This post is inspired by a recent memory I had of a phone video game a friend used to play 20 years ago: Katamari Damacy Mobile. The idea was to roll a ball around, and the ball would pick up items as it went along, collecting more and more. It wasn’t slime, but it obviously had to be sticky if it could grab things, right? And now here we are, discussing fun books with sentient slime.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey.
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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 1 by Fuse, Kevin Gifford (translator)This is a light novel–as in a short novel with illustrations–adapted from the delightful manga of the same name. Thirty-something Satoru Mikami isn’t very happy with his life and wishes it would change. But he should have been more specific. Because things certainly change after he’s murdered during a robbery and is reincarnated as a slime monster. |
 The Dungeon Book by Gareth HanrahanStolen away from her castle home as a baby, a young girl was raised in a dark dungeon among lethal monsters and creepy crawlies. But some of the weird things in the dark are her friends, including a blob of corridor slime that follows her around like a puppy, grows in size, and can double as food in a pinch with no harm coming to it if she takes a bite or two. Edible friends FTW! |
 Blob: A Love Story by Maggie SuOne night in an alley behind a bar, Vi Liu discovers a little beady-eyed blob of goo that seems alive. So she takes it home, of course. The blob seems to thrive on Vi’s attention and as it grows, she decides to shape it into her ideal boyfriend. Vi manages to turn the blob into a very handsome man after much encouragement. But is it really a good idea? |
 Borne by Jeff VandermeerThis may be the weirdest book of the bunch, which is saying something. In a post-apocalyptic city, a scavenger named Rachel discovers a little green slime that seems alive, so she takes it home. Never mind that it’s probably contaminated or a leftover experiment from a now-ruined company. Rachel names the blob Borne, and as he grows, he begins to talk and exude a childlike wonder that makes her feel very protective towards him. |
 Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John WiswellLove means never having to say sorry for trying to lay your eggs in someone. It’s never a bad time to recommend this great novel! It’s about a shape-shifting lump named Shesheshen, who is chased from her home and injured by hunters. When she’s found by a human named Homily, she takes on human form and soon develops feelings for the kind person who nurses her back to health. But Homily is hunting the shapeshifter who killed her family, which makes it difficult for Shesheshen to confess her secret. |
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram and Bluesky.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·