After
The Boat of a Million Years
Poul Anderson1989
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Way Station
Clifford D. Simak1963
A Civil War veteran lives alone in a rural house that serves as a secret interstellar transfer station. He hosts aliens while remaining immortal.
elegiac → meditative, still immortality
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Songs of Distant Earth
Arthur C. Clarke1986
Refugees from a destroyed Earth arrive at a peaceful water-world. The story follows the cultural clash and the technical logistics of the visit.
Same elegiac register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Knight Moves
Walter Jon Williams1985
An immortal man living in the ruins of Earth is called back to action when strange aliens are found. He must face his past to save the future.
elegiac → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Silvia Moreno-Garcia2022
The daughter of a scientist lives on a remote estate in 19th-century Mexico among animal-human hybrids. Her isolated world is disrupted by visitors.
Same elegiac register, still historical fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
The Not Yet
Moira Crone2012
In 2121, a young man loses his status as a candidate for immortality and travels to a flooded New Orleans to find his stolen inheritance.
Same elegiac register, still immortality
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
Denser prose
- pace0prose+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.
elegiac → dreamlike, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace+1prose+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.
elegiac → meditative, still space opera
pace+1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+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.
elegiac → dreamlike, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+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.
elegiac → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose+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.
elegiac → meditative
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
To recover
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
elegiac → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
elegiac → wry, still hard sci fi
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The time keeper
Mitch Albom2011
The inventor of the first clock is released from a cave to help two people in the modern world. He teaches them the value of their remaining time.
elegiac → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
elegiac → meditative
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
elegiac → wry, still hard sci fi
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
elegiac → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
Warbound
Larry Correia2013
In an alternate 1930s, people with magical abilities fight a war against a trans-dimensional threat. It is the final book in a trilogy.
elegiac → propulsive, still historical fantasy
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
elegiac → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose+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.
elegiac → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
elegiac → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
elegiac → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Love & Sleep
John Crowley1994
Pierce Moffett researches the history of magic while living in a small town. The narrative shifts between his life and the Renaissance.
elegiac → meditative, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
The Habitation of the Blessed
Catherynne M. Valente2010
A priest finds the lost kingdom of Prester John. The story is told through three nested layers of journals, myths, and historical accounts.
elegiac → dreamlike, still historical fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
Consider Phlebas
Iain Banks1987
A shape-shifting mercenary works for an alien empire to retrieve a rogue AI during a galactic war. He faces a series of deadly set-pieces.
elegiac → bleak, still space opera
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
Dark Age
Pierce Brown2019
An outlawed revolutionary fights a losing war on Mercury while an exiled heir attempts to reclaim a space empire. It is a violent military epic.
elegiac → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
An Exchange of Hostages
Susan R. Matthews1997
A surgeon is drafted into a space empire's corps of torturers. He tries to maintain his ethics while being trained to inflict pain.
elegiac → clinical, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
A space pirate, a victim, and a police officer are trapped in a cycle of abuse and betrayal. The narrative shifts perspectives to reveal lies.
elegiac → bleak, still space opera
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice
Karen Traviss2007
Jacen Solo hunts his own parents during a galactic civil war. He commits increasingly ruthless acts to secure his power as a Sith apprentice.
elegiac → bleak, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
