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Cover of Pick the Plot by James  Riley

Pick the Plot

James Riley

A trapped boy must escape a dinosaur-filled time prison by letting the reader choose his next move.

First published 2017 · Story Thieves

Review Score: 88%

More about this book

The Story

Owen finds himself trapped inside an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style book, where the reader’s choices shape how he moves through the story. He is imprisoned in a time-criminal facility in a prehistoric setting, facing bizarre inmates, dangerous creatures, and a reset-each-day system that complicates every attempt to escape.

As Owen tries to break out, he relies on a new ally, Kara, who seems to know him even though their connection doesn’t make immediate sense. Together they work through branching paths, puzzles, and time-related complications while Owen tries to save his friend Bethany and stop Nobody’s plan to separate fictional and nonfictional worlds.

The story repeatedly involves the reader in the action, with choices that can lead to different routes, dead ends, and alternate information, though the narrative ultimately converges on a continuing storyline. The book uses its interactive structure as part of the plot itself, creating a meta, fourth-wall-breaking adventure built around escape, time travel, and reader participation.

Story Profile

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