"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)
Today would have been H P Lovecraft's 136th birthday. An ever-increasing number of my books have been inspired - either directly, or indirectly - by Mr Lovecraft's cosmic horror creations.
In fact, purely by chance, today I am writing a pitch for another Lovecraftian gamebook. You will have to continue to follow this blog to find out if it graduates beyond just a pitch.
"I’m pretty sure I say this every time, but this might be my favorite Investigators Gamebook to date."
And here's what they had to say about the series in general:
"I truly love the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks. Part Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, part table-top roleplaying game, these books are just flat-out fun. The Kingsport Metamorphosis continues in this vein, bringing hours of entertainment and tons of creativity."
And here's what Luna Gauthier had to say over on Cosmic Circus:
"I would definitely say that I returned to this one more times than any of the other Investigators Gamebooks that I’ve read so far. The re-readability makes The Kingsport Metamorphosis the best installment of the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks to date and worth picking up."
I have just updated the Gamebookspage on my blog. It hadn't been updated since December 2018, at which time I had only had 20 gamebooks published. The total currently stands at 30, with two more already written and waiting to be published.
There are so many ACE Gamebooks now* that I am considering producing a leaflet for events to give out to people, with summaries of what each one is about, unusual rules, and total number of sections.
I have so far written gamebooks for 12 different series or IPs, but the three that are currently on the writing desk, as it were, are...
Interactive adventures set within the Arkham Horror universe of the 1920s, inspired by the cosmic insanity of H P Lovecraft. To find out more, click the image below.
A news series set within the Dystopian Age setting of Warcralde Studios' games. Expect James Bond-esque derring-do within a souped up late 19th century. The first book in the series is called Valiant. To find out more, click the cover image below.
I will be attending PLAY: Festival del Gioco in Bologna this weekend. I will be arriving in Italy on Friday and hope to be able to pop in briefly that evening. However, I will be at the event all day Saturday, signing books at the Raven Distribution stand as well as taking part in these two events:
I will also be at the Raven Distribtion stand on Sunday, signing books - specifically the new Italian editions of The Darkness Over Arkham and Neverland: Here Be Monsters! - although I hope to get the chance to have a look at Bologna as well.
So, if you're going to be at PLAY: Festival del Gioco, do stop the Raven Distribution stand and say, "Ciao!"
I will be attending PLAY: Festival del Gioco in Bologna, Italy, from Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th May 2026. I will be there as the guest of Vincent Books, who publish the Italian editions of the ACE Gamebooks series.
Talking of which, available for the first time at the event will be NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! - which has a new title, I Mostri Dell'Isola Che Non C'รจ, and a new cover...
I love this image!
Two new covers, in fact!
It's great to see another piece of Kev Crossley's art on the cover of the special edition.
It also means that The Darkness Over Arkham is now available in four different languages - English, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian.
As you can see, L'Oscuritร su Arkham varies from the other editions in that is has new cover art. And while the book does not feature any full page illustrations, Vincent Books have commissioned some adventure-specific fillers, including the ones shown below.
Recently, I was interviewed by Riccardo Scaringi for the
Il Gioco In Tavolo podcast. During the course of our discussion we talked about Fighting Fantasy as well as exploring the world of Arkham Horror through gamebooks, which you can watch below.
Make sure you pop back tomorrow, because it will be new book day - again!
As it is World Book Day, I thought I would draw your attention to four gamebooks that may be of interest to you.
Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come was published last November. YOU take on the role of William Shakespeare himself as he navigates the nightmarish worlds of his plays and comes up against very servants of the Great Old Ones.
Here is what one reviewer had to say about the adventure:
"An absolute joy to flit through the worlds of Shakespeare as you fight your way through to hopefully a successful conclusion. Each read through bringing a little more insight and a better chance to make it out to the other side. This is a fast paced story as you are constantly being thrown from one story to the next and new paths and options unfold before you."
A mysterious letter summons you to the seaside town of Kingsport, where dreams leak into reality, to a wealthy estate transformed into a place of unspeakable nightmares. Curious as to why the reclusive Elijah Harcourt has summoned you to his home, you are unsettled when you discover Harcourt’s purpose is far more nefarious than you realized, leaving you and his guests with riddles to solve if you are to survive. As each hour passes, your companions meet terrible fates, forcing you to navigate a spiderweb of betrayal.
Here's what one reviewer has had to say about this adventure:
"Another solid entry in the series (this one stronger on parlor-room mystery vibes than on cosmic horror vibes, though these are present too) from gamebook maestro Jon Green."
Valiantis the first Warcradle Studios Gamebook and will be published on Saturday 7th March 2026.
It is the Dystopian Age.
YOU are Valiant, an agent of the Crown Ministry of Intelligence, an unsung hero, working in secret to keep an unstable world from igniting into all-out war.
Victoria may reign as Queen, but it is the super-science of the Enlightened that dominates the world thanks to their discovery of otherworldly technologies. The great global superpowers strain against the uneasy detente that exists between them. All it takes is the right agent in the wrong place, so after a secret mission goes disastrously wrong, all that stands between a shadowy conspiracy and global ruin is YOU!
Her Majesty is counting on YOU to end this threat.
Only YOU can save Queen and Country - and perhaps the world!
When asked which release she was looking forward to most in 2026, Warcradle Studios' Game Development Manager Sophie Williams, who worked closely with me on the adventure, had this to say:
"Valiant! I love choose-your-own-destiny books. Play as a Crown spy in the Dystopian Age whilst navigating a story packed with adventure, deciding how you would deal with the challenges ahead, yes please!"
In the wolf-haunted Carpathian Mountains, a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to an isolated castle to assist a mysterious Count with purchasing a number of properties in England. But what he witnesses there drives him to the edge of madness…
Meanwhile, in Whitby, Harker’s fiancรฉe, Mina Murray, visits her dear friend Lucy Westenra. But during her stay, Lucy is attacked and becomes seriously ill…
In London, Lucy’s suitor and physician, Dr John Seward, becomes preoccupied with the case of a certain Mr Renfield, an inmate at his lunatic asylum, who seeks to collect lives for his master, having not long returned from a trip to Transylvania…
And so, the pieces for the game are set. For they are all pawns in a plan devised centuries ago by the Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes, a cruel tyrant whom history remembers as ‘the Son of the Devil’, his bloodthirsty deeds having earned him another name…
Dracula.
The new edition of Dracula: Curse of the Vampirehas a red cover, with black lettering, and known errata have been corrected. The book will also include the names of everyone who backs this latest Kickstarter.
Those who back the campaign will also receive some unique rewards including a collectible bookmark, a pair of black Dracula-themed dice, a set of 10 postcards featuring Hauke Kock's artwork from the book, and a golden pin badge in the form of Count Dracula's crest.
The Kickstarter. is running until Thursday 19th March 2026 and, as of writing, is almost 50% funded already.
Remember, the USP of this series is that you can play through any adventure as any Investigator.
So, those currently available to download from ArkhamHorror.com are...
The Kingsport Metamorphosis Jacqueline Fine, the Psychic Lucius Galloway, the Dreamer Lola Hayes, the Actress
The Tides of Innsmouth Silas Marsh, the Sailor Kลhaku Narukami, the Folklorist Marion Tavares, the Trawler
The Darkness Over Arkham Agnes Baker, the Waitress Nathaniel Cho, the Boxer Rex Murphy, the Reporter
Bonus Investigators George Barnaby, the Lawyer Stella Clarke, the Letter Carrier Skids O'Toole, the Ex-Con Amanda Sharpe, the Student Sister Mary, the Nun (released to mark the publication of The Kingsport Metamorphosis)
These are the 14 Investigators available to download from ArkhamHorror.com.
However, there are two more Investigators available - Jenny Barnes the Dilettante, and Joe Diamond the Private Investigator - whose character sheets can be found in the graphic novel The Terror at the End of Time.
So, I think you will agree, the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooksoffer endless replayability, and any Investigators that might be released in the future will also be compatible with any existing adventure in the series.
I have had one AHIGpublished each year since 2024, meaning there are now three in print*.
It struck me the other day that back in 1995, I had three Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks in print and this felt like a real achievement. In fact, when Curse of the Mummy was published, I only had three books published in total.
รชรชรชรชรช "If gamebooks be the food of love, play on."
Antony Johnston, author of Can You Solve The Murder?
Even though The Kingsport Metamorphosis is my 86th published book (not including reprints and omnibuses), I still get excited when I get to hold a copy of one of my books for the first time. I am particularly keen to give The Kingsport Metamorphosis a read myself, to see if I succeeded in what I set out to do with this adventure.
As with the other books in the series, The Kingsport Metamorphosis includes three Investigators with whom you can play through the adventure*. They are...
Jacqueline Fine The Psychic
When Jacqueline's supernatural senses pull her towards the fog-bound streets of Kingsport, with a peculiar letter in her hand, she understands that she has no choice but to follow where they lead.
Lola Hayes The Actress
When a letter arrives from one Elijah Harcourt inviting Lola to visit his home in Kingsport, she decides it might be nice to have a break from performing.
But, as she comes to the coast, she can’t help wondering if she is about to take on the most important role of her life.
Lucius Galloway The Poet
The mists of Kingsport have haunted Lucius's work since before he ever set foot in the town. Now he walks its alleyways, and if the truth of his visions awaits him here, he will meet it, whether it brings triumph or ruin.
A mysterious letter summons you to the seaside town of Kingsport, where dreams leak into reality, to a wealthy estate transformed into a place of unspeakable nightmares in this new action-adventure gamebook set in the popular world of Arkham Horror.
Curious to meet your mysterious host, Elijah Harcourt, your excitement is dashed when you discover the recluse's purpose is far more nefarious than you realized, leaving you and his guests with riddles to solve if you are to survive. As each hour passes, your companions meet terrible fates, forcing you to navigate a spiderweb of betrayal…
Strangely, 2025 will go down in history for me as the Year of Valiant, even though all most of you have heard about the Valiant gamebook appeared in this news item back in September.
I started this year finishing writing the first Valiant gamebook, and have ended the year working on the second. Valiant will be out in March, so look out for more news about that in the New Year.
As of writing, it has received three 5-star reviews on Amazon, one of which has been written in the style of William Shakespeare himself:
"O gentle reader, lend thine ear awhile,
And hark to Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come,
A book most strange, where inked worlds intertwine—
The Avon bard with eldritch horrors wed."
This was the first ACE Gamebook I have self-published, and the first book my son has laid out, and I am very pleased with the result. Two overseas publishers have already signed up to release the book in their territroies, which is very exciting.
Talking of overseas editions of my books, there weren't so many this year - certainly not compared to last year's seven! There was a new edition of La Nuit du Loup-Garou (the French language version of Howl of the Werewolf) and Pax Britannia: Unnatural History was published in Hungary.
Next year, however, I am expecting a glut of overseas editions of my gamebooks.
In terms of events, this year I attended AireCon, Dragonmeet: Call to Adventure, the UK Games Expo, and Dragonmeet. I already have my place booked at UK Games Expo 2026, and next September we will be holding Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 in West London.
My wife turned 50 in 2025 and it was her desire to visit 12 places she had never been to before in 12 months. This resulted in us going overseas five times! The countries we visited were Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary, and Denmark.
Yours Truly in Faraos Cigarer, in Copenhagen, with my Danish FF gamebooks.
All of them were amazing and have provided me with all sorts of material for future stories or games, especially an exhibition at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen about the role of the Sorceress in Viking culture. I even got to see the lengendary Gundestrup Cauldron in the flesh, as it were.
An image of the horned god Cerunnos on the Gundestrup Cauldron.
I have also had some health issues to contend with this year, which I need to get a better handle on in 2026, but throughout it all - the highs and the lows - I continue to have my furry companion by my side.
Conker the Cavapoo is now three!
In the New Year I will continue to work on the second Valiant gamebook, but I also have a new gamebook coming to Kickstarter. So, watch this space.
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