After
Soldier On
Shawn Chesser
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
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The Undead Day One
R.R. Haywood
A supermarket manager attempts to survive the first twenty-four hours of a zombie outbreak in England. The story is told in real-time.
Same propulsive register, still zombie apocalypse
pace0·prose0·bleak0
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Chaos
John O'Brien
A group of military survivors secures a base during a global viral outbreak. They focus on logistics, defense, and tactical operations.
propulsive → tense, still zombie apocalypse
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Infected
Bobby Adair
A slow-acting virus turns the population into aggressive predators. The story follows a survivor navigating the initial societal collapse.
Same propulsive register, still zombie apocalypse
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
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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.
Same propulsive register, still zombie apocalypse
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1 more ↓ ↑
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Patient Zero
Jonathan Maberry2009
A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.
Same propulsive register
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Denser prose
propulsive → dreamlike
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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.
pace-2·prose+3·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.
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+3bleak+2
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.
propulsive → dark
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2
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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.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
Ghost Stories
Henry James2001
A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
To recover
propulsive → playful
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
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.
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Body Movers
Stephanie Bond2006
A department store employee joins a body-transport service for a trip to Florida that involves a missing socialite and a loan shark.
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
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Margo's Got Money Troubles
Rufi Thorpe2024
A young mother starts an OnlyFans to avoid eviction. She uses her father's professional wrestling advice to build a persona and manage her life.
propulsive → wry
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Ten Things I Love About You
Julia Quinn2010
To save her family from poverty, Annabel Winslow must choose between a wealthy, elderly earl and his charming, penniless nephew.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Seeing a large cat
Elizabeth Peters1988
Archaeologist Amelia Peabody investigates a mysterious warning in the Valley of the Kings in 1903. She balances family life with solving a murder.
propulsive → wry
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak-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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → elegiac
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+2
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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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
Heavier
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
City Of The Dead
Brian Keene2005
Survivors of a zombie plague retreat to a fortified skyscraper. The undead are possessed by demons and retain their human intelligence.
propulsive → bleak, still zombie apocalypse
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Night of the Living Dead
John A. Russo
A group of strangers barricades themselves in a farmhouse to survive a night against reanimated corpses.
propulsive → tense, still zombie apocalypse
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
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Wet Work - The Definitive Edition
Philip Nutman2007
A biological weapon turns the American population into cannibalistic monsters. A soldier and his daughter navigate the gore-filled collapse.
propulsive → bleak, still military horror
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-2prose+2bleak+2
Frankenstein
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818
Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.
propulsive → elegiac
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Flowers in the Attic
V.C. Andrews1979
Four children are hidden in an attic for years by their mother and grandmother to secure an inheritance. They face gradual poisoning and abuse.
propulsive → elegiac
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
