After
The King of Plagues
Jonathan Maberry2011
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Assassin's Code
Jonathan Maberry2012
A special ops team hunts for nuclear bombs in the Middle East. They encounter genetically engineered killers and a centuries-old conspiracy.
Same propulsive register, still technothriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Anomaly
Michael Rutger2018
A disgraced archaeologist filming a web series discovers a hidden cavern in the Grand Canyon that defies the laws of physics.
Same propulsive register, still horror
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose-1bleak0
Full Wolf Moon
Lincoln Child2017
An investigator of the supernatural travels to an isolated Adirondack retreat to look into a series of brutal, animal-like killings.
Same propulsive register, still technothriller
pace-1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Rats
James Herbert1974
Giant, man-eating rats overrun London, attacking citizens in homes and subways. The story follows the escalating biological disaster.
Same propulsive register, still horror
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
They Thirst
Robert McCammon
An ancient vampire brings an army to Los Angeles to turn the city into a necropolis. A group of survivors attempts to stop the apocalypse.
Same propulsive register, still horror
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
Denser prose
propulsive → dreamlike
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski1998
A man finds a door in his house that should not exist. The story is told through layers of academic footnotes and a decaying manuscript.
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
Ambergris
Jeff VanderMeer2020
This collection follows the history of a city built atop a subterranean race. It uses fake histories, journals, and detective noir.
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
The Golden
Lucius Shepard1993
A vampire detective investigates the murder of a woman bred for her blood. The story takes place within a sprawling castle during a summit.
propulsive → decadent
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+2
The Unholy Consult
R. Scott Bakker2017
A messiah leads his armies toward a final confrontation with an ancient, soul-devouring force. The world is ending.
propulsive → bleak
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-2prose+2bleak+2
Android Karenina
Лев Толстой2010
The text of Tolstoy's classic is modified to include robots, cyborgs, and space travel in a 19th-century Russian setting.
propulsive → elegiac, still horror
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Hard eight
Janet Evanovich2002
A bounty hunter searches for a missing mother and child while navigating a love triangle and a dangerous criminal. It is a humorous mystery.
propulsive → playful, still action
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → sardonic, still horror
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
Dark Lover
J. R. Ward2005
A vampire king seeks revenge against the slayers who killed his parents while protecting a woman discovering her own supernatural heritage.
Same propulsive register
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
Hot mahogany
Stuart Woods2008
A lawyer guards a former spy with amnesia who restores antique furniture. They uncover a conspiracy linked to the man's service in Vietnam.
propulsive → wry
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- 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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+2bleak-1
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+2bleak+2
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
propulsive → elegiac
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-3prose+2bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
propulsive → meditative
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose-1bleak+2
Intercepts
T.J. Payne2020
A worker at a government facility monitors human test subjects driven insane by sensory deprivation. The experiment enters his private life.
propulsive → tense, still technothriller
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Desperation
Stephen King1996
A demonic entity possesses a small-town sheriff and begins slaughtering travelers. A young boy who hears God leads the survivors.
propulsive → bleak, still horror
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
Flowers in the Attic
V.C. Andrews1979
Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.
propulsive → elegiac, still horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
The Lottery
Shirley Jackson1983
Villagers gather for an annual ritual in a small town. The story follows the procedural steps of a lottery that ends in a public execution.
propulsive → cold, still horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Exquisite Corpse
Poppy Z. Brite1996
Two serial killers meet in New Orleans and collaborate on the abduction and murder of a young man. The prose details extreme physical violence.
propulsive → bleak, still horror
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
