After
Use of force
Brad Thor2017
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
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
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
One Rough Man
Brad Taylor2011
A former covert operator discovers a terrorist plot involving a powerful weapon. He works outside the law to stop the attack.
Same propulsive register, still military thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Tier One
Brian Andrews2016
After his SEAL team is destroyed in a terrorist attack, Jack Kemper fakes his death to join a covert black-ops unit and hunt the perpetrators.
Same propulsive register, still military thriller
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Code Red
Kyle Mills2023
Operative Mitch Rapp enters Russia to stop a drug cartel from distributing a lethal form of heroin designed to collapse Western society.
Same propulsive register, still one-man army
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hunt Them Down
Simon Gervais2019
A former special forces operative hunts down a ruthless drug cartel after they murder his family. It is a high-speed revenge story.
Same propulsive register, still one-man army
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+2
To recover
Same propulsive register
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The 39 Steps
John Buchan2010
Richard Hannay is framed for murder and flees to the Scottish Highlands. He must evade both the police and a ring of German spies.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The President Is Missing
Bill Clinton2018
The U.S. President goes underground to stop a cyberattack that threatens to wipe out the nation's electrical and financial infrastructure.
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
On the Way to the Wedding
Julia Quinn2006
Gregory Bridgerton tries to woo a woman with the help of her best friend, Lucy, who is engaged to another man but develops feelings for him.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston2019
The son of the US President and a British Prince move from a public rivalry to a secret romance. They navigate international diplomacy and fame.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak-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+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+1
Heavier
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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+3·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+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·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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+2·bleak+2
