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The Electric Church

Jeff Somers

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for The Electric Church. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: anti-hero, hard-boiled protagonist, sympathetic criminal, hired killer, mercenary, loner, survivor, morally gray, principled killer, tough guy persona, old for his age, crew of misfits

Relationships labels used: team dynamics, friendship, coerced alliance, power struggle, church vs state, state oppression, predator-prey

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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Nemesis

James Swallow · 2010 · The Horus Heresy

An elite band of assassins is assembled to kill Horus while a second killer closes in on the Emperor.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: assassins · professional killers · elite operatives · detectives · law enforcement · rogue agent · war council figures · powerful figures · specialized specialists · ragtag crew · misfits · fleshed-out characters · tragic backstories · morally gray characters

Relationships labels: team dynamics · rival factions · inter-team conflict · mentor authority · command hierarchy · fraternal relationship · bitter opposition · secret cabal · political alliance · enemy convergence

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1710

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Planetary, Volume 3: Leaving the 20th Century

Warren Ellis · 2005 · Planetary

Elijah Snow’s buried past surfaces as Planetary confronts a secretive enemy and the hidden history of the 20th century.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brooding protagonist · omniscient protagonist · superhuman characters · detective-like protagonist · team-based cast · enigmatic antagonists · cynical hero

Relationships labels: team dynamics · rivalry · enemy alliance · secret organization · power struggle · revenge conflict · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1724

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The Water Knife

Paolo Bacigalupi · 2015

In a drought-ravaged near-future American Southwest, three people collide over a possible new water source.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antihero · ruthless enforcer · hardened journalist · refugee · survivor · mercenary · spy · assassin · corrupt power broker · morally gray cast · resourceful characters · hard men

Relationships labels: power imbalance · alliances · betrayal · rivalry · hostile politics · community under strain · romantic tension · survival dependency · enforcement hierarchy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1775

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進撃の巨人 28 [Shingeki no Kyojin 28]

Hajime Isayama, 諫山創 · 2019 · 進撃の巨人 [Shingeki no Kyojin]

As alliances fracture, hidden plans surface and a brutal confrontation pushes the series toward its endgame.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: anti-hero · tragic backstory · morally gray characters · brutal protagonist · vulnerable ally · tortured soldier · ruthless strategist · cunning antagonist · fan-favorite warrior · protective character

Relationships labels: family conflict · friendship rupture · mentor betrayal · comrades under strain · enemy alliance · authority vs subordinate

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1788

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Thirteen

Richard K. Morgan · 2007

A genetically engineered bounty hunter is pulled into a violent, politically charged hunt for another rogue variant.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antihero · alpha male · super-soldier · genetically engineered human · outsider · bounty hunter · hit man · hard-bitten detective · violent protagonist · morally compromised characters · female cop · maverick cops · corrupt elites · social survivor

Relationships labels: hunter and hunted · allies · romantic tension · work partnership · human versus variant · state control

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1817

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Suicide Squad, Volume 1: Kicked in the Teeth

Adam Glass · 2012 · Suicide Squad (2011)

A government-run squad of imprisoned supervillains is sent on brutal missions with bombs in their necks.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: anti-hero team · supervillains · assassin · mercenary · vigilante · redemption arc · self-serving · disposable characters · violent characters · crazy character · ruthless leader

Relationships labels: team dynamics · forced cooperation · betrayal · power imbalance · romantic tension · Joker obsession · rivalry · loyalty under duress · exploitative control

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1825

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Kill Switch

Jonathan Maberry · 2016 · Joe Ledger

A black-ops team races to stop an EMP-driven terror plot while mind control, monsters, and fallout unravel everything.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: special ops hero · detective-investigator · black-ops team · combat dog · genius villain · damaged heroes · traumatized characters · morally burdened protagonist · wisecracking protagonist · large ensemble

Relationships labels: team dynamics · found family · command hierarchy · friendship · betrayal · friend-versus-friend · human-pet bond · rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1834

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The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted

Harry Harrison · 1987 · Stainless Steel Rat

A rogue thief gets drafted into a militarized war machine and must outwit an invasion to survive and strike back.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: charismatic rogue · wisecracking hero · resourceful protagonist · antihero · criminal mastermind · cynical protagonist · young protagonist · caricature villains · pacifist civilians · military leaders

Relationships labels: revenge · mentor loss · forced alliance · comradeship · enemy pursuit · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1834

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Greatest Hits

Harlan Ellison · 2024

A themed best-of anthology of Harlan Ellison’s short fiction, mixing iconic SF, horror, and surreal, unsettling tales.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antiheroic · morally ambiguous · obsessive · rebel · underdog · telepath · serial killer · AI antagonist · child protagonist · manipulative

Relationships labels: friendship · power imbalance · survivor group · human vs machine · good and evil

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1848

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Star Soldiers

Andre Norton · 2002 · Central Control

Two connected-in-theme 1950s space adventure novels follow human soldiers and rangers navigating alien rule, survival, and decline.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: rookie soldier · mercenary · patroller · telepath · survivor · novice hero · competent teammate · moral leader · youthful protagonist · honorable protagonists · sinister villains · likeable characters

Relationships labels: unit cohesion · military hierarchy · betrayal · leadership · teamwork · survivor group · human-alien cooperation · inter-species interaction · power imbalance · rival factions · community

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1852

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The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game

Garth Ennis · 2007 · The Boys (Trade Paperbacks)

A CIA-backed team takes on corrupt, all-powerful superheroes in a brutally satirical, adult antihero comic.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: antiheroes · corrupt heroes · everyman protagonist · rogue operative · misfit team · psychopathic characters · morally compromised cast · sympathetic innocent

Relationships labels: team dynamics · mentor recruit · revenge motive · power imbalance · corrupt authority · sexual coercion · rival teams

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1877

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Mountain Man

Keith C. Blackmore · 2011 · Mountain Man

An alcoholic loner survives the zombie apocalypse from a mountain fortress until another survivor changes everything.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: everyman protagonist · anti-hero · alcoholic protagonist · loner · flawed hero · ordinary survivor · serial killer antagonist · psychopath · female survivor

Relationships labels: friendship · buddy dynamic · male bonding · survivor alliance · rivalry · predator-prey · trust issues · community loss

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1891

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