After
War of Honor
David Weber2002
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Mission of Honor
David Weber2010
Honor Harrington attempts to prevent a massive war with the Solarian League. The book focuses on interstellar diplomacy and naval tactics.
clinical → tense, still military scifi
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Ancillary Sword
Ann Leckie2014
An AI formerly inhabiting a starship now occupies a single human body. She travels to a space station to protect the family of a woman she killed.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
The Man-Kzin Wars
Larry Niven1989
A collection of stories detailing the first contact and subsequent interstellar wars between peaceful humans and predatory, cat-like aliens.
Same clinical register, still military scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Eon
Greg Bear1985
Scientists explore a hollowed-out asteroid that appears in Earth's orbit. Inside, they find a city built by humans from a future timeline.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Dosadi Experiment
Frank Herbert1977
An agent investigates a planet where millions are trapped in a high-pressure social experiment designed to breed a superior mind.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Radiance
Catherynne M. Valente2015
A documentary filmmaker disappears on Venus in an alternate 1980s solar system. The story is told through scripts, interviews, and letters.
clinical → dreamlike, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose+1bleak+1
Perhaps the Stars
Ada Palmer2021
A global war between ideological factions reaches its conclusion. The story is told through a dense, 18th-century style narrative voice.
clinical → meditative, still space opera
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Empty Space
M. John Harrison2012
Three interlocking timelines follow a widow in London, a detective in a neon city, and a pilot in deep space. The prose is dense and surreal.
clinical → dreamlike, still space opera
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+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.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Valis
Philip K. Dick1981
A man experiences a beam of pink light that imparts vast information. The narrative explores his mental breakdown and search for God in California.
clinical → meditative
pace0·prose+1·bleak+1
To recover
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Wielding a Red Sword
Piers Anthony1986
An Indian prince avoids an arranged marriage by accepting the supernatural office of War. He wields a sword that draws him into a conflict in Hell.
clinical → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
A Galaxy Unknown
Thomas DePrima2010
An ensign uses her tactical skills to rise through the ranks of a space navy while fighting pirates and internal bureaucracy.
clinical → earnest, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
clinical → wry, still space opera
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
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.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Double Star
Robert A. Heinlein1956
A struggling actor is hired to impersonate a kidnapped politician on Mars to prevent an interplanetary war.
clinical → earnest, still space opera
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
All Systems Red
Martha Wells2017
A self-aware security android hacks its own governor module to watch soap operas while protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet.
clinical → wry, still space opera
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
The Android's Dream
John Scalzi2006
A diplomat must find a specific, genetically engineered sheep to prevent an interstellar war. The story is a fast-paced, irreverent space comedy.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
Chilling Effect
Valerie Valdes2019
A spaceship captain completes dangerous missions to pay off a ransom for her kidnapped sister. The crew includes a pilot who is a sentient plant.
clinical → playful, still space opera
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-2bleak-1
The Star Kings
Edmond Hamilton1949
A 20th-century man swaps bodies with a prince 200,000 years in the future. He must lead a galactic empire against a tyrant's fleet.
clinical → propulsive, still space opera
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
The Star Wars Trilogy
George Lucas2018
A farm boy joins a rebellion against a galactic empire. He learns to use a mystical force under the guidance of an exiled knight.
clinical → earnest, still space opera
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak+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.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino1972
Marco Polo describes fifty-five imaginary cities to Kublai Khan. The book is a series of short, prose-poem meditations on urban existence.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
Beelzebub's tales to his grandson
Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff1950
An extraterrestrial being explains the history and strange behaviors of humanity to his grandson during a long space voyage.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Dandelion Wine
Ray Bradbury1946
A twelve-year-old boy experiences a series of vignettes over one summer in 1928 Illinois. The chapters focus on small-town life and aging.
clinical → elegiac
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
For Us, the Living
Robert A. Heinlein2003
A 1930s pilot wakes up in the year 2086. The book consists of long dialogues explaining the social, economic, and sexual norms of the future.
clinical → earnest
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
Consider Phlebas
Iain Banks1987
A shape-shifting mercenary works for an alien empire to retrieve a rogue AI during a galactic war. He faces a series of deadly set-pieces.
clinical → bleak, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+1prose-1bleak+2
All My Sins Remembered
Joe Haldeman1977
A deep-cover operative undergoes repeated personality wipes and brainwashing to perform assassinations for a galactic government.
clinical → bleak, still military scifi
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
An Exchange of Hostages
Susan R. Matthews1997
A surgeon is drafted into a space empire's corps of torturers. He tries to maintain his ethics while being trained to inflict pain.
Same clinical register, still space opera
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
A space pirate, a victim, and a police officer are trapped in a cycle of abuse and betrayal. The narrative shifts perspectives to reveal lies.
clinical → bleak, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+1prose0bleak+2
Dark Age
Pierce Brown2019
An outlawed revolutionary fights a losing war on Mercury while an exiled heir attempts to reclaim a space empire. It is a violent military epic.
clinical → propulsive, still space opera
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2
