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Nano

Robin Cook

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: medical student, medical researcher, socially awkward protagonist, unlikable protagonist, brilliant heroine, determined investigator, lecherous boss, corrupt executive, gay supporting doctor, estranged father, crime-boss father, obsessive antagonist, male gaze emphasis

Relationships labels used: father-daughter, mentor-student, friends, potential romance, unrequited attraction, boss-employee, power imbalance, rescue dependency, rivalry

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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Loop

Kōji Suzuki · 2006 · リング [Ring]

A young man chases the truth behind a deadly virus and discovers a reality far stranger than he imagined.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young protagonist · medical student · genius child · scientist · pathologist · self-sacrificing hero · female objectification · emotionally reserved

Relationships labels: father-son · parent-child · romantic relationship · girlfriend · family duty · caretaking · inheritance · intergenerational

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1574

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The Hospital at the End of the World

Justin C. Key · 2026

In a near-future AI-run world, a medical student uncovers family secrets and a deadly medical mystery in New Orleans.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: medical student · aspiring doctor · young protagonist · brilliant student · chosen one · nepo baby · doctor father · villainous CEO · medical staff · professors · side characters

Relationships labels: father-son · family legacy · mentor-student · student cohort · rivalry · institutional power · parental secrets · doctor-patient relationship · camaraderie

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1597

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Rappaccini's Daughter

Nathaniel Hawthorne · 2004

A student in Padua falls for a mysterious woman raised in a deadly garden of poisonous plants.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young student · beautiful heroine · mad scientist · rival scholar · morally ambiguous characters · naive protagonist · monomaniacal father · toxic heroine · scientific obsessor

Relationships labels: love triangle · father-daughter relationship · mentor-protégé · rivalry · toxic relationship · forbidden romance · obsessive attraction · parental control · betrayal · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1608

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The Time Thief

Linda Buckley-Archer · 2007 · The Gideon Trilogy

A broken time-machine rescue strand the wrong people in the wrong centuries, while a villain exploits modern London.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: headstrong heroine · loyal friend · protective father · adult protagonist · young protagonist · villain POV · complex characters · emotional conflict · growing up · deceptive identity

Relationships labels: father-daughter · father-son · friendship · promise · loyalty · betrayal · teamwork · mentor bond · romantic tension · family separation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1635

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The Chronoliths

Robert Charles Wilson · 2002

A laid-off expat in Thailand is pulled into a mystery when monuments from the future appear, warning of a coming conqueror.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonist · slacker · expat · divorced father · programmer · observer protagonist · reluctant investigator · ordinary man · family man · scientist · cult follower · warlord · antihero

Relationships labels: father daughter · divorce · family strain · marital breakdown · parent child · scientist protagonist · friendship · romance · cult allegiance · accommodationist faction · community under stress

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1674

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Hero

Perry Moore · 2007

A closeted gay teen with superpowers joins a superhero league, risking family fallout and a hidden conspiracy.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: closeted teen · gay protagonist · healer · outcast hero · misfit heroes · disgraced father · homophobic father · older woman mentor · angry teammate · brooding love interest · likable lead · static character · angsty protagonist · underdeveloped characters · toxic masculinity

Relationships labels: father-son relationship · family conflict · friendship · romance · love interest · team bonding · found family · trust issues · parental abandonment · acceptance · rivalry · mentor-like support

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1675

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Illusionarium

Heather Dixon Wallwork · 2015

A young scientist must use dangerous illusion-tech to save his plague-stricken family and uncover a parallel world’s secrets.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary hero · sarcastic protagonist · scientist protagonist · apprentice · prodigy · reckless · naive · loyal · brave · bookish · cocky rival · reformed rival · supportive father · feisty sister

Relationships labels: father-son · family bond · siblings · enemies-to-friends · rivalry · platonic bromance · friendship · mentor-mentee

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1691

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Chew, Vol. 5: Major League

John Layman · 2012 · Chew

A kidnapped cibopathic detective and his gifted daughter are used for very different schemes in a wild, food-fueled arc.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: cibopath · detective protagonist · demoted protagonist · competent under pressure · quirky ensemble · antiheroic ally · mentor figure · trained daughter · gifted child · new partner dynamic · vigilante detective · bossy authority figures

Relationships labels: father daughter · romantic relationship · former partners · mentor student · captor captive · partner swap · rivalry · protective family · team tension · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1698

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Simulacron 3

Daniel F. Galouye · 1999

A corporate simulation designer starts doubting reality itself after a death and a string of impossible disappearances.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: investigator protagonist · corporate employee · scientist inventor · corporate executive · female love interest · paranoid protagonist · logical protagonist

Relationships labels: mentor-protege · father-daughter · corporate hierarchy · romantic subplot · rivalry · betrayal · power struggle · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1700

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The Expert of Subtle Revisions

Kirsten Menger-Anderson · 2025

A woman chasing her missing father is pulled into a dual-timeline mystery linking Wikipedia edits, Vienna academics, and time travel.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: quirky protagonist · introverted protagonist · self-reliant protagonist · brilliant mathematician · closeted gay man · academics · intellectuals · unlikeable antagonist · complex villain · messy characters · flawed characters · highly educated characters · reclusive parent

Relationships labels: father-daughter relationship · found family · queer romance · same-sex relationship · forbidden love · academic rivalry · rivalry · mentorship · parental absence · community under pressure · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1708

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進撃の巨人 LOST GIRLS 1 [Shingeki no Kyojin: Lost Girls 1]

Ryosuke Fuji · 2016 · 漫画進撃の巨人 LOST GIRLS / Attack on Titan: Lost Girls Manga

A pre-mission side story follows Annie Leonhart through a missing-person case as she wrestles with duty and identity.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mysterious character · antihero · soldier · warrior · detective · investigator · child soldier · traumatized · guilty conscience · identity crisis · smart · strong · badass · moral ambiguity · humanized antagonist · emotionally reserved · readable through actions

Relationships labels: father-daughter · family duty · mentor pressure · companionship · roommates · workplace relationships · loyalty conflict · power imbalance · duty versus self · parallels

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1750

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Pandemic

Robin Cook · 2018 · Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery

A NYC medical examiner investigates a sudden death tied to transplantation, gene editing, and a feared outbreak.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: medical examiner · forensic pathologist · sarcastic protagonist · unlikeable protagonist · whiny protagonist · self-centered protagonist · brilliant investigator · boss-wife dynamic · bossy wife · wealthy businessman · villainous scientist · stiff characters · wooden characters · cartoonish villains · family-strained protagonist

Relationships labels: marriage · workplace marriage · parent-child · in-laws · family tension · professional hierarchy · friendship · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1769

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