Cover of Making History by Stephen Fry

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Stephen Fry

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: history student, graduate student, PhD candidate, physicist, professor, physicist scientist, Holocaust survivor, elderly, young adult, flawed protagonist, irritating protagonist, unsympathetic lead, wunderkind, hubristic, immature, self-deprecating, brutal antagonist, well-rounded characters

Relationships labels used: romance, gay romance, heterosexual relationship, breakup, mentor-student, collaboration, academic partnership, friendship, familial guilt, parental trauma, power imbalance, partnership

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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Cover of The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas

The End of Mr. Y

Scarlett Thomas · 2006

A PhD student finds a cursed rare book and is pulled into a mind-travel mystery about reality, time, and thought.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female academic · PhD student · curious heroine · flawed protagonist · intellectual heroine · obsessive reader · messy protagonist · sexually active protagonist · poor student · strong-willed · mentally complex

Relationships labels: mentor relationship · academic hierarchy · unhealthy romance · sexual relationship · love interest · rival pursuit · obsessive attachment · community of readers

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1614

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Cover of Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer

Quantum Night

Robert J. Sawyer · 2016

A psychologist who can spot psychopaths uncovers a missing six months of his own life and a theory that could alter humanity.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: experimental psychologist · quantum physicist · professor · expert witness · utilitarian protagonist · flawed hero · psychopath · mentor figure · ex-girlfriend · scientist protagonists · academic characters · politically opinionated characters

Relationships labels: romantic reunion · ex-girlfriend · mentor-mentee · spouses · parent-child · friendship · collegial relationships · family conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1652

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Cover of Fire Watch by Connie Willis

Fire Watch

Connie Willis · 1985 · Oxford Time Travel

A 12-story Connie Willis collection mixing time travel, horror, humor, and haunting speculative setups.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: history student · time traveler · grad student · researcher · priestess · reporter · mother · daughter · female protagonist · unprepared protagonist · hapless protagonist · unreliable child narrator · mutant · orangutan · clergy · boarding school student · dim-witted character

Relationships labels: parent child · mother daughter · romance · ex girlfriend · rivalry · mentor student · clergy congregation · community conflict · family strain · power imbalance · marital tension · friendship · human animal bond · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1671

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Cover of The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

The Accidental Time Machine

Joe Haldeman · 2007

A MIT researcher accidentally builds a one-way time machine and keeps jumping deeper into the future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: grad student · research assistant · dropout student · everyman protagonist · slacker hero · brilliant but hapless · flat protagonist · likable flawed protagonist · minimal character development · naive companion · AI character · religious figure

Relationships labels: girlfriend breakup · travel companion · mentor-student · romantic relationship · family tension · power imbalance · rescuer dynamic · friendship · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1673

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Cover of Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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: 0.1694

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Cover of The Rose Field by Philip Pullman

The Rose Field

Philip Pullman · 2025 · The Book of Dust

Lyra and Malcolm race through a cross-world mystery toward a desert redoubt, chasing Dust, Pan, and answers.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: adult protagonist · traumatized protagonist · searching protagonist · spy · academic · witches · scientists · scholars · spies · military leader · radical faction · new threat · underused characters · inconsistent characterization · morally ambiguous

Relationships labels: companion bond · human-daemon bond · separation · reunion · romance tension · teacher-student power imbalance · family ties · allied factions · rival factions · protective bond · unresolved relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1705

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Cover of Are You Happy Now by Hanna Jameson

Are You Happy Now

Hanna Jameson · 2023

At a New York wedding, four young adults watch a strange catatonic crisis spread worldwide while their lives, loves, and doubts unravel.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed characters · young adults · millennials · self-destructive · unlikeable characters · ambitious journalist · struggling musician · professor · ballet student · self-doubting · cynical · emotionally guarded

Relationships labels: romantic relationships · friendship · workplace relationships · family pressure · queer relationships · dating · friendship-to-romance · intimacy · relationship drama

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1712

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Cover of Rise: A Newsflesh Collection by Mira Grant

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: 0.1719

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Cover of Assassin of Reality by Marina Dyachenko

Assassin of Reality

Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko · 2023 · Vita Nostra (English)

A gifted student returns to an eerie magical institute where language shapes reality and failure could remake the world.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: stubborn protagonist · older protagonist · intellectual curiosity · transcendent being · ambitious student · alienated protagonist · dark mentor · fascinating protagonist · humanity vs concept

Relationships labels: student-teacher rivalry · mentor-protégé · romance · pilot love interest · classmate distrust · peer support · familial leverage · protective friends · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1722

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Cover of The Sleep Experiment by Jeremy Bates

The Sleep Experiment

Jeremy Bates · 2019 · World's Scariest Legends

A psychology professor recreates a notorious sleep-deprivation experiment, and the lab slowly turns into a nightmare.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: psychology professor · mad scientist · narcissistic protagonist · student assistants · test subjects · young tourists · villain protagonist · oblivious victims · unlikeable characters

Relationships labels: student-teacher · mentor-mentee · professional hierarchy · romantic obsession · sexual obsession · power imbalance · research team · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1744

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Cover of We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

We Are the Ants

Shaun David Hutchinson · 2016 · We Are the Ants

A bullied, grieving queer teen must decide whether to save the world when aliens give him 144 days and a red button.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: troubled teen · nihilistic protagonist · witty narrator · depressed protagonist · scientific thinker · flawed characters · bullying victim · abusive sibling · grieving teen · popular bully · mysterious new boy · supportive friend · teacher figure · dementia-afflicted grandparent · suicidal bereavement

Relationships labels: family dysfunction · friendship · romance · bully-victim dynamic · queer relationship · best-friend betrayal · sibling conflict · parent-child tension · grief bond · supportive friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1745

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Cover of The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

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: 0.1748

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Cover of The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

The City in the Middle of the Night

Charlie Jane Anders · 2019 · The City in the Middle of the Night

On a tidally locked colony world, an exiled student and a nomad smuggler are pulled into politics, aliens, and survival.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young student · naive protagonist · shy protagonist · introverted · passive protagonist · revolutionary · smuggler · nomad · sole survivor · mysterious savior · alien ally · flawed characters · complicated characters · traumatized · self-destructive · idealistic · manipulative · power-hungry

Relationships labels: toxic relationship · codependent relationship · abusive relationship · unrequited love · f/f romance · sapphic relationship · friendship · best friends · romantic obsession · power imbalance · betrayal · loyalty · found family · alien friendship · partner bond

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1751

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Cover of 宝石の国 3 [Houseki no Kuni 3] by Haruko Ichikawa

宝石の国 3 [Houseki no Kuni 3]

Haruko Ichikawa, 市川春子 · 2014 · 宝石の国 [Hōseki no Kuni]

A winter mission forces a fragile gem warrior into a new partnership that changes identity, memory, and fate.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: clumsy protagonist · coming-of-age · self-doubt · depression · matured protagonist · traumatized protagonist · serious mentor · guard duty · stoic partner · genderless characters

Relationships labels: partnership · mentor-student · friendship · dependence · protective bond · nonsexual intimacy · idolization

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1754

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Cover of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Doomsday Book

Connie Willis · 1992 · Oxford Time Travel

A young historian’s time-travel research goes wrong, trapping her in plague-era England as Oxford faces its own crisis.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young historian · academic protagonist · mentor figure · bureaucratic academics · competent heroine · lovable characters · annoying characters · flawed characters · quiet heroism · inexperienced protagonist

Relationships labels: mentor student · academic hierarchy · rescuer rescued · community bonds · caretaking · familial attachment · parental concern

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1757

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Cover of Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer

Hominids

Robert J. Sawyer · 2002 · Neanderthal Parallax

A Neanderthal scientist crosses into modern Canada, sparking a cross-cultural collision with a parallel human world.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: physicist protagonist · scientist protagonist · Neanderthal protagonist · female scientist · geneticist · anthropologist · accused partner · celebrity outsider · rational scientists

Relationships labels: partner relationship · man-mate · woman-mate · romantic tension · intercultural relationship · friendship · colleague relationship · trial of partner · power imbalance · sexual relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1759

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Cover of The Definitions by Matt Greene

The Definitions

Matt Greene · 2025

After a memory-wiping illness, nameless adults relearn language and identity inside a suspicious seaside center.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unnamed protagonist · blank slate · adult students · memory-wiped residents · intelligent narrator · gender-ambiguous narrator · adolescent-like adults · conformists · resistant characters · brainwashed residents

Relationships labels: friendship · romantic tension · same-sex desire · peer dynamics · power imbalance · institutional authority · community formation · cliques · coercive dependence · careful intimacy · budding love

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1780

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Cover of In Universes by Emet North

In Universes

Emet North · 2024

A queer cosmology researcher falls through parallel lives, chasing love, meaning, and the self they might have been.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: queer protagonist · cosmologist · scientist protagonist · academic protagonist · self-doubting · melancholy · searching · guilt-ridden · trauma-affected · emotionally stuck · identity-questioning · lonely · hopeful

Relationships labels: best friends · sometimes lovers · recurring lovers · friendship · romantic tension · unrequited love · queer relationship · parent-child relationships · chosen family · interpersonal rupture · relationship reversals

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1781

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Cover of A Gift of Time by Jerry Merritt

A Gift of Time

Jerry Merritt · 2016

An aging, suicidal man gets a chance to relive his life from age ten and tries to fix the mistake that haunts him.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: suicidal protagonist · older protagonist · child protagonist · physicist protagonist · engineer protagonist · likable characters · well-developed characters · morally conflicted protagonist · emotionally distant protagonist · precocious child

Relationships labels: family bonds · brother relationship · father-son tension · aunt-nephew bond · friendship · romance · sacrifice · community ties · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1781

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Cover of Dead Happy by Josh Silver

Dead Happy

Josh Silver · 2024 · HappyHead

A gay teen is pushed into a deadlier island phase of a manipulative wellness experiment, where survival means staying authentic.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: sarcastic protagonist · traumatized teens · morally gray authority figures · enigmatic hosts · character development · complex side characters · audience surrogate

Relationships labels: forced couple · central romance · same-sex romance · friendship bond · rivalry · power imbalance · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1786

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Cover of Machines like Me by Ian McEwan

Machines like Me

Ian McEwan · 2019

In alternate-1980s London, a drifter buys a lifelike android, and a love triangle exposes human and machine morality.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: drifter · day trader · failed entrepreneur · anthropologist · anthropology student · young student · synthetic human · android · humanlike robot · unlikeable characters · dull narrator · enigmatic woman · morally conflicted · directionless · self-deluding · lifelike machine · existential despair

Relationships labels: love triangle · romantic rivalry · interpersonal relations · affair · co-parenting · bonding · jealousy · betrayal · dependency · friendship · ownership · human-machine intimacy · adoption · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1788

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Cover of The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson

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: 0.1789

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Cover of Traumaland by Josh Silver

Traumaland

Josh Silver · 2025

A numb teen enters a secret VR club that sells nightmares, then uncovers a dangerous truth about his own trauma.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: emotionally numb protagonist · sarcastic protagonist · witty protagonist · gay protagonist · teen protagonist · traumatized protagonist · psychologically complex characters · morally compromised behavior · misfit protagonist · cunning protagonist

Relationships labels: family tension · romance · queer romance · therapist-patient · friendship · supportive bond · betrayal · parent-child conflict · brother relationship · protective relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1791

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Cover of Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Ruins

Lily Brooks-Dalton · 2026

A future archaeologist’s bid to prove a lost civilization exists collides with a wrecked marriage and a world remade by climate collapse.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ambitious protagonist · obsessive protagonist · unlikable protagonist · flawed protagonist · antihero · unreliable narrator · morally gray protagonist · self-centered protagonist · selfish protagonist · academic protagonist · archaeologist protagonist · professor protagonist · careerist · outsider · intense ambition · unfulfilled · socially flawed

Relationships labels: crumbling marriage · marital conflict · failed partnership · romantic breakup · ex-partner · student-teacher dynamic · colleague conflict · friendship strain · family estrangement · exploitative relationships · power imbalance · community alienation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1794

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