Is there any kind of fiction where multiple stories are connected in a recursive loop? The connection could be a character who writes or narrates the story. e.g.
- story A -> story B
- story B -> story C
- story C -> story A
Thanks in advance for any help!
One Thousand and One Nights, that is the oldest.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is pretty close
You can try 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton! I really liked that one. It’s more Groundhog Day but with a bit of a twist on each iteration if that makes sense. I don’t want to spoil too much but it was a wild ride putting things together.
I’m not OP, but that one is on my radar, having recently read The Last Murder at the End of the World by the same author. With how much I enjoyed it, I have really high expectations of Evelyn Hardcastle, so it’s good to know it’s a great one too!
If by any chance you’ve read both, which did you like more?
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
I can’t think of any directly recursive books, the closest I can think of is
Tap for spoiler
The divine dungeon series
By dakota krout, keep in mind, knowing this detail spoils a fairly big reveal in the series so proceed at your own risk.
There are many time-loop stories in speculative fiction. Hell, there’s like a thousand episodes of sci fi TV with this premise.
But if you’re looking for a good one, try Hyperion (and Fall of Hyperion). The first book can standalone, but the second book gives you a more satisfying answer to your question. It is told in a Canterbury Tales style, with multiple converging retrospectives. But the principle antagonist is time itself. Very fun read.
Thanks for the suggestions! Some have been already on my reading list, because they went into that direction and others I’ve added. I’m not sure, if my wording was understood 100% and if these books are what I’m looking for, but I guess the acknowledgement of the recursion would be a surprise element anyway. Thanks again!
