After
Translated Accounts
James Kelman2001
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
3 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
- pace+1prose0bleak0
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.
Same bleak register
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose0bleak0
The Wake
Paul Kingsnorth2014
A landowner in 1066 leads a guerrilla resistance against Norman invaders. The story is written in a modified version of Old English.
Same bleak register
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
The New Wilderness
Diane Cook2020
A mother and daughter join a group living in the last remaining wilderness to escape a polluted city. They must survive the land and each other.
Same bleak register, still dystopian
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+2prose0bleak0
Prophet Song
Paul Lynch2023
A mother struggles to keep her family together in Dublin as Ireland descends into a totalitarian police state. The prose uses no paragraph breaks.
bleak → tense, still dystopian
pace+2·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Vilnius Poker
Ričardas Gavelis2014
Four narrators describe life in Soviet-occupied Vilnius. The city is depicted as a living, malevolent entity that traps and corrupts its citizens.
Same bleak register
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
To recover
- pace+3prose-3bleak-3
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
bleak → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
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.
bleak → earnest
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
bleak → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+3prose-3bleak-3
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
bleak → wry
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
The Duke and I
Julia Quinn2000
A duke and a debutante enter a fake courtship to avoid social pressure. They navigate Regency London's marriage market while hiding their deal.
bleak → playful
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+3prose-3bleak-3
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.
bleak → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
Pines
Blake Crouch2012
A Secret Service agent searches for missing colleagues in an Idaho town he cannot leave. The townspeople and physics itself seem to work against him.
bleak → tense, still dystopian
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-2bleak-1
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
bleak → tense
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-2bleak-2
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.
bleak → sardonic
pace+3·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+3prose-3bleak-2
Get Jiro!
Anthony Bourdain2012
In a future Los Angeles, master chefs rule as warlords. A sushi chef who kills rude customers is caught between two warring food factions.
bleak → sardonic, still dystopian
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-2
