FigCat Lists

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Decadent literature chart

Decay, beauty, and everything in between! This is a selection from my list of 90 alluring and disquieting works of literary decadence.

[figcatlists]

Pulp and adventure comics chart

A list of comic books inspired by the tradition of pulp fiction and classic high adventure. From daring vigilantes to globetrotting treasure hunters, it celebrates the retro charm of action-packed narratives of the early 20th century.

The full web version of the list includes 60 titles with Wikipedia and Goodreads links.

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International fiction, 1940–2000

Choosing the final entries for this chart felt like an impossible task. Fortunately, my full web list currently features 170 notable works of literature originally written in languages other than English, leaving a little less room for second-guessing (and complaints).

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Classic ghost stories and weird tales list

A selection of chilling and unsettling short stories, novelettes, and novellas from the golden age of horror and supernatural fiction. It includes celebrated tales of ghostly apparitions, monstrous creatures, otherworldly phenomena, and macabre predicaments. The full web version features 100 titles, each with links to free public domain texts.

[figcatlists]

Recommended Marvel runs and storylines

More than a year after posting my lists of recommended DC comics, I've finally done the same for Marvel.

These charts focus on largely self-contained storylines, chosen for their exceptional writing and art.

The full version of this list, along with links to Goodreads and the Marvel Database wiki, is available on the FigCat website.

[figcatlists]

European comics chart

A list of recommended Franco-Belgian BDs and other comic books from mainland Europe, from classics to modern favorites.

This is a selection from my longer list of European comics and graphic novels (with links to Goodreads, Wikipedia, and French-language database BDTheque).

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Occult and esoteric fiction reading list

A selection of literary works inspired or influenced by various currents of Western esoteric tradition and occultism, spanning from late antiquity to the present day. Includes historical novels about mages and alchemists, initiatory Rosicrucian romances, hermetic allegorical dream visions, gothic tales of elemental spirits, occult detective stories, satirical conspiracy thrillers, and more!

This chart was based on my longer list of 125 works of occult, esoteric, and initiatory fiction and poetry.

[figcatlists]

Literature of visions, dreams, and hallucinations

This eclectic chart covers works of literature inspired by "altered states of consciousness" of various types, from ordinary dreams to mystical or psychedelic visions. The set includes visionary poems, classic essays on drugs, oneiric fantasy stories, and surrealist experimental fiction.

This is a selection from my longer list of visionary and dreamlike literature available on the FigCat website.

[figcatlists]

Weird fiction novels and series

This chart of long-form weird fiction works is a companion to my previous chart of weird short story collections. Together, they are meant to update (but not entirely replace) my older charts of classic and contemporary weird fiction.

All of these charts are selections from a much longer weird fiction list that I compiled and posted on the FigCat website. I recently updated it with new data.

No selection is perfect, and making decisions for this chart was especially difficult; I wanted a representative spread in terms of chronology, moods, and themes. If you think something obvious or important is missing, it's most likely still on the long web list.

(Note to sticklers: Maldoror is often described as a "poetic novel", which is a type of novel. Unfortunately, I don't know enough weird fiction prose poems to make a separate chart where it would be more appropriate.)

[figcatlists]

Weird fiction short story collections

I recently updated my list of 240 works of weird fiction on the main FigCat website.

Instead of revising my previous charts of classic and contemporary weird fiction to reflect the changes, I decided to create two new ones, this time dividing them into short and long works. This one is devoted to collections of weird short stories and novellas by authors from the nineteenth century to the present.

[figcatlists]

Alternative comics and literary graphic novels chart

This chart is a selection from my list of 200 alternative, art, and experimental comic books, as well as graphic novels with a literary bent. I arranged the chart in reverse order of publication to highlight the more recent titles; I also excluded some of the obvious big-name classics to make it somewhat more interesting than your standard "comic books aren't just for kids starter pack".

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Good comics from the 90s

There was more to 1990s comic books than Liefeldesque spiky and bepouched anti-heroes! I compiled a chart of the best titles from the decade. The complete list of 125 titles is available on the FigCat website.

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Metaphysical detective stories (and other literary mysteries)

A list of books classified as metaphysical detective fiction, as well as other unusual literary mysteries that play with or subvert crime genre conventions. See the full list on my website for more than 90 titles in this vein, each with links to Goodreads and Wikipedia.

[figcatlists]

Crime and noir comics chart

A list of crime and noir comic books and graphic novels. Includes tales of the criminal underworld, classic mysteries, hard-boiled detective stories, heist narratives, and police procedurals. This chart is a selection from my list of more than 100 such titles.

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1980s indie comics

A list of independent and alternative comic book series published in the 1980s by companies such as First Comics, Comico, Dark Horse, Eclipse Comics, and Fantagraphics. This chart is a selection from my list of nearly 100 such titles.

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Bleak and disturbing science fiction reading list

A list of science fiction novels and short story collections with dark themes and gloomy settings. The selection includes dystopias, post-apocalyptic and climate fiction, as well as unsettling sci-fi horror. See the full list on my website for more titles and links to Goodreads and Wikipedia.

[figcatlists]

Dark, disturbing, and transgressive fiction

A list of books that deal with shocking, depraved, or taboo subjects. Many of them contain themes of violence, sexual perversion, or extreme psychological distress, so reader discretion is advised. Please proceed with caution, be mindful of your own limits, and maintain a well-balanced reading diet. This is a selection from my list of 160 books in this category that I published on my website, complete with links to Goodreads and Wikipedia for each title.