After
The Waste Lands
Stephen King2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Stephen King1991
A gunslinger and his companions cross a post-apocalyptic wasteland toward a high-tech city. They must solve riddles to survive a train ride.
tense → propulsive, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
Siege
Rhiannon Frater2012
Survivors in a Texas fort defend themselves against zombies and bandits while a political conspiracy threatens their safety.
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Lone Women
Victor LaValle2023
A black homesteader moves to 1915 Montana with a heavy trunk she must keep locked. The contents of the trunk protect and endanger her.
Same tense register, still weird west
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
Swan Song
Robert R. McCammon1987
Survivors of a nuclear holocaust travel across a ruined America. A girl with life-giving powers is hunted by a shapeshifting manifestation of evil.
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
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NOS4A2
Joe Hill2013
A woman with the ability to find lost objects hunts a supernatural kidnapper who takes children to a nightmare world in his 1938 Rolls-Royce.
Same tense register, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
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Ambergris
Jeff VanderMeer2020
This collection follows the history of a city built atop a subterranean race. It uses fake histories, journals, and detective noir.
tense → dreamlike, still dark fantasy
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
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Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist
Charles Brockden Brown2009
A religious man hears mysterious voices that drive him toward violence and madness. It is an early American gothic told through letters.
Same tense register
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
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.
tense → bleak, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Edgar Allen Poe (Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Fall of the House of Usher / Gold Bug / Metzengerstein / Murders in the Rue Morgue / Narrative of Arthur Gordn Pym / Never Bet the Devil Your Head / Pit and the Pendulum / Purloined Letter / Tell-Tale Heart)
Edgar Allan Poe2005
A collection of gothic stories and a novel. Narrators deal with psychological collapse, premature burial, and macabre crimes.
tense → bleak
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Castle of Wizardry
David Eddings1984
A young sorcerer and his companions travel across a continent to return a powerful artifact to its rightful throne.
tense → playful, still quest
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → propulsive
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
tense → wry
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Assistant to the Villain
Hannah Nicole Maehrer2023
A woman takes a job as an administrative assistant to a local villain to support her family. She manages his office while ignoring his evil deeds.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Fearless Fourteen
Janet Evanovich2008
A bounty hunter searches for a missing bank robber while a stoner guards a cop's house. The plot involves a hidden nine-million-dollar fortune.
tense → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
tense → propulsive, still post-apocalyptic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
tense → earnest, still post-apocalyptic
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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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-2·prose+2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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-2·prose+2·bleak-1
Heavier
tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic
- pace-1prose0bleak+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.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Walking Dead, Book Two
Robert Kirkman2007
Rick Grimes leads survivors to a prison for safety. They fortify the walls, but internal conflict and outside threats jeopardize the sanctuary.
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
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.
tense → bleak, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+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.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Mr. Hands
Gary A. Braunbeck2007
A grieving mother uses a supernatural entity to take revenge on those who harm children. The story follows the consequences of her vigilante pact.
tense → bleak, still dark fantasy
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
