Gamebook store

Friday 26 February 2016

The pale unsatisfied ones

There's been enough interest in the re-release of The Chronicles of the Magi trilogy that I've decided to bring forward the print publication date. So as of Monday Feb 29 you can buy the books in both paperback and ebook editions.

If you want to try before you buy, there's a PDF of the opening chapters of the first book here. Or just take advantage of Amazon's Look Inside feature. And reviews, as I've said before, are always appreciated.


20 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Will do Dave. (Now just waiting for large format 3-6 of Fabled lands to appear @ Amazon :D )

      Delete
    2. It's on all on that big mental conveyor belt ;-)

      Delete
    3. Awesome Dave. Long shot...would you consider releasing the Golden Dragons series in the original format? (I miss the original art in the latest editions) Just curious. Dk

      Delete
    4. I can't say it's high on the list, David. The art for Curse of the Pharaoh was a bit rubbish and Leo's pics for Lord of Shadow Keep were not (I thought) his most inspired. IIRC it was a rush job.

      If I get around to Eye of the Dragon then I'd like to use Russ's illustrations for that, but as I don't want to cut up my copy I'd have to use scans from a pirated PDF. I'm not sure how that would come out.

      Delete
    5. Yeah understand :) Im on the list for Megara collectors edition of COTV(although hope they do a paperback version too) Regards

      Delete
    6. You know that the paperback edition of Crypt of the Vampire is already out? Now that Leo has coloured his pictures, I could redo the cover using one of those. Hmm.

      Delete
  2. Quite like the fact you've released them on a day that doesn't normally exist. Seems suitably Legendary !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In their infinite wisdom, Amazon have sent me books two and three in advance of book one, Dave, so I'm afraid that review will have to wait awhile! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you it's because book one sold out immediately upon release. :)

      Delete
    2. Don't I wish! Well, here's hoping Amazon get that book to you asap, Andy.

      Delete
    3. The books are good Dave, much more enjoyable than some of their far more popular (and long winded) semi peers, albeit I do have to admit a preference for the gamebooks. Probably for the same reason that Heart Of Ice is admired and twice as good as Eye Of The Dragon, but the latter is more adored! I assume sentiment. Have you any other non gamebook or Mirabilis works I don't know about, or is everything on your Amazon page? Would a Mirabilis novel ever be on the agenda, or something equally out of left field? A Minotaur At The Savoy was great but kind of only scratched the surface. Your alternative opening chapters of The Wrong Side Of The Universe I also thought were at least a match for Jamie's book.

      Delete
    4. Thanks, Andy. A Mirabilis novel is certainly possible. I'd rather do it as a comic book, but I realize that I'm a lot more enthusiastic about that than Leo, who in any case needs to find illustration work that pays. So if I have to tell the story in prose, that's what I'll do.

      Non-gamebook stuff: the HeroQuest and Knightmare novels, Frankenstein on iPad (sort of), The Land Below the Sunset, and of course Warrior Kings (the PC game). Thanks for your kind words about Wrong Side -- for the mass-market 8-10 yo readers we were aiming at, though, Jamie's was the right approach.

      Delete
    5. Btw, is Eye of the Dragon adored? Ah wait, you mean Ian Livingstone's :-)

      Delete
    6. Sorry, Dave. That should have been qualified as, Eye Of The Dragon, The (1985), is adored! Well, at least by me at the time anyway. Although I must confess to also owning the Fighting Fantasy book. I'm assuming Ian Livingstone had his creative gland removed before coming up with that one. Ian, you've got 40 billion sensible title naming conventions and you've had 20 years to think about it since your last gamebook, what are you going to call it?!

      Frankenstein will be downloaded and taken on holiday later in the year as I want to do it justice. Can't find The Land Below the Sunset anywhere? HeroQuest and Knightmare I had assumed we're gamebooks for children so didn't bother picking up them up second hand. Any plans to re-release any of these, or are they not your copyright?

      Do you think you've already written your Magnum Opus? As good as the graphic novels are, it's not really my genre. That said, Tim and the Hidden People is one of my favourite series of all time and they arguably qualify!

      Delete
    7. My magnum opus, Andy, I guess will probably be Mirabilis - if I can get it finished, and in whatever form... Comics, novel, whatever. Failing that, I'm pretty pleased with Frankenstein, so that's my second best.

      Heroquest and Knightmare are out there in pirated PDF form. The gamebook bits are very kiddie, but the novellas have a few nice touches, if I say it myself. The second Knightmare book, for example, could easily be read as set in Ellesland (from Dragon Warriors).

      As for The Land Below The Sunset - it was left unfinished, but the first part is here on the blog. Just search for posts with the Ophis tag - or google it on Wattpad.

      Delete
    8. Cheers Dave, will take a look.

      Will keep my fingers crossed for another comic and/or novel.

      All the best

      Delete
  3. I'm going through the first book. I love it! Very close to the gamebooks, fast-paced and with great dialogue. Almost read it in one sitting last night, then I realized it was close to two o' clock... I have quite a hard time reading fiction nowadays, but your Chronicles managed to keep me going for one more chapter each time. I don't know what that tells about my literary tastes, but I'm having a great time and that's what counts!
    I'll make sure to try and leave a readable English review when I'm finished.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's nothing that warms the cockles of an author's heart more than hearing a reader couldn't put the book down. That's happened to me many a time. My wife calls it having a reading hangover because the next day I'm so tired!

      Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it, Efrem, and thanks in advance for the review.

      Delete