After
The Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, #1-3)
Isaac Asimov
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Slow Time Between the Stars
John Scalzi2023
An artificial intelligence travels through deep space over centuries, observing the cosmos and reflecting on its human creators.
clinical → meditative, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
2001: A Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke1968
A crew travels toward Saturn to investigate a monolith. The ship's computer begins to malfunction as they approach their destination.
Same clinical register, still hard sci-fi
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Fleet of worlds
Larry Niven2007
Human scouts lead a fleet of planets away from a galactic supernova. They begin to uncover the truth about their alien benefactors' origins.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
World Engines
Stephen Baxter2019
A 21st-century pilot wakes from cryosleep into a future Earth with a different history and an impending planetary disaster.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0

1 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Not Till We Are Lost
Dennis E. Taylor2024
A collective of digital clones navigates internal schisms and a discovery at the galactic center. It follows multiple versions of the same man.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
clinical → dreamlike
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
The Claw of the Conciliator
Gene Wolfe1981
An exiled torturer travels with a gem that can heal the dead. The narrative uses archaic vocabulary and an unreliable perspective.
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace0prose+2bleak0
In the Night Garden
Catherynne M. Valente2006
A girl with tattooed eyelids tells a prince interlocking stories of monsters and folklore. The narrative is a series of nested myths.
pace0·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+2bleak0
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges1945
A collection of short stories exploring philosophical paradoxes, infinite libraries, and imaginary encyclopedias.
clinical → meditative
pace0·prose+2·bleak0

- pace0prose+2bleak-1
At Swim-Two-Birds
Flann O'Brien1939
A student writes a story about a man whose own characters rebel and plot against him. It incorporates Irish myth and multiple layers of fiction.
clinical → playful
pace0·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover
- pace+1prose0bleak-1
Foundation's Edge
Isaac Asimov1982
Two factions search for a hidden planet and the origin of humanity. The plot follows political maneuvering and scientific deduction.
clinical → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → wry, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
clinical → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
clinical → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → wry, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman2020
Earth is converted into an 18-level televised death game. A man and a cat must navigate traps and monsters to survive.
clinical → sardonic
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

- pace+2prose-1bleak0
Mind's Eye
Douglas E. Richards2014
A man discovers he has the ability to access the internet and process data directly with his mind. He is hunted by a secret organization.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

- pace+2prose-1bleak0
The Atlantis Gene
A.G. Riddle2013
A geneticist and a counter-terrorism agent uncover a global conspiracy involving human evolution and an ancient Antarctic discovery.
clinical → propulsive
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

Slower
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Boneland
Alan Garner2012
An adult Colin searches for his lost sister while an ancient shaman performs rituals in the same landscape. The two timelines mirror one another.
clinical → elegiac
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
The Habitation of the Blessed
Catherynne M. Valente2010
A priest finds the lost kingdom of Prester John. The story is told through three nested layers of journals, myths, and historical accounts.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

- pace-1prose0bleak0
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.
clinical → tender
pace-1·prose0·bleak0

- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Tehanu
Ursula K. Le Guin1990
A widow cares for an aging mage who has lost his magic. The story focuses on domestic life and the aftermath of past adventures.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Heavier
- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin2015
A mother searches for her daughter across a continent undergoing a tectonic apocalypse. Some chapters address the reader in the second person.
clinical → bleak
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

- pace+1prose0bleak+2
Pet Sematary
Stephen King1983
A family moves to Maine and discovers a burial ground that can return the dead to life. They use it, and the consequences are absolute.
clinical → tense
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang2018
A war orphan enters a military academy and discovers shamanic powers. She leads a unit into a total war inspired by 20th-century Chinese history.
clinical → bleak
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Seth Dickinson2015
An accountant infiltrates the empire that conquered her home to destroy it from within. She uses economics and politics as her primary weapons.
clinical → cold
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2

- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
Song of Kali
Dan Simmons1985
An American poet travels to Calcutta to find a manuscript by a dead writer. He encounters a cult that worships the goddess of destruction.
clinical → bleak
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
