"The modern master of the gamebook format" (Rob Sanders)... "Can do dark very well" (Jonathan Oliver)... "Green gets mileage out of his monsters" (SFX Magazine)... "It takes a firm editorial hand and a keen understanding of the tone of each piece to make a collection this diverse work, and Green makes it look effortless" (Starburst Magazine)... "A charming blend of camp creatures, humour, and genuine horror" (Set the Tape)
Six weeks today, I will be attending AireCon in Harrogate for the first time. It's actually on from Thursday 13th - Sunday 16th March 2025, but Hall M won't be open on the Thursday.
Talking of which, you will find ACE Gamebooks at Booth A11 in Hall M. From the plan, it looks like there are two main thoroughfares through the hall, one of which goes straight past my stand, which will be sandwiched between Mantic on one side and Red Mug Crafts on the other.
So, if you're in the North Yorkshire area and fancy popping along to AireCon over the course of the weekend, do stop by Booth A11 and say hello.
I have two pieces of gamebook news for you this week. The first is that Sound Realms' audio adaptation of the sixth ACE GamebookDracula: Curse of the Vampire is coming to Backerkit on 1May 2025. You can check out a sample of the audio below, and register your interest in the crowdfunding campaign here.
At the weekend I went to see Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. I had been looking forward to this ever since I first saw the trailer and went to see it as soon as I could so as not to have the film ruined by spoilers on social media.
Now, be warned, this post contains a few spoilers about the film. So, if you have yet to see it but you want to see it, do not read on any further.
Still here? On your head be it, then.
For those who don't know, Eggers' Nosferatu was inspired by the original Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, from 1922, as well as Bram Stoker's gothic horror novel Dracula*. Eggers' film looks stunning - the locations, sets, and cinematography are incredible - but it isn't actually scary. The jump scares are too obvious and well signposted. On top of that, the story is just too well known to terrify. There's some gross stuff but, knowing it's not real, means none of it will actually make you jump out of your skin.
I don't mind that, but I'm still not entirely sure what I think of the film. It's good, but not amazing. That said, I have found myself pondering it over and over this last week, so it has definitely made an impression on me. There are some fantastic images in the film, and probably the most disturbing elements involve what the mere mortals do when their minds cannot cope with the horror they have been subjected to.
It seems the most contentious things about the film involve Count Orlok's appearance, specifically his moustache and the fact that he is naked at pivotal moments in the film. I don't see what all the fuss is about. Dracula had a moustache in Stoker's novel and the undead Strigoi in my Dracula-inspired gamebook haven't bothered to get dressed either.
But it is the look of the film that has really stuck with me, so much so that I am considering publishing a new edition of Dracula: Curse of the Vampire next year, with darker and grittier artwork, and a more gothic look altogether.
For now, if you have yet to check out my own take on Stoker's classic, you can order a copy of the sixth ACE Gamebookhere.
* The original Nosferatu was effectively a rip-off of Dracula, and Stoker's widow won a copyright case against the filmmakers. All copies of the film were supposed to have been destroyed but, just like the vampiric Count Orlok, it rose again from the dead.
