After
The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
Robert Kirkman
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
Robert Kirkman
A small group of survivors flees the ruins of their prison sanctuary. They travel through the woods, dealing with trauma and physical exhaustion.
Same bleak register, still zombies
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
The Human Condition
David Moody
A collection of short stories set during a zombie apocalypse. Each entry focuses on how different survivors react to the collapse of society.
Same bleak register, still zombies
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
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.
Same bleak register, still zombies
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
Siege
Rhiannon Frater2012
Survivors in a Texas fort defend themselves against zombies and bandits while a political conspiracy threatens their safety.
bleak → tense, still zombies
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Zombie Fallout
Mark Tufo2010
A sarcastic survivalist uses his prepper skills to lead his family through a zombie outbreak. The story is told through his first-person journal.
bleak → sardonic, still zombies
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
bleak → dreamlike
- pace-1prose+3bleak-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-1·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+3bleak-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-1·prose+3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-1prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-1prose+3bleak-1
Ghost Stories
Henry James2001
A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.
bleak → meditative
pace-1·prose+3·bleak-1
To recover
- pace0prose+1bleak-3
Safe Haven
Nicholas Sparks2010
A woman with a dark secret arrives in a small North Carolina town and cautiously begins a relationship with a widowed store owner.
bleak → earnest
pace0·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose+1bleak-3
Father Mine
J.R. Ward2008
A vampire warrior struggles with the prospect of fatherhood and his own violent history in this novella set in an established series.
bleak → tender
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak-3
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
L. Ron Hubbard2000
A human survivor leads a rebellion against the Psychlos, an alien race that has strip-mined Earth for a thousand years.
bleak → propulsive, still post-apocalyptic
pace0·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace0prose+1bleak-3
The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett1983
A failed wizard and a naive tourist travel across a flat world carried by a turtle. The story parodies fantasy tropes and clichés.
bleak → playful
pace0·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose+1bleak-3
A Choice of Gods
Clifford D. Simak1972
After humanity vanishes, a few survivors live for centuries on a quiet Earth. They eventually learn where the rest of the population went.
bleak → meditative, still post-apocalyptic
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Dead City
Joe McKinney2006
A police officer attempts to navigate San Antonio and find his family during a sudden, violent zombie outbreak caused by a virus.
bleak → propulsive, still zombies
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
The remaining
D. J Molles2014
A soldier emerges from a bunker into a world where a bacterium has turned most people into predators. He attempts to find survivors.
bleak → tense, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
The Walking Dead, Book Six
Robert Kirkman2010
Survivors of a zombie plague attempt to build a community in a fortified neighborhood. The focus is on group politics and interpersonal conflict.
Same bleak register, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
28 Days Later
Alex Garland2002
A man wakes from a coma to find London deserted and overrun by humans infected with a rage virus. He joins a small group of survivors.
Same bleak register, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose0bleak-2
The Fall
Thomas A. Watson
A survivalist uses his preparation and skills to protect his family during a sudden global collapse. The focus is on tactical defense.
bleak → earnest, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose0·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+3bleak-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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+3bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+3bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+3·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak-2
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+3·bleak-2
