This week’s main reading is ‘Books without pages-Novels without endings’ written by Douglas. The reading demonstrates a new method of reading books which is called interactive narrative. It is the digitalized version of printed books, created using hyperlink and networked media. What interesting about interactive narrative is that readers are able to experience a whole new version of the books that they read, in which they can interact with creating a new flow of story. Various hyperlinks are prepared within the electric version of the book, and readers can choose a certain link that leads to a new ending of the story. Although the idea of choosing your preferred ending of a story is not new for printed book, however, the options are pretty much limited, whereas hyperlink provides unlimited options for a new ending. According to Douglas, interactive narrative is able to provides hundreds links that generate hundreds of possible versions of the story Therefore, hypertext is interactive and non-sequential.

Interactive narrative is truly a great way to read books as it fulfills readers’ will of having an ending that pleases their interests. It makes me thinking about the ending of the remarkable ‘Sherlock Homes’ novel. Conan’s ending of the novel raised serious objections evolved by loyal readers, when he decided to let Sherlock Homes died. Yet, in my opinion, i think that if interactive narrative was available during that time, would the novel be as famous and remarkable as it is at the present?