Test your mettle: guess books from AI art!

Over at Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads, I saw a fun bookish game in which ten images are generated by AI, using prompts inspired by books. It was originally inspired by the same game at Bowl Owl’s Corner. I fool around with gen-AI every day, so I wanted to try my hand. Below are fifteen renderings inspired by prompts from works of literature. Most of these are classics. They’re a bit on the obvious side, I think, but one of them will be a little harder for most unless they share my passion for a certain author. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Scene One

Scene Two:

Scene Three:

Scene 4:

Scene 5:

Scene 6:

Scene 7:

Scene 8:

There is some absolute weirdness in this one, but I THINK it’s still guessable.

Scene 9:

Scene 10:

Scene 11:

Hint: one detail in this picture is extremely important to getting it. No, I’m not telling you which detail.

Scene 12:

Hint: this is a contemporary book.

Scene 13:

Even I wouldn’t get this one.

Scene 14:

Scene 15:

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20 Responses to Test your mettle: guess books from AI art!

  1. Charlotte's avatar Charlotte says:

    Wow you got this done quickly!! And from experience I think it seems easier when you know the prompts having created the quiz yourself. I felt like some of mine were too easy but I’m getting the impression that they’re trickier than I thought. And I think Naemi found the same thing 😂 anyway I found this tricky still. Although I’ve only read a handful of classics so that could partially be to blame.

    One: The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    Two: I really don’t know. Maybe Count Of Monte Christo.

    Three: Moby Dick. I feel like it’s tried to make the figure look like Richard Armitage for some reason though 🤔

    Four: I could be way off base but Lord Of The Flies? I haven’t read it but I think it was about a bunch of boys getting stranded on an island.

    Five: 1001 Arabian Nights?? Again I haven’t read it but it looks like a story set in that sort of setting.

    Six: Having only read 3 classics I can’t think of any with brides 🙈 besides Great Expectations but that really doesn’t seem to fit. Unless Miss Havisham has drastically changed. Completely wild guess with Gone With The Wind.

    Seven: Pilgrims Progress? I’ve seen the title around and I can see AI maybe interpreting like that. Although I’ll admit my initial thought was Robin Hood 🙈

    Eight: I don’t have a clue. The random blob makes me think The Thing but I don’t think it even looks right for that and I don’t know if that was a book too. I’m going to guess at Guillvers Travels for the way that thing is roped but I’m 99% sure I’m wrong.

    Nine: Something Steampunk. I recently saw someone say that Jules Verne was steampunk so Around The World In 80 Days.

    Ten: I think it’s got to be an older fantasy book but I don’t know what (I have recently prioritised a selection of them on my TBR though) so I’ll just guess at Three Musketers. Even though it looks like Merlins in the corner and the hounds in the background.

    Eleven: I don’t know 🙈 The Odysseus as the guy could be Homer 😂

    Twelve: Memoirs Of A Geisha

    Thirteen: erm A Tale Of Two Cities?

    Fourteen: I really feel like I should know this yet I’m drawing a blank. Tom Sawyer? Although if I think of anything I’m familiar with that fits I’ll revise my guess later.

    Fifteen: Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? Something sci fi but I don’t know what. Or Ready Player One maybe.

    Like I said my classic knowledge is terrible so I can blame that in part but I’m still sure this is harder than you think 😂

    • I have “boosts” on bing so it didn’t take too long to generate them. Most of the challenge was thinking of books to use that I could come up with productive prompts for. I don’t know if I can last a month before posting the reveal, but I’ll try to wait at least a week!

      • Charlotte's avatar Charlotte says:

        I struggled with the prompt bit at times too. Initially a couple turned out way too clear. Then another, for some bizarre reason, included a book with the title on it so obviously I couldn’t use it 😂

        I kind of feel the same. I want to discuss answers already. But then I want to give a few people a chance to guess too. I’ll see how it goes.

        • Some of mine are entirely too obvious, especially one of them — that was the reason I jumped from ten to fifteen. With one title I didn’t use, I was tempted to do a visual pun using the title to see if anyone got it.

  2. OMG, you have no idea how excited I am that everybody’s joining in on this!! 🤗 Thank you!! Anyway, here are my guesses:

    1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
    2. No idea – it looks like a vampire being lowered into a well 🙈🙈 I’ll keep thinking!
    3. Moby Dick
    4. Lord of the Flies
    5. 1,001 Nights (Why is Sheherazade holding music??) or, if you’re going for the retelling, I suppose The Wrath and the Dawn is also possible…
    6. Gone with the Wind?
    7. The Canterbury Tales??? (Why are there so many cows?? I am sooo confused 😂🙈)
    8. The Fifth Wave? I have a feeling I’m wrong but the image feels eerily familiar, so I’ll have to keep thinking here.
    9. Around the World in 80 Days???
    10. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
    11. A Midsummer Night’s Dream??? (I’ll keep thinking here, too – this would be an awful depiction 😅)
    12. I don’t think I’ve read this…
    13. A Tale of Two Cities??? (I literally have no clue 😂)
    14. Tom Sawyer?
    15. Ready Player One

    Anyway, I’m very excited to see how wrong I was 🤗😂 Thanks again for making this!!

  3. OMG, this is SO FA-BU-LOUS!!
    Here is my take:

    1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
    2. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
    3. Moby Dick
    4. Lord of the Flies
    5. The Arabian Nights
    6. Gone with the Wind
    7. Pilgrim’s Progress?
    8. ??
    9. Around The World In Eighty Days
    10. Something with Merlin??
    11. ??
    12. Before the Coffee Gets Cold
    13. The Great Divorce (the bus made me think of it right away)
    14. ??
    15. Ready Player One

    I can’t wait for the answers!!

  4. 1. The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    2. Um… something Sherlock Holmes?

    3. Moby Dick

    4. Lord of the Flies

    5. Gone with the Wind?

    6. 1001 Arabian Nights

    7. Canterbury Tales?

    8. No idea!!!

    9. Round the World in 80 Days

    10. A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Mark Twain)

    11. No idea!!!

    12. Before the Coffee Gets Cold?

    13. No idea!!!

    14. Tom Sawyer???

    15. Ready Player One?

  5. Cyberkitten's avatar Cyberkitten says:
    1. Dorian Gray.
    2. A Jeeves & Wooster novel
    3. Moby Dick
    4. Lord of the Flies
    5. 1001 Nights
    6. Gone With the Wind
    7. Pilgrims Progress
    8. ZERO idea [lol]
    9. Around the World in 80 Days (or The Time Machine)
    10. Not sure why, but I want to say Gulliver’s Travels?
    11. Zero idea
    12. Zero idea
    13. Zero idea
    14. Journey to the Centre of the Earth
    15. Neuromancer

    FUN idea…. [grin]

  6. Thanks, I had forgotten Bing Image Creator!

  7. OMG, I just read a review by chance at another blog, and it made me think of your picture #8!
    I haven’t read the book: The Breaking Wave by Nevil Shute.
    Though there’s no woman on the picture, s maybe it’s not that.
    here is the review I just read:
    https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/review-breaking-wave-by-nevil-shute/

  8. Marian's avatar Marian says:
    1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
    2. ??? no idea haha
    3. Moby-Dick
    4. Lord of the Flies (but the kids look like they’re from Leave It to Beaver, which is even more terrifying to contemplate)
    5. Scheherazade / Arabian Nights
    6. Gone with the Wind XD
    7. That’s… a lot of cows
    8. no idea
    9. Around the World in 80 Days?
    10. ????
    11. Bluebeard’s Castle? 😛
    12. ??
    13. The Great Divorce… the epic version
    14. Tom Sawyer and Becky 🙂 if they were Gen Z’ers
    15. Ready Player One ?
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