Hyperizons

the Hyper Himalayan	Original Fiction: Readings and Reviews			the Hype
Other Places in Hyperizons	Fiction Multiple Authors	Fiction Individual Authors	SF/Fantasy Cross References	Miscellany

Because of the rapidly growing number of works of hypertext fiction on the Web, I've begun to realize that I cannot (nor do I want to) provide an annotation for every piece I encounter. Therefore I've made an organizational change in Hyperizons. This page, which was formerly the place to look for all original hyperfiction, now contains only those works for which I've provided an annotation or located secondary literature. For a complete title list--or to bypass my remarks and wisecracks--please see Original Fiction: Main Index. (3/13/96)

Fiction by Multiple Authors

The Company Therapist. Ed. Christopher Werby.

The Hypertext Hotel

This is the project begun by Robert Coover at Brown University several years ago, discussed in his well-known article, "The End of Books."

The Lidsky Files, by Floyd Kemske et al.

A rather interesting idea from the Online Bookstore (OBS). As Kemske writes his as-yet-unnamed novel roughly about parallels between corporate takeovers and vampirism, it is being read and annotated by OBS's Lidia Zalevski. Thus, you can read not only Kemske's original material, but Zalevski's links and also the same scenes in successive drafts. Feedback is invited, although it is not clear to me whether other readers are able to suggest links and/or additional material. It's too bad that the main excerpt online is rather flat and ordinary, not up to the humor in the underlying concept. But, it is still in progress... (5/2/96)

Spielzeugland (Land of Toys). Eds. Dietmar Karlowski and Lars Zinner.

Open to contributions, this collaborative project has 6 co- authors at present. In German, with some sections summarized in English; there may be translations in the future. This looks kind of interesting, but unfortunately I don't read German--I'd appreciate hearing comments from someone who does. (1/12/96)

The Madame de Lafayette Book of Hours. Project Director: Christy Sheffield Sanford.

Very much in progress, but already one of the most interesting collaborative projects on the Web. Conceived as an online Book of Hours (see the Project Description), the site is a mélange of fiction, criticism, biography, and visual art centered on the life and times of Madame de Lafayette (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, 1634-1693), author of what's generally considered to be the first psychological novel, Princesse de Clèves. The incorporation of a work that stands at the dawn of the novel into the dawn of a new art form is aptly fitting. Contributions are sought in English and especially in French. (4/8/97).

Stories from Downtown Anywhere Ed.: Charles Deemer. (about 25-30 spaces and 40-50 links).

Self-described as a "collaborative, on-going, international, interactive electronic hypertext novel," Stories is a serious attempt at a collaborative tree fiction, but ultimately disappointing. The constant forks or multiple choices offered the reader make the narrative heavily plot-driven and the prose pedestrian and thinly textured. Little energy is expended to flesh out scenes by appealing to the senses or using metaphor, thus leaving a lot of what-to-do-next thinking and dialogue that's more concerned with advancing plot than developing character, exploring language, etc. (rev.9/20/95)

Waxweb. David Blair et al.

David Blair's sui generis work is likely the most ambitious hypermedia piece on the Web. Is it actually interesting? You tell me. The multimedia construction, Blair's essay about Wax's evolution, the MOO designed by Tom Meyer--all these are fascinating and impressive on a grand scale. I've yet to find any content in it that's nearly as impressive as its presentation, but then I've scarcely begun to read/view/hear it all. Then, too, that's merely my personal taste, not a serious critique. Tour the Waxweb from the biggest, fastest machine you can find. Highly recommended--Blair is a groundbreaker. (9/20/95)

Fiction by Individual Authors

Also see "Hyperizons Bookmarks" for potential new, unsorted links to fiction by individual authors.

Benedetti, Mike. "Mercury."

A short story interesting mainly for its attempt to link virtually everything. One's attention is then drawn to the word most frequently unlinked. See the collaborative "Mola" project for a much more ambitions, albeit nonfictional, attempt at this sort of link density.(11/25/95)

Burne, Phillipa J. "24 hours with someone you know...", c1996. About 20-25 nodes and links.

There are any number of hypertext fiction stories that constantly confront you with multiple choice quizzes: Do you want to go East or West? Uptown or Downtown? Clockwise or Counterclockwise? This is another one. They generally feel mechanical rather than organic, more akin to navigating recorded telephone menus rather than immersing oneself in a work of art. Listen closely and you can hear the gears turning in the author's thoughts: I have to keep presenting "you" with choices so there'll be forks so there'll be multiple paths so it'll be a hypertext so there'll be a reason for it being online so ... But enough--this is all a rather heavy load to lay on this story, which is in no way the worst example of it. The story's multilinear structure is conservative and somewhat illusory--all paths quickly return you to the same narrative line and lead to the same conclusion. While I don't find this particular story satisfying, it nevertheless bears reading because Burne can write. Her prose is clear and concise and her handling of second person narration manages to seem natural rather than precious (no small feat in itself). I'll be interested to see her next attempt in this field (12/10/96).

Clarage, Jim. Netsam and Click Me.

A collection of hyperfiction. See especially Rocco Rides Again, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Surfer and Bill and Hillary Get PressConference'd. (PR; 11/25/95)

Colthurst, Thomas.Somerville Stories.

Sometimes amusing hypertext fiction and non-fiction about the adventures of the author and his friends at MIT. Not a single narrative bur many short pieces heavily cross-referenced by character, date, and so on. Something to read for pleasant enough diversion rather than intensity of vision. (11/25/95)

Conway, Martha, Girl Birth Water Death (about 30-35 nodes and 65 links; c1995)

Sensitively written, especially Laura's interior monologue. Link structure follows the four motifs of the title. Recommended--Conway is a writer (a rarer breed than author). (6/11/95)

Cooper, Douglas, Delirium (in progress, 1994-)

Competently written thus far if not exactly compelling, with a plot premise that's grimly funny (how many celebrities, I wonder, have wanted to murder their biographer?), this novel being serialized by Time Warner Electronic Publishing may be more important for that last fact than for its actual content (big media dips its toes in the ocean of hypertext). The novel is only mildly hypertextual at this point (a few branching paths that soon return to the main road) but could of course grow moreso later. Interesting paraphernalia include a map (world/image, that is--note that you need to click precisely on the X'd squares) and a bulletin board discussion between readers, Cooper, and the graphic interface designer, Barry Deck (the white on black design gave me a strange feeling of reading silent movie subtitles and/or negative microfilm, at least until I went blind). Worth exploring. (6/19/95)

Deemer, Charles. What Do Men Want?

The beginning of a novel in which the reader is queriec about optional paths to take at various points. One of several hyperfictions on the Web which are all in one large file, so it's easy to circumvent its hypertextual appearance by simply scrolling. I guess I miss the point. (1/12/96)

Douglas, J. Yellowlees. "I Have Said Nothing." (Eastgate Quarterly, Vol.1, No.2, 199?).

A hypertext story in the Storyspace environment, available from Eastgate. Discussed in a strong article by Christian Paul, "Reading/Writing Hyperfictions: The Psychodrama of Interactivity." Douglas is perhaps better known thus far as a critic, especially for her insightful readings of the fiction of Michael Joyce; see the Joyce bibliography for more of her writings. (1/10/96)

Fisher, Shana, The E-Ville Dialogues (An Extravaganza) (1990? - 1994)

A large (about 350 pages printed out according to Fisher) selection of philosophical dialogues occurring simultaneously at different tables in The Restaurant at E-Ville. You may interrupt conversations by submitting a cleverly designed form. Fisher tells me she considers the work finished as of September, 1994. I find it too abstract to be compelling as fiction, but as a thought experiment and hypertextual construction, it's something else again. Be sure to check out the E-Ville Eye.

Inglis, Gavin D., "Under the Ashes" (1994?-).

In progress. The brooding presence of the house is somewhat reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Inglis discusses this and other aspects of the story in his interview with L.J. Winson. ( 5/1/96)

Jackson, Shelley. "Patchwork Girl." (Eastgate, 1995).

A hypertext story in the Storyspace environment, available from Eastgate. A small amount of material about its early development is located at the Brown Storyspace Cluster. I haven't yet gotten around to reading this, but a number of people whose opinion I respect have mentioned this to me as basically the new standard in hypertext fiction.(1/10/96)

• More information about Shelley Jackson (9/29/96)
• "Stitching Together Narrative, Sexuality, Self: Shelley Jackson's "Patchwork Girl," by George Landow (9/29/96).

Joyce, Michael

( N.B.: More information about Joyce's works is available in an annotated bibliography.)

• Afternoon, a story. A tiny sample of the best-known work of hypertext fiction to date. (11/22/95)
• Twelve Blue (1996)
• Twilight: A Symphony (Eastgate, 1996; Storyspace CD)
• "WOE--or, a Memory of What Will Be"

Larsen, Deena, "Marble Springs" (about 35 spaces and 600 links; c1995).

A collection of poems, but in a fictional milieu. HTMLized excerpt of the original HyperCard publication. This link also points to Eastgate's ordering information for the full version (161 cards, ?? links; c1993).

Malloy, Judy. "l0ve 0ne." (in progress: about 120 spaces and 300+ links as of 9/19/95)

Although this is of interest by virtue of being the "first selection in the Eastgate Web Workshop," it's frankly somewhat disappointing. While the language is always clear, and sometimes sensually evocative, the narrative that language conveys is extremely disjointed as of this reading. I kept "turning the pages" more as the compiler of Hyperizons than as a reader. The frequent juxtaposition of sensory images with computer jargon (e.g., here or here) is, I guess, supposed to be jarring, or thought-provoking, but isn't since it shows up all too often in online fiction. Updated weekly (9/19/95)

McDaid, John. Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse. (Eastgate, 199?).

A hypertext novel in Macintosh's HyperCard, available from Eastgate. I haven't read this yet, but I have it from a reliable friend that this is among the most entertaining of the Eastgate hyperfictions, especially if you have some background in literary theory to appreciate the in-jokes. There is also an audiocassette involved to turn it into a pre-Web multimedia experience. (1/10/96)

Miller, Matthew. Trip. In Postmodern Culture, Volume 7, Number 1 (September, 1996).

A long story, (or novel?), whose navigational system is based on the American highway system (yes). Since it details a cross-country trip, the highway motif actually makes perfect sense. That alone makes it a rara avis in the world of hypertext fiction on the Web. The writing also looks good, but I confess I have read little of it yet. Definitely worth exploring. The title page is, well, trippy (ha ha); if you don't like flashing lights, you may want to begin here ( 10/13/96)

Moulthrop, Stuart

( N.B.: More information about Moulthrop's works is available in an annotated bibliography. All Moulthrop links 1/5/97)

• The Color of Television, 1996-. With Sean Cohen. (1/5/97)
• Dreamtime, c1992. (downloadable HyperCard 2.x file; 1/5/97)
• "Hegirascope," 1995. A story using new features of Netscape. Highly recommended (10/22/95).
• Victory Garden sampler, 1995. HTML sample converted from Storyspace.

Pryll, Rick, "Lies" (37 spaces, about 70 links; c1994).

It's concise, it's simple, it's graceful, it allows the reader to follow different paths to different endings without unnecessary confusion or obscurity--in short, it's both less and more than most hypertext fiction. "Lies" has gotten some attention. An interview with Pryll can be found at L.J. Winson's CyberPort site. Originally written in HyperCard in 1992. ( 3/13/96)

Shumate, Michael

• "Mass" (35 spaces, 98 links; c1991, 1995) Not an original hypertext but a brief exercise I performed on a story of mine published in print in 1991. I list it here because I haven't yet seen this particular technique in hypertext fiction: thought and dialogue/action developed as two parallel arrows or tracks.(6/5/95)
• _______"Holier Than Thou" (82 spaces, approx. 400 links; c1996). A more substantial attempt at a hypertext fiction than my experiment with "Mass," this is the story of one man's life told from the points of view of 14 people who know or meet him. Like Stuart Moulthrop's "Hegirascope," this story also experiments with timed links using Netscape's client pull feature. I would be very happy to receive comments, especially opinionated ones--I find the story problematic, although I hope its problems are at least more interesting than those of most fiction on the Web. Part of my master's thesis, "Writing Lives: Technology, Creativity, and Hypertext Fiction." In progress.(5/31/96)

Wardrip-Fruin, Noah. The Book of Endings.

A "network fiction piece" created with both WWW and the Pad zoomable interface in mind. In case you don't find the particular spot on the imagemap that provides some introductory text, here it is. (11/26/95)

Wilson, Ian Randall

Wortzel, Adrianne, The Electronic Chronicles. (in progress)

Not exactly a narrative(s), but rather a fictional future milieu in which The Casaba Melon Institute unearths a collection of electronic documents and artifacts "encrypted by The Blue Planet Wizards" long ago to document their civilization. The technique of collecting fictional documents and chunks of narrative may remind SF fans of Ursula K. LeGuin's Always Coming Home, although in other respects the two works are not at all alike. The premise allows Wortzel to satirize almost anything she chooses of our era, which she does in ways that are surprising, idiosyncratic, sometimes obscure, entertaining, and always visually inventive. Dense with images, so be patient. (9/27/95)

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