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Outbreak

Robin Cook

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: young doctor, female lead, epidemiologist, pediatrician, competent professional, headstrong, rebellious, likable heroine, shallow characterization, stereotyped characters, female doctor

Relationships labels used: workplace harassment, romantic subplot, love triangle, power imbalance, professional rivalry, seduction politics, boss-subordinate tension, dating drama, male attention

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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Plague

Victor Methos · 2012 · The Plague Trilogy

A CDC doctor races to contain a deadly, unidentified pathogen spreading from Hawaii while hidden forces exploit the outbreak.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: CDC doctor · female lead · strong female lead · scientist protagonist · microbiologist · FBI agent · mysterious helper · reluctant ally · government official · team of specialists · believable characters

Relationships labels: colleague partnership · professional teamwork · romance subplot · love interest · mentor help · government hierarchy · trust issues · community breakdown · power struggle · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1838

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Coma

Robin Cook · 2014

A medical student uncovers a lethal hospital conspiracy after routine surgeries leave healthy patients in comas.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: medical student · female protagonist · determined heroine · feisty heroine · bright student · overemotional protagonist · unprofessional lead · sexist male characters · chauvinist men · cardboard characters · sympathetic investigator

Relationships labels: supervisor-student tension · patient-doctor tension · romantic subplot · power imbalance · male-dominated workplace · institutional betrayal · professional rivalry · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1863

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Crystal Singer

Anne McCaffrey · 1982 · Crystal Singer

After her opera dream collapses, a fiercely ambitious singer risks everything to join an elite crystal-mining guild.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: strong female lead · ambitious protagonist · arrogant heroine · self-centered · stubborn · driven · talented · competent · imperfect heroine · introvert · diva · career obsessed

Relationships labels: mentor student · power imbalance · casual sex · multiple lovers · romance subplot · guild hierarchy · professional rivalry · paternalism · dependency · consensual sex

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1885

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The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg

Eva St. John · 2020 · The Quantum Curators

A quantum curator from an alternate Earth races to recover a priceless Fabergé egg before hidden enemies sabotage the mission.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: strong female lead · male academic · archivist · professor · researcher · curator · team leader · stereotyped characters · flat characters · two-dimensional characters · intrepid team · rival agents

Relationships labels: team dynamics · co-worker romance · budding romance · workplace relationship · friendship · best friends · loyalty · betrayal · rivalry · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1974

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Invasion

Robin Cook · 1997

A doctor-to-be and his friends race to stop a strange virus that turns people into something not quite human.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: medical professional · premed student · ER doctor · female protagonist · uninfected resistance · flat characters · interchangeable characters · villain figure · caricatured characters

Relationships labels: romantic rivalry · boyfriend girlfriend · friend group · medical team · resistance team · collective hive mind

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1976

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Beautiful You

Chuck Palahniuk · 2014

A shy legal assistant is drawn into a billionaire’s sex-toy empire, then discovers a bizarre bid for control.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: plain heroine · aspiring lawyer · low-level associate · billionaire mastermind · guinea pig protagonist · anti-hero · caricatures · one-dimensional characters · female test subject · manipulative mogul

Relationships labels: power imbalance · seduction · boss-employee · romance setup · ex-girlfriend tension · male gaze · women vs men · dependency · control relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1999

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The Female Breeders

Melanie Bokstad Horev · 2025 · The Female Saga

In a female-run dystopia, a young scientist screens imprisoned men for breeding and uncovers a brutal conspiracy.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young scientist · brilliant scientist · female protagonist · strong female lead · male lead · traumatized male · sympathetic protagonist · questioning authority · disaffected insider · powerful councilwoman · relatable characters · underdeveloped side characters · multiple agendas · morally conflicted

Relationships labels: forbidden attraction · cross-faction bond · friends to allies · friendship · romantic tension · trust issues · power imbalance · sympathy across enemy lines · mentorship · love amid oppression · rivalry · female friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2009

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No Easy Deeds

Keith A. Pearson · 2024

A debt-ridden young man in early-1990s England lands a strange job and an offer that may change his future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young adult · unemployed · down on his luck · relatable characters · likable characters · believable characters · selfish protagonist · ordinary people · character-driven · emotionally immature · sympathetic lead

Relationships labels: breakup · fiancee subplot · romantic conflict · complicated love life · friendship · workplace banter · power imbalance · mystery woman

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2014

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The Menace from Earth

Robert A. Heinlein · 1999 · Future History or "Heinlein Timeline"

Eight vintage Heinlein stories span time loops, moon life, apocalyptic signs, psychic war, and survival under pressure.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: statistician · graduate student · teen girl protagonist · career woman · tour guide · space pilot · scientist · society girl · female lead · male lead · awkward hero · plucky heroine · difficult protagonist

Relationships labels: romantic rivalry · love triangle · co-worker attraction · business partnership · friendship · self-versus-self · human-alien captivity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2032

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In Our Likeness

Bryan VanDyke · 2024

A tech worker’s AI experiment rewrites reality, forcing him to question truth, love, and identity.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: flawed protagonist · relatable lead · unlikeable protagonist · workaholic · tech founder · CEO · co-worker crush · genius woman · power-hungry boss · obsessive narrator · shy protagonist · terminally ill parent · adult child caregiver · corporate villain

Relationships labels: unrequited love · workplace crush · coworker relationship · boss-employee · power imbalance · mother-son relationship · romantic tension · professional rivalry · friendship · betrayal · dependency · team dynamics · trust issues

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2036

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The Pharmacist

Rachelle Atalla · 2022

A bunker pharmacist navigates scarcity, paranoia, and a dangerous leader who makes survival come at a price.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: pharmacist · female protagonist · morally ambiguous · passive protagonist · flawed protagonist · complex narrator · troubled character · paranoid leader · mysterious leader · assistant character · doctor character · outcast allies · ordinary citizen

Relationships labels: unlikely alliance · power imbalance · coercive relationship · informant dynamic · workplace dependence · friendship under pressure · romantic tension · leader-subordinate · survival dependency · friendship bonds

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2046

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Symbiote

Michael Nayak · 2025 · Ice Plague Wars

At a South Pole research base, a cold-triggered parasite spreads violence, paranoia, and a dangerous hive mind.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ensemble cast · large cast · scientists · military personnel · researchers · technicians · support crew · unlikable characters · flawed characters · immature adults · paranoid characters · female underdevelopment · male gaze · morally compromised characters · survivor mindset · rivalrous colleagues

Relationships labels: workplace conflict · romantic tension · love triangles · sexual competition · friendship under stress · betrayal · team distrust · hierarchy tension · us vs them · survival alliances · colleague rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.2065

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