LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Scarlet Gospels

Clive Barker2015

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Ghoul

    Brian Keene2007

    A group of children in the 1980s discover a creature eating bodies in a local cemetery. The story follows their attempt to stop the monster.

    Same bleak register, still splatterpunk

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    Same bleak register, still dark fantasy

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+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.

    bleak → dark

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+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.

    bleak → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Starter Villain

    John Scalzi2023

    A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.

    bleak → wry

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Playing with Fire

    Gena Showalter2006

    A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.

    bleak → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Digital Fortress

    Dan Brown1998

    The NSA's code-breaking supercomputer encounters an unbreakable algorithm. A cryptographer and a professor race to find the kill code.

    bleak → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Johnny Gruesome

    Greg Lamberson2008

    A murdered teenager returns from the grave to kill the classmates who betrayed him. It is a fast-paced slasher story with high gore.

    bleak → sardonic, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Clickers

    J. F. Gonzalez2000

    Giant carnivorous crabs emerge from the ocean to attack a small Maine town. A group of survivors attempts to escape the escalating gore.

    bleak → propulsive, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Hungry 4

    Steven W. Booth2013

    A sheriff and an outlaw travel to Los Angeles during a zombie outbreak. They encounter a suspicious rehabilitation facility in Malibu.

    bleak → propulsive, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-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.

    bleak → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Girl Next Door

    Jack Ketchum1989

    A group of children in the 1950s witness and participate in the prolonged torture of two sisters held captive in a basement.

    Same bleak register, still splatterpunk

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Rising

    Brian Keene2003

    A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.

    Same bleak register, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Incidents Around the House

    Josh Malerman2024

    An eight-year-old girl is stalked by a malevolent entity that wants to possess her. The story follows her family's attempts to flee the spirit.

    bleak → tense, still supernatural horror

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1