As the season brings the haunting howls of spooks, spectres and the restless dead, it might be a good time to pick up the new edition of The Keep of the Lich-Lord. Or maybe I should say the old edition, because this is not the Fabled Lands Quests version from 2014 but an almost-exact reprint of the Fighting Fantasy book from 1990. Apart from a few place-names that we've changed because the story can't be set in Titan, this is as near as possible the original text. The new rules are designed to replicate the probabilities of the FF system, so the adventure is exactly as difficult as it was four decades ago. And there's even a ghoul-green spine to satisfy the most demanding gamebook aficionado. Happy Halloween.
The dragon banner is a nice touch! Is the internal art same as the FLQ version or does it have David Gallagher's originals?
ReplyDeleteI wish it had David Gallagher's original illustrations, but I couldn't get in touch with him to obtain permission to use them. On top of which, my scanner requires flat pages, which would have meant cutting up my only copy of the book. Eek! But there are some nice fillers by the early 20th century artist John Austen.
DeleteMay i see some examples of what John Austen's art looks like in the book?
DeleteYou can get a pretty good sense of his style here and here. I've often seen FF fans on Facebook saying how enthusiastic they are about out-of-copyright art, so I'm hoping they won't mind us using Austen (1886-1948) for this book.
DeleteThanks. Wow Austen draws quite a bit of nudity haha! I'm actually slightly surprised the dragon banner and cover art aren't copyrighted by FF.
DeleteBtw is Heart of Ice deluxe edition still available in any physical format? I saw that it was the only version that had bonus sections and would like to know if i can still get the deluxe edition in paperback or something. If not, is there any way i can read the bonus sections without having to shell out resale prices on the box set?
We didn't use any of his nude pics in the gamebook :-)
DeleteThe original dragon banner probably is Puffin's copyright, but we redrew it. (I don't think they have the copyright in dragons!) And the cover painting is David Gallagher's copyright, but he gave us permission to use it (and a lovely full-res scan of the painting) several years ago. I should've asked him about the interior art at the same time.
The deluxe edition of Heart of Ice is a fine thing, but it doesn't have any sections that aren't in the paperback and Kindle editions -- not any sections written by me, anyway. If the book has 455 sections then you've got the whole official adventure.
Speaking of banners, what's happened to the one at the top of the page?
DeleteYou have to admit, the old one was a bit blurry. I like a change, myself, but if blog readers vote to revert to the previous banner I'll bow to democracy.
DeleteI have the other two versions, Dave, but I might buy this one if only for the little FF leg pull on the cover. Plus I'll be able to do an Arnold Rimmer impression every time I go into my study. 'Three Listers (Lich-Lords)!'
ReplyDeleteIt's worth it just for that, Andy.
DeleteAccording to gamebooks.org every other version has 453 sections, and the deluxe edition released by Other Worlds in 2023 is the only one with 455. I assume it's long sold out by now but am curious what the bonus sections contain
ReplyDeleteDemian Katz is thoroughly reliable, so I can only assume he saw an earlier version of the Critical IF edition. I just checked and it definitely has 455 sections. IIRC the extra sections allow for another ending if you put the other contenders for the Heart into... well, maybe I should avoid spoilers!
DeleteHeart of Ice was released the year i was born. Time to see if the people are right about it being the greatest gamebook of all time... i'm excited :O
DeleteThanks for making me feel old, Shaun :-) I'd been married just over a year when it came out! I hope it doesn't disappoint after all the build-up...
DeleteBack in my gamebook-reading days of 2003-07 the only series i knew were FF and the very lame Football Fantasy by Wizard Books.
DeleteStarting in the middle of this year i decided to revisit my childhood and rebuild my gamebook collection, focusing on classics by FF writers such as yourself and the evil Dirk Lloyd! So many fantastical new stories to immerse myself in *0* (that were written decades ago lmao)
...I think one of the reasons for my return was realizing over 15 years later the House of Hell film never happened, so i guess now i gotta start figuring out how to write screenplays to somehow get a gamebook adaptation finally made in tribute to the legends before i die!!! >_<
Netflix and HBO are running low on ideas, so this could be your chance!
DeleteUgh streaming, if Heart of Ice and Blood Sword are as good as the streets say, they deserve to be on the big screen! In a fair and just society, Dave Morris, Jamie Thomson, Steve Jackson etc would be on stage accepting oscars for best gamebook adaptations, Appointment with FEAR would be the biggest superhero blockbuster, and the most famous Avenger would be a ninja from Orb... but nope instead we gotta wet ourselves to Dr Doom's 9001th appearance in film because we're all goldfish born yesterday... cold world out there
DeleteSo true. In the words of Hasan-i-Sabbah in Blood Sword book 3, Shaun, 'you are yet young to be learning that wry lesson...'
Delete*9001st lol
DeleteSadly i'm the only one i know who still reads gamebooks, i must be from a different time which might explain the greying and receding hairline since age 20... to be fair everyone else plays video games and i couldn't care less about gaming xD
Just found this rival listing... hard to turn down a deal like that!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/407206860616
Somebody's had a smart idea there. Buy a paperback for about £30, rebind it for £20, sell it for £150! And how about this? £13.21 for a book anyone can buy on Amazon for £9.99...
DeleteThose poor animals sacrificed in the name of Lord Mortis!
DeleteBtw who is the cover artist for The Eye of the Dragon reprint? I can't find names for any Golden Dragon reprints either
I doubt if it's real leather ;-)
DeleteCrypt of the Vampire and Castle of Lost Souls both have the original 1980s covers by Bruno Elettori. Crypt and Temple of Flame have interior art by Leo Hartas, as does the Fabled Lands Quests version of Castle. The Eye of the Dragon has interior art by Russ Nicholson and the 2016 cover was by Goofmistress and Ekarune-Projekts.
Thanks for the info. I found nothing on Ekarune-Projekts but Goofmistress' deviantart has this post with a funny caption hahaha
Deletehttps://www.deviantart.com/goofmistress/art/Dino-Eye-88802709
If it's a T.rex (or other predator) then Goofmistress is right that it probably had a round pupil. I'm not renaming the book Eye of the Dinosaur, though!
DeleteYou never know, maybe a tiny name change like that could differentiate it from the FF book and reboost sales enough to successfully fund the completions of Fabled Lands and Mirabilis(!). Or even more unthinkable, a screenplay could get picked up by a producer who's sick of the recent Jurassic trash...
DeleteIs there something Giru is not telling us? Just how powerful is the EYE really?
Ah, Mirabilis. If only...
Delete