Gamebook Friday: Beowulf Beastslayer and the Night of the Kraken

A glowing review of Beowulf Beastslayer was posted on GamebookNews.com this week. It's very scholarly, and quite long, but this summary should tell you what you need to know.

This evening at 6:00pm BST (Friday 10 April) Olly McNeil of The Storymaster's Tales, will be giving a live readthrough of my second Doctor Who gamebook Night of the Kraken only on the Doctor Who Infinity Facebook group.

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

Remember, stay home, stay safe, and keep well, and I'll see you next week,

Steampunk Thursday: Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - RPG of the Year?

I am delighted to report that the Portuguese language edition of my Steampunk-themed gamebook Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - Alice no País dos Pesadelos, published in Brazil by Jambô Editora - is up for an award.

Having been nominated in the RPG OF THE YEAR category, it has made it through to the final round of the Ludopedia Prize 2019.

Although there are only five entrants in the category, it's not going to win because it's up against both Dungeons & Dragons and The Call of Cthulhu - but that's not bad company to be in!

Alice no País dos Pesadelos is just one of three Jambô Editora products that have made it from the the final round.

If you are able to vote (and it's easy to register to do so) it would be great if you could throw your support behind Alice no País dos Pesadelos and the others.

Tie-in Tuesday: Night of the Kraken Readthrough

Are you a fan of Doctor Who, specifically the Twelfth Doctor? And are you a fan of interactive fiction?

Well, if you answered 'Yes' to both those questions, then you should join Olly Mc on Facebook, on Friday evening at 6:00pm for a readthrough of my Doctor Who Choose The Future adventure Night of the Kraken.

Here's the blurb from the book's back cover:

When one choice can lead to triumph or failure, life or death, glory or destruction . . . which will you choose? With Choose the Future, YOU decide how, when, where and with whom the Doctor will fight to save the world!

In this brand new adventure, Night of the Kraken, the Twelfth Doctor meets a roguish time-smuggler and faces a terrifying creature from the deep with a plan to destroy the Earth.

The fate of the Doctor and the universe he protects are in your hands...

Basically it's Doctor Who meets Poldark meets H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. What more do you need to know?

Thought for the Day

"How to be a writer:
First, plant the tree on which the leaves of your book will be printed.
Next, hatch the bird from whose quill your ink will flow.
Water the tree.
Feed the bird.
Learn the patience of things that grow and the joy of things that sing.
Make tea: you've got time."

~ Joanne Harris, author

Short Story Saturday: Fabled Journey

This one rather slipped under my radar, as it actually came out in January, but available now from Remastered Words is the audio anthology Fabled Journey IV.

Here's the blurb:

"This collection of fantasy short stories are from the three winners of Remastered Words 2019 audio anthology, including a tale from Jonathan Green with "Who Walks with Death" which was first published in Legend, an anthology released in 2013 in honour of David Gemmell.

Once again, a theme has developed when there were none prescribed and each story follows a significant journey in the life of its protagonist. Whatever the direction though and wherever the roads may lead, you'll be glad of a warm fire and comfy chair whilst the fabled journey plays out."

Who Walks with Death is narrated by me old mucker Sam Burns, who was also one of the narrators on the Sharkpunk audiobook.

So if you fancy listening to one of my stories, rather than reading one, why not download Fabled Journey IV today?

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...

International Children's Book Day 2020

Today is International Children's Book Day*, an occasion to celebrate children's literature from right around the world.

Three classics of children's literature inspired the first three titles in the ACE Gamebooks series, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, The Wicked Wizard of Oz, and NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! which are all available as eBooks as well as paperbacks.

      

* And Hans Christian Andersen's birthday.