After
His Master's Voice
Stanisław Lem2018
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Solaris
Stanisław Lem1961
A psychologist arrives at a research station on a planet covered by a sentient ocean. The ocean manifests physical forms of his repressed memories.
clinical → meditative, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Hunter of Worlds
C. J. Cherryh1977
A human is abducted by the Iduve, a cold and powerful alien race, to serve as a translator and pawn in their internal political conflicts.
clinical → cold, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Schild's Ladder
Greg Egan2002
Physicists in the far future attempt to stop an expanding vacuum bubble that threatens to consume the universe. It focuses on theoretical physics.
clinical → meditative, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Wheelers
Ian Stewart2000
Scientists discover wheel-shaped lifeforms on Jupiter while a comet threatens to collide with Earth.
clinical → meditative, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The sunborn
Gregory Benford2005
Two veteran astronauts lead a mission to Pluto to investigate intelligent life found in the methane seas. Rival crews must cooperate to survive.
clinical → meditative, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
To recover
clinical → propulsive
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown2009
Symbologist Robert Langdon follows a trail of Masonic puzzles through Washington D.C. monuments to save his kidnapped mentor.
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire2013
This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
This Man
Jodi Ellen Malpas2013
An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.
clinical → tense
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Real Murders
Charlaine Harris1990
A librarian in a small Georgia town belongs to a club that studies famous crimes. A real murder occurs that mimics a historical case.
clinical → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
clinical → wry
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
clinical → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
clinical → wry
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
Skin Game
Jim Butcher2014
Wizard Harry Dresden joins a team of villains to rob a vault in the Underworld. It is a fast-paced heist set in a modern fantasy Chicago.
clinical → propulsive
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
clinical → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
Heavier
- pace+2prose-2bleak+1
Titan
Stephen Baxter1997
A crew of astronauts embarks on a one-way mission to Saturn's moon. The narrative details the technical and psychological decay of the mission.
clinical → cold, still hard scifi
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+1
- pace+2prose-1bleak+1
Maelstrom
Peter Watts2001
A bio-engineered virus spreads through the global network while a woman navigates a flooded, post-apocalyptic landscape.
clinical → bleak, still hard scifi
pace+2·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak+1
The Trial
Franz Kafka1925
A bank officer is arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority for a crime that is never named.
clinical → cold, still philosophical fiction
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Fiasco
Stanisław Lem1986
Humans on a spaceship attempt to force communication with an alien civilization that refuses to respond. It ends in a total failure of logic.
Same clinical register, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Salt
Adam Roberts2000
Two groups of colonists with opposing ideologies settle on a salt-covered planet, leading to a total breakdown of their society.
clinical → bleak, still hard scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
