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Combine common axes
These books are ranked using the tone labels extracted for The Encounter.
Tone labels used: bleak, dark, heartbreaking, somber, tense, hopeful, emotionally heavy, horror-tinged
This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their tone embeddings are close.
In a flood-ravaged future where plastic is currency, a mother in a junkyard camp fights to reclaim her stolen child.
Why this is here
Tone labels: bleak · haunting · somber · gritty · dark · hopeful · melancholy · tense · thought-provoking · emotionally heavy
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0490
After a supervolcano, Alex and Darla race to build a defendable community before winter, war, and human cruelty finish them off.
Why this is here
Tone labels: bleak · harrowing · tense · hopeful · gritty · brutal · bleak but hopeful · satisfying · raw · terrifying · bittersweet · dark
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0564
As war closes in, Gregor must crack a final prophecy and decide whether fate, family, or choice will define the end.
Why this is here
Tone labels: dark · bleak · melancholic · somber · emotional · heartbreaking · tense · hopeful · bittersweet · thought-provoking · brutal
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0565
When Earth faces mysterious alien omens and contradictory visitors, scientists and leaders race toward an apparently unavoidable apocalypse.
Why this is here
Tone labels: dark · bleak · melancholy · horrifying · somber · tense · emotional
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0573
An orphaned, disabled girl with a rare artistic gift is pulled into a harsh village’s secrets and control.
Why this is here
Tone labels: haunting · bleak · harsh · gentle · somber · tense · hopeful · melancholy
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0579
A gender-nonconforming scavenger from a plague-ravaged settlement sets out to rescue women and confront a tyrant.
Why this is here
Tone labels: dark · bleak · grim · brutal · haunting · hauntingly hopeful · disturbing · intense · depressing · tense
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0587
A teen diarist survives a climate-warped world as two survivor families collide and love, faith, and shortages collide.
Why this is here
Tone labels: bleak · dark · grim · tense · heartbreaking · emotional · chilling · depressing
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0622
A brilliant woman entering an elite mage order uncovers a world-shaking secret tied to magic, power, and oppression.
Why this is here
Tone labels: dark · bleak · tragic · brutal · intense · emotional · thought-provoking · hopeful · bittersweet · disturbing · rage-inducing
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0645
In a ruined America, grieving teens chase a possible refuge while facing mutant zombies and a deadly death cult.
Why this is here
Tone labels: bleak · tense · harrowing · emotional · dark · creepy · frustrating · heartbreaking · frenetic
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0664
A frame-told alien history traces the doomed fall of a peaceful species as war, betrayal, and resistance collide.
Why this is here
Tone labels: tragic · dark · bleak · heartbreaking · bittersweet · haunting · somber · hopeful · brutal · devastating
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0668
A Hugo-winning short story collection where Octavia Butler explores alien coexistence, illness, language loss, and the costs of survival.
Why this is here
Tone labels: disturbing · bleak · hopeful · dark · somber · grotesque · thought-provoking · intense · unsettling · emotional
Semantic match: ranked by tone
Distance: 0.0672
