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After

Unbury Carol

Josh Malerman2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Final Girl Support Group

    Grady Hendrix2021

    Six women who survived real-life slasher massacres meet for therapy. When one is murdered, they must find the killer before they are all dead.

    Same propulsive register

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Denser prose

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  • 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.

    propulsive → bleak, still dark fantasy

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  • 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.

    propulsive → dark

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  • 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.

    propulsive → cold

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To recover

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  • Love Bites

    Lynsay Sands2004

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    propulsive → playful

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  • This Girl

    Colleen Hoover2013

    A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.

    propulsive → earnest

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  • Walking Disaster

    Jamie McGuire2013

    This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

    Same propulsive register

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Faster

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  • Creepers

    David Morrell2005

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    propulsive → tense

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  • Patient Zero

    Jonathan Maberry2009

    A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.

    Same propulsive register

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  • The Rising

    Brian Keene2003

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

    propulsive → bleak

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Slower

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  • 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.

    propulsive → playful

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  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    propulsive → elegiac

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  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    propulsive → meditative

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Heavier

propulsive → bleak, still dark fantasy

3 more ↓

  • The Dark Eidolon

    Clark Ashton Smith2009

    A sorcerer seeks revenge against a king in a dying world under a dim sun. The story uses dense, archaic prose to describe necromancy and demons.

    propulsive → cold, still dark fantasy

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Unblemished

    Conrad Williams2006

    A mother protects her daughter from a lineage of flesh-eating monsters. The story follows a serial killer and a man holding ancient secrets.

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  • Frankenstein

    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818

    Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.

    propulsive → elegiac

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