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Arclight

Josin L. McQuein

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Similar in premise + setting

These books are ranked using the premise + setting labels extracted for Arclight. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Premise labels used: amnesia, survival, identity search, human enclave, light barrier, darkness threat, hidden truth, outsider heroine, creature threat, rescue survivor, love triangle, alienated outcast

Setting labels used: post-apocalyptic world, fortified compound, light-and-dark divided world, no-man's-land, Grey zone, Dark zone, human refuge, closed community

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

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In the After

Demitria Lunetta · 2013 · In the After

A teen survivor and a silent toddler navigate a silent, monster-filled world, then uncover dangerous secrets in a refuge.

Why this is here

Premise labels: survival · alien invasion · monster attack · post-collapse society · protective caregiving · safe haven with secrets · human survival

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic Earth · isolated house · walled compound · survivor settlement · controlled community · daylight danger · silent survival

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1460

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The Wastelander

E.S. Luck · 2024 · Wastelander

A sheltered woman flees a deadly compound conspiracy and must survive the wasteland with a guarded rescuer.

Why this is here

Premise labels: survival romance · compound escape · outsider alliance · protected society · wasteland survival · post-collapse romance

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · compound society · wasteland · sealed enclave · virus aftermath · wilderness survival

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1532

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Little Mushroom: Revelations

Yi Shi Si Zhou, 一十四洲 · 2022 · Little Mushroom (Novel)

A sentient mushroom infiltrates a human base to recover his spore, only to face a wary judge and an unraveling apocalypse.

Why this is here

Premise labels: lost spore · identity concealment · xenogenic infiltration · human base · apocalypse survival · forbidden attraction · final trial

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · decaying universe · human base · Northern Base · walled cities · underground cities · desolate land · highly mutated world · scientific apocalypse · dystopian future

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1535

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The Bane

Keary Taylor · 2013 · The Eden Trilogy

A memory-lost teen in a last human colony must survive a robot plague while choosing between two very different boys.

Why this is here

Premise labels: human survival · last colony · robot infection · cybernetic plague · love triangle · hidden identity · memory loss · end of humanity · secret past

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · dystopian future · small colony · safe haven · countryside refuge · ruined cities · wilderness survival · human extinction crisis

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1575

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The Host

Stephenie Meyer · 2008

A human and the alien soul occupying her body must coexist to survive and find the people they love.

Why this is here

Premise labels: alien invasion · body possession · mind sharing · host body · identity conflict · resistance · love triangle · love square · survival

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic Earth · invasion aftermath · hidden human resistance · off-world civilization · future Earth

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1598

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Carrie Ryan · 2009 · The Forest of Hands and Teeth

A teen in a fenced village must confront zombies, secrets, and a choice between duty, love, and escape.

Why this is here

Premise labels: zombie survival · isolated village · forbidden outside world · search for freedom · love triangle · coming of age · escape narrative · restricted society

Setting labels: post apocalyptic world · isolated village · walled community · fenced perimeter · forest setting · cathedral setting · religious enclave · future world

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1633

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Rescued by the Hunter

Lynnea Lee · 2021 · Xarc'n Warriors

A wounded human woman and a purple alien hunter flee a bug-ravaged Earth while he tries to win her trust and heart.

Why this is here

Premise labels: alien rescue · fated mates · survival romance · abusive relationship escape · bug apocalypse · human-alien pairing

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic Earth · bug-infested world · Earth after alien invasion · compound community · Franklin (named setting) · wrecked society · human rebel groups

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1638

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The Last She

H.J. Nelson · 2021 · The Last She

In a plague-ravaged world where women are nearly gone, a lone survivor is captured by men and pulled into a dangerous mission.

Why this is here

Premise labels: last woman · plague survival · female extinction · captivity · escape · search for father · mysterious mission · survival romance · love triangle · end-of-world quest

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · near future · ruined world · clans · survival camp · abandoned mall · forest · city ruins · not-too-distant future

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1694

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Little Mushroom: Judgment Day

Yi Shi Si Zhou · 2022 · Little Mushroom (Novel)

A sentient mushroom infiltrates a ruined human base to recover his stolen spore while hiding from a deadly judge.

Why this is here

Premise labels: sentient protagonist · identity concealment · stolen heirloom · search quest · nonhuman protagonist · post-collapse survival · mutant world · human infiltration

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic Earth · dystopian future · human bases · wasteland · mutated ecosystem · militarized society · cosmic radiation aftermath · ecological collapse · fortified enclaves

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1699

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The Warren

Brian Evenson · 2016

An amnesiac, many-minded survivor in a sealed refuge questions his humanity after finding another person outside.

Why this is here

Premise labels: identity crisis · multiple selves · memory loss · humanity question · last survivor · underground refuge · hostile surface · post-human survival · personhood test · alienation

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic · unnamed planet · underground shelter · hostile wasteland · toxic surface · remote outpost · isolated habitat

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1708

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The Walking Dead, Vol. 13: Too Far Gone

Robert Kirkman · 2010 · The Walking Dead

A hard-worn survivor group tries to settle in a guarded community, but safety sparks mistrust, abuse, and power struggles.

Why this is here

Premise labels: survival in collapse · walled community · fragile safe haven · civilization after collapse · outside threat · inside threat · leader under pressure · moral compromise · post-disaster community · normalcy tested

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · walled community · safe zone · zombie outbreak · ruined society · localized enclave · contested sanctuary · near-normal settlement · post-collapse America

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1716

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God of Monsters

Keri Lake · 2020 · Juniper Unraveling

In a brutal post-apocalyptic world, a sheltered woman and a feared Alpha fight to survive—and to trust each other.

Why this is here

Premise labels: post-apocalyptic survival · forced proximity · captivity · alpha heroine · forbidden love · rescuer romance · enemy-to-lovers · survival romance

Setting labels: post-apocalyptic world · dystopian future · Deadlands · walled community · research facility · convent · ruined civilization · sealed community

Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting

Distance: 0.1736

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