Velocity

Mine

Robert R. McCammon1990

A woman with a history of mental instability kidnaps a newborn from a hospital. The baby's mother pursues her across the country.

pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Blindness

José Saramago1999

An epidemic of sudden blindness strikes a city, leading to the collapse of social order. A small group struggles to survive in a filthy asylum.

tense → bleak

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Edgar Allen Poe (Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Fall of the House of Usher / Gold Bug / Metzengerstein / Murders in the Rue Morgue / Narrative of Arthur Gordn Pym / Never Bet the Devil Your Head / Pit and the Pendulum / Purloined Letter / Tell-Tale Heart)

Edgar Allan Poe2005

A collection of gothic stories and a novel. Narrators deal with psychological collapse, premature burial, and macabre crimes.

tense → bleak

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Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake1950

A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

tense → dark

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The Martian

Andy Weir2011

A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

tense → wry

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

tense → warm

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On a Pale Horse

Piers Anthony1983

After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.

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Shattered

Dean Koontz1973

A man and his future stepson drive across America while being stalked by the woman's vengeful ex-husband.

Same tense register, still psychological thriller

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Behind Closed Doors

B.A. Paris2016

A woman is held captive by her husband in a high-security home. She must find a way to escape before her sister moves in with them.

tense → propulsive, still psychological thriller

pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Along Came a Spider

James Patterson1993

Detective Alex Cross hunts a private school teacher who kidnapped two high-profile students. The kidnapper mimics famous historical crimes.

tense → propulsive, still psychological thriller

pace+1·prose-1·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.

tense → playful

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Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner1936

The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

tense → elegiac

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Either/Or

Søren Kierkegaard1992

A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

tense → meditative

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Motherthing

Ainslie Hogarth2022

A woman moves in with her cruel mother-in-law, who commits suicide and returns as a ghost to haunt the house.

tense → sardonic, still psychological thriller

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A Certain Hunger

Chelsea G. Summers2020

A food critic recounts her life of culinary refinement and the murders she committed to consume her lovers.

tense → eerie, still psychological thriller

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The Push

Ashley Audrain2021

A mother suspects her daughter is a sociopath while her husband dismisses her. The story follows her descent into isolation and maternal dread.

Same tense register, still psychological thriller

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