LitQueuelitqueue

After

Dead Orbit

James Stokoe2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Walking Dead, Book Three

    Robert Kirkman2007

    Survivors of a zombie plague attempt to build a permanent community inside a prison while facing threats from other humans.

    Same bleak register, still survival horror

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Denser prose

bleak → dreamlike

3 more ↓

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Book of Hope

    Jane Goodall2021

    A dialogue-based book where Jane Goodall discusses her life's work and her reasons for remaining optimistic about the environment.

    bleak → earnest

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • The Man Who Quit Money

    Mark Sundeen2012

    A biography of Daniel Suelo, who abandoned currency in 2000. It follows his daily life scavenging and living in caves in the Utah wilderness.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead (Zen of Zombie Series)

    Scott Kenemore

    A satirical self-help guide that uses the behavior of zombies as a model for achieving mindfulness and reducing stress.

    bleak → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

Faster

bleak → tense, still survival horror

3 more ↓

  • Urban Gothic

    Brian Keene2009

    Suburban teens are trapped in a fortified house in a ruined city. A family of cannibalistic mutants hunts them through the basement.

    Same bleak register, still survival horror

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Battle Royale

    Koushun Takami1999

    A class of junior high students is trapped on an island and forced to kill each other until one remains. It follows several students' perspectives.

    bleak → propulsive, still survival horror

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye

    Robert Kirkman

    A small-town deputy wakes from a coma to find a zombie apocalypse. He searches for his family and leads a group of survivors.

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-2

  • 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.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

    Thomas Ligotti2010

    A series of philosophical essays arguing that human consciousness is a tragic evolutionary accident. It posits that non-existence is preferable.

    Same bleak register, still cosmic horror

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

Same bleak register, still cosmic horror

3 more ↓

  • The Troop

    Nick Cutter2014

    A scoutmaster and five boys are stranded on an island with a man carrying a parasitic infection. The organism spreads through the group.

    Same bleak register, still survival horror

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Hellbound Heart

    Clive Barker1991

    A man opens a puzzle box that summons demonic beings to harvest his soul through sensory extremes. His brother's wife attempts to bring him back.

    bleak → cold, still cosmic horror

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Ruins

    Scott Smith2005

    Four tourists are trapped on a hill in Mexico by locals and a predatory vine. The plant mimics sounds and grows inside their skin.

    bleak → tense, still survival horror

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1