LitQueuelitqueue

After

Curfew

Phil Rickman

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Summer Sons

    Lee Mandelo2021

    Andrew investigates his best friend's apparent suicide in Nashville. He encounters fast cars, ghosts, and the secrets of a wealthy Southern family.

    Same tense register, still supernatural horror

    pace+1·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

    pace0·prose+1·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

    pace0·prose+1·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

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The cat who blew the whistle

    Lilian Jackson Braun1994

    A journalist and his two Siamese cats investigate a missing railroad enthusiast and a bank scandal. It is a small-town mystery.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Larceny and Old Lace

    Tamar Myers1996

    An antique shop owner investigates the murder of her aunt, who was strangled with a bell pull. She navigates the local collectibles market for clues.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Year zero

    Reid, Robert2012

    Aliens discover that Earth's music is the best in the galaxy and they owe humanity trillions in copyright fines.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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+2·prose-2·bleak+1

  • Shattered

    Dean Koontz1973

    A man and his future stepson drive across America while being stalked by the woman's vengeful ex-husband.

    Same tense register

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • The Executioner

    Chris Carter2010

    A Los Angeles detective hunts a serial killer who murders victims using their specific phobias. Each crime scene features a blood-scrawled number.

    Same tense register

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

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-1·prose+1·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-1·prose+1·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-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Incidents Around the House

    Josh Malerman2024

    An eight-year-old girl is stalked by a malevolent entity that wants to possess her. The story follows her family's attempts to flee the spirit.

    Same tense register, still supernatural horror

    pace+2·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

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • House of Bone and Rain

    Gabino Iglesias2024

    Five friends in Puerto Rico seek revenge for a mother's murder during a hurricane. Their quest involves both gangsters and spirits.

    tense → bleak, still supernatural horror

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1