After
Incidents Around the House
Josh Malerman2024
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Sour Candy
Kealan Patrick Burke2017
After a strange encounter in a grocery store, a man is forced to care for a boy who has rewritten the memories of everyone around them.
tense → bleak, still supernatural horror
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The Omen
David Seltzer1976
A diplomat secretly replaces his stillborn son with an orphan. As the child grows, violent accidents occur to those who threaten him.
Same tense register, still supernatural horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
A Head Full of Ghosts
Paul G. Tremblay2015
A camera crew films a family whose daughter exhibits signs of possession. The story is told through the sister's memory and the footage.
Same tense register, still psychological horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
When the Reckoning Comes
LaTanya McQueen2021
A woman returns to her segregated hometown for a wedding at a former plantation. The ghosts of enslaved people begin to seek physical revenge.
Same tense register, still supernatural horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
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In the Dark of the Night
John Saul2006
A family discovers a collection of surgical tools in their summer home, unaware they are being watched by a local killer.
Same tense register, still supernatural horror
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski1998
A man finds a door in his house that should not exist. The story is told through layers of academic footnotes and a decaying manuscript.
tense → dreamlike, still psychological horror
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
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Ambergris
Jeff VanderMeer2020
This collection follows the history of a city built atop a subterranean race. It uses fake histories, journals, and detective noir.
tense → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
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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, still psychological horror
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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, still psychological horror
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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-2·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
tense → playful
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
Dragon on a Pedestal
Piers Anthony1983
A three-year-old princess with the power of enhancement wanders away and befriends a giant dragon. They travel a land defined by puns.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
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The Duke and I
Julia Quinn2000
A duke and a debutante enter a fake courtship to avoid social pressure. They navigate Regency London's marriage market while hiding their deal.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
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Terms and Conditions
Lauren Asher2022
To secure his inheritance, a businessman enters a marriage of convenience with his assistant.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
Tall, Tatted and Tempting
Tammy Falkner2013
A tattoo artist who communicates through sign language falls for a woman who enters his shop. The story follows their domestic courtship.
tense → tender
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
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A Veiled Deception
Annette Blair2009
A vintage shop owner investigates a murder during her sister's wedding preparations to clear her family's name.
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-3
Slower
- pace-3prose+2bleak-1
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany1975
An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.
tense → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+2bleak-3
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.
tense → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+2bleak-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.
tense → playful
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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
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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
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