After
The ninth circle
Alex Bell2008
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
The Glamour
Christopher Priest2005
An amnesiac man recovers from a bombing and learns about a group of people who are invisible to others. He reconstructs his past through diaries.
Same dreamlike register, still psychological thriller
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
The Bridge
Iain Banks1986
An amnesiac man lives on a massive, endless bridge. He explores its social strata and surreal architecture while trying to remember his identity.
Same dreamlike register, still amnesia
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Last One
Alexandra Oliva2016
A woman competes on a survival reality show while a global pandemic collapses civilization. She believes the carnage is part of the game.
dreamlike → tense, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak0
The Red Right Hand
Joel Townsley Rogers1945
A doctor pursues a hitchhiker who murdered his friend and severed the body's hand. The narrative spirals as the doctor becomes the prime suspect.
Same dreamlike register, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Rook
Daniel O'Malley2012
A woman wakes up surrounded by bodies with no memory and must use letters from her past self to navigate a secret supernatural agency.
dreamlike → wry, still urban fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
In Green's Jungles
Gene Wolfe2000
A narrator travels to different worlds while his physical form and memories shift. He recounts past voyages to prove his identity to his companions.
dreamlike → elegiac, still unreliable narrator
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.
Same dreamlike register, still amnesia
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
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VAS
Steve Tomasula2002
A man considers a vasectomy while the book uses diagrams and varied typography to explore the history of eugenics and biotechnology.
dreamlike → clinical
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Too Like the Lightning
Ada Palmer2016
In a 25th-century utopia, a convict narrates the discovery of a boy who can perform miracles. The prose uses 18th-century styles and gender terms.
dreamlike → sardonic, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
dreamlike → meditative, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
dreamlike → playful, still urban fantasy
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
Kerrelyn Sparks2005
A vampire who broke a fang kidnaps a dentist who is afraid of blood. She is hiding from the mafia while he needs his smile repaired.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Undead and Unwed
MaryJanice Davidson2004
After dying in a car crash, a fashion-obsessed woman wakes up as a vampire. She resists the local undead community's claim that she is their queen.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
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Night Pleasures
Sherrilyn Kenyon2002
An immortal warrior and a skeptical accountant are handcuffed together while being hunted by supernatural predators.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Bitten & Smitten
Michelle Rowen2006
Sarah is accidentally turned into a vampire and must rely on a grumpy, centuries-old vampire to teach her how to survive.
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Thoughtful
S.C. Stephens2015
Kellan Kyle falls for his best friend's girlfriend, Anna. The story retells the events of Thoughtless from Kellan's perspective.
dreamlike → earnest
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
dreamlike → propulsive, still urban fantasy
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Skin Game
Jim Butcher2014
Wizard Harry Dresden joins a team of villains to rob a vault in the Underworld. It is a fast-paced heist set in a modern fantasy Chicago.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
dreamlike → wry
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Never Lie
Freida McFadden2022
A couple trapped in a blizzard at a missing psychiatrist's estate find hidden tapes of her sessions. The story alternates between past and present.
dreamlike → propulsive, still psychological thriller
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
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.
Same dreamlike register, still amnesia
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.
dreamlike → 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.
dreamlike → 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.
dreamlike → 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.
dreamlike → earnest
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
Heavier
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Perdido Street Station
China Miéville2000
A scientist in a sprawling, industrial city agrees to help a winged refugee fly again. His research accidentally unleashes a psychic predator.
dreamlike → bleak, still urban fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
The Machine
James Smythe2013
A woman uses a machine to rebuild her husband’s lost memories, but the restored personality becomes increasingly dangerous.
dreamlike → bleak, still psychological thriller
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
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Hater
David Moody2006
A sudden epidemic causes ordinary people to commit extreme acts of violence against others. A father tries to protect his family as society collapses.
dreamlike → bleak, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood1985
In a totalitarian state with a plummeting birth rate, a woman is enslaved as a reproductive vessel. She records her daily life and memories.
dreamlike → cold, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Doomsday Book
Connie Willis1992
A student travels to 14th-century England while a virus spreads in the present. She arrives during the Black Death due to a technical error.
dreamlike → bleak
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
