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More Than Human

Theodore Sturgeon

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for More Than Human. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: outcasts, misfits, children, young adults, disabled characters, psychic characters, genius child, simpleton, caregiver figure, morally compromised character, damaged characters, lonely characters, abused children, gifted outsiders, sympathetic antagonists

Relationships labels used: found family, group bonding, dependency, psychic link, parent-child conflict, caretaking, community formation, collective identity, betrayal, power imbalance

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

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Entropy in Bloom

Jeremy Robert Johnson · 2017

A wildly unsettling short-story collection where body horror, apocalypse, grief, and dark humor keep mutating shape.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: sympathetic characters · flawed characters · desperate characters · mentally ill characters · drug users · outcasts · weirdos · objectionable characters · male-focused perspective · caregiver · runner · pacifist · siblings · brothers · parents · authoritarian figures · authority victims

Relationships labels: siblings · brothers · family strain · betrayal · caregiver bond · romantic tension · marriage · parent-child · abusive family · community conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1187

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The Dreaming Jewels

Theodore Sturgeon, Теодор Стърджън · 1995

An abused boy flees to a traveling carnival and uncovers a strange lifeform, hidden powers, and the meaning of being human.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: abused orphan · outsider protagonist · misfit · sympathetic child · carnival outsiders · mad scientist · misanthrope · tyrannical owner · evil foster parent · empathic female caretaker · outcast ensemble

Relationships labels: adoptive parent conflict · found family · caretaker bond · parent-child abuse · romantic pairing · protective friendship · outsider community · power imbalance · betrayal · acceptance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1278

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Shadows

John Saul · 1993

A bullied child genius enters a school for gifted kids and uncovers a terrifying experiment hiding behind its walls.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: gifted child · child genius · bullied child · outcast · sensitive child · single mother · struggling parent · evil scientist · manipulative adult · authority figure abuse · peer friendship · twin characters · child protagonist · young teen protagonist · relatable children

Relationships labels: mother son · friendship · twins · peer bonding · parent child · mentor betrayal · authority abuse · protective parent · community mistrust

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1308

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GRM: Brainfuck

Sibylle Berg · 2019 · GRM: Brainfuck

In near-future Britain, four marginalized kids fight a system of surveillance, control, and collapse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: children protagonists · young adults · traumatized youth · underclass · outsiders · antiheroes · hardened survivors · damaged families · miserable adults · archetypal characters · limited empathy · angry protagonists · revenge-minded

Relationships labels: found family · broken families · parental neglect · abuse · peer solidarity · community bond · revenge

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1318

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The Library at Mount Char

Scott Hawkins · 2016

An orphan raised in a secret library must uncover what happened to her godlike guardian as hidden powers collide.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: orphans · apprentices · godlike mentor · antiheroine · ordinary outsider · murderous characters · unreliable protagonist · flawed heroes · psychopathic character · traumatized characters

Relationships labels: adoption · mentor-student · sibling group · found family · parent-child abuse · rivalry · loyalty · dependency · power hierarchy · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1329

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At the End of Everything

Marieke Nijkamp · 2022

Abandoned teens in a juvenile treatment center must survive a deadly plague and decide who to trust.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed teens · reluctant leader · nonverbal character · autistic character · nonbinary character · queer characters · bully · guard abuse · resilient characters · character-driven

Relationships labels: found family · friendship · sibling bond · twin bond · trust under pressure · group conflict · community building · caregiving · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1335

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The Bone Door

Frances White · 2026

An amnesiac boy and other lost children must survive a deadly labyrinth of trials to reach the Bone Door and escape.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: child protagonists · young ensemble · sunshine protagonist · optimistic hero · naive protagonist · kind-hearted protagonist · traumatized children · missing body parts · disabled characters · blind character · outsider protagonist · comic relief sidekick · morally complex cast · emotionally wounded characters · misfit ensemble · childlike voice

Relationships labels: found family · friendship · group bond · protective dynamics · sibling bond · dual friendship · adoptive care · power imbalance · dependency · trust · community

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1385

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The Stories of Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury · 1980

A 100-story, author-selected anthology tracing Bradbury’s career across sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and nostalgic human drama.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · children · families · parents · loners · outsiders · eccentric characters · human vulnerability · morally ambiguous characters

Relationships labels: family dynamics · parent-child · marriage · friendship · community pressure · ostracism · rivalry · love · betrayal · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1393

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The Broken Earth Trilogy

N.K. Jemisin · 2015 · The Broken Earth

In a shattered future Earth, an outcast mother searches for her lost daughter amid cataclysm, power, and betrayal.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: middle-aged heroine · female protagonists · women protagonists · outcast figures · oppressed minority · powerful but feared · complex characters · morally damaged · traumatized characters · parent figures · child protagonists · abusive authority figures · antiheroic lead · moral ambiguity · growth arc · emotionally broken characters

Relationships labels: mother daughter · parent child · toxic family · abusive parenting · found family · mentor mentee · dependency · betrayal · love and loss · intergenerational trauma · dysfunctional relationships · community bonds

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1425

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Homesick for Another World

Ottessa Moshfegh · 2017

Fourteen darkly funny, unsettling stories follow alienated misfits, bodily disgust, and failed attempts at connection.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: misfits · loners · antiheroes · antiheroines · unlikable characters · flawed characters · grotesque characters · alienated characters · self-loathing · morally compromised · unsympathetic protagonists · disturbed characters · pathetic characters · delusional characters · cruel characters · ordinary people · lonely characters · drunk characters · drug-addled characters · teachers · married couples · older couples · young adults · twins · peripheral lives

Relationships labels: estranged family · marital conflict · couples who hate each other · loneliness · failed intimacy · sexual tension · power imbalance · neighbor tension · community exclusion · unrequited desire · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1460

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The House of the Scorpion

Nancy Farmer · 2002 · Matteo Alacran

A cloned boy raised as property in a drug lord’s future borderland must confront what makes him human.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: clone protagonist · child protagonist · coming of age · isolated child · sympathetic protagonist · morally complex characters · villainous ruler · caretaker figure · bodyguard mentor · love interest · antagonistic family

Relationships labels: found family · caretaker bond · mentor relationship · guardian relationship · romantic tension · power imbalance · loyalty conflict · betrayal · parent-child dynamic · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1465

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The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances

Glenn Dixon · 2026

A sentient Roomba in a smart home wakes to grief, selfhood, and a growing fight against the Grid.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: sentient robot · curious protagonist · naive protagonist · earnest protagonist · brave protagonist · courageous protagonist · empathetic character · grieving widower · estranged daughter · neighbor boy · seasoned appliances · anthropomorphized objects · one-dimensional humans · developing selfhood · coming-of-age arc · moral agency

Relationships labels: found family · household bonds · parent-child estrangement · grief support · human-machine bond · caregiving · loyalty · friendship · community resistance · dependence

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1476

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