LitQueuelitqueue

After

Prodigal Blues

Gary A. Braunbeck2006

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Light at the End

    John Skipp2000

    A group of New Yorkers hunts a punk-rock vampire who is killing people in the subway system during the 1980s.

    Same bleak register, still splatterpunk

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    bleak → cold, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

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

    bleak → meditative, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Racconti [55 stories]

    Edgar Allan Poe2011

    A collection of 55 stories featuring unreliable narrators and gothic settings. Themes include obsession, premature burial, and the macabre.

    bleak → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Score

    Elle Kennedy2016

    A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.

    bleak → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

  • Fifty Shades of Grey

    E.L. James2000

    A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.

    bleak → earnest

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

  • 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.

    bleak → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Johnny Gruesome

    Greg Lamberson2008

    A murdered teenager returns from the grave to kill the classmates who betrayed him. It is a fast-paced slasher story with high gore.

    bleak → sardonic, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Clickers

    J. F. Gonzalez2000

    Giant carnivorous crabs emerge from the ocean to attack a small Maine town. A group of survivors attempts to escape the escalating gore.

    bleak → propulsive, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Hungry 4

    Steven W. Booth2013

    A sheriff and an outlaw travel to Los Angeles during a zombie outbreak. They encounter a suspicious rehabilitation facility in Malibu.

    bleak → propulsive, still splatterpunk

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    bleak → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2