Welcome to the world of Inanimate Alice, a truly digital novel that has taken the educational world by storm. The idea for Alice first came about in 2003 and the team (Ian Harper, Chris Joseph and award winning author Kate Pullinger) published the first episode in 2005. The story is told by Alice through 10 episodes. Each adventure looks back through her childhood & into her early twenties, a bildungsroman.

The plot for the series uses Alice’s increasing interest and competency in game development to exemplify her transition from childhood to early womanhood. The first four episodes have been completed, the fifth is being released this year and the final five are still in development. With a team of creators fostering its relationship with its readers across the world, this is a novel on an epic scale.

A few weeks back, we reported on an initiative spearheaded by one Chris Gilson that would see the introduction of book swapping facilities at London Underground stations. Gilson himself commented on the article and, connection made, your humble reporter sensed the potential for an interview (nose of a bloodhound, rest of his face don’t look too good either, etc.). So, eh, here it is.