After
The remaining
D. J Molles2014
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Aftermath
D.J. Molles2013
A wounded soldier in a post-apocalyptic world finds a group of survivors. He must protect his mission from a new human threat while healing.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hell Divers
Nicholas Sansbury Smith2016
Skydivers jump from massive airships to a ruined Earth to scavenge parts for humanity's survival. One team is stranded in a hostile zone.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
The Girl in Red
Christina Henry2019
A woman travels through a post-apocalyptic forest to reach her grandmother's house. She avoids quarantine camps and violent survivors.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Red Hill
Jamie McGuire2013
Three groups of survivors attempt to reach a ranch during a sudden zombie outbreak. The story follows their separate paths to the same refuge.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
Robert Kirkman
A small-town deputy wakes from a coma to find a zombie apocalypse. He searches for his family and leads a group of survivors.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
tense → dreamlike
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake1950
A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.
tense → dark
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
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.
tense → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
Ghost Stories
Henry James2001
A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.
tense → meditative
pace-2·prose+3·bleak0
To recover
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
Mackenzie's Pleasure
Linda Howard1996
A Navy SEAL rescues an ambassador's daughter from a terrorist group. They must evade capture in the mountains while developing a physical bond.
Same tense register
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace0prose0bleak-2
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.
tense → sardonic
pace0·prose0·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
The Uplift War
David Brin1987
A gorilla-like alien race invades the planet Garth. A small group of humans and uplifted chimpanzees lead a guerrilla resistance in the mountains.
tense → earnest, still military sci-fi
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-2
A Galaxy Unknown
Thomas DePrima2010
An ensign uses her tactical skills to rise through the ranks of a space navy while fighting pirates and internal bureaucracy.
tense → earnest, still military sci-fi
pace-1·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
All These Worlds
Dennis E. Taylor2017
A collective of sentient AI clones prepares for a space war against a predatory alien species while managing human colonies.
tense → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak-2
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.
tense → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
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.
tense → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
tense → elegiac
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
tense → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace-2prose+1bleak+1
Autumn
David Moody2011
A viral outbreak kills billions, and the corpses begin to move. Two groups of survivors with different philosophies are forced to work together.
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
The Walking Dead Vol. 7: Calm before
Robert Kirkman
Survivors attempt to maintain a stable community within a prison. Tensions rise as they prepare for an inevitable attack from a rival leader.
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
One
Conrad Williams2009
A man walks across a scorched, post-apocalyptic Britain to find his son. He encounters red rain, ruins, and cannibalism.
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Resistance
William C. Dietz2009
In 1951, an American soldier joins the British resistance against an evolving alien species that has conquered Europe. It is a military war story.
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Fall of the Governor: Part One
Jay Bonansinga
This novel tracks Philip Blake's transformation from a desperate father into the dictatorial villain known as the Governor.
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1