ALMOST REAL
Originally conceived by Jay Eaton, Almost Real: A Speculative Biology Zine is a ~60 page magazine anthology collection of at least 12 different speculative biology prose and artwork (whose first volume premiered in March of 2018 on Kickstarter). Each entry is centered around the idea of rekindling the imaginative days of Zoobooks and encyclopedia entries into just-as-grounded science, but with more imaginative worlds inspired by the logical and plausible. We were met with resounding success and support for our first and second volumes, Almost Real serving as a unique corner of speculative biology turned into a creative display of all the macabre, the mysterious, the augmented, and more.
With text editing and interior design done by the editors, this collection aims to show off science's ability
to mesh with art spearheaded by incredible contributors, the Almost Real series hosting future issues centered around different themes, prompts, or environments that these speculative worlds live in.
Almost Real's latest volume, focused on "Mythology," was successfully funded on Zoop.gg in Summer 2022.
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VOLUME 1
GENERAL THEME
PUBLISHED SPRING 2018
As Almost Real's kickoff volume, this book covers a wide range of subjects and "figures" for readers. From a mysterious "tree" made for organ donation with the ecosystem that it sustains, and a "whale" that glides through thin cliffs to munch at succulent-like plants, this first issue aims to give readers a wide palette and an appetizer at what to expect from future Almost Real installations.
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VOLUME 3
AQUATICS
PUBLISHED SPRING 2020
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VOLUME 2
FLIGHT
PUBLISHED SPRING 2019
Our second volume initiated the concept of "themes" for each issue- featuring flight in any shape, form, or feature! With everything from alien planets with creatures that "sing" in the heavens, to squids leaping from the waves and spreading their "wings," Volume 2 presents worlds that all are beautiful, strange, bizarre, and just beyond the horizon.
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VOLUME 4
BIOTECHNOLOGY
PUBLISHED SPRING 2021
Almost Real's third installment takes you from those clear skies and down into the depths below, with all entries featuring aquatics as their primary domain. Our contributors emulate the strange, surreal, and sometimes spooky life that can exist in the sea; from cobalt ocean symbiotes to sea-faring hominids millions of years in the future.
With our fifth volume, we take a look at everything that's
possible in the wild, creative world of biotechnological wonders! Spanning the topics of cybernetic enhancements, genetically modified organisms, and even livestock (the ORIGINAL biotechnology), our contributors have spent a long time in the lab bringing plans to the
table they think you're sure to love.
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VOLUME 5
MYTHOLOGY
PUBLISHED FALL 2022
The first collection to be funded on Zoop.gg, Almost Real's fifth volume makes science fun with folklore! Legends new and old come to life in this edition packed with cryptids, cultural mythos, and brand new creatures of fabled wonder– all powered by our contributors' speculative imaginations.
