After
The Carpet Makers
Andreas Eschbach1995
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Star Wars - Cloak of Deception
James Luceno2001
A Jedi Master and his apprentice investigate trade route taxation and political sabotage in the lead-up to a galactic summit.
cold → tense, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
Songmaster
Orson Scott Card1980
A boy with a voice that manipulates human emotion is trained in a secluded monastery and then sent to serve a galactic emperor.
cold → elegiac, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Dark Forest
Liu Cixin2008
Humanity prepares for an alien invasion arriving in 400 years. Four individuals are given absolute power to develop secret defense strategies.
Same cold register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Salvation
Peter F. Hamilton2018
In 2204, a team investigates a crashed alien ship while a future timeline reveals the consequences of that discovery for the human race.
cold → tense, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
The Hydrogen Sonata
Iain Banks2012
As a civilization prepares to transcend physical reality, a soldier searches for an ancient man to clear her name of a massacre.
cold → sardonic, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace0prose+2bleak0
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
pace0·prose+2·bleak0
- pace+1prose+2bleak0
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
pace+1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+2bleak0
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
pace0·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace0prose+2bleak0
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.
cold → meditative
pace0·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-2
The Stainless Steel Rat
Harry Harrison1961
A futuristic con man is caught by the Special Corps and forced to use his criminal skills to catch other lawbreakers.
cold → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose0bleak-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+2·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-1bleak-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+2·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak-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-1·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-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-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose0bleak-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-1·prose0·bleak-2
Heavier
- pace+1prose+1bleak+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
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+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
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose+1bleak+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
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak+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
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose0bleak+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
pace+1·prose0·bleak+1
