After
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice
Karen Traviss2007
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Legacy of the Force - Exile
Aaron Allston2007
Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker face an ambush while investigating signs of a growing rebellion against the Galactic Alliance.
bleak → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Dooku - Jedi Lost
Cavan Scott2019
The story follows Dooku from his childhood as a Jedi apprentice under Yoda to his eventual turn to the Sith. It is told through archival records.
bleak → elegiac, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
bleak → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Rogue One - A Star Wars Story
Alexander Freed2016
A group of disparate rebels attempts to steal the technical plans for a galactic superweapon. The mission is a military suicide operation.
bleak → earnest, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Dark Tide II - Ruin
Michael A. Stackpole2000
Jedi Knights conduct a reconnaissance mission on an occupied planet during an invasion by an alien race that exists outside the Force.
bleak → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace0prose+2bleak-1
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.
bleak → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Sometimes a Great Notion
Ken Kesey1964
A family of independent loggers in Oregon refuses to join a local strike. The perspective shifts rapidly between characters, often mid-paragraph.
bleak → elegiac
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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.
bleak → dreamlike, still space opera
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
A Veiled Deception
Annette Blair2009
A vintage shop owner investigates a murder during her sister's wedding preparations to clear her family's name.
bleak → playful
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful, still space opera
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace0prose-1bleak-3
It Starts with Us
Colleen Hoover2022
A single mother navigates a new relationship with her first love while managing a jealous ex-husband. The story alternates perspectives.
bleak → earnest
pace0·prose-1·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → wry, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Edge of Victory I - Conquest
J. Gregory Keyes2001
Anakin Solo travels to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to rescue students from an invading fleet of Yuuzhan Vong warriors.
bleak → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-1bleak-3
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.
bleak → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3
Slower
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
bleak → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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-2
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-3
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
