Island of Strangers
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Optional setup · easy

Use Claude as a guided reading tool.

easyArchive pack · Claude Records Pack (Compact); paid plans can use the Full Records

Setup steps

Walk in, one step at a time.

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

  1. Step 01

    Create a Claude Project

    Claude → Projects → New. A Project keeps custom instructions, uploaded files, and chat history together.

  2. Step 02

    Upload the Claude Records Pack

    Add the Claude pack to the Project's knowledge. Lighter plans should stay on the Compact pack; paid plans can swap in the Full Records.

  3. Step 03

    Set the project instructions

    Paste READER_PROTOCOL.md into the Project's custom instructions field. This pins reader expectations across every chat.

  4. Step 04

    Begin a reading session

    Start a new chat and paste the starter prompt. Ask Claude to begin on the Settlement Floor and to cite the record behind every claim.

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 Claude archive pack.

Notes & limits

  • Claude Projects are self-contained workspaces — chat history plus a knowledge base of uploaded files.
  • Paid Claude plans extend project knowledge with retrieval when the conversation nears the context limit, so the Full Records become viable.
  • Strong at long-form citation. Particularly good for Mateo's Ledger and Translation Room routes.
  • If you hit attachment limits, split into per-book folders or drop down to the Compact pack.

Not affiliated with Claude. 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