Happy 100th Birthday, Winnie-the-Pooh!

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne, was published on 14th October 1926.

It was precisely because 2026 marks the book's centenary that I crowdfunded 100 Aker Wood earlier this year. 100 years, 100 acres, 100 sections.

The book is now complete and fully laid out. In fact, I was hoping the proof copy of the paperback might arrive before the end of play today, but sadly it didn't. I am also in the process of finalising the order for the collector's hardbacks.

I am really pleased with how the book has turned out. But don't take my word for it. Here's what Victor Cheng, one of the people who play-tested the book, and Mira Manga have had to say about it.

"The melancholic and sombre tone is well-utilised for what I can only describe as a tale of poetic tragedy: the more you discover, the sadder it becomes. It is beautifully written yet depressing to read despite the more hopeful ending (that being a compliment)."

Victor Cheng

“Green’s poignant and powerful prose draws you into a contemplative and transformative journey. Enchanting, moving and magical, this atmospheric adventure will leave you changed. Best played with an open heart and a handkerchief close at hand.”

Mira Manga

So, there you go. 100 Aker Wood will be published in January 2027 by ACE Gamebooks.

Gamebook Friday: One month left to back 100 AKER WOOD on Kickstarter!

If you have yet to pledge your support to the 100 AKER WOOD ACE Gamebooks Kickstarter, you have until Monday 7th September 2026 to do so. After that date, Late Pledges will close as the book goes to layout.

Heraldo Mussolini has completed the illustrations for the book, and I have been tinkering with the cover for the paperback. Having thought I would take it one way, this morning I tried something different, and I'm really pleased with it. I think it could work...

That said, nothing is set in stone at this time so, it may well change before 100 AKER WOOD goes to print.

Just make sure you don't miss out on the chance to be part of the Kicktstarter and receive some exclusive rewards that won't be available to people who buy the gamebook later through retail.

Gamebook Gifts that can still arrive in time for Father's Day!

It's Father's Day this Sunday, 21st June 2026. If you're still not sure what to get the important Dad, or Dads, in your life*, you could still order one of these gamebook titles to arrive in time for Sunday.

You could even place a Late Pledge to 100 Aker Wood and dedicate it to your Father/Father figure.

* Or if, like me, you buy your own Father's Day gifts. :-p

100 Aker Wood accepting Late Pledges now!

100 Aker Wood - which is soon to become the ninth ACE Gamebook - funded on Kickstarter last Thursday. Since then, seven people have joined our trek into the Ashdown Forest by placing a Late Pledge, via Kickstarter.

If you would like to place a Late Pledge, and receive a set of art postcards along with your physical copy of the book, simply click this link.

100 Aker Wood - One week in!

Amazingly, a whole seven days have passed since 100 Aker Wood launched on Kickstarter and the project is currently 113% funded.

If you are new to Kickstarter, or you are a tried and tested backer of ACE Gamebooks projects, you will be pleased to hear that yesterday I completed my second pass on the 100 Aker Wood manuscript and have sent it to be printed, ready to be proofread.

Once I have done that, I will be ready to send the adventure to play-tester backers, once the Kickstarter ends on Thursday 4th June 2026 at 8pm BST.

We are more than a quarter of the way towards the first Stretch Goal, which will add postcards of Heraldo Mussolini's artwork to physical rewards of 100 Aker Wood.

So, if you would like to receive a pack of postcards - and then dice, and eventually playing cards - along with your book, and at no extra charge, please share this project far and wide, reposting my own social media posts, as often as you can.

Thank you for your ongoing support. :-)

Gamebook Friday: 100 Aker Wood is fully funded on Kickstarter!

Despite only launching on Kickstarter on Tuesday, within 48 hours 100 Aker Wood passed its funding goal.

If you are one of those who has already pledged your support, thank you very much. If you have yet to choose your reward, you can do so here.

As the Kickstarter has already funded, we are now working towards the Stretch Goals. The first of these will add packs of postcards, featuring Heraldo Mussolini's artwork for the book, to any physical reward. And after that come bespoke ACE Gamebooks dice and themed playing cards for backers of the hardback edition.

As well as pledging your support, you can help by sharing the Kickstarter project page on any social media channels you have access to. Thank you for your support.

Gamebook Friday: Dracula - Le baptême de sang

The French edition of Dracula: Curse of the Vampire, is currently available for pre-order from Alknost Editions before it's release in June.

Prepare to enter a world of gothic horror for an interactive adventure inspired by the universe of Bram Stoker. Play as the young solicitor's clerk Jonathan Harker, his fiancée Mina Murray, or Dr. John Seward… unless you prefer to embody the bloodthirsty monster itself and hunt down the vampire hunters!

One of the things I like about the Dracula - Le baptême de sang page on the Alknost Editions website is that as well as listing the gamebook's special features, it has a 'Want to know more?' section, which is presented as a series of choices such as might appear at the end of a section in an adventure.

Translated by Joël Mallet and featuring Hauke Kock's original illustrations for the adventure, Dracula - Le baptême de sang is the fifth ACE Gamebooks published by Alknost Editions as part of their Les Contes tordus de Green range.

In other gamebooks news, don't forget that 100 Aker Wood launches on Kickstarter on Tuesday 12th May 2026, at 12pm BST.

Genfærdets hævn - The Ghost's Revenge!

Currently live on Kickstarter is Genfærdets hævn, which is Danish for 'The Ghost's Revenge' - a.k.a. Night of the Necromancer.

The crowdfunding campaign is being run to fund production of a Danish translation of my seventh Fighting Fantasy gamebook, by publisher Faraos Cigarer, who have already published Danish language editions of Howl of the Werewolf and Secrets of Salamonis.

Danish gamebook author Morten Gottschalck - the man behind the new extended version of Starship Traveller - is handling the translation. As of writing, the Kickstarter is already 92% funded, having only gone live this evening.

I must admit that I have a vested interest in the Kickstarter succeeding, not because I will make an money from it - I won't - but because if it is a success, it could open the door to ACE Gamebooks being published in Danish.

So, if you are a Danish speak yourself, or a hardcore Fighting Fantasy collector, you can pledge your support to the crowdfunding campaign here. And even if you are not planning on backing it yourself, please share the link far and wide.

In other news, the Kickstarter for 100 Aker Wood, the ninth ACE Gamebook, goes live two weeks today on Tuesday 12 May 2026.

Gamebook Friday: If you go down in the woods today...

You're sure of a big surprise!

100 Aker Wood launches on Kickstarter in under three weeks' time, and you will want to be there are the beginning, because there are some rather special rewards on offer, that are limited by time and number.

If you are one of the first 50 people who back at the POOH Hardback reward level or above, you will have your name listed in the front of the book as a Founding Backer.

On top of that, anyone who backs the project within the first 24 hours will be invited to join a live Zoom Q&A with Yours Truly on Saturday 16 May 2026 at 3pm UK time (7am West Coast US/10am East Coast US/4pm Central Europe/6pm Middle East/10pm East Asia/11pm Japan/Midnight Sydney, Australia).

The initial funding goal for the Kickstarter is £5,000. Once that is achieved, the Stretch Goals will kick in, which will add artwork postcard packs, dice, and playing cards to qualifying backer's rewards.

So, set an alarm for 12pm BST on Tuesday 12 May 2026 to make sure you don't miss out on one of these special rewards.

Gamebook Friday: My Most Popular ACE Gamebooks

I regularly check Amazon to see how my books are rating*. For a long time, I thought that RONIN 47 was one of my most popular ACE Gamebooks because, although it didn't have a lot of reviews, almost all of them were 5 stars. However, in my obsession with the only sci-fi ACE Gamebook to date, I had failed to notice that some of the older titles in the series were even more popular.

This prompted me to make a proper comparison. As well as looking at the average rating out of 5 on Amazon.co.uk, I considered how many ratings a title had received. So, gamebooks with the same average rating would be differentiated by how many people had rated each one.

The results may surprise you - they certainly surprised me!

ACE Gamebooks ranked by Amazon ratings:

1) NEVERLAND: Here Be Monsters! - 4.9/5 based on 46 ratings

2) 'TWAS: The Krampus Night Before Christmas - 4.9/5 based on 32 ratings

3) RONIN 47 - 4.9/5 based on 24 ratings

4) Dracula: Curse of the Vampire - 4.8/5 based on 96 ratings

5) Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come - 4.7/5 based on 5 ratings

6) Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - 4.6/5 based on 181 ratings

7) The Wicked Wizard of Oz - 4.4/5 based on 67 ratings

8) Beowulf Beastslayer - 4.4/5 based on 60 ratings

I then wondered how ratings on Amazon compared with those on Goodreads, which gave quite a different result.

ACE Gamebooks ranked by Goodreads ratings:

1) Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come - 5/5 based on 2 ratings

2) Beowulf Beastslayer - 4.45/5 based on 11 ratings

3) Dracula: Curse of the Vampire - 4.37/5 based on 41 ratings

4) The Wicked Wizard of Oz - 4.18/5 based on 28 ratings

5) 'TWAS: The Krampus Night Before Christmas - 4.15/5 based on 27 ratings

6) Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - 3.96/5 based on 334 ratings

7) NEVERLAND: Here Be Monsters! - 3.95/5 based on 19 ratings

8) RONIN 47 - 3.5/5 based on 6 ratings

Whenever I attend an event, people often single out one particular ACE Gamebook as being their favourite. However, what is pleasing is that each adventure is somebody's favourite. I wonder how many people will pick 100 Aker Wood as their favourite when it is published next year?

Maybe I should rank my various Fighting Fantasy gamebooks by popularity next?

* If you have read/played and enjoyed one of my ACE Gamebooks, please do post a review online, and on Amazon if you can.