『The Creation of Endless Myth』
The first time I ever saw the words "Endless Myth" was on X.
On the X account of a person using the rather peculiar username "器用ビンボー," strange things were posted every day—reports, records, observations, requests addressed to observers, and other things of that sort.
For the time being, I decided to scroll back through the account and see what I could find.
It had originally been operated as a promotional account.
Its purpose was to promote and announce updates to a novel titled Endless Myth, which had been published on a web-fiction platform.
Then, at some point, the account began posting reports, records, and observations.
Almost every day, something called #小説神話大戦 was posted—something that seemed like setting material, or perhaps something resembling a story.
Calling it cheap might be a little harsh, but to me, it looked somewhat childish.
Since there was a link to the main novel, I decided to read it for the time being.
That was when I noticed something.
There were two links.
I already knew that there were multiple web-fiction platforms.
Apparently, the novel had been posted on the two largest ones.
I became curious as to whether there were any differences between the versions, so I clicked what appeared to be the very first post containing the novel.
For copyright reasons, I cannot reproduce the contents here, but it appeared to be science fiction.
I continued reading.
My honest impression was that it was an amateur novel written by someone who had not yet settled on a consistent writing style.
Next, I read the version posted on the second platform.
The story itself had not changed.
However, at the very end of the text, there were supplementary explanations of the setting, including definitions of specialized terminology used in the story and introductions to the organizations that had appeared.
This part was surprisingly elaborate.
But even that only continued for a while.
Wondering whether the author had simply grown tired of it or whether the work was still under construction, I followed the author's posts about recent developments.
Apparently, the author had stopped filling in the setting details.
Rather than completely solidifying the world's lore, it seemed that the author wanted to leave room for readers to speculate and interpret.
Whether this novel actually contains enough room for analysis, or whether there is any point in analyzing it in the first place, is difficult for me to judge.
But from what I could gather about the author's intentions, they seem to be waiting for an actual group of "theory analysts" to emerge.
Even the posts on X ask for opinions from readers referred to as "choices" and "observers."
This is merely my personal opinion, but in most cases, amateur web novels receive almost no responses even when their authors ask for impressions or opinions.
Popular works are a different matter.
Novels that are published commercially, as well as works that follow the established formulas of such successful titles, can become popular and accumulate enormous numbers of page views.
Such works are naturally more likely to receive comments, ratings, and reviews.
Does this novel, Endless Myth, have what it takes to reach that level?
Science fiction is a niche genre on web-fiction platforms.
Considering the complexity of its setting as well, I imagine that if a core group of dedicated fans were to establish themselves as a community of analysts and theorists, that would probably be the author's ideal outcome.
However, from the perspective of whether the work can become a popular title at this point in time, I would have to say that the road ahead looks difficult.
There is another dream shared by many authors who write novels: commercial publication as a book.
That, too, would probably be difficult for this work.
As science fiction, it is somewhat caught between categories.
As a style of writing, it is also difficult to classify.
Above all, it is long.
Those factors would make commercial publication particularly challenging for Endless Myth.
The light-novel industry has grown enormously in recent years.
There is also a certain level of demand for light novels overseas, particularly throughout Asia, and the market is expected to continue growing.
Yet Endless Myth is neither quite a light novel nor truly conventional, hard science fiction.
If I had to describe it, I would say it is something closer to a massive collection of settings that seems to be expressing a philosophy.
It is precisely because it exists as a web novel that Endless Myth can take this form.
From the perspective of turning it into a commercial book, however, that very quality may make it a difficult work to publish.
This has ended up sounding rather like a book review.
But I would like to make it clear that these are merely my personal opinions.
I was, in fact, genuinely interested in this novel.
Endless Myth continues to expand its world across a variety of platforms, including social media and blogs.
What is the author thinking?
What are they trying to accomplish?
I became interested in the ideas behind the project and the author's overall vision, so I sent a direct message to the author on X.
However, I have yet to receive a reply, and I have not been able to conduct the interview.
If I ever manage to interview the author, I would like to write about it here again.
『The Creation of Endless Myth』 — The End