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The Radiant Dark

Alexandra Oliva

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: new mother, scientist daughter, emotionally absent father, loyal son, ambitious daughter, cult member, working-class mother, conservationist

Relationships labels used: mother daughter, parent child, marriage breakdown, family estrangement, dysfunctional family, multi-generational family, sibling relationship, cult community

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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The Last Animal

Ramona Ausubel · 2023

A grieving scientist and her two teen daughters chase a mammoth de-extinction experiment across the globe.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: widowed mother · single mother · scientist mother · graduate student · paleobiologist · teen sisters · rebellious teen · obedient younger sister · bored teens · male colleagues · female scientist · wealthy woman · eccentric characters

Relationships labels: mother-daughter relationship · sister relationship · sibling bond · grieving family · widow and daughters · professional rivalry · power imbalance · family solidarity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1678

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Perfect People

Peter James · 2011

A grieving couple turns to designer-baby science to avoid another genetic tragedy, only to face terrifying consequences.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: naive parents · grieving couple · maverick scientist · scientific parent · creepy children · religious fanatic · ambitious scientist · unlikeable protagonists · cold antagonist · highly intelligent children

Relationships labels: parent-child · marriage · family crisis · betrayal · dependency · power imbalance · protective parenting · cult opposition · science vs religion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1698

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Chocky

John Wyndham · 1968

An English boy’s invisible companion may be an alien intelligence, forcing his family to decide what’s real.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: ordinary family · inquisitive child · rational father · emotional mother · adopted son · protective parent · skeptical adult · benign outsider

Relationships labels: parent-child · adoptive family · family dynamics · marriage · sibling relationship · caretaking · authority conflict · adult-child mismatch · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1709

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Vox

Christina Dalcher · 2018

In a near-future America, one woman fights to protect her daughter after women are restricted to 100 words a day.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · linguist protagonist · mother protagonist · wife · housewife · resistant heroine · indoctrinated youth · young daughter

Relationships labels: mother daughter · marriage · family tension · parent child · husband wife · resistance network · mentor friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1743

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Crossed, Vol. 2: Family Values

David Lapham · 2011 · Crossed (Collected Editions)

A North Carolina ranch family’s secrets erupt as a brutal apocalypse forces them to face both infected horrors and human evil.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: family patriarch · strong female lead · rural family · religious fundamentalist · abusive parent · survivor · antiheroic humanity

Relationships labels: family conflict · parent-child conflict · incest · abusive family · sibling dynamics · domestic power struggle · caregiving · betrayal

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1769

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The Possibilities

Yael Goldstein-Love · 2023

A new mother’s search for her vanished baby opens into a multiverse where every version of her life feels dangerously real.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: new mother · first-time mother · anxious protagonist · protective parent · sympathetic heroine · traumatized mother · horror writer · estranged mother

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage strain · parent-child devotion · support group · mother-daughter relationship · estranged mother · family dysfunction · partner conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1836

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Epidemin

Åsa Ericsdotter · 2016

In a near-future Sweden, a health party turns anti-obesity policy into a terrifying system of control.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: charismatic leader · young researcher · working mother · sympathetic outsider · ordinary citizen · state loyalist · unfree subject

Relationships labels: mother-daughter · romantic relationship · ex-partner · community pressure · state-citizen · power imbalance · family separation · friendship under pressure

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1853

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The Homing

John Saul · 1994

A widow’s return to her childhood town turns sinister when insect attacks and disappearances point to a hidden horror.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: widow · single mother · teenage daughter · young child · farmer · scientist · doctor · deputy · antagonist · outsider teen · incompetent adults

Relationships labels: mother-daughter · family relocation · second marriage · high school sweetheart · parent-child · community ties · romance · power imbalance · betrayal · protective parent

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1868

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A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Madeleine L'Engle · 1981 · Time Quintet

A teen, a unicorn, and a telepathic sister race through history to avert nuclear war by altering one crucial family line.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: gifted teenager · scientist parent · pregnant mother · supportive sibling · unicorn guide · ruler-dictator · ancestral lineage characters · intelligent family

Relationships labels: siblings · marriage · parent-child · mother-in-law · family line · ancestry · intergenerational connection · spiritual bond · telepathic connection

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1873

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He eivät tiedä mitä tekevät

Jussi Valtonen · 2014

A cross-continental family saga about science, activism, and technology tests what people think they owe each other.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: neuroscientist · researcher · animal activist · parent · estranged father · ambitious scientist · privileged characters · morally compromised characters · frustrated wife · radicalized youth · character-driven

Relationships labels: parent-child conflict · father-son relationship · mother-son relationship · marriage breakdown · estrangement · ex-wife relationship · family separation · cross-cultural relationship · community conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1875

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The End is Now

John Joseph Adams, Hugh Howey, Scott Sigler, Seanan McGuire, Jamie Ford, Elizabeth Bear, Ben H. Winters, Jonathan Maberry, Daniel H. Wilson, Robin Wasserman · 2014 · The Apocalypse Triptych

Connected apocalyptic short stories show the world collapsing from many angles, with continuations from earlier installments.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: survivors · companionship seekers · scientists · families · mothers · daughters · civil servants · messengers · characters under pressure · morally complex

Relationships labels: parent-child · mother-daughter · family bonds · companionship · marriage · betrayal · forgiveness · community · rival factions · sibling relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1876

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The End We Start From

Megan Hunter · 2017

A new mother and her baby flee a flooded near-future London, finding love and survival amid upheaval.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: new mother · pregnant woman · mother protagonist · father figure · newborn · infant growth · survival-focused · unnamed characters · anonymous characters

Relationships labels: mother-child bond · marriage · parent-child · family separation · partner loss · extended family · refugee community · maternal attachment · caregiving

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1880

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