After
The Nowhere Man
Gregg Hurwitz2016
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
Same propulsive register, still action
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Bourne Ultimatum
Robert Ludlum1990
A retired assassin is drawn out of hiding to face his rival, a terrorist known as the Jackal, in a global pursuit.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
National Security
Marc Cameron2011
Special Agent Jericho Quinn tracks three terrorists carrying a biological weapon across the United States.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Bloodline
James Rollins2012
A special ops team protects a pregnant woman from a global conspiracy involving a genetic secret. The action moves from Dubai to the jungle.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Support and defend
Mark Greaney2014
An operative pursues a fugitive staffer who has stolen a drive containing sensitive intelligence before rival nations can intercept it.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The Golden Rendezvous
Alistair MacLean1962
A first officer deals with hijackers and a hidden nuclear device aboard a luxury ship carrying gold and an atomic scientist.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
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-2·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+2bleak0
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-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak+1
The Doves Necklace
Raja Alem2014
A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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-2·prose+2·bleak+2
To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Chef
James Patterson2019
A New Orleans police detective who moonlights as a food truck chef is framed for murder. He must clear his name while uncovering a conspiracy.
Same propulsive register
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose-1bleak-1
Crewel World
Monica Ferris1999
A woman takes over her late sister's needlecraft shop in a small Minnesota town. She investigates her sister's murder while learning the business.
propulsive → warm
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
The Texas Ranger
Diana Palmer2001
A Texas Ranger and a junior investigator work a high-profile murder case. They must cooperate despite a past accusation that drove them apart.
propulsive → earnest
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Ghost Ship
Clive Cussler2014
Kurt Austin survives a yacht sinking but suffers from conflicting memories. He investigates a global cybercrime conspiracy to find the truth.
Same propulsive register
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
And One Last Thing...
Molly Harper2010
After a public divorce, a woman moves to a small town to start over and finds herself pursued by a local deputy.
propulsive → wry
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+2bleak0
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-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+2bleak-1
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-3·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+2bleak0
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-3·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+2bleak+1
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-3·prose+2·bleak+1
Heavier
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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-2·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn2006
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two girls while grappling with her own history of self-harm.
propulsive → tense
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak+2
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote1965
A reconstruction of the 1959 murder of a Kansas family and the subsequent investigation. It follows both the victims and the killers.
propulsive → clinical
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Lord of the Flies
William Golding1954
Schoolboys are stranded on an island and try to organize a society. Order collapses into tribalism and violence.
propulsive → tense
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
