Customer Reviews

The Cave of Time (Choose Your Own Adventure #1)

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In 1979, Edward Packard, who is easily the best author of the entire gargantuan Choose-Your-Own-Adventure series, wrote and published this book, and with that one stroke he not only gave us all a classic adventure story but founded an entire new genre of fiction as well! The whole idea of the "interactive novel" did not even exist before the first Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, as far as I know. The instant the series became popular, almost thousands of imitators started up, most of which died while the series that was started by "The Cave of Time" just kept going and going, like the Energizer Bunny. Today, it is considered just part of a whole category of books. "The Cave of Time" itself is an imaginative story that takes its reader all through time, from the end of the entire universe to the days of Camelot and everything in between. The mechanism for the time travel is NOT the typical machine, but rather a system of tunnels that can transport you in different directions through time depending on which way the tunnel is heading. An original and intriguing idea. Since the early '90s, the CYOA series has sadly gone downhill, with practically all the books being about martial arts and sports--as if they suddenly think that little GIRLS never read their books! and the number of endings has shrunk and shrunk, until now it is often less than TEN per book! As a female who has been reading, collecting, and loving this series since she was 8, this is a major disappointment for me, and I'm sure it would be to anyone else out there who may remember the "good old days" of this series. But THIS book, with its subject matter that would appeal to ANYONE, both boys AND girls, and its whopping 40 endings, is the classic that started it all. This is the standard that interactive fiction for kids has been trying--and failing--to reach ever since. ...Notorious

I remember this gamebook series from childhood, though I was never particularly good at them. "The Cave of Time" starts out with the reader finding a cave and deciding whether or not to enter it. From there, the reader travels back in time to the Ice Age, colonial America, the Dark Ages--even traveling ahead in time. There is no one ending or quest to this book, so you're not in a mad dash to win. In fact, there is no "winning" in here, just 40 possible endings to certain situations--some good, some fatal. Younger readers who like gamebooks will probably like this book/series, though there's not a lot of action.

I've read this book many times and think it's one of the best Choose Your Own Adventure Books ever written.

The first and one of the best in the series. The Cave of Time provides a keen sense of being in different worlds. The different passages from which to choose from succeed in keeping the reader in suspense. It's a shame that books like this that strike the imagination in young and old readers alike hardly get written anymore.

I swear, I am stuck in literary time. When I was 10 years old I would go down to the local bookstore and spend my allowance on a new Choose Your Own Adventure book. The first one I read was Inca Gold and then I was addicted. I bought the Cave of Time next. This one I read several times because there was SO much adventure and twists and turns. I don't know what happened to my lovely collection of books, but I'm 31 now and I have just bought some of my old favorites again. You're never too old for adventure. :)

I got the book ahead of time and it is in excellent condition, the pages are just old and has that old book smell but there was no writing and no torn pages and the title page and binding was in excelent condition. absolutly no complaints. i remember this book from my child hood in the eighties and it is still an awsome read.

This book and it's sequel, Return to the Cave of Time, captivated and enthralled me for years, well into my late teens. Sadly, I lost the copies and discovered that they were all but out of print 12 years ago. Then my daughter comes home from the library with a new one. I have spent the last two years looking for these two books, and here they are. I am definitely taking a copy with me on my next deployment. The 40 endings are legitimate. Sadly, the books today are hardly anything more than reminders of what once was and for some reason, Edward Packer's books are not available on the CYOA website. Not sure if it's legal issues or what, but from what I can tell R.A. Montgomery is a bit of an idealist. Visit his blog linked from [...].

I bought this and 'Chimney Rock'for my 9 year old son who is now enjoying the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' series. They're my old favorite;Edward Packard's were the best.

They actually have 40 different endings!

This book takes the reader on an imaginative armchair journey through time. The first and the best in Edward Packard's clever adventure series, it is fun to read again and again!