While "than" is a perfectly valid and often the most concise choice for comparing things

in a narrative

**For comparisons of degree:**

* **Besides:** "The wind howled **besides** the window, a mournful counterpoint to the silence
within."
* **More, less:** "Her anger, once a simmering ember, was now **more** a raging inferno."
* **As though:** "He stood as though **turned to stone**, his eyes fixed on the empty doorway."
* **Compared to, in comparison to:** "The city lights twinkled like fireflies, **compared to** the
vast, inky darkness of the sky."

**For comparisons of difference:**

* **Rather than, instead of:** "**Rather than** despair, she chose to fight."
* **Otherwise, else:** "He knew he had to act quickly, **else** everything would be lost."
* **Unlike, different from:** "Her laughter was **unlike** the raucous joy of the others, soft and
tinkling like wind chimes."
* **Contrary to:** "**Contrary to** expectations, the crowd remained eerily silent."

**For comparisons of time:**

* **After, before:** "He arrived **before** dawn, the city still shrouded in mist."
* **Later, earlier:** "**Later**, when the storm had passed, they emerged to find a world
transformed."
* **Since, until:** "**Since** the accident, he hadn't spoken a word."
* **While:** "**While** the clock ticked away the minutes, a plan began to form in her mind."

**Figurative language:**

* Metaphors: "Her eyes, **pools of sorrow**, reflected the tragedy that had befallen her."
* Similes: "The child's laughter, **light as a feather**, soared above the rooftops."
* Personification: "The shadows on the wall **danced** like mocking phantoms."