After
Under the Frog
Tibor Fischer1992
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same sardonic register, still historical fiction
- pace0prose0bleak0
James
Percival Everett2024
Jim, an enslaved man, fakes his own path to freedom alongside Huck Finn. He uses a hidden, educated persona to navigate the 1840s Mississippi River.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The Flamethrowers
Rachel Kushner2013
A woman moves to the 1970s New York art scene before traveling to Italy during a period of radical political unrest. She navigates love and speed.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
An Awfully Big Adventure
Beryl Bainbridge1989
A teenage girl joins a 1950s Liverpool theater troupe and becomes entangled with the cynical adults running the production.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The Siege of Krishnapur
J. G. Farrell1973
British residents in a 19th-century Indian outpost face a violent uprising. The story tracks the physical and social decay of the community.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
An Ice-Cream War
William Boyd1982
British and German colonists in East Africa fight a small, disorganized campaign during WWI. It follows the absurdity and tragedy of the conflict.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon1973
During the end of WWII, an American lieutenant's sexual encounters seem to predict where German V-2 rockets will fall. The narrative is fragmented.
Same sardonic register, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James2014
A large cast of characters recounts the 1976 attempt on Bob Marley's life. The narrative spans decades and moves from Jamaica to New York.
sardonic → propulsive, still historical fiction
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak+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.
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+1bleak+1
Translated Accounts
James Kelman2001
Anonymous witnesses describe life under a military regime. The prose uses broken, bureaucratic syntax to mimic a literal translation.
sardonic → bleak
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
sardonic → playful, still satire
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
Year zero
Reid, Robert2012
Aliens discover that Earth's music is the best in the galaxy and they owe humanity trillions in copyright fines.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace0prose-2bleak-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.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-2
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.
sardonic → playful
pace0·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
sardonic → wry
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-2bleak-2
The Comfort Book
Matt Haig2021
A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.
sardonic → warm
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
Same sardonic register, still satire
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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.
Same sardonic register, still satire
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Child 44
Tom Rob Smith2008
A Soviet security officer investigates a serial killer in a state that officially claims murder does not exist.
sardonic → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-2bleak-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.
sardonic → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
- pace-2prose+1bleak+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.
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-2prose0bleak0
The English Patient
Michael Ondaatje1992
Four people shelter in a ruined Italian villa at the end of WWII. They care for a burned, anonymous man who recounts his past in the desert.
pace-2·prose0·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-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.
sardonic → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
The Pale King
David Foster Wallace2011
An unfinished, experimental novel about the mundane daily operations of an IRS processing center in 1985 Illinois.
Same sardonic register, still satire
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Umbrella
Will Self2013
A psychiatrist in 1971 treats a woman who has been catatonic for decades. The prose shifts between eras and consciousnesses without paragraph breaks.
sardonic → clinical
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
Heavier
sardonic → bleak, still historical fiction
- pace-1prose-1bleak+1
A Fine Balance
Rohinton Mistry1995
Four people from different castes share a small apartment during the 1975 Indian Emergency. Their lives are upended by state-sanctioned violence.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
The Confessions of Nat Turner
William Styron1967
A fictionalized confession of the leader of an 1831 slave revolt while he awaits execution in a Virginia jail cell.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
The Known World
Edward P. Jones2003
A black man who was once a slave becomes a slave owner in antebellum Virginia. The story follows the fallout on the plantation after his death.
sardonic → meditative, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
A Long Long Way
Sebastian Barry2005
A young Irishman joins the British Army to fight in the trenches of World War I while his home country moves toward rebellion.
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Brotherless Night
V. V. Ganeshananthan2023
A young woman in Sri Lanka tries to study medicine while her brothers join militant groups during the civil war. It covers a decade of conflict.
sardonic → elegiac, still historical fiction
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
