Exploring from

Three Moments of an Explosion

China Miéville

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Three Moments of an Explosion. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: damaged seekers, curious observers, outsiders, professionals, academics, archaeologists, medical students, therapists, gamblers, screenwriters, actors, card players, children, couples, isolated figures

Relationships labels used: family, couple, romance, friendship, rivalry, professional hierarchy, teacher-student, doctor-patient, community isolation, power imbalance, competition

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

Exclude same author

Max ratings No limit

Rise: A Newsflesh Collection

Mira Grant · 2016 · Newsflesh

A collection of Newsflesh shorts and novellas expands the zombie apocalypse from its origins to its aftermath.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: bloggers · journalists · reporters · scientists · mad scientist · teachers · survivors · minor characters · side character focus · traumatized characters · broken characters · morally ambiguous adults · familial grief · heroism · survivalist

Relationships labels: romance · marriage · parent-child · family trauma · mentor-student · colleague bonds · community survival · rivalries · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1833

Continue from here

The End Has Come

John Joseph Adams, Charlie Jane Anders, Megan Arkenberg, Chris Avellone, Elizabeth Bear, Annie Bellet, Tananarive Due, Jamie Ford, Mira Grant, Hugh Howey, Jake Kerr, Nancy Kress, Sarah Langan, Ken Liu, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Will McIntosh, Leife Shallcross, Scott Sigler, Carrie Vaughn, Robin Wasserman, David Wellington, Ben H. Winters · 2015 · The Apocalypse Triptych

A linked anthology of post-apocalyptic short stories about survivors, rebuilders, and unfinished arcs after the end.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: survivors · investigators · scientists · families · children · outcasts · soldiers · judges · civil servants · creators · parents · caretakers · isolated protagonists

Relationships labels: family bonds · parent-child · sibling bonds · romance · same-sex marriage · community ties · caretaker dependence · survivor solidarity · authority conflict · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1875

Continue from here

Axiomatic

Greg Egan · 1997

A hard-SF short story collection where each tale stress-tests identity, ethics, and consciousness through speculative science.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: rational protagonists · educated characters · morally conflicted · highly analytical · outsider figures · investigators · detectives · scientists · cybernetic subjects · self-questioning · damaged protagonists

Relationships labels: romance · marriage · family · intimacy · parent-child · twins · love and revenge · power imbalance · dependency · betrayal · community pressure · interpersonal alienation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1972

Continue from here

Orsinian Tales

Ursula K. Le Guin · 2004 · Orsinia

Interlinked tales of ordinary lives in an invented Central European country, tracing love, politics, faith, and loss.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · working class · peasants · factory workers · quarrymen · nobility · doctors · academics · musicians · scientists · political prisoners · defectors · blind protagonist · reclusive figures · impoverished lives · humanistic characterization · believable characters

Relationships labels: family relationships · siblings · romantic love · marriage · fidelity · betrayal · parent-child · community ties · interpersonal connection · power imbalance · unrequited love · courtship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1994

Continue from here

Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die

Ryan North · 2010 · Machine of Death

An illustrated anthology of 34 stories about a machine that tells people how they’ll die, and how that knowledge reshapes life.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · teenagers · doctors · soldiers · insurance workers · inventors · government actors · students · obsessive characters · fatalistic characters · free-will skeptics · morally complex characters

Relationships labels: family relationships · parent-child relationships · romance · dating · friend groups · social cliques · community reactions · power relations · institutional control · rivalry · cohort sorting

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2013

Continue from here

The Dark Tower: And Other Stories

C.S. Lewis · 1998 · The Space Trilogy

A posthumous collection of Lewis fragments and stories exploring time, myth, space travel, and unsettling other worlds.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: professors · scientists · astronauts · academic intellectuals · blind protagonist · female characters · male-dominated cast · mythic figures · menelaus figure · modern woman

Relationships labels: collegial · teacher student · marriage · husband wife · friendship · power imbalance · gendered tension · community · social hierarchy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2019

Continue from here

The Stories of Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury · 1980

A 100-story, author-selected anthology tracing Bradbury’s career across sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and nostalgic human drama.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · children · families · parents · loners · outsiders · eccentric characters · human vulnerability · morally ambiguous characters

Relationships labels: family dynamics · parent-child · marriage · friendship · community pressure · ostracism · rivalry · love · betrayal · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2043

Continue from here

Galaxias

Stephen Baxter · 2021

When the Sun vanishes for 24 hours, three friends help governments and scientists confront a world-shattering cosmic event.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: college friends · support roles · bureaucrats · scientists · astronomer · astronaut · political aide · observer protagonists · passive protagonists · privileged characters · interchangeable characters · grieving character · stoic characters · flawed characters · young adults

Relationships labels: friendship · former classmates · professional hierarchy · parent child · family tension · romantic relationship · husband wife · institutional cooperation · international rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2048

Continue from here

Countdown

Mira Grant · 2011 · Newsflesh

A prequel novella traces the scientific missteps and media chaos that unleash the world of the Newsflesh zombie apocalypse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientists · doctors · journalists · reporters · college students · activists · victims · patients · parents · ordinary people · dogs · idealists · well intentioned · tragic · morally flawed

Relationships labels: family · adoption · husband relationship · parent child · colleague relationships · community · professional relationships · public trust · institutional betrayal · scientist spouse

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2071

Continue from here

The Cat's Pajamas

Ray Bradbury · 2005

A career-spanning Ray Bradbury story collection mixing strange, nostalgic, dark, and whimsical tales across decades.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: everyday people · families · newlyweds · lonely woman · senators · writers · artists · time travelers · aliens · outsiders · cat lovers · moral framing · humanistic focus · naive characters · obsessed characters

Relationships labels: marriage · love · romance · friendship · family · parent-child · rivalry · betrayal · community · power imbalance · marital tension · love through service

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2072

Continue from here

The Mercy of Gods

James S.A. Corey · 2024 · The Captive's War

After an alien conquest, a human research team is forced into a deadly trial to prove their species is useful.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientists · researchers · academic ensemble · assistant protagonist · mixed personalities · flawed characters · traumatized characters · reluctant survivor · collaborator · de facto leader

Relationships labels: found family · team dynamics · romance · crushes · interpersonal drama · power imbalance · captor-captive · rivalry · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2098

Continue from here

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

John Scalzi · 2025

When the Moon becomes cheese, a rotating cast of people across America faces humor, panic, and fallout over one lunar cycle.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary people · ensemble cast · billionaires · scientists · astronauts · politicians · preachers · workers · schoolkids · retirees · authors · cheese shop owners · government officials · celebrities · conspiracy theorists · snarky characters · eccentric billionaire · social outcasts · terminal illness · faith crisis · egoistic entrepreneur · human scale

Relationships labels: family dynamics · rivalry · romance · friendship · community · marriage · faith community · power dynamics · public/private tension · professional relationships

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2127

Continue from here