FantasticLand

Stranded

Bracken MacLeod2016

The crew of an Arctic ship becomes trapped in fog after a storm. As they fall ill, they discover a mysterious structure on the ice.

Same tense register, still survival horror

pace0·prose0·bleak0

Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist

Charles Brockden Brown2009

A religious man hears mysterious voices that drive him toward violence and madness. It is an early American gothic told through letters.

Same tense register, still epistolary

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

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

The Martian

Andy Weir2011

A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

tense → wry

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

The Comfort Book

Matt Haig2021

A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.

tense → warm

pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

Odessa Sea

Clive Cussler2016

Dirk Pitt investigates a ghost ship in the Black Sea and discovers a conspiracy involving a lost Romanov secret. It is a high-speed adventure.

tense → propulsive

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

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·prose-1·bleak0

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

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

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Brian Keene2010

A small Virginia town is surrounded by a wall of absolute blackness. The residents struggle to survive as the darkness begins to change them.

tense → bleak, still survival horror

pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist

Charles Brockden Brown2009

A religious man hears mysterious voices that drive him toward violence and madness. It is an early American gothic told through letters.

Same tense register, still epistolary

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

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.

tense → bleak, still survival horror

pace0·prose-1·bleak+1