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Ritalin comments on Rationalist fiction: a Slice of Life IN HELL - Less Wrong
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Wildbow of the Worm fame describes something like that in Pact. The protagonist is unwillingly thrust into the world where he inherited a karmic debt from previous generations and so
The serial is not explicitly "rationalist", but irrational (in that universe) decisions bite him in the rear pretty quickly. And so do rational decisions sometimes. Even your best actions against a hostile universe can only get you so far.
Is this similar to what you had in mind?
Indeed. Although, frankly, what I've seen of Worm so far seems to designate it as very similar to my idea of Hell; every accomplishment is either made moot or cost something irreplaceable and possibly of superior value, every victory is short-lived, every mistake is paid for dearly. Every situation is desperate, every problem urgent. By the time a conflict reaches its resolution, another is at its peak, and two more are right around the corner. Perhaps it's even worse; hardship, instead of building character, corrupts it.
For the characters, it must be like a nightmare they can't wake up from.
Yeah, Worm is pretty bleak. I tend to find that a bit overwhelming at times myself; I like the series because of its other strengths (diverse and interesting characters, intelligent plotting, deep and rich setting) with the oppressive tone being a small strike against it for me.