I really love sci-fi novels and I read a lot of books. I read 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson a while back and that book is particularly interesting to me. Rather than each chapter advancing the narrative of the story, there were occasional breaks where a chapter would have a list of semi-random words which just gave the vibe of what’s happening, or some history of a scene, or a recipe for how to build an asteroid.
There’s another book that I have heard of but neglected to write the name down, where the reader of the book is a character within the book, and the narrator speaks directly to you (but not a choose-your-adventure style book).
All of this got me interested in finding other books, preferably sci-fi or maybe fantasy, where the concept of being a book is played with and new ideas are tried. Any recommendations?
If you’re intrigued by stories that play with narrative form, you might really enjoy Murder & Mead. While it’s more cozy fantasy mystery than pure sci-fi, the tavern’s Whispering Wall echoes secrets on its own schedule and the chapters weave in mystical songs and cosmic sigils that blur the line between story and setting. The way the tavern itself reacts makes the narrative space feel alive, almost like the book is a character too. You can explore it on my Substack if that sparks your curiosity: dobohica.substack.com