# Are there any literary classics of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" style book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731 "2014-05-05T17:44:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/21 "2014-05-08T15:16:39Z")
[The American Canon of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure](http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-american-canon-of-choose-your-own-adventure) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/22 "2014-05-09T17:26:46Z")
Uncertain Endings, edited by Otto Penzler, has some excellent short stories with “undecided” endings, along the lines of “The Lady or the Tiger?” In fact, one gives the answer to that story. The man opens the door, only to discover that the princess was pointing to the tiger. Quickly, he opens the other door, releasing a maiden, and then hides behind the two open doors while the tiger kills her. Later on, he’s executed, and went down in history as the Unrepentant Thief, crucified beside Jesus. He felt that he deserved to spend eternity in Hell for what he’d done. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/23 "2014-05-09T17:38:56Z")
There “To Be or Not To Be”, a choose-your-own adventure of _Hamlet_ by Ryan North: [http://www.amazon.com/To-Be-Not/dp/0982853742](http://www.amazon.com/To-Be-Not/dp/0982853742) It’s a stitch. We haven’t gone through even half of the paths yet, but there are paths in which Hamlet invites Ophelia to come see the ghost, and she seduces him so that he pays no attention whatsoever to what the ghost is saying and where Hamlet becomes captain of the pirate crew. To name but a few. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/24 "2014-05-09T18:18:49Z")
A famous example is [Hopscotch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopscotch_(Julio_Cort%C3%A1zar_novel)) by Julio Cortazar, a Latin American novel from the 60s. I think technically there are only 2 possible pathways, although it may leave you open to pick a different route through the chapters. Looks like it’s still in print. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/25 "2014-05-10T05:03:41Z")
In another current SDMB thread someone talks about a genre called African dilemma tales which have a vague resemblance to Choose Your Own Adventure stories. ---
**Author:** ![nmbourbaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@nmbourbaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nmbourbaki)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731/26 "2014-08-31T19:25:51Z")
Livingston Press just published what may be the most literary choose your own adventure\* novel to date – If, by Nicholas Bourbaki: [http://againstthelogicians.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/if-the-novel-arrives/](http://againstthelogicians.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/if-the-novel-arrives/) If anyone would like a review copy, just drop me a line through the Wordpress site. (\* Turns out “choose your own adventure” is a trademarked phrase, so I should say that it’s not _really_ a CYOA novel…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-literary-classics-of-the-choose-your-own-adventure-style-book/687731.md?page=1)