After
The Butlerian Jihad
Brian Herbert2002
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same earnest register, still space opera
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Hidden Empire
Kevin J. Anderson2002
Humanity accidentally awakens an ancient elemental race while terraforming a gas giant. Multiple factions navigate the resulting galactic war.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Star Wars
J. W. Rinzler2013
This graphic novel adapts George Lucas's original 1974 rough draft. It features different versions of familiar characters and a distinct plot.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Edge of Dark
Brenda Cooper2015
A colony planet faces the return of post-human AIs banished to the edge of the solar system. The story follows the clash between flesh and silicon.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Wall Around a Star
Jack Williamson1983
Two humans travel to a massive artificial shell surrounding a star. They encounter diverse alien species while investigating the structure.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Where Peace Is Lost
Valerie Valdes2023
A former knight hiding her identity on a remote planet must reveal her past to save her people from an invading empire.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace0prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Against the Day
Thomas Pynchon2006
A massive ensemble cast navigates the globe between the 1893 World's Fair and WWI. The plot spans airships, math, and secret societies.
earnest → playful
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
earnest → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Star Nomad
Lindsay Buroker2016
A fighter pilot and a small crew of strangers attempt to escape a system-wide war in a freighter. It is a character-driven space adventure.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
The Stainless Steel Rat
Harry Harrison1961
A futuristic con man is caught by the Special Corps and forced to use his criminal skills to catch other lawbreakers.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose0bleak-2
The Witches of Karres
James H. Schmitz1966
A space captain rescues three young girls with psychic powers, only to find himself a fugitive from multiple galactic empires.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
earnest → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
The Star Wars Trilogy
George Lucas2018
A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.
Same earnest register, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
earnest → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
earnest → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+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.
earnest → elegiac
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose0bleak-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.
Same earnest register
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
Heavier
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
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.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
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.
earnest → clinical, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
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.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
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.
earnest → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Star by Star
Troy Denning2001
Jedi strike teams infiltrate enemy space to destroy a biological weapon that tracks Force-users. The plot focuses on a high-stakes mission.
earnest → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
