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After

Black River Orchard

Chuck Wendig2023

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Toll

    Cherie Priest2019

    A man disappears while driving across a bridge in the Georgia swamp. His wife returns to the area to uncover the local folklore and history.

    Same tense register, still folk horror

    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 ↓

  • Evans to Betsy

    Rhys Bowen2002

    A Welsh barmaid takes a job at a New Age center run by a charismatic American woman, only to find herself in the middle of a mystery.

    tense → wry, still small town

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Miss Ruffles inherits everything

    Martin, Nancy2015

    A woman in Texas protects a dog that inherited a fortune from its wealthy owner. She investigates the owner's suspicious death.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • A killer stitch

    Maggie Sefton2007

    In a Colorado town, a knitter investigates the death of an alpaca rancher found in a canyon during the holiday season.

    tense → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Creepers

    David Morrell2005

    Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.

    Same tense register

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Rising

    Brian Keene2003

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

    tense → bleak

    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 ↓

  • Geek Love

    Katherine Dunn1989

    Carnival owners breed their own children into 'human oddities' using chemicals. The story follows the siblings' rivalries and a cult of followers.

    tense → sardonic, still body horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Black Hole

    Charles Burns2005

    A graphic novel following Seattle teenagers in the 1970s as a sexually transmitted disease causes physical mutations. It focuses on social isolation.

    tense → bleak, still body horror

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Devil’s Creek

    Todd Keisling2020

    In a small Kentucky town, the survivors of a 1983 cult massacre return to face a rising cosmic entity. The horror is graphic and nihilistic.

    tense → bleak, still folk horror

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1