After
Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist
Charles Brockden Brown2009
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier, nothing denser
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Histoires Extraordinaires (Balloon-Hoax / Descent into the Maelstrom / Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar / Gold-Bug / Ligeia / Mesmeric Revelation / Metzengerstein / Morella / MS. Found in a Bottle / Murders in the Rue Morgue / Purloined Letter / Tale of the Ragged Mountains / Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall)
Edgar Allan Poe1857
A collection of stories featuring early detective work, gothic obsession, and scientific hoaxes. The prose is dense and the outlook is grim.
Same tense register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
James Hogg1824
A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.
tense → cold, still gothic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Bride of Lammermoor
Walter Scott1800
In 1703 Scotland, two lovers from feuding families attempt to stay together despite political instability and a family curse.
tense → elegiac, still gothic fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Croning
Laird Barron2012
An elderly geologist discovers his wife and her social circle belong to an ancient cult. The narrative shifts between his past and present.
Same tense register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Yellow Wall-Paper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman1995
A woman is confined to a bedroom for a rest cure. She becomes obsessed with the patterns in the room's wallpaper as her mental state declines.
Same tense register, still unreliable narrator
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
To recover
tense → playful
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Love Is Blind
Lynsay Sands2006
A clumsy woman removes her glasses to appear attractive to a suitor, resulting in physical comedy and accidents. They navigate a Regency romance.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
The Boy Next Door
Meg Cabot2002
A gossip columnist looks after her neighbor's pets after an attack and falls for the man she thinks is the woman's nephew. It is told in emails.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
Sex, Lies, and Online Dating
Rachel Gibson2006
A mystery writer and a detective go on dates while lying about their professions. They eventually collaborate on a real-life murder case.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-3bleak-3
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
Frank W. Abagnale
A teenager poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer to cash millions in fraudulent checks. He evades the FBI across several countries.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-3bleak-3
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.
pace+1·prose-3·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Creepers
David Morrell2005
Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.
Same tense register
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
Patient Zero
Jonathan Maberry2009
A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.
tense → propulsive
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak0
The Rising
Brian Keene2003
A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.
tense → bleak
pace+2·prose-3·bleak0
- pace+2prose-3bleak-2
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
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
The Executioner
Chris Carter2010
A Los Angeles detective hunts a serial killer who murders victims using their specific phobias. Each crime scene features a blood-scrawled number.
Same tense register
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson2004
An elderly preacher in 1950s Iowa writes a letter to his young son about their family history. He reflects on his father and grandfather.
tense → meditative, still epistolary
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-3bleak-2
Lady Audley's Secret
Mary Elizabeth Braddon1862
A man returns from Australia to find his friend's wife is a governess with a hidden past. He investigates her identity after his friend disappears.
tense → mysterious
pace-1·prose-3·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
The night land
William Hope Hodgson1972
Millions of years after the sun dies, a man leaves an underground fortress to rescue a woman. The prose uses archaic, repetitive syntax.
tense → dreamlike
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
From A to X
John Berger2008
A woman writes letters to her lover, a political prisoner in an unnamed country. She describes her daily life while he writes notes in the margins.
tense → meditative, still epistolary
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
