this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2023
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Science Fiction

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Lemmy World Rules

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Book recommendations that play with what it means to be a book (lemmynsfw.com)
submitted 9 months ago by Worx@lemmynsfw.com to c/sciencefiction@lemmy.world
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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?

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[–] 7of9@startrek.website 6 points 9 months ago (4 children)

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brookes is a detailed fictional instruction manual. It's sequel is World War Z which is closer to a normal book, but still has an odd structure of creating a world through interviews ... and the The Zombie Survival Guide book exists within it.

[–] felixwhynot@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

WWZ is a banger!

[–] 7of9@startrek.website 2 points 9 months ago

It is at that :-)

[–] lingh0e@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

WWZ is one of my all time favorite books. They should really make it into a movie. Or, even better, an HBO miniseries.

[–] 7of9@startrek.website 2 points 9 months ago

I dunno, I think maybe some things should just be left alone

[–] JackiesFridge@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The WWZ audiobook is really solid.

[–] 7of9@startrek.website 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Did they get different people to record each story?

[–] JackiesFridge@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yup! Alan Alda and Henry Rollins are the only 2 I can remember off the top of my head. Get the expanded version - the original was abridged, but the new one has all the content.

[–] 7of9@startrek.website 2 points 9 months ago

Oh fab, I'll keep an eye out for it. It's one of my favorite books :-)

[–] Worx@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the suggestion. Should I read WWZ first?

[–] 7of9@startrek.website 1 points 8 months ago

As with so much in life, it's best to read the manual first. It can get a little dry in places though, like any instruction manual, but I enjoyed all of it because I'm the sort of person who likes normal manuals, lol