No. 1: A Reading Guide

By Stephen Morrison

It’s no secret that my first fiction book, No. 1, is a bit of an enigma. Anyone who sets out to read it may be perplexed or perhaps even annoyed. It’s an odd book, but something I couldn’t help myself to write. I loved writing it. And I still think it’s a great book, something I find myself re-visiting regularly to enjoy. But here I wanted to put together a reading guide for the perplexed, not to explain everything, because I think the search is a part of the fun; instead, this guide will give an overview of some of the major themes, motifs, and influences, as well as a clear explanation of the story-line. You don’t need to have read the book already to benefit from this guide, because it also acts as a kind of introduction to the book, encouraging you to take the leap into the strange new world of No. 1 I’ve tried to craft. At the end I offer an extended preview of the book for this reason.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. D. Morrison
• Release date: May 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311525840

Stephen Morrison

Stephen Morrison is an American writer living in between the States and Europe, interested in writing creative and innovative stories. His work is fascinating for its unique style and complex structure. He is the author of No. 1, an experimental novel, and its related guide.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Stephen Morrison

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Cover design, artwork, typography, and text are all protected as the work of the author.

Beloved Publishing

Printed in the United States of America

First edition

ASIN: B01CQ26KDU

It's no secret that my first fiction book, No. 1, is a bit of an enigma. Anyone who sets out to read it may be perplexed or perhaps even annoyed. It's an odd book, but something I couldn't help myself to write. I loved writing it. And I still think it's a great book, something I find myself re-visiting regularly to enjoy. But here I wanted to put together a reading guide for the perplexed, not to explain everything, because I think the search is a part of the fun; instead, this guide will give an overview of some of the major themes, motifs, and influences, as well as a clear explanation of the story-line. You don't need to have read the book already to benefit from this guide, because it also acts as a kind of introduction to the book, encouraging you to take the leap into the strange new world of No. 1 I've tried to craft. At the end I offer an extended preview of the book for this reason.

Introduction

I had more fun writing No. 1 than I've had writing really anything else I've done so far. As much as I enjoy writing non-fiction, my usual interest, I found great joy in writing this.  And that's really where the book came from. I had no plans of ever actually publishing it. I told no one, not even my wife, that I was writing it. It wasn't until I had finished tweaking it obsessively, and wasn't quite sure where to go from there, that I told anyone. My wife and a friend who's also a fellow-author were the only two people I dared to share it with, and they both encouraged me to give it a try. So here we are. I am incredibly pleased with the book, I often pick it up just to laugh once again at