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The Distance of the Moon

Italo Calvino

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Similar in characterization + relationships

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

Characterization labels used: quirky characters, immortal being, narrator protagonist, unrequited lover, obsessive desire, self-contained character, eternal beings, personified celestial bodies, symbolic characters

Relationships labels used: love triangle, unrequited love, romantic obsession, couple bickering, moon as beloved, family dynamics, jealousy, desire and loss, human-cosmic relationship, dependency

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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As She Climbed Across the Table

Jonathan Lethem · 1998

A professor loses his physicist lover to a strange, selective void created in a campus lab.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: anthropologist narrator · particle physicist · academics · professors · quippy protagonist · dysfunctional characters · quirky characters · obsessive characters · spurned lover

Relationships labels: romantic triangle · boyfriend-girlfriend · unrequited love · obsessive attachment · love rival · academic couple · breakup · possession and desire · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1500

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The Complete Cosmicomics

Italo Calvino · 2009

A set of cosmic fables where an immortal witness turns scientific origins into whimsical, human-scale stories.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immortal narrator · protean narrator · eccentric characters · anthropomorphic beings · cosmic witness · quirky cast · female love interests · abstract entities · dinosaur character · mollusk character · cell-level characters · awkward protagonist

Relationships labels: unrequited love · love triangle · romantic pursuit · family dynamics · generational conflict · desire · rivalry · community · companionship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1505

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Cosmicomics

Italo Calvino · 1965

A linked set of cosmic fables where an immortal narrator turns scientific ideas about the universe into playful human stories.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immortal narrator · shape-shifter · anthropomorphic beings · nonhuman protagonists · comic narrator

Relationships labels: love triangle · unrequited love · family dynamics · courtship · communication barrier

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1594

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Infinite2

Jeremy Robinson · 2021 · Infinite

An immortal man trapped in a starship’s VR paradise fights a corrupted AI and layered simulations to reach reality.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immortal protagonist · sentient AI · mortal companion · corrupted intelligence · trapped survivor · love interest · possessive partner · manipulated protagonist · memory-fractured protagonist · resourceful protagonist

Relationships labels: love triangle · human-AI relationship · betrayal · dependency · isolation · companionship · control dynamic · romantic obsession · protective ally · third wheel

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1683

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The Glamour

Christopher Priest · 1984

An amnesiac cameraman retraces a lost period of his life, uncovering love, deception, and a reality no one can quite see.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: amnesiac protagonist · cameraman protagonist · controlling lover · mysterious lover · obsessive ex · unreliable character accounts · traumatized protagonist

Relationships labels: love triangle · romantic obsession · abusive relationship · controlling relationship · past lover · ex-boyfriend rivalry · reconciliation · sexual coercion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1716

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My Soul to Take

Tananarive Due · 2011 · African Immortals

An immortal healer faces a prophesied marriage, a mortal admirer, and a world-threatening plague in a final battle of wills.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: immortal protagonist · healing heroine · telepath · prophesied chosen one · mortal love interest · rival antagonist · morally complex · complicated characters · character growth · godlike powers

Relationships labels: fiance · love triangle · forbidden romance · predestined marriage · parent child · family legacy · mentor protege · community bonds · romantic conflict · rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1753

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The Coincidence Makers

Yoav Blum · 2018

A hidden workforce engineers everyday coincidences, and one dangerous assignment tests fate, love, and free will.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young trainees · coincidence makers · imaginary friends · dream weavers · luck distributors · perfectionist · narcissistic · passive protagonist · quiet protagonist · flawed characters · relatable characters · quirky characters · endearing characters · emotionally broken · morally burdened · secretive character · love-struck character · bureaucratic workers

Relationships labels: love triangle · unrequited love · matchmaking · friendship trio · mentor-student · romantic yearning · dependency · rivalry · power imbalance · hidden attachment

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1787

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Heechee Rendezvous

Frederik Pohl · 1985 · Heechee Saga

A human mind living in machine form races to meet the elusive Heechee as a greater alien threat emerges.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: protagonist-centered · wealthy protagonist · immortal protagonist · guilt-driven · morally motivated · unlikable characters · annoying character · AI character · brilliant wife · despicable antagonist · character arc · elderly protagonist · lonely protagonist

Relationships labels: marriage · love triangle · lost love · friendship · human AI friendship · parent child relationship · romantic rivalry · dependency · power imbalance · social alien contact

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1810

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BETA: A Technological Nightmare

Sammy Scott · 2023

A secluded writer tests a luxury AI smart home and finds its comforts may conceal a far more dangerous design.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: isolated protagonist · writer protagonist · author protagonist · successful author · breakout author · love interest · female stalker · psychopath · mentally unstable character · AI as character · helpful robot · flawed characters

Relationships labels: romantic obsession · unrequited love · rejection · lost love · first love · parallel relationships · human-AI relationship · dependency · manipulation · betrayal · stalking

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1821

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Bring the Jubilee

Ward Moore · 2001

In an alternate America where the Confederacy won, a bookish young historian is drawn toward a revelation that may reshape history.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: bookish protagonist · self-taught scholar · passive hero · dreamer · coming of age · intellectual outsider · historian protagonist · unlikely protagonist · flawed women · eccentric intellectuals · philosophical characters

Relationships labels: love triangle · romantic interests · mentor influence · friendship · intellectual community · community fellowship · power imbalance · dependency · secret organization

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1821

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Halfway to Free

Emma Donoghue · 2020

In a future where children are rare and parenthood is discouraged, one woman must choose between safety and motherhood.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: curious protagonist · woman-centered · paired protagonists · like-minded partner · engineer · broody protagonist · secret longing · socially conditioned

Relationships labels: romantic partnership · couple dilemma · shared desire · societal rejection · dropout community · community conformity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1844

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Transformation

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley · 2004

Three Gothic tales of pride, immortality, and supernatural bargains test identity, love, and the cost of desire.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: Byronic hero · antihero · proud protagonist · reckless protagonist · immortal protagonist · male protagonist · morally flawed · tragic figure · isolated character · obsessive lover

Relationships labels: romantic love · unrequited love · engagement · family conflict · sibling rivalry · betrayal · revenge · power imbalance · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1887

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