After
The Dark Eidolon
Clark Ashton Smith2009
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Colossus of Ylourgne
Clark Ashton Smith2009
A necromancer and his pupils gather thousands of corpses to construct a massive golem. A rival sorcerer attempts to stop their ritual.
cold → sardonic, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
The Hellbound Heart
Clive Barker1991
A man opens a puzzle box that summons demonic beings to harvest his soul through sensory extremes. His brother's wife attempts to bring him back.
Same cold register, still deal with the devil
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
James Hogg1824
A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.
Same cold register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West
Cormac McCarthy
A teenager rides with a scalp-hunting gang across the 1850s border. The violence is the subject, not the obstacle.
Same cold register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft2014
This collection presents twenty-two stories of cosmic horror alongside extensive footnotes regarding the author's life and influences.
Same cold register, still weird fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
cold → propulsive
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
cold → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
cold → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
cold → earnest
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
cold → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Hellsing
Kohta Hirano2003
A secret British organization uses a powerful vampire to fight a supernatural Nazi uprising. The Vatican intervenes as London is besieged.
cold → sardonic, still dark fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Something is Killing the Children, Book One
James Tynion IV2021
A monster hunter arrives in a town where children are being eaten by invisible creatures. It is a graphic novel about systemic violence.
cold → tense, still dark fantasy
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Creepers
David Morrell2005
Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.
cold → tense
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Patient Zero
Jonathan Maberry2009
A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.
cold → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak0
The Rising
Brian Keene2003
A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.
cold → bleak
pace+2·prose-3·bleak0
Slower
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
cold → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
cold → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak-2
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
cold → meditative
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
