After
Infinity Engine
Neal L. Asher2017
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Luna: Wolf Moon
Ian McDonald2017
The Corta family fights to survive on the Moon after their corporate empire is destroyed. It follows multiple heirs seeking revenge or safety.
Same cold register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hyperion Cantos
Dan Simmons1996
Seven pilgrims travel to the Shrike on the eve of a galactic war. Each tells their story in a different literary style.
cold → elegiac, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Chasm City
Alastair Reynolds2001
A mercenary hunts a killer in a city transformed by a virus that fuses flesh and machinery. The narrative weaves between the hunt and past memories.
Same cold register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Brass Man
Neal Asher2005
An agent pursues a cyborg enemy across star systems while a scientist uncovers the truth about a lethal, ancient alien technology.
Same cold register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Warship
Neal L. Asher2019
A cyborg guardian weaponizes a black hole to contain dangerous technology. Human AIs and alien fleets converge to stop or control her.
cold → clinical, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Radiance
Catherynne M. Valente2015
A documentary filmmaker disappears on Venus in an alternate 1980s solar system. The story is told through scripts, interviews, and letters.
cold → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Perhaps the Stars
Ada Palmer2021
A global war between ideological factions reaches its conclusion. The story is told through a dense, 18th-century style narrative voice.
cold → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Shadow & Claw
Gene Wolfe1983
A torturer travels across a far-future Earth where technology is indistinguishable from magic. He recounts his exile in dense, archaic prose.
cold → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Empty Space
M. John Harrison2012
Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.
cold → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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.
cold → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Star Nomad
Lindsay Buroker2016
A fighter pilot and a small crew of strangers attempt to escape a system-wide war in a freighter. It is a character-driven space adventure.
cold → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
And One Last Thing...
Molly Harper2010
After a public divorce, a woman moves to a small town to start over and finds herself pursued by a local deputy.
cold → wry
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Perfection
R.L. Mathewson2011
A woman tries to ignore her neighbor, a man with a massive appetite who constantly steals her food. They bicker until a relationship forms.
cold → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
cold → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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.
cold → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The Star Wars Trilogy
George Lucas2018
A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.
cold → earnest, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
The Android's Dream
John Scalzi2006
A diplomat must find a specific, genetically engineered sheep to prevent an interstellar war. The story is a fast-paced, irreverent space comedy.
cold → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
Chilling Effect
Valerie Valdes2019
A spaceship captain completes dangerous missions to pay off a ransom for her kidnapped sister. The crew includes a pilot who is a sentient plant.
cold → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
The Star Kings
Edmond Hamilton1949
A 20th-century man swaps bodies with a prince 200,000 years in the future. He must lead a galactic empire against a tyrant's fleet.
cold → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
cold → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino1972
Marco Polo describes fifty-five imaginary cities to Kublai Khan. The book is a series of short, prose-poem meditations on urban existence.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Beelzebub's tales to his grandson
Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950
An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.
cold → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose0bleak-2
Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury1946
A twelve-year-old boy experiences a series of vignettes over one summer in 1928 Illinois. The chapters focus on small-town life and aging.
cold → elegiac
pace-2·prose0·bleak-2
- pace-2prose-1bleak-2
For Us, the Living
Robert A. Heinlein2003
A 1930s pilot wakes up in the year 2086. The book consists of long dialogues explaining the social, economic, and sexual norms of the future.
cold → earnest
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-2
Heavier
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Consider Phlebas
Iain Banks1987
A shape-shifting mercenary works for an alien empire to retrieve a rogue AI during a galactic war. He faces a series of deadly set-pieces.
cold → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
An Exchange of Hostages
Susan R. Matthews1997
A surgeon is drafted into a space empire's corps of torturers. He tries to maintain his ethics while being trained to inflict pain.
cold → clinical, still space opera
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
A space pirate, a victim, and a police officer are trapped in a cycle of abuse and betrayal. The narrative shifts perspectives to reveal lies.
cold → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice
Karen Traviss2007
Jacen Solo hunts his own parents during a galactic civil war. He commits increasingly ruthless acts to secure his power as a Sith apprentice.
cold → bleak, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Star by Star
Troy Denning2001
Jedi strike teams infiltrate enemy space to destroy a biological weapon that tracks Force-users. The plot focuses on a high-stakes mission.
cold → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
