Zombie Fallout

Siege

Rhiannon Frater2012

Survivors in a Texas fort defend themselves against zombies and bandits while a political conspiracy threatens their safety.

sardonic → tense, still post-apocalyptic

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

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.

sardonic → dark

pace-1·prose+3·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.

sardonic → cold

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

Ghost Stories

Henry James2001

A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

sardonic → meditative

pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

Margo's Got Money Troubles

Rufi Thorpe2024

A young mother starts an OnlyFans to avoid eviction. She uses her father's professional wrestling advice to build a persona and manage her life.

sardonic → wry

pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

Ten Things I Love About You

Julia Quinn2010

To save her family from poverty, Annabel Winslow must choose between a wealthy, elderly earl and his charming, penniless nephew.

pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

Seeing a large cat

Elizabeth Peters1988

Archaeologist Amelia Peabody investigates a mysterious warning in the Valley of the Kings in 1903. She balances family life with solving a murder.

sardonic → wry

pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

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.

sardonic → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

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.

sardonic → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Extinction Machine

Jonathan Maberry2013

Joe Ledger investigates a series of global incidents involving UFOs and missing government officials. It is a high-speed military techno-thriller.

sardonic → propulsive, still military sci-fi

pace+1·prose0·bleak-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.

sardonic → playful

pace-2·prose+3·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.

sardonic → elegiac

pace-2·prose+3·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.

sardonic → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·bleak-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.

sardonic → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

One

Conrad Williams2009

A man walks across a scorched, post-apocalyptic Britain to find his son. He encounters red rain, ruins, and cannibalism.

sardonic → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+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.

sardonic → tense, still post-apocalyptic

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1