7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The first of a fantastic series by Jackson & Livingstone!, July 20, 1999
By A Customer
This is the first book of a great series known as Fighting fantasy. Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone made a fortune out of this original Idea, and so it is not surprising. It is first class, well produced literature. Continuously entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable for all ages. It Is a shame to see the series cut its production line, but after writing 59 different books In the series, It's no wonder the craze had to end somewhere. Young males of this era have missed out on good literature.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unique first-person adventure gamebook, June 3, 1998
The first time I picked this book up, I was only 11. I couldn't believe it. The fact that you could pick a book up and play it like a game just blew my mind. The illustrations were first class and once I'd put it down, I just wanted to pick it up again (and of-course you could because the second time you played it, it would be slightly different depending on where you went within the pages...) I loved it. I still have the original and still read it just for posterity... What a brilliant book!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
good presents for kids (and nostalgic adults ...), October 16, 2011
Women in my life complain "boys are hard to buy presents for" - well, here is an idea (and it is non-electronic).
This series is recommended for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld / Harry Porter/ Perry Jackson / Lord of the Rings / Diana Wynne Jones books, but particularly boys. Content is not too gory, but these are titled "fighting fantasy" books for a reason. Similarly, the reading age is probably 8+ years, but I am no expert.
The random element of encounters throughout the books is what stands out for me - "re-playability". You choose if the protagonist goes left or right, etc. However, even if you pick the same options twice, you probably will not get exactly the same result if you are unlucky.
I am tried of giving kids electronics and want them to learn that reading can be fun (yes - I am my becoming my grandparents), so I will be trying these books out on them - it worked for me.
NOTE FOR PUBLISHERS/DISTRIBUTORS: The new version of these books have a preview of the next book in the back. Why don't you make these half-dozen pages available in the Amazon "look inside" function for the matching book? That is clearly what they were written for.
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