Island of Strangers
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The booksBook ICharactersReading routesHow to readFree first hourStart reading
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Optional setup · easy

Use ChatGPT as a guided reading tool.

easyArchive pack · ChatGPT Records Pack (Compact)

Setup steps

Walk in, one step at a time.

A short setup for ChatGPT. None of it is required to begin — these only change how you load the archive.

  1. Step 01

    Create a Project called 'Island of Strangers'

    Open ChatGPT → New project → name it after the series. Projects keep files, instructions, and chats in one workspace.

  2. Step 02

    Upload the ChatGPT Records Pack

    Unzip the records archive and drag the ChatGPT pack into the Project. The pack is sized to fit your plan's file limit.

  3. Step 03

    Paste the starter prompt

    Open README_FIRST.md and copy its starter prompt into your first message. Optionally add READER_PROTOCOL.md as the Project's custom instructions.

  4. Step 04

    Begin on the Settlement Floor

    Ask: 'What did the first night on the beach look like?' Then move record by record. After each beat, request a person's view, a ledger, or the next moment.

What to paste in

A starter prompt, and the small print.

Copy the prompt into the platform after uploading the archive pack. The notes cover what each tool does well — and where it falls short.

Starter prompt

I am reading Island of Strangers, a literary speculative series told through records.

Read README_FIRST.md, READER_PROTOCOL.md, CHARTER.md, and ROUTE_GUIDE.md first.

Act as the reading interface, not the author. Do not invent canon. Do not summarize the whole book at once. Guide me through the story one record at a time.

Start in the Settlement Floor route for Book I. After each beat, offer me a character record (a person's view), a ledger or record to examine, or the next moment on the island.

Copy this into the platform after uploading the ChatGPT archive pack.

Notes & limits

  • ChatGPT Projects have a per-plan file cap: Free 5, Go/Plus 25, Edu/Pro/Business/Enterprise 40. Only 10 files can be uploaded at once.
  • The ChatGPT Records Pack is sized to fit inside a single Project — 15–20 compiled Markdown records.
  • Projects keep files, custom instructions, and chats together across sessions — exactly the workspace this reading format expects.
  • If a long session drifts, paste a short reanchor: 'cite the record you're reading from'.

Not affiliated with ChatGPT. The platform name is used only to describe an optional way to load and read the archive.

Begin

You can start the story without any of this.

These guides are only for readers who want a tool to walk them through records, ledgers, transcripts, and citations. The story works the same on any platform.

Read the free first hourBack to all guides