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Fiction Filters

Trope tagging and searching for books

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Books

Complex characters

Synonyms are not being included. Include synonyms?

The Hands of the Emperor

Cover art for The Hands of the Emperor
by Victoria Goddard

Series:

The Lays of the Hearth-Fire

Genres:

Fantasy, Fantasy of manners

Tropes:

Fealty, Found family, Playing the long game, Politics, Unreliable narrator

Characters:

Asexual main character(s), Characters in their 50s, Characters in their 60s, Politician, Royalty

Time Periods:

Places:

Africa inspired setting, Pacific Islands inspired setting, Secondary World

Esmeraldas Blick

Cover art for Esmeraldas Blick
by Karoline Toso

Series:

Esmeraldas Blick

Genres:

Historical fiction

Tropes:

Baby acquisition, Doorstop baby, Framed for a crime, Rape, Surprise baby acquisition

Characters:

Adult characters, Child characters, Priests and Clergy

Time Periods:

Medieval

Places:

France, Paris

The Goblin Emperor

Cover art for The Goblin Emperor
by Katherine Addison

Series:

The Goblin Emperor

Genres:

Fantasy, Fantasy of manners, Gaslamp fantasy

Tropes:

Assassination, Dysfunctional family, Fealty, Forgotten heir, Mystery plot, Politics

Characters:

Character(s) with PTSD, Characters in their late teens, Introverted main character(s), Royalty, Straight main character

Time Periods:

Places:

Secondary World

Banana Fish, Vol. 1

by Akimi Yoshida, Matt Thorn (Translator)

Series:

Banana Fish

Genres:

Conspiracy thriller

Tropes:

Betrayal, Conspiracy, Fish out of water, Hostage situation, Organized crime

Characters:

Adult characters, American main character, East Asian main character(s), Gangster, Photographer, Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

1980s

Places:

New York City

The Left Hand of Darkness

Cover art for The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin

Series:

Hainish Cycle

Genres:

Science fiction, Science fiction and fantasy

Tropes:

Characters:

Adult characters, Envoy

Time Periods:

Long-Term Future

Places:

Fictional planet

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Cover art for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Series:

Genres:

Coming-of-age fiction, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary romance, Realistic fiction, Romance

Tropes:

Men loving men

Characters:

Latine/North American main character(s), Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

1980s

Places:

Texas

The Ministry for the Future

by Kim Stanley Robinson

Series:

Genres:

Science fiction, Social science fiction

Tropes:

Characters:

Time Periods:

Short-Term Future

Places:

Switzerland

Upright Women Wanted

by Sarah Gailey

Series:

Genres:

Feminist Western, Outlaw western

Tropes:

Politics, Road trip, Tragic backstory

Characters:

Nonbinary side character(s), Queer main character(s)

Time Periods:

Places:

American Midwest

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas

Series:

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Genres:

Fairy tale retelling, Fantasy

Tropes:

Beauty and the Beast retelling, Enemies to lovers, Feelings realization, Fish out of water, Forced proximity, Kidnapping

Characters:

Ageless or immortal characters, Artist, Fantasy species characters, Human characters, Huntress

Time Periods:

Places:

Fantastic world

Strange the Dreamer

by Laini Taylor

Series:

Genres:

High fantasy

Tropes:

Characters:

Adult characters, Ageless or immortal characters, Characters aged over 50, Characters in their late teens, Librarian, Magic user, Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

Iron Age (Fantastical)

Places:

City, Fantastic world, Unnamed

Search books…

Include:

Genres

Tropes

Character Traits

Setting: Time Period

Setting: Location

Sex Ratings

Language Ratings

Violence Ratings

Ending Type

Content Notes or Warnings

Appeal

Publication Date

Note that we don't have dates for all the books in our database.

Exclude:

Genres

Tropes

Character Traits

Setting: Time Period

Setting: Location

Sex Ratings

Language Ratings

Violence Ratings

Ending Type

Content Notes or Warnings

Appeal

Authors

Publishers

Publication Date

Note that we don't have dates for all the books in our database.

Search Tips

  • use “quotation marks around a phrase” to search for an exact phrase
  • use – in front of a word or quoted phrase to exclude it from the search results, e.g. -“enemies to lovers”
  • right now, the checkbox options aren’t narrowed down as you search, but stay tuned! We’re working on it.

This is an academic research project on crowdsourced tagging and building a vocabulary for fiction.

How does this work?

  1. Add books to our database, if the book you want to tag isn’t already there. You can import your books from StoryGraph or Goodreads if you want to save time.
  2. Add tags to the books. Your tag set is your own, and you’ll be able to come back and edit it if you want. Other taggers can’t view your tag set or overwrite your tags.
  3. View the book, and use the tags to see what other books share your favorite tropes and characters!
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