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After

Tier One

Brian Andrews2016

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Bad Luck and Trouble

    Lee Child1984

    Jack Reacher reunites with his former army unit to find out who is murdering their old teammates. They use math and muscle to track the killers.

    Same propulsive register, still revenge

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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

  • 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-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • 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 ↓

  • This Girl

    Colleen Hoover2013

    A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.

    propulsive → earnest

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Score

    Elle Kennedy2016

    A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.

    propulsive → playful

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • 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

Faster

Same propulsive register, still military thriller

3 more ↓

  • The Terminal List

    Jack Carr2018

    A Navy SEAL seeks revenge against a government conspiracy after his entire team is killed in an ambush. He uses his training to hunt targets.

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Oath of Loyalty

    Kyle Mills2022

    CIA assassin Mitch Rapp goes off the grid to protect his partner while navigating a political conspiracy in Washington.

    Same propulsive register, still espionage

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • Protect and Defend

    Vince Flynn2007

    CIA operative Mitch Rapp travels to the Middle East to prevent Iranian retaliation after an Israeli strike. He works to stop a terrorist plot.

    Same propulsive register, still espionage

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

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 ↓

  • 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-1·prose+2·bleak+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

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Shutter Island

    Dennis Lehane2003

    propulsive → tense

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2