The Bookseller notes Character.ai's launch of a Books feature that lets users interact with chatbot-style experiences framed around classic literature. Even in a short trade item, the implication is familiar: platforms keep experimenting with "engagement" layers on top of texts that are already in the public domain or widely licensed.
For authors and agents, the recurring question is what these products mean for attention, derivative storytelling, and brand control - especially when canonical works become UI for an algorithmic toy. It's less a review of any novel than a signal about where investor money is still flowing in 2026.
(Shortened and summarised to avoid devaluing the source)