LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Collectors

David Baldacci2006

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Armada

    Ernest Cline2015

    A teenager who excels at a flight simulator video game discovers the game is a training tool for an actual alien invasion.

    Same propulsive register, still conspiracy

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Amberes

    Roberto Bolaño2002

    A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.

    propulsive → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Blood on the dining-room floor

    Gertrude Stein1948

    A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.

    propulsive → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

    A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.

    propulsive → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Guards! Guards!

    Terry Pratchett1989

    A secret society summons a dragon to take over a fantasy city. A group of cynical, underfunded night watchmen must stop the beast.

    propulsive → wry

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Thraxas

    Martin Millar

    An overweight, beer-drinking private investigator with minor magical abilities solves crimes in a corrupt fantasy city.

    propulsive → wry

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Rooster Bar

    John Grisham2017

    Three law students realize their school is a scam and drop out to pose as lawyers. They steal identities to survive and pay off their debts.

    propulsive → sardonic

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • In the Blood

    Jack Carr2022

    A former Navy SEAL tracks an assassin across the globe after a plane explosion. He uses sniper tactics and surveillance to uncover a conspiracy.

    Same propulsive register, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Truth or die

    James Patterson

    An attorney investigates his girlfriend's death after she uncovers a global secret. He teams up with a teenage hacker to find the truth.

    Same propulsive register, still conspiracy thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • The President Is Missing

    Bill Clinton2018

    The U.S. President goes underground to stop a cyberattack that threatens to wipe out the nation's electrical and financial infrastructure.

    Same propulsive register, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • 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-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • A maça no escuro

    Clarice Lispector1961

    A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Red April

    Santiago Roncagliolo2009

    A prosecutor in 2000s Peru investigates a series of gruesome murders during Holy Week. He uncovers a conspiracy involving the military and rebels.

    propulsive → bleak, still political thriller

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Moneyland

    Oliver Bullough2018

    This nonfiction work tracks how global elites use offshore accounts and shell companies to hide wealth. It follows the history of money laundering.

    propulsive → tense, still political thriller

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

    A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.

    propulsive → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2