I guess one of the ur-texts would be the Encyclopedia Galactica from the Foundation series - both as introductory context and as the ostensible reason for the existence of the Foundation in the first place.

Played in a D&D campaign once where global apocalyptic alien invasion was perpetrated by The Clangers, would be interesting to see it through their eyes

'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' has to be a word of power, right?
Also 'Grease' is the word, that's probably how they get the car to fly.

Dan Simmons' Illium lovingly recapitulates the events Homer described, but with a self-insert time-travelling academic who all the hot ladies fall for, and unlikely team-ups between the warring heroes.

My attempts have included:
Nobilis, but Professor Challenger is exploring Atlantis
and
Nobilis, but the Invisibles are working for Promethea
and I've played in:
Nobilis, but John le Carre is trying to crowbar in the cast of Blackadder

Not sure any of them really worked, but it was fun to try.

Athena's got a great knack for telling jokes, she's a real hoot

That's Conrad.

Read this while I was still getting to grips with Fighting Fantasy, many years before I found groups to play with. Definitely helped sell me on a possible future hobby.

For my first larp character (shortly before my first ttrpg character) I worked out the Sindarin for 'Red Dwarf' and thought that would do as a name. In further developments, that character was a blue elf.

Played an Aberrant campaign set in reality TV a while back. Since we were all 'superheroes', and there turned out to be genuine villains and big dark sinister forces, the rivalries and silly games took a backseat to national politics and trolley problems, and the romance ended in tragedy.

Two shoes for the human child, doomed to cry;
Two boots of dwarvenkind, hobnailed and dry;
Two shoes from elven wrights, made ere the dawn;
And two shoes for the halfling-folk, never to be worn.