After
The Famished Road
Ben Okri1991
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Aeneid
Publius Vergilius Maro1990
A Trojan warrior leads survivors across the Mediterranean to found a new civilization in Italy. The story is told in dactylic hexameter verse.
dreamlike → elegiac, still chosen one
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Lesley Nneka Arimah2017
A collection of short stories set in Nigeria and the US, ranging from realistic family dramas to speculative tales of future floods.
dreamlike → elegiac, still magical realism
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Number9dream
David Mitchell2001
A young man searches for his father in Tokyo. The narrative shifts between his reality, daydreams, and video-game-inspired fantasies.
Same dreamlike register, still magical realism
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak0
1Q84
Haruki Murakami2011
A woman and a man enter a parallel version of 1984 Tokyo with two moons. Their paths converge through a religious cult and a series of murders.
Same dreamlike register, still magical realism
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Bone People
Keri Hulme1984
A reclusive artist, a mute boy, and a drifter form a volatile bond on the New Zealand coast. The narrative incorporates Maori myth and language.
Same dreamlike register, still magical realism
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
To recover
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
The time keeper
Mitch Albom2011
The inventor of the first clock is released from a cave to help two people in the modern world. He teaches them the value of their remaining time.
dreamlike → earnest, still magical realism
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Other Birds
Sarah Addison Allen2022
A young woman moves into her late mother's apartment on a South Carolina island. She interacts with eccentric neighbors and literal ghosts.
dreamlike → warm, still magical realism
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-2
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
John Mark Comer
A pastor argues for a slower pace of life based on Christian principles and his own experience with burnout.
dreamlike → earnest
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-3bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Dial A for Aunties
Jesse Q. Sutanto2021
A photographer accidentally kills her blind date. Her mother and aunties help hide the body during a massive luxury wedding.
dreamlike → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak0
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
dreamlike → tense
pace+2·prose-2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Candide
Voltaire
A naive young man travels the world while his tutor insists that everything is for the best. He encounters a series of global catastrophes.
dreamlike → sardonic
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
dreamlike → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
dreamlike → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → meditative, still magical realism
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-2bleak-1
Among Others
Jo Walton2011
A teenage girl at a 1970s boarding school copes with her twin's death through books and subtle magic. It is written as a series of diary entries.
dreamlike → tender, still magical realism
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
dreamlike → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner1936
The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.
dreamlike → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Love & Sleep
John Crowley1994
Pierce Moffett researches the history of magic while living in a small town. The narrative shifts between his life and the Renaissance.
dreamlike → meditative, still magical realism
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead2016
Two slaves escape a Georgia plantation via a literal underground train system while being pursued by a slave catcher.
dreamlike → bleak, still magical realism
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Ironweed
William Kennedy1983
A homeless alcoholic returns to Albany in 1938. He encounters the ghosts of his past while trying to find a day of work and reconciliation.
dreamlike → elegiac, still magical realism
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
The Summer that Melted Everything
Tiffany McDaniel2016
A boy claiming to be the devil arrives in a small Ohio town during a 1984 heatwave. His presence triggers a series of local tragedies.
dreamlike → elegiac, still magical realism
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Road
Cormac McCarthy2006
A father and son walk through a landscape of ash and scavengers toward the coast. They carry only what fits in a shopping cart.
dreamlike → bleak
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood2003
A man survives a genetic apocalypse in a world of engineered creatures. He remembers his past with a scientist and the woman they both loved.
dreamlike → sardonic
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
