"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)
When the north winds blow, Bringing with them ice and snow, If Midsummer’s weather’s numbing, Then know that Fimbulwinter’s coming.
Christmas in July is a self-contained adventure, set at the height of summer. As well as containing material that can be adapted for more conventional games of the ’TWAS RPG, this book also introduces new monsters to the game, and four new Player Characters.
The paperback edition of The Darkness Over Arkham, the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, was released in the UK just last week, but it will be out in Spanish, courtesy of Ediciones Minotauro, this September.
There are some other overseas editions of The Darkness Over Arkhamin the works, and I will let you know more once all the appropriate Is have been dotted, and the relevant Ts crossed.
In other news, JambĂ´ Editorahave recently released the 40th anniversary Fighting Fantasy adventures Shadow of the Giantsand Secrets of Salamonis. They have also reprinted the Portuguese language editions of Howl of the Werewolf and Bloodbones.
So, with three ACE Gamebooks now available in Brazil as well, my takeover of the South American gamebook market is proceeding apace...
The Darkness Over Arkham, the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, is published as a paperback in the UK today, courtesy of Aconyte Books.
When a renowned professor is found dead, it’s up to the Investigators of Arkham to discover what occult horrors were behind his fate. Pick your path, Investigator, and collect allies along the way to hunt down his killer before they strike again. However, Arkham is full of mysteries, with many wishing to keep the truth buried, and who are hungry to usher in a new era full of death and darkness to devour the world you know it. Can you stop them before it is too late?
The book includes profiles for three Investigators - Agnes Baker the Waitress, Nathaniel Cho the Boxer, and Rex Murphy the Reporter. There are also three more Investigators available as downloads from the Aconyte Books' website - Stella Clark the Letter Carrier, Amanda Sharpe the Student, and Skids O'Toole the Ex-Con. All of them can be used to tackle the adventure contained within The Darkness Over Arkham.
When the book was launched in the US, Jordan Sorcery and I did a live readthrough of part of the adventure which can you watch below.
If you have read The Darkness Over Arkham, please do post a review on Amazon. Unfortunately, when the book was first released, it received some 1-star ratings with no accompanying reviews*, which has really skewed the book's aggregated score. We could do with some more balanced reviews, and fairer ratings, to help rectify that situation. In anticipation, thank you for your support.
Eight weeks today, Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 will be taking place at the University of West London in Ealing on Saturday 7 September 2024. Featuring Guests of Honour Sir Ian Livingstone and Iain McCaig, it will be a day-long celebration of the seminal Fighting Fantasy gamebook Deathtrap Dungeon.
Other guests attending include the authors Marc Gascoigne, Paul Mason, Peter Darvill-Evans, Keith P. Phillips, Jamie Thomson and Dave Morris...
along with the artists Alan Langford, Duncan Smith, Tony Hough and Malcolm Barter.
There will be all sorts of talks and other events taking place on the day, including the launch of Steve Jackson's F.I.S.T. by Sound Realms, a live readthrough of Deathtrap Dungeon, the legendary Fighting Fantasy auction, and a special performace of John Robertson's The Dark Room.
There are currently seven ACE Gamebooks in print in English, through Snowbooks, but by the end of the year there will be six ACE Gamebooks available in Czech courtesy of Mytago, when RONIN 47 is released by the publisher. And here's the cover, featuring Neil Googe's awesome artwork...
"This book isn't just a rehash of the original into a playable version, it's a clever and fun mix of various vampire and mythological stories. The Vampire's Curse is written in an accessible, understandable way, and as a stand-alone work it is the ideal gateway to the world of interactive novels for all new players. However, even seasoned veterans will be completely satisfied. Get ready for an unforgettable journey into the world of darkness!"
~ Petr Eller, for Imago
Click on the images below, to check out the Czech editions of the other ACE Gamebooks currently in print.