LitQueuelitqueue

After

On My Way to Paradise

Dave Wolverton1989

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Ghosts of Onyx (Halo)

    Eric S. Nylund2006

    A group of Spartan super-soldiers trains a new generation of recruits on the planet Onyx while under attack by an alien fleet.

    bleak → propulsive, still military sci-fi

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Valis

    Philip K. Dick1981

    A man experiences a beam of pink light that imparts vast information. The narrative explores his mental breakdown and search for God in California.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    bleak → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Smokin' Seventeen

    Janet Evanovich2011

    A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

    bleak → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

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

    bleak → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • A Galaxy Unknown

    Thomas DePrima2010

    An ensign uses her tactical skills to rise through the ranks of a space navy while fighting pirates and internal bureaucracy.

    bleak → earnest, still military sci-fi

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

bleak → tense, still military sci-fi

3 more ↓

  • A Plague of Demons

    Keith Laumer1965

    A secret agent investigates the disappearance of entire battalions. He discovers an alien invasion and has his brain transplanted into a giant tank.

    bleak → propulsive, still military sci-fi

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • Fortune's Pawn

    Rachel Bach

    A power-armored mercenary joins the crew of a suspicious cargo ship to earn enough money for her elite military dreams.

    bleak → propulsive, still military sci-fi

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Killing of Worlds

    Scott Westerfeld2003

    Captain Laurent Zai fights a lone ship-to-ship battle against invaders while Senator Nara Oxham uncovers the Emperor's secrets.

    bleak → propulsive, still military sci-fi

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-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.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Handmaid's Tale

    Margaret Atwood1985

    In a totalitarian state with a plummeting birth rate, a woman is enslaved as a reproductive vessel. She records her daily life and memories.

    bleak → cold

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Doomsday Book

    Connie Willis1992

    A student travels to 14th-century England while a virus spreads in the present. She arrives during the Black Death due to a technical error.

    Same bleak register

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Perdido Street Station

    China Miéville2000

    A scientist in a sprawling, industrial city agrees to help a winged refugee fly again. His research accidentally unleashes a psychic predator.

    Same bleak register

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1