LitQueuelitqueue

After

Flesh

Richard Laymon1987

5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Hellsing

    Kohta Hirano2003

    A secret British organization uses a powerful vampire to fight a supernatural Nazi uprising. The Vatican intervenes as London is besieged.

    Same sardonic register

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

sardonic → 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.

    sardonic → dark

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    sardonic → cold

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

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

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Stardust

    Neil Gaiman1999

    A young man crosses a magical border to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved. He discovers the star is a woman being hunted by witches.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • Ringworld

    Larry Niven1970

    Four explorers travel to a massive artificial ring around a distant star. The story focuses on the mechanics and scale of the structure.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • The Da Vinci Code

    Dan Brown2003

    A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.

    sardonic → propulsive

    pace0·prose0·bleak-2

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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-3·prose+3·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.

    sardonic → elegiac

    pace-3·prose+3·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.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1

Heavier

sardonic → bleak, still splatterpunk

3 more ↓

  • Exquisite Corpse

    Poppy Z. Brite1996

    Two serial killers meet in New Orleans and collaborate on the abduction and murder of a young man. The prose details extreme physical violence.

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • 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.

    sardonic → bleak, still body horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Girl Next Door

    Jack Ketchum1989

    A group of children in the 1950s witness and participate in the prolonged torture of two sisters held captive in a basement.

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1