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Combine common axes
These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Vox. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.
Characterization labels used: scientist protagonist, linguist protagonist, mother protagonist, wife, housewife, resistant heroine, indoctrinated youth, young daughter
Relationships labels used: mother daughter, marriage, family tension, parent child, husband wife, resistance network, mentor friendship
This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.
A linguist learning alien language confronts time, grief, and the cost of knowing the future.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: linguist · academic protagonist · mother · scientist protagonist · intellectual protagonist · grieving protagonist
Relationships labels: mother-daughter · parent-child · marriage · family loss · romantic relationship · human-alien contact · communication barrier
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1246
A psychiatrist wakes up in her 17-year-old body and must choose between restoring her life and changing a devastating fate.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: psychiatrist protagonist · working mother · wife · mother · pregnant protagonist · medical professional · career woman · frazzled parent · relatable heroine · active protagonist · resilient heroine · morally burdened · confused protagonist · secondary character web · well-developed characters
Relationships labels: marriage · motherhood · parent-child · sibling relationship · family loyalty · romance · husband-wife · love versus duty · interconnected lives · community ties
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1381
A fragmented sci-fi horror tale follows a worldwide surge of violent misogyny, ending in a chilling alien explanation.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · scientist husband · wife protagonist · family focus · ordinary people · male aggression · female vulnerability · limited character development
Relationships labels: husband-wife · parent-child · family separation · gender conflict · power imbalance · male-female conflict · community breakdown · cult allegiance · dependency · protective concern
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1396
In a near-future Australia, a mother defies a surveillance state to find her missing husband and save her children.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: mother protagonist · flawed heroine · protective parent · ordinary woman · strong female protagonist · young children · missing husband · working mother · maternal guilt · resilient heroine
Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage · family separation · parent-child conflict · sibling relationship · former lovers · romantic subplot · state vs citizen · family threat · dependence on friends
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1421
In a collapsing Ireland, a mother fights to hold her family together as authoritarian rule closes in.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: mother protagonist · scientist protagonist · trade unionist · family caretaker · decent ordinary people · dementia-affected parent · teenage child · passive protagonist · fearful protagonist · protective mother · everywoman figure · working mother · middle-class family
Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage under pressure · family separation · parental duty · husband wife · siblings · intergenerational care · community breakdown · state versus citizen
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1455
A family enters a supposedly perfect company town where safety, privilege, and belonging come with eerie rules.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: mother protagonist · doctor protagonist · working mother · numbers genius · scientist · teen twins · outsider family · reluctant conformist · curious protagonist · headstrong woman · complicated family · nuanced family dynamics · elite insiders · cold neighbors
Relationships labels: marriage strain · parent child dynamics · mother daughter bond · family tension · family fragmentation · community exclusion · outsider vs insiders · power imbalance · friend group politics · dependency · peer hazing · social hierarchy
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1461
In a near-future America, a mother must defy a ruthless test-based school system when it targets her own daughter.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: teacher protagonist · mother protagonist · wife · government insider · complicit protagonist · anxious child · high-achieving child · villain husband · authoritarian administrator · activist mother · complex heroine
Relationships labels: mother daughter · marriage conflict · parent child · family split · power imbalance · betrayal · complicity · favoritism · domestic tension · love vs loyalty
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1476
A reversible two-part novel follows two Asian migrants in past France and near-future Australia as racism and conformity tighten.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: immigrant protagonists · female protagonist · male protagonist · young woman · middle-aged man · bureaucrat · teacher · bureaucrat protagonist · ambitious wife · elderly mother · creepy neighbor · underconfident
Relationships labels: mother-son · husband-wife · friendship · romantic tension · landlord-tenant · colleague friendship · power imbalance · family dependency · peer influence
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1478
A giant-robot trilogy finale follows survivors split between Earth and an alien world as humanity spirals into fear and war.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · female scientist · pilot · linguist · military commander · teenager · goofball · stoic leader
Relationships labels: father-daughter relationship · team dynamics · faction conflict · alliances · betrayal · found family · friendship · power struggle · parent-child conflict
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1491
Genetically changed children face quarantine, fear, and state control as their species nears adolescence.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: scientist protagonists · biologist · archaeologist · teen protagonist · parental protection · rebellious youth · exiled researchers · government officials · bounty hunters · persecuted underclass · posthuman children · likable characters
Relationships labels: parent child · family separation · estranged spouses · protective parents · youth peer bonds · human posthuman conflict · community resistance · state family conflict · authority surveillance · coexistence struggle
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1507
A chronological anthology of classic sci-fi stories by women, tracing the genre from pulp-era invention to New Wave experimentation.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: female protagonists · strong women · heroines · matriarchs · housewives · mothers · scientists · psychologists · super-intelligent child · alien beings
Relationships labels: family · motherhood · parent-child · gender roles · marriage · marital conflict · power imbalance · colonizer-colonized · rivalry
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1512
A bored boy on a moon base investigates a suspicious death and uncovers secrets someone wants buried.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: tween protagonist · young investigator · scientist parents · supportive family · bored protagonist · reluctant reader appeal · intelligent protagonist · determined protagonist · female sidekick · security official · strict authority · oblivious adults · obnoxious rich family · well-liked scientist
Relationships labels: parent-child · sibling relationship · friendship · investigator ally · adult-child conflict · authority conflict · community tension · peer cooperation · family support
Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships
Distance: 0.1532
