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Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus

Mira Grant

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: mad scientist, rogue scientist, virologist, snarky protagonist, deadpan narrator, strong characterization, chaotic competent, practical scientist, morally ambiguous, empathetic outsider, supporting cast, side characters

Relationships labels used: ensemble cast, workplace team, lab staff, mentor-like rapport, ally relationship, enemy infiltration, past-character reunion

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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The Receiver

Seth Jaffe · 2025

A hard-science first-contact thriller where scattered investigators uncover a cosmic mystery tied to secrecy and espionage.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · military investigator · ensemble cast · likable characters · competent characters · specialist characters · antagonist · morally dubious authority · character development · character-driven

Relationships labels: teamwork · working at cross-purposes · institutional conflict · military rivalry · romance subplot · power struggle

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2149

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The Forgotten Room

Lincoln Child · 2015 · Jeremy Logan

A consultant who solves strange phenomena uncovers a hidden room and long-buried experiment at a coastal think tank.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: enigmalogist · investigator · scientist · history professor · empath · quirky protagonist · charismatic lead · moral center · believable characters · brilliant scientists · mad scientist · do-gooder hero

Relationships labels: former colleague · employer-employee · research team · board pressure · romantic subplot · family legacy · mentor-like connection · hostile colleagues · institutional conflict · inside man

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2152

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Fine Structure

qntm, Sam Hughes

A physicist uncovers a physics-decoding breakthrough as reality itself starts changing, and humanity’s multiverse hangs in the balance.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientists · physicist protagonist · ensemble cast · interchangeable characters · flat characters · underdeveloped characters · ambitious thinkers · idea-driven characters · scientists under pressure · superpowered characters · hard-to-track cast

Relationships labels: team of scientists · conflict between powers · intertwined cast · loose alliances · battles between superhumans · community under threat

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2273

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Injection, Vol. 1

Warren Ellis · 2015 · Injection

Five brilliant specialists unleash an experiment that warps reality, and must face the strange fallout years later.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: eccentric geniuses · gifted specialists · jaded protagonists · flawed heroes · messed-up adults · mad scientist · hacker · spy · paranormal investigator · shaman · logician · secret agent · sarcastic characters · diverse team

Relationships labels: team dynamics · group collaboration · shared culpability · former colleagues · rivalry · responsibility to others · reunion · institutional power

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2280

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Herbert West—Reanimator

H.P. Lovecraft · 2008

An obsessed medical student pursues corpse reanimation, and his assistant watches the experiments spiral into terror.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mad scientist · obsessed scientist · medical student · assistant narrator · narrator sidekick · clinical thinker · psychopath · enabler · morally compromised · scientific idealist · descending into madness · cold and clinical

Relationships labels: friendship · mentor-pupil · partnered experiments · codependency · enabling · observer and subject · professional collaboration · comradeship · morbid attachment

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2311

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The Lost World

Michael Crichton · 1997 · Jurassic Park

Years after a dinosaur disaster, a secret island draws scientists back into a survival race with terrifying prehistoric predators.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: returning protagonist · scientist protagonists · child geniuses · competent women · chaos-theory monologues · expert ensemble · badass heroine · hubristic antagonists

Relationships labels: rescue mission · mentor-student · team dynamics · rival scientists · corporate conflict · protective friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2313

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Ancestor

Scott Sigler · 2010

A biotech experiment to solve organ shortages unleashes deadly genetic predators on an isolated island.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientists · geneticists · biotech executives · mercenaries · security team · government agents · mad scientist · ruthless villain · cliché characters · large cast · character-driven · flawed characters · strong women

Relationships labels: corporate power · scientist team · brother rivalry · romance · team dynamics · protector role · predator-prey · cover-up · mentor-student · authority conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2327

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Not Till We Are Lost

Dennis E. Taylor · 2024 · Bobiverse

The Bobs face anti-Bob backlash, rogue AI, and a galaxy-spanning mystery as separate missions push toward a new threat.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: clones · replicants · multiple selves · uploaded consciousness · AI entities · engineer protagonists · nerdy protagonists · snarky characters · quippy characters · competent protagonists · spacefaring deities

Relationships labels: ensemble cast · clone identity · rival factions · human-alien relations · community conflict · partnership · romantic subplot · family-like bonds · political tension · outgroup hostility

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2358

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Joe Ledger: Special Ops

Jonathan Maberry · 2014 · Joe Ledger

An elite counterterrorism team tackles bioweapons, mad science, and other high-tech horrors in linked mission stories.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: former cop · Army Ranger veteran · ass-kicking protagonist · flawed hero · badass operative · elite squad leader · snarky protagonist · one-man killing machine · scientist antagonist · mad scientist · corrupt scientist · ruthless operator · morally grounded hero · strong secondary cast · recurring ensemble

Relationships labels: team dynamic · commander subordinate · mentor recruit · partnership · temporary alliance · rivalry · boss underling · found family · inter-team banter · cross-series cameo

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2410

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The Object

Joshua T. Calvert · 2024

A dismissed NASA physicist spots a solar-system anomaly and is pulled into a mission that could rewrite reality.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · astronaut candidate · physicist · astronomer · dismissed outsider · determined heroine · moral conviction · competent crew · multi-national team · politically shaped characters · flat characters · relatable characters

Relationships labels: teamwork · crew dynamics · professional rivalry · institutional conflict · romance · cross-cultural cooperation · power imbalance · validation struggle · mentorless mission

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2440

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The Fold

Peter Clines · 2015 · Threshold

A genius schoolteacher with perfect memory investigates a secret teleportation project that may hide a reality-bending danger.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: genius protagonist · reluctant hero · high school teacher · analytical mind · sympathetic lead · secretive scientists · supporting cast thin · likable protagonist · overqualified protagonist · outsider investigator

Relationships labels: old friend · friendship · government oversight · funding dependency · scientist team · mentor-like recruitment · romance subplot · romantic tension · hostile collaboration · professional distrust

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2453

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From Beyond

H.P. Lovecraft · 1934

A scientist’s device opens perception to hidden planes of existence, drawing him and his friend into terror.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mad scientist · reclusive inventor · unnamed narrator · scientist protagonist · obsessive seeker · fanatical intellect · corrupted by knowledge · man of feeling and action · supportive friend

Relationships labels: friendship · platonic bond · estranged friends · mentor-visitor dynamic · scientist and narrator · betrayal · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2457

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