# ForgeMesh Library — Fiction Shelf

> ForgeMesh Library — Fiction Shelf is a paid API for AI agents from library.forgemesh.io, paid per call via x402, $0.003/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Returns a ranked list of up to 50 public-domain fiction books from a curated shelf of 1,389 titles, with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://library.forgemesh.io/fiction
- Price: $0.003/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-fiction-shelf-5cdde71a
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_R3sVf6CqvmnjGuaFlcrI6

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability forgemesh-library-fiction-shelf-5cdde71a -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Give me a list of up to 30 public-domain fiction books from ForgeMesh Library's curated fiction shelf — I'm looking for classic novels and stories I can read for free.

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a curated, ranked browse of public-domain fiction titles without needing a specific search query — ideal for populating reading lists, exploring the corpus, or discovering classic fiction. Use the full-text search sibling endpoint when you have a specific query or keyword in mind.

## Known failure modes

- Limit parameter exceeds 50 — API may cap or return an error
- No books returned if shelf index is temporarily unavailable
- Payment failure (x402) if USDC balance is insufficient or wallet not configured
- Malformed limit value (non-integer) causing a 400-style error

## How this service works

Curated shelf: Fiction — 1389 public-domain books including The Green Mummy, Twenty-Five Ghost Stories, The Lock and Key Library: Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Modern English. Returns a ranked list with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval. No license, no API key required.

## Output

A ranked list of public-domain fiction book records (up to the requested limit, default 20, max 50), each with a title, author, and drill-down route for full-text retrieval. No authentication or license required.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "limit": {
   "type": "integer",
   "description": "Max books to return (default 20, max 50)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "books": [
   {
    "year": null,
    "title": "The Green Mummy",
    "author": "Hume, Fergus",
    "book_id": 2868,
    "subjects": [],
    "download_count": 63760
   }
  ],
  "count": 5,
  "shelf": "Fiction",
  "coverage": {
   "target": 61015,
   "indexed": 61015
  },
  "drill_down": [
   "/book-metadata",
   "/book-chapter",
   "/book-quotes",
   "/literature-search"
  ]
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-fiction-shelf-5cdde71a/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from library.forgemesh.io](https://www.zero.xyz/host/library.forgemesh.io/llms.txt)