Gamebook Friday: The Wicked Wizard of Oz - the first reviews!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz has been out for a couple of weeks now, and on top of that the original Kickstarter backers have started to receive their copies. As a result, the book has already received a number of reviews on Amazon.co.uk, and I'm very pleased to report that they are all 5-star reviews.

Here's what people have been having to say about my latest ACE Gamebook...

"I've played a few of Jonathan's books such as Howl of the Werewolf and Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland so I knew this book would be well written. The first thing that strikes you is just how big the book is. It's a whopping 850 sections long. No wonder though, seeing as you can play through the book as any of the 6 characters! I've played through as Dorothy, the Lion and the Tin Woodman so far and each story varies more than enough to make playing through the book as each character worth while. You won't get the feeling that "you've done all this before"."

"Having received a preview copy of Wicked Wizard and played it , I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Being an Oz fan, I loved this dark dieselpunk version of the Land over the Rainbow! The gameplay was suitable absorbing using either dice or playing cards. Also, being able to play as different characters from the original stories gives this game book great re-playability! Finally the illustrations are beyond awesome..."

"First impressions: it looks beautiful and it's a huge book - so lots to look at and enjoy and lots to and have fun with. It''s been a long time since I last had a choose your own path adventure book but this was a wonderful reintroduction to the genre - easy to follow and to play. Well written and engaging storylines. I love being able to play the different characters. Have played several times in the 24 hours I've had it and have had a completely different experience each time. Highly recommended!"

"Once again Jonathan Green hits the bulls-eye with this incredible gamebook. Take what you think you know about that famous "land over the rainbow" and prepare for a trip into adventure. Journeying through the land of Oz you get to choose which of the famous Oz characters you wish to play - all of whom start in different places and have their own specific strengths and weaknesses. Never a dull moment, this adventure gamebook will keep you gripped from start to finish - and the best bit is you can then swap characters and explore a different path through Oz."

You can pick up your copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz here.

In other gamebook-related news, my Kickstarter backer copies of Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars graphic novel arrived yesterday, and they are a glory to behold. I especially like the FF pin badge.

 The Wicked Wizard of Oz ACE Gamebook, alongside Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars graphic novel.

You can order your own copy of The Trolltooth Wars here, or you can pick one up at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 in September.

Shakespeare Sunday: London Super Comic Convention 2016

Yesterday I attended the London Super Comic Con, held at London's Excel Centre. Whilst I was there I met up with a number of people who will be of interest to fans of Fighting Fantasy, 2000AD or even Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.

Andi Ewington, the mastermind behind the comic book prequel to Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter was there, along with his self-published comic Overrun...

Ian Edginton, renowned 2000AD comic scribe and Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu contributor, was also there, promoting the fantastic Brass Sun: The Wheel of Worlds graphic novel...

Brian Bolland, famed 2000AD artist and the man behind the cover of Steve Jackson's Appointment with F.E.A.R. was there...

And I also ran into Gavin Mitchell, who is pencilling, inking, colouring and lettering Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars all by himself...

Who drew me this...

You can see more photos of my day here.

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO at the UK Games Expo

Surfacing again after a couple of weeks of intense SHARKPUNK promotion, I just wanted to let you know that I shall be attending the UK Games Expo this year, on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May 2015, and I shall be bringing the last few boxes of the YOU ARE THE HERO hardback with me.

YOU ARE THE HERO was nominated in the UK Games Expo Awards best RPG supplement category. However because you can't actually play YOU ARE THE HERO it is not eligible for the award. That said, the judging panel are considering giving the book an honourable mention, so watch this space...

In other news, PJ Montgomery and Gavin Mitchell have released a new page of artwork from Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars, featuring a couple of characters who will be very familiar to fans of Citadel of Chaos...

Artwork by Gavin Mitchell

... which also just so happens to have been the inspiration behind a song written by a friend of mine and his band Groan.

(I can see a couple of new chapters are going to be needed for the 40th anniversary edition of YOU ARE THE HERO.)

Gamebook Friday: Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars and YOU ARE THE HERO on the radio

I would like to start this week's Gamebook Friday post by congratulating PJ Montgomery and Gavin Mitchell on the successful funding of their Fighting Fantasy graphic novel Kickstarter. Thanks to all their hard work, and the generosity of their backers, this autumn will see the release of Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars. If you've not heard about the book already, (a) where have you been? and (b) look forward to seeing the graphic novel at a con near you before the year is out.

In other Fighting Fantasy-related news, last Sunday I was interviewed on Radio Saltire as part of Kevin Hall's Movie Moments show, which has a Science Fiction and Fantasy theme for the week. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, even if you don't live in Scotland and didn't catch the show last weekend, you can listen to it right now, right here.

Five reasons why YOU should back the Steve Jackson's Trolltooth Wars Kickstarter

As of the moment this post goes live, there are just 48 hours left to run on the Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars Kickstarter. As of writing this blog post, the project still needs almost £2,400 to reach its funding goal, so now, more than ever, writer PJ Montgomery and artist Gavin Mitchell need your help.

"But why should I help?" I hear you cry. Well here are five reasons...

1) It's Fighting Fantasy - And Fighting Fantasy has found a natural home on Kickstarter, which enables creators to contact the fans who would buy FF products directly, without the hassle of middlemen and all the hoops that would have to be jumped through to get something published. And the more Fighting Fantasy projects that are backed and are successful, the more other creators will follow in their footsteps, and the more FF material there will be in the future. Ian Livingstone himself has said that there may be plans to launch a Kickstarter based on Damien Sparkes' FF sculpts, but only if the demand is there and what better way of demonstrating that than by backing another Fighting Fantasy project?

2) It's a British graphic novel - In a world dominated by American comics we have the chance to back a brand new British graphic novel that doesn't rely on tired concepts and predictable heroes. Comic fans will love The Trolltooth Wars, whether they're into FF and RPGs or not, particularly considering the popularity of fantasy at the moment, in the wake of TV's Games of Thrones and the Hobbit movies. At the same time the book will introduce a whole new generation of fans to a forgotten classic of fantasy literature, written by one of the godfathers of the games industry who, along with Ian Livingstone got reluctant readers (especially boys) reading, long before young upstarts like Harry Potter were even a twinkle in their creators' eyes. The graphic novel adaptation is also being undertaken by two highly experienced and celebrated comics creators - PJ Montgomery and Gavin Mitchell. Just check out some of their work for the book here...

3) Malcolm Barter will be providing brand new art for the book - Announced on Monday, legendary FF artist Malcolm Barter, the man behind the iconic illustrations for The Forest of Doom - the man who brought us the Fire Demon and FF Werewolf for the first time - will be producing brand new pin-up art for the book. Now, for fans of FF and fantasy art, that fact alone has got to warrant pledging at the Rhino-Man level or above.

4) It's Kickstarter - Without your help the book will not happen! You have the power to make this graphic novel a reality. You could be the person whose pledge takes The Trolltooth Wars past its funding target. Yes, YOU! And all for the price of what? A curry? The taxi home afterwards? It's certainly a lot less than the price of a night out. And if cash is a little tight, why not ask someone else to pledge for you and consider it as an early birthday present? Or pledge yourself and think of it as an early Christmas present! Remember - if the project is shy of just £1 its creators will receive nothing, and none of us will get to read The Trolltooth Wars graphic novel!

5) You can get hold of a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO - That's right, if you don't already have a copy of the critically-acclaimed History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, certain pledge levels come with a signed copy. If you're not sure why owning a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO should be such an incentive, just check out the reviews over on Amazon.

So there you have it. If you have already pledged, consider raising your pledge level, or ordering a second copy of the book.

If you haven't pledged yet, and you've been meaning to all along, don't dilly-dally any longer. If the project funds and you're not a part of it, you'll be gutted in the long run, Trust me.

And whether you've pledged or not, maybe you know someone who would appreciate this project, so tell all your friends by whatever means at your disposal. The more people talk about Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars the greater the chance of it picking up new backers.

So, what are you waiting for? Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars needs heroes to help make it happen - heroes like YOU!

Gamebook Friday: The Trolltooth Wars, YOU ARE THE HERO, and Radio Saltire

First off, Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars on Kickstarter... This has already raised over £10,000 but there's still a fair bit more to raise and only 5 days to raise it in. Remember - Kickstarter takes no money from you unless the project achieves its funding level, and then the payment only goes through when the Kickstarter has run its course. So, if you've been thinking about it, or saying you'll back it tomorrow, back it today and let's make another Fighting Fantasy project a reality, thanks to crowdfunding!



Secondly, I was interviewed by Kevin Hall recently about YOU ARE THE HERO*. You can read the interview here. And on the same subject, thirdly, I am going to be on Kevin's radio show on Radio Saltire on Sunday (29th March) at around 3.15pm. So, if you're able, why not tune in?

* Which is now also available from Google Books!

Gamebook Friday: Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars Kickstarter - a guest post by P J Montgomery

The Trolltooth Wars. Those three words will be familiar to Fighting Fantasy fans. The first straight novel set in the FF universe, Steve Jackson’s 1989 book featured familiar characters and settings in an exciting fantasy adventure, in which you weren’t the hero - Chadda Darkmane was. Readers joined Darkmane on an adventure that took him from Salamonis, to the Forest of Yore, to the bizarre town of Shazâar, to the very depths of Firetop Mountain. Fan favourite characters Balthus Dire, Zharradan Marr, Gereth Yaztromo and, of course, Zagor himself, rubbed shoulders with new creations like the Chervah, Jamut Mantrapper and the sorceress, Lissamina. It also spawned a number of sequels, which all further expanded the world of Titan, and gave Darkmane new challenges to overcome.

But, if you’re reading this, you probably already know that.

My name is PJ Montgomery, and I’m a writer based in Cardiff. Jonathan has very kindly invited me to write a guest post all about my latest project, a graphic novel adaptation of The Trolltooth Wars. I’ve been a fan of the Fighting Fantasy series since, as a young child, I discovered some of the books in my school library. A few months and much pestering later, I finally managed to get my mum to buy me a copy of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Sure, that first adventure in Zagor's domain ended with death at the hands of a vampire, but it spawned an obsession within me, which continues to this day.

I’m also a huge fan of comics. This passion began a bit later, with my first issue of X-Men, but it’s burned just as fiercely. It’s a unique medium, combining clever writing and visual storytelling like no other. Comics have the potential to tell amazing stories which feed the imagination, just as well as any novel, while providing stunning images without the budgetary limits which can cause a film or television show to fall short.

Combining comics with Fighting Fantasy feels like an obvious idea to me, and where better to start than The Trolltooth Wars? It’s actually a very visual novel, thanks to Jackson’s clear and descriptive prose, combined with some excellent illustrations by FF legend Russ Nicholson. I’d had the idea to turn it into a comic a while back, but it was only last year that I actually did anything about it, and fired off an e-mail enquiring about the possibility of putting a graphic novel together. Fast forward to now, and a full script has been written, and is in the process of being illustrated by talented comic artist Gavin Mitchell.

Gavin and I have plenty of experience creating comics between us, having worked together previously on the South Wales set horror comedy, Stiffs. I’ve also contributed to the superhero anthology title The Pride Adventures, while Gavin has provided art for books like '80s horror mash-up The Samurai Slasher, and superhero book The Pride, the parent book of The Pride Adventures. So we know what it takes to produce a quality comic. The only thing currently standing in our way, is funding.

As such, we’re in the middle of running a Kickstarter with the aim of raising the money to release the comic later on this year. The money raised is all going into the book, and while we’ve had a good start, we’re not there yet. I love Kickstarter. I think it’s a brilliant site, which can help with the creation of excellent projects which may not otherwise see the light of day. I’ve backed plenty of campaigns myself (including You Are The Hero, naturally), and always enjoyed being part of a campaign, and never been disappointed with the end results. We’re hoping to provide our backers with a similar experience.

Backing the campaign will get you any of a number of rewards, including badges, prints, wallpapers for your computer, and copies of the book. There’s also the chance to get copies signed by me and Gavin, copies sketched in by Gavin, and limited edition copies signed by Steve Jackson! There are even reward levels which will get you a signed copy of You Are The Hero, and, right at the top end, the chance to be drawn into the book, appearing as one of the residents of Titan!

As for the book itself? Well, that'll be coming in at just over one hundred and thirty pages of story, sticking close to the template set by Steve Jackson. The story's the same, it's the telling which is different. Gavin's art is bringing Titan to life like never before, which means that even those who know every word of The Trolltooth Wars, from beginning to end, will be getting a new experience. This book is for everyone, both fans and newcomers. That said, there will be Easter eggs for the fans throughout, and extra material in the back. This will include some of Gavin's original character sketches, work in progress pages, and pin-ups by guest artists.

We’d love it if you could back the campaign, and get all of your friends to do so as well. We’re really excited by this book, and hope you will be too.

Help us make it a reality, and as far as we’re concerned, you really are the hero.

Gamebook Friday: I am a Fire Demon, a twisted Fire Demon!

The Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars graphic novel Kickstarter has got off to a fantastic start raising over £5,000 in less than two days.

In case you not already aware of the fact, some of the rewards feature signed copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, notably the Fire Demon rewards, although the Warlock and Dragon level rewards also come with a copy.

So, if you don't yet own a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO yet, then why not pledge your support for Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars today?

Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars

Today's the day that Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars launches on Kickstarter.

If you're a fan of Fighting Fantasy, or a fan of YOU ARE THE HERO, then you are going to want to be a part of this exciting new project.

The purpose of the project is to fund production of the official graphic novel adaptation of Steve Jackson's Fighting Fantasy novel, The Trolltooth Wars*. It is being adapted and written by P J Montgomery, with illustrator Gavin Mitchell on art duties.

Here is just some of the artwork that has already been produced to date.

To get on board, search for Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars on Kickstarter, check out the amazing rewards the team have put together, and pledge your support.


* There's a whole chapter on the Fighting Fantasy novels, including The Trolltooth Wars, in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, funnily enough.