To Be or Not to Be

To Be or Not to Be is a choose-your-own-adventure adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, written by Ryan North. The book allows readers to play as Hamlet, Ophelia, or Hamlet Sr., making decisions that alter the course of the classic tragedy. The narrative structure presents hundreds of branching paths and multiple endings, incorporating both the original plot points from Shakespeare's play and new storylines. North's contemporary writing style transforms the source material while maintaining core story elements and character relationships. The project originated as a Kickstarter campaign that exceeded its funding goal within hours and went on to raise over $500,000. The book features illustrations from notable artists and includes authentic Shakespearean quotes alongside modern interpretations. This experimental take on Hamlet explores themes of choice and consequence while questioning the nature of predetermined narrative paths in literature. The format challenges traditional approaches to classic works while maintaining respect for the source material.

Readers highlight the book's humor, creativity, and multiple branching paths that let them explore different versions of Hamlet's story. Many note it maintains Shakespeare's core themes while adding modern comedy and pop culture references. Liked: - Interactive format makes Shakespeare accessible and fun - Illustrations add personality to each path - High replayability with 100+ endings - Successfully balances respect for source material with humor Disliked: - Some paths feel repetitive - A few readers found the modern jokes jarring against the classical setting - Text can be too small/dense on some devices Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (180+ ratings) "Makes Shakespeare fun without dumbing it down" - Goodreads reviewer "Like a funnier Choose Your Own Adventure with actual literary merit" - Amazon review "The jokes sometimes try too hard" - Goodreads criticism "Perfect balance of silly and smart" - LibraryThing review

Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster Readers navigate through Jane Austen's literary world making choices as Elizabeth Bennet while encountering characters from multiple Austen novels.

Meanwhile by Jason Shiga The reader follows paths through a complex narrative map with 3,856 story possibilities, creating a choose-your-own-adventure comic about time travel and science.

Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North This choose-your-path version of Shakespeare's romance contains multiple storylines where readers guide the characters through both traditional and unexpected plot directions.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende The narrative switches between two parallel storylines where a reader becomes part of the story, creating a meta-textual experience about the nature of storytelling.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski The experimental structure presents multiple narrative paths and formats, allowing readers to navigate through interconnected stories within stories.

🎭 Ryan North also created "Dinosaur Comics," a long-running webcomic that tells stories using the same six panels of dinosaur artwork every day. 📚 The book was funded through Kickstarter in 2012 and raised over $580,000, making it the most successful publishing project on the platform at that time. ⚔️ There are over 110 possible endings in the book, including one where you can win a Shakespearean sword fight by making all the correct choices. 🎨 More than 65 artists contributed illustrations to the book, including Kate Beaton of "Hark! A Vagrant" fame and artists from "Adventure Time." 💀 One of the quickest possible endings occurs just a few pages in—by simply choosing to not investigate the ghost of Hamlet's father, readers can avoid the entire tragedy.