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Fiction Filters

Trope tagging and searching for books

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Books

Life-threatening violence

Synonyms are not being included. Include synonyms?

The Warrior’s Apprentice

Cover art for The Warrior's Apprentice
by Lois McMaster Bujold

Series:

The Vorkosigan Saga

Genres:

Science fiction and fantasy, Space opera

Tropes:

Coming of age, Cons and swindles, Fealty, Madcap adventures, Politics

Characters:

Character(s) with ADHD

Time Periods:

Long-Term Future

Places:

Military, Outer space

His Majesty’s Dragon

Cover art for His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik

Series:

Temeraire

Genres:

Alternate history, Fantasy of manners

Tropes:

Telepathic companion animals

Characters:

Dragon characters, Dragon rider, Ship captain

Time Periods:

1800-1810, Napoleonic War, Regency Era

Places:

England

Petty Treason

Cover art for Petty Treason
by Madeleine E. Robins

Series:

Sarah Tolerance

Genres:

Alternate history, Fantasy of manners, Historical mystery

Tropes:

Characters:

Detective, Swordswoman

Time Periods:

Regency Era

Places:

London

Point of Honour

Cover art for Point of Honour
by Madeleine E. Robins

Series:

Sarah Tolerance

Genres:

Alternate history, Fantasy of manners, Historical mystery

Tropes:

Characters:

Detective, Swordswoman

Time Periods:

Regency Era

Places:

London

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

A Marvellous Light

Cover art for A Marvellous Light
by Freya Marske

Series:

The Last Binding

Genres:

Fantasy of manners, Gaslamp fantasy

Tropes:

Dysfunctional family, Enemies to lovers, Grumpy/sunshine, Magical mystery, Magical society, Men loving men, Secret society

Characters:

Characters in their 20s, Mage, Queer main character(s), White/European main character(s)

Time Periods:

1900-1910

Places:

England

Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor’s Guide to the Underworld

Cover art for Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor's Guide to the Underworld
by Seanan McGuire

Series:

InCryptid

Genres:

Urban fantasy

Tropes:

Interdimensional travel

Characters:

Ageless or immortal characters, Bounty hunter, Mage, Straight main character(s), Warrior, White/European diasporic main character(s)

Time Periods:

2010-2020

Places:

Alternate dimension, Fictional planet, Michigan

The Devil You Know

Cover art for The Devil You Know
by Kit Rocha

Series:

Mercenary Librarians

Genres:

Post-apocalyptic fiction, Science fiction romance

Tropes:

Corporate overreach, Dystopia, Found family

Characters:

Time Periods:

Short-Term Future

Places:

American South

The Scholars of Night

Cover art for The Scholars of Night
by John M. Ford

Series:

Genres:

Spy thriller

Tropes:

Characters:

Academic

Time Periods:

1980s

Places:

London, New York City

Leviathan Wakes

Cover art for Leviathan Wakes
by James S.A. Corey

Series:

The Expanse

Genres:

Space opera

Tropes:

Band of misfits, Ensemble cast, Gateways and wormholes, Ghost ship, Mystery plot, Politics

Characters:

Middle-aged characters

Time Periods:

Long-Term Future

Places:

Outer space

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

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

by Seth Dickinson

Series:

The Masquerade

Genres:

Fantasy, Historical fantasy, Speculative fiction

Tropes:

Feelings denial, Feelings realization, Rivals to lovers, Unreliable narrator, Women loving women

Characters:

Character with substance abuse issues, Character(s) with TBI, Lesbian main character(s), Morally grey main character

Time Periods:

Places:

Final Girls

by Riley Sager

Series:

Genres:

Serial killer mystery, Thriller

Tropes:

Betrayal, Camping murder spree, Final girl, Killer in plain sight, Killing the Survivors, Manipulative bastard, Murdered in the forest, Spree Killer, Tragic backstory

Characters:

Character(s) with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Characters in their 20s, Cisgender woman main character(s), Detective, Final girl

Time Periods:

Information Age

Places:

City, Forest, Northeastern United States

Gideon the Ninth

Cover art for Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir

Series:

The Locked Tomb

Genres:

Occult mystery, Science fiction, Speculative fiction, Sword and sorcery

Tropes:

Anyone can die, Dysfunctional family, Everyone is gay, Tragic backstory, Unreliable narrator, Women loving women

Characters:

Characters in their late teens, Cisgender woman main character(s), Lesbian main character(s), Loner, Necromancer, Orphan, Queer side character(s), Warrior

Time Periods:

Long-Term Future

Places:

Castle, Fictional planet, Outer space

Gyo: The Death-Stench Creeps

by Junji Ito, Yuji Oniki

Series:

Genres:

Cosmic horror, Creature horror, Horror Graphic Novel, Science fiction horror

Tropes:

Anyone can die, Apocalypse, Last man standing, Science caused the apocalypse, Science goes wrong, Stranger than fiction, Survivor by coincidence

Characters:

Characters in their 20s, East Asian main character(s), Heterosexual main character, Japanese main character

Time Periods:

Information Age

Places:

Beach, City, Japan

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Setting: Time Period

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

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Genres

Tropes

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Setting: Time Period

Setting: Location

Sex Ratings

Language Ratings

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Content Notes or Warnings

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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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