Are you ready for The Ghost's Revenge?

I'm told that's how the title of the Danish edition of Night of the Necromancer - GENFÆRDETS HÆVN! - translates, the original being considered too much of a spolier for potential readers.

The fantasically grim cover is by Henrik Exler, who has already produced new cover art for a number of books in the Sværd og Trolddom range.

It's the second time the Wraith Queen has appeared on the cover of an overseas translation, and is an excellent reimagining of Martin McKenna's original illustration.

GENFÆRDETS HÆVN! will be published by Faraos Cigarer on 19th September 2026, to coincide with my visit to Fantasy Festival in Denmark, and will be the third of my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks to be given a Danish makeover.

Happy Birthday, Bram Stoker!

8th November is Bram Stoker's birthday, which means that he would have been 173 years old today, were he still alive.

This time last year I started writing my ACE Gamebook adaptation of Stoker's most famous novel, Dracula, and twelve months on I am still working on it. There are various reasons why it remains unfinished, not least of which is the global pandemic we are still in the grip of. But last weekend I learned the very sad news that Martin McKenna, who was supposed to be illustrating Dracula - Curse of the Vampire, died at the beginning of September.

I still intend to finish the adventure, having already written almost 800 sections, but I am taking some time to mull over what to do about the book's illustrations. However, late pledges to the project are still open and you can pledge your support here.

Martin McKenna (1969-2020)

It was with great sadness that I learned this weekend that Martin McKenna had passed away at the beginning of September. He was just 51.

Martin was an incredible artist, his illustrations for the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks some of the most realistic of all. They also dripped atmosphere, with their fine pen and ink details and sinister gothic air.

I first encountered Martin's work via Fighting Fantasy but I soon discovered that his art peppered numerous Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay products as well, and it was with genuine pleasure that I pored over his immaculate vignettes and character portraits.

His illustrations really helped bring the grimdark corners of Warhammer's Old World to life, as they did Fighting Fantasy's own Old World.

Naturally, when I started writing my own FF gamebooks, it was Martin I requested to illustrate the adventures, but it didn't happen until Curse of the Mummy*, my third FF title. Unfortunately, the illustrations weren't quite what I had been hoping for and Martin later admitted himself that they had been rather rushed. In contrast, the cover painting he produced for Curse of the Mummy** was astonishing.

The digitally retouched cover for Curse of the Mummy that Martin McKenna produced in 2007.

However, when Wizard Books started publishing new titles, I got the chance to work with Martin again. We were clearly inspired by the same source material, and the illustrations he produced for Howl of the Werewolf and Night of the Necromancer are some of my favourites.

The cover for Howl of the Werewolf, by Martin McKenna.

The Werebear, Water Wyrd, Van Richten the Vampire Hunter, Serpensa the Serpent Woman, Werebat, and Count Varcolac***, from Howl of the Werewolf.

The Sea Demon, Grave Golem, Dread Knights, Wraith Queen, Hellfire Golem, and Shadow King, from Night of the Necromancer.

He also painted the stunning cover for my zombie-pirate adventure Bloodbones, which ened up being animated for Tin Man Games' digital edition.

The cover for Bloodbones, by Martin McKenna.

When I wrote YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, I knew there was only one artist who could produce the wraparound image I desired for the book.

The cover for YOU ARE THE HERO, by Martin McKenna.

And we were due to collaborate again on my new ACE Gamebook, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire, but sadly that is not to be now.

We never actually met and we didn't even speak on the phone, but I had huge respect for Martin and his work, and I think if we had met we would have got on very well.

However, my greatest regret is that is seems Martin did not have the same confidence in his own abilities as everyone who ever enjoyed any of his immaculate illustrations. I only hope that he had some inkling of the pleasure he brought to all those whose lives he touched through his art.

In memory of

Martin McKenna

1969-2020

Martin's close friends have set up a JustGiving page to raise money, to help disadvantaged children gain access to the arts, in Martin's memory. If you feel able to give something, no more what, follow this link.

* The upside of this was that I got to work with Alan Langford and Tony Hough instead, and Tony and I have a new RPG coming out this Christmas.

** His first FF cover!

*** Martin based Count Varcolac's face on his own.

Gamebook Friday: Dracula - Curse of the Vampire

It's that time of year when people's minds turn to the subject of freaks and fools, and geeks and ghouls... and probably vampires too.

The sixth ACE Gamebook, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire, will be out next year, and you can still place a late pledge to the Kickstarter here.

Gamebook Friday: World Goth Day

Today is World Goth Day, so it's rather good timing that yesterday I finished writing Dracula - Curse of the Vampire from the point of view of the Vampire-Hunters. Of course, I still need to write the adventure from Count Dracula's perspective, as well as edit what I have already written, but I've already reached section 793 of the manuscript, having written over 161,000 words.

At that moment I am struggling to decide which scenes, characters and monsters I want to have illustrated by Martin McKenna. The problem is I want all of them illustrated but have to think about how to best use the budget I have for the book.

What would help is if people who didn't back the original Kickstarter placed a Late Pledge now, as any money raised in this way will help to boost the project's coffers. If you would like to place a Late Pledge, click this link.

Gamebook Friday: Old Knights, Late Pledges, and Grinning Cats

Every once in a while I stumble across an illustration someone has produced, based on one of my old art briefs for the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks I have written. (You can find out why this keeps happening in YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2.)

Anyway, yesterday I stumbled across another one. This time it was a new take on the Old Knight's Ghost you encounter in Night of the Necromancer. Here he is, as drawn by the gamebook's original illustrator Martin McKenna...

And here he is, as re-imagined by Alicia Poon, who now works as a 2D artist at Serenity Forge...

In case you hadn't noticed, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire funded on Kickstarter earlier this week, in the end raising 150% of its original funding goal. I hope you've enjoyed the respite from remorseless Facebook, Twitter and Instagram updates since then. However, if you happened to miss the Kickstarter, and would now like to get in on the action, you can place a Late Pledge here.

If you're in lockdown at the moment, it may be that you have some more time on your hands. If that's the case, maybe you've finally got round to playing one of my previous ACE Gamebooks. And if that's the case, please can I ask you to post a review on Amazon once you're done?

One of the gamebooks you might have played/read, is the first ACE Gamebook, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland. And talking of re-imaginings, Kev Crossley recently re-imagined his Cheshire Cat illustration from the book, as a Joker/Batgirl homage. Enjoy...

DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire Late Pledges

LATE PLEDGES ARE NOW CLOSED!

Even if you missed the Kickstarter for my latest ACE Gamebook, DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire, you can still place a Late Pledge.

Here's what you need to do if you would like to make a Late Pledge to the Kickstarter:

1. Look through the list of Rewards below and select the one you would like by clicking on the PayPal button underneath it.
2. Look through the list of Add-ons and select any you would like by clicking on their PayPal buttons.
3. Once you have selected your Reward and Add-ons, you will need to checkout through PayPal to actually place your Late Pledge.
4. If you have selected any physical rewards, you will need to pay for postage at a later date, when the books are ready to ship in Spring 2021.

Please note - you can find out more about precisely what comes with each reward level by visiting the DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire project page here.

LATE PLEDGES ARE NOW CLOSED!