LitQueuelitqueue

After

Aftermath

D.J. Molles2013

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • One Year After

    William R. Forstchen2015

    A small North Carolina town struggles to rebuild after an EMP attack. The community must resist a new, authoritarian federal government.

    Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

tense → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

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

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • A Galaxy Unknown

    Thomas DePrima2010

    An ensign uses her tactical skills to rise through the ranks of a space navy while fighting pirates and internal bureaucracy.

    tense → earnest, still military sci-fi

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Kaiju Preservation Society

    John Scalzi2022

    A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Smokin' Seventeen

    Janet Evanovich2011

    A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

    tense → propulsive, still military sci-fi

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • One

    Conrad Williams2009

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

    tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

    pace-1·prose+1·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.

    Same tense register, still post-apocalyptic

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+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.

    tense → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1