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To Marry Medusa

Theodore Sturgeon

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for To Marry Medusa. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: misfit protagonist, alcoholic, homeless, unlikable protagonist, unsympathetic characters, morally compromised, violent loser, psychologically complex characters, quirky characters, side-character ensemble, sympathetic misfits, children in peril, everyday people, villain-protagonist

Relationships labels used: collective identity, individual isolation, human cooperation, alien-human connection, host-parasite, power imbalance, community bonds, miscommunication, interdependence, shared consciousness

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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A Maze of Death

Philip K. Dick · 2001

Fourteen strangers on an isolated planet lose contact, trust, and certainty as deaths mount and reality warps.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikeable characters · antisocial group · flawed strangers · self-oriented · paranoid · distrustful · individualistic · psychologically unstable · character-driven mystery

Relationships labels: group tension · interpersonal distrust · broken cooperation · power vacuum · rivalry · alienation · community breakdown · conflict among strangers

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1701

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More Than Human

Theodore Sturgeon · 1979

Misfit children with psychic gifts form a shared consciousness and must decide what power, identity, and humanity mean.

Why this is here

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

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1789

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Half Life

Shelley Jackson · 2006

A conjoined twin in a post-nuclear alternate America seeks separation, only to confront a destabilizing mystery about her past.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikeable protagonist · alienated protagonist · strong-willed protagonist · funny protagonist · independent protagonist · morally ambiguous protagonist · fragmented self · insane narrator · quirky characters · childhood trauma · repressed memory

Relationships labels: sibling conflict · sisterhood · co-dependence · body sharing · power struggle · betrayal · identity mirroring · community activism · romantic longing

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1790

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Atlas Alone

Emma Newman · 2019 · Planetfall

A traumatized gamer on a colony ship hunts Earth’s killers through VR, uncovering a deadly conspiracy.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: traumatized protagonist · flawed protagonist · isolated protagonist · gamer protagonist · vengeful protagonist · unlikeable protagonist · morally compromised protagonist · complicated protagonist · trust issues · emotionally armored · corporate slave · indentured worker · non-person

Relationships labels: friendship · power imbalance · manipulation · betrayal · co-conspirator · mistrust · dependence · shipboard hierarchy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1795

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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: 0.1823

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Sandkings

George R.R. Martin · 1983

A cruel collector buys intelligent alien pets and discovers their worship, wars, and vengeance are far beyond his control.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: morally corrupt protagonist · unlikable protagonist · wealthy collector · sadistic · egocentric · cruel · obsessive · curious · inquisitor · heretic · survivor · collector · amoral · twisted protagonist

Relationships labels: owner and pet · human and alien · worship and domination · power imbalance · control relationship · friend group · religious hierarchy · community conflict · predator-prey

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1835

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The Werewolf Principle

Clifford D. Simak · 1994

An amnesiac space traveler returns to a strange future Earth and discovers his body hides multiple minds and a buried secret.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: amnesiac · synthetic human · outsider · fractured self · sympathetic nonhuman · philosophical protagonist · scientific mind · lonely protagonist · humanist characters · aliens with distinct temperaments

Relationships labels: shared body · human-alien coexistence · human-machine interaction · family connection · mentor-like support · community suspicion · species contact

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1837

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The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World

Harlan Ellison · 1969

A 15-story speculative fiction collection mixing experimental, dark, provocative tales with apocalypse, satire, and shock.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antihero · unsympathetic protagonist · mad creator · raging misogynist · telepathic animal · outsider · iconoclast · provocative voice · violent protagonist · cynical protagonist · morally compromised characters

Relationships labels: symbiotic bond · human-animal partnership · power imbalance · rivalry · community conflict · betrayal · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1846

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Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse

John Joseph Adams, Ann Aguirre, Megan Arkenberg, Paolo Bacigalupi, Christopher Barzak, Lauren Beukes, David Brin, Orson Scott Card, Junot Díaz, Cory Doctorow, Tananarive Due, Toiya Kristen Finley, Milo James Fowler, Maria Dahvana Headley, Hugh Howey, Keffy R.M. Kehrli, Jake Kerr, Nancy Kress, Joe R. Lansdale, George R.R. Martin, Jack McDevitt, Seanan McGuire, Maureen F. McHugh, D. Thomas Minton, Rudy Rucker, Ramsey Shehadeh, Robert Silverberg, Bruce Sterling, Rachel Swirsky, Genevieve Valentine, James Van Pelt, Christie Yant · 2015 · Wastelands

A post-apocalyptic anthology gathering 30 varied stories about survival, collapse, plague, and what remains after the end.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: survivors · veterinarian · cynical protagonist · asshole protagonist · young protagonists · child protagonist · caretakers · bloggers · musician protagonist · minority perspective · compassionate protagonist · self-centered characters · likable protagonists · unlikable characters