·prose+2·bleak-3
- pace-3prose+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-3·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-3prose+2bleak-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.
tense → meditative
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1