Exploring from

The Business

Iain Banks

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: career-focused woman, female executive, ambitious protagonist, reticent protagonist, clever protagonist, wealthy elite, poor-to-rich arc, groomed heir, mentor figure, eccentric supporting cast, unsympathetic men, strong female protagonist

Relationships labels used: mentor-protege, romance, unrequited love, workplace hierarchy, power imbalance, family separation, marriage plot, rivalry, organizational loyalty

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

The Last Day

Andrew Hunter Murray · 2020

In a near-future Britain, a scientist is dragged into a government secret after Earth’s rotation stops and chaos spreads.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · female lead · tough heroine · intelligent heroine · isolated protagonist · jaded protagonist · bitter protagonist · determined investigator · curious protagonist · flawed protagonist · strong female lead · government agents · dying mentor · secondary characters · antagonists · authoritarian leadership

Relationships labels: mentor protege · estranged mentor · ex husband · sister-in-law · romantic subplots · forced romance · government control · betrayal · allies · family estrangement · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1482

Continue from here

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: 0.1542

Continue from here

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: 0.1548

Continue from here

An Officer's Duty

Jean Johnson · 2012 · Theirs Not to Reason Why

A precognitive soldier enters officer training while trying to prepare her family and the galaxy for a coming war.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: overpowered protagonist · precognitive heroine · strong female lead · career soldier · dutiful heroine · humanized powerhouse · idealized protagonist · female super-soldier

Relationships labels: family support · romantic tension · mentor relationship · friendship · comradeship · hierarchical loyalty · subordinate bonds · destined partners

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1595

Continue from here

Simulacron 3

Daniel F. Galouye · 1999

A corporate simulation designer starts doubting reality itself after a death and a string of impossible disappearances.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: investigator protagonist · corporate employee · scientist inventor · corporate executive · female love interest · paranoid protagonist · logical protagonist

Relationships labels: mentor-protege · father-daughter · corporate hierarchy · romantic subplot · rivalry · betrayal · power struggle · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1611

Continue from here

Titus Alone

Mervyn Peake · 1968 · Gormenghast

Exiled heir Titus wanders a strange modern world, hunted by doubt, longing for home, and trying to prove his lost kingdom real.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young heir · runaway heir · alienated protagonist · unreliable identity · grotesque characters · oddball cast · Muzzlehatch-type mentor · manipulative rival · protective female characters · frenzied protagonist · passive protagonist · mad or doubting protagonist

Relationships labels: mentor-protégé · romantic entanglement · unrequited desire · betrayal · rescue dependency · friendship · ex-lovers · family absence · power imbalance · protective bond

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1615

Continue from here

SAMPLER ONLY: Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins · 2012

A defiant Hunger Games victor is pulled back into a deadlier contest as rebellion spreads and the Capitol retaliates.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female protagonist · reluctant hero · survivor · love triangle · young protagonist · traumatized survivor · strategic ally · mentor figure · antagonist ruler

Relationships labels: forced romance · love triangle · mentor-protégé · family loyalty · allies · rivals · romantic tension · protective bond · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1651

Continue from here

Lost in a Good Book

Jasper Fforde · 2004 · Thursday Next

A literary detective enters the BookWorld to rescue her erased husband while a dangerous corporate plot threatens reality.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female protagonist · literary detective · apprentice · mentor · quirky heroine · competent protagonist · resourceful · kickass heroine · comic side characters · villainous corporation

Relationships labels: marriage · mentor mentee · father daughter · romance · corporate control · rivalry · apprenticeship · workplace hierarchy · rescue mission

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1666

Continue from here

Elite

Mercedes Lackey · 2016 · Hunter

A newly promoted hunter investigates sewer deaths and rising monster attacks while a citywide conspiracy closes in.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen heroine · competent protagonist · resourceful · independent · team player · reluctant leader · young adult protagonist · responsible · rational · self-reliant · strong female lead · Mary Sue (contested) · growth arc

Relationships labels: mentor-uncle · boyfriend · romantic subplot · team bond · pack bond · friendship · rivalry · betrayal · romantic tension · family loyalty · working alliance · leadership hierarchy

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1713

Continue from here

Clean Room, Vol. 2: Exile

Gail Simone · 2017 · Clean Room

A journalist and a cult leader collide amid body horror, hidden conspiracies, and a secret world of demons or aliens.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unlikable protagonist · antihero · sympathetic villain · stoic · complicated characters · badass woman · strong female cast · moral ambiguity · charismatic leader · loyal followers

Relationships labels: romance subplot · frenemy dynamic · family betrayal · mentor follower · power struggle · company takeover · cult hierarchy · loyalty conflict · investigator subject

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1716

Continue from here

Monster Hunter International

Larry Correia · 2009 · Monster Hunter International

An accountant is recruited into a secret monster-hunting company after killing his werewolf boss.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: unusual hero · accountant protagonist · big protagonist · gun enthusiast · competent fighter · snarky protagonist · wish fulfillment · Gary Stu · mentored recruit · female love interest · tough women · team ensemble · mercenary team · villainous big bad

Relationships labels: mentor-protege · romantic subplot · love triangle · teamwork · found family · boss-employee · family influence · government-versus-private-sector · rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1722

Continue from here

Scythe / Thunderhead / The Toll

Neal Shusterman · 2019 · Arc of a Scythe

In a deathless future run by AI, two teens are trained to choose who dies and must decide what justice means.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · apprentices · mentor figures · morally gray villain · charismatic psychopath · benevolent AI · corrupt authority · compassionate protagonist · strong-willed protagonist · gender fluid character · multiracial characters · complex characters · character development

Relationships labels: mentor-apprentice · romantic tension · friendship · family immunity · power hierarchy · rivalry · bonded protagonists

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1724

Continue from here