We’ve made it to the end of the original run of Fighting Fantasy books but are we ending on a high note? With Jonathan Green and Martin McKenna involved the talent is certainly there for a classic but you’ll have to listen along to find out whether they manage to land this final outing.
Episode 58 - Revenge of the Vampire
We’re on the penultimate book from the first run of Fighting Fantasy novels and it’s also writer Keith Martin’s swan song after eight books. Revenge of the Vampire is a direct sequel to the excellent Vault of the Vampire and sees Martin re-united with artist Martin McKenna. It’s a great creative pairing but is Revenge of the Vampire on the same level as Vault of the Vampire? Listen along to find out.
Episode 57 - Magehunter
We’ve reached book 57 and Magehunter by Paul Mason with art by Russ Nicholson and cover art by Ian Miller. This one has a reputation for being quite the Chinese puzzle box of a gamebook but is that reputation justified? Also will we hunt a mage? Yes. Yes we will. Good job Magehunter on a fully accurate title.
Episode 56 - Knights of Doom
Book 56 of the Fighting Fantasy series is the sophomore effort from Jonathan Green, Knights of Doom, with art by Tony Hough. Green’s first book was the very enjoyable Spellbreaker but can he manage to escape the curse of the difficult second album? Listen along to find out.
Episode 53 - Spellbreaker
Book 53 of Fighting Fantasy is here! Spellbreaker is the debut Fighting Fantasy gamebook from Jonathan Green who has gone on to be an important creator in the gamebook sphere. With art, including cover art, by Alan Langford there’s clearly a wealth of talent on display but does that cohere into a good book? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support my nonsense and bag yourself a bunch of gaming goodies you can do so over at my patreon at patreon.com/hjoom.
Episode 52 - Night Dragon
Book 52 of the Fighting Fantasy series is Night Dragon, the sixth book by regular contributor Keith Martin. Another desperate threat has emerged to menace Allansia in the form of the titular dragon who also looms large over the cover art. Internal art and cover art is by Tony Hough but how will our intrepid adventurer get on? Listen along to find out.
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Episode 51: Island of the Undead
It’s book 51. It’s Island of the Undead. It’s Keith Martin and Russ Nicholson. How will our intrepid hero get on and just how many sections will be hidden behind mystery numbers? Listen to find out
Also I have a new album of melancholy Dungeon Synth out. Baroque Funereal Dirges by Sorrow Tree presents 6 tracks of lo-fi dark ambient music suitable for goblins, witches, and lonely ghosts. It’s available for free at the link below.
https://malesperi.bandcamp.com/album/baroque-funereal-dirges
Episode 50 - Return to Firetop Mountain
We hit a big milestone in the history of Fighting Fantasy as this episode covers Return to Firetop Mountain, book fifty in the wildly successful series. Ian Livingstone returns to the start of the series and the provides us with another chance to delve into the secrets of Firetop Mountain where the titular warlock has returned once more to bedevil the local area. There’s nostalgia a-plenty but does Return to Firetop Mountain hold up when considered on its own merits? Listen along to find out.
Episode 49 - Siege of Sardath
Siege of Sardath is the only book written for the Fighting Fantasy series by Keith P Phillips which means that we’ll either be sad or relieved that there’s no sequel. We’re in classic Fighting Fantasy plot territory with a mysterious evil oppressing the city of Sardath and a journey to be taken through a spider haunted forest in order to find out what has happened and set it right. Art is by Pete Knifton and the cover is by Les Edwards.
Episode 46 - Tower of Destruction
Tower of Destruction is another book by Keith Martin who wrote one of my absolute favourite books in the series Vault of the Vampire. It was illustrated by Peter Knifton and the cover was by Terry Oakes.
If you like what I do consider joining my patreon. Everyone who pledges gets a whole bunch of gaming stuff including my gamebooks and experimental roleplaying games. www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
Episode 43 - Keep of the Lich Lord
We’re waving goodbye to 2023 in style as we take on Keep of the Lich Lord by the legends of adventure gamebook design Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson. We’ve got all the classic Fighting Fantasy tropes on hand as we explore an island being oppressed by an army of the undead.
Don’t forget that the Lindebaum Prize is a thing. Write a 100 section gamebook and win fabulous prizes. Find all the details here: http://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2023/12/entries-are-now-being-accepted-for.html
Episode 42 - Black Vein Prophecy
Fighting Fantasy book 42 presents us with some new approaches and throws us right into the action which is always exciting. But can the book sustain the initial excitement? Listen along to find out.
Episode 39 - Fangs of Fury
We’re saying goodbye to the 30s with Fangs of Fury by Luke Sharp with cover art and internal illustrations by David Gallagher. I’ve had a torrid relationship with Luke Sharp’s work but was cautiously in favour of his previous book Daggers of Darkness. Will his Fighting Fantasy swansong be his crowning glory? Listen along to find out.
Episode 36 - Armies of Death
Ian Livingstone returns to Fighting Fantasy with Armies of Death, book 36 in the Fighting Fantasy series with art by Nik Williams and cover art by Chris Achilleos. Will HJDoom manage to recruit an army strong enough to take on the latest demon king to menace Allansia? Listen along to find out.
If you want to support this podcast you can do so (and score yourself a whole bunch of gaming material) by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound or local equivalent.
Episode 32 - Slaves of the Abyss
It’s our first proper episode of 2023 and HJDoom is tackling book 32 in the Fighting Fantasy series which is Slaves of the Abyss by Paul Mason and Steve Williams with illustrations by Bob Harvey and cover art by Terry Oakes. Things start off with some fairly hackneyed kingdom in peril stuff but things rapidly get quite a bit stranger as the book progresses. Featuring a time mechanic and an extremely aggravating cameo from the Riddling Reaver that we happily avoid in the playthrough portion this book certainly has an uneven tone but is it any good? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support my nonsense financially you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and, along with my undying gratitude, you can score yourself some sweet gamebooks and RPGs what I done wrote.
Episode 31 - Battleblade Warrior
Well, here we are at the end of 2023 and there’s just time for one more episode of Fantastic Fights featuring Battleblade Warrior by Marc Gascoigne with art by Alan Langford. A city under siege from the evil lizardmen empire and a desperate race against time to find a magic weapon that can end the war. Battleblade Warrior features battlefields, jungles, mountains, and of course lots and lots of lizards. Sadly the quest falls to one HJDoom to complete and as regular listeners will know that’s rarely likely to end in triumph. Please note that I was recovering from a seasonal cold when I recorded this and that my voice is not normally quite that husky.
This episode also features some new patrons and a small, but hopefully exciting update to the schedule in 2023. If you’d like to get some sweet bonus material and support the making of this podcast you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
Episode 29 - Midnight Rogue
Midnight Rogue, book 29 in the Fighting Fantasy series, finally takes on the classic fantasy gaming archetype of the thief. Ever since Bilbo Baggins half-inched a fancy geegaw from under the nose of a psychotic dragon gamers have dreamed of purloining shiny things without legal consequence. An added bonus; this gamebook takes you back to Port Blacksand, one of the great fantasy city and the perfect backdrop for a spot of larceny. In this episode HJDoom plays through the 1987 gamebook by Graeme Davis with art by John Sibbick and offers some thoughts about what was good and what could have done with improvement.
You can support my nonsense here: www.patreon.com/hjdoom. Patrons get my heartfelt gratitude and a parcel of gaming stuff with a brand new gamebook just around the corner.
Episode 26 - Crypt of the Sorcerer
HJDoom plays through the 1987 adventure gamebook Crypt of the Sorcerer and offers his thoughts. Two apologies, one for the lateness of the episode and the other for the sound quality which is very uneven throughout. There’s building work going on for the next two months which is a right pain the backside. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this tour through some familiar areas in Allansia and a classic Ian Livingstone list of items and other clues to find.
Episode 24 - Creature of Havoc (Part One)
Creature of Havoc looms large in the canon of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. It’s often considered as the single best book in the whole run. Join HJDoom as he plays through the opening half and tries to keep a clear head in the face of a book throwing all manner of different things into the mix. The more observant among you will also have noticed that this is labelled part 1. That’s because this is a book so expansive that only a second episode can possibly contain the awesome totality of this tome. I’ll be aiming to record the second episode sooner rather than later but I’m also in the middle of deadline hell there may be some delay. Regardless Steve Jackson has delivered something truly special with this one and Alan Langford’s clean art makes a fantastic contrast to the obtuseness of the text.
If you’d like to support my nonsense you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a thin English pound (or local equivalent).
Episode 20 - Sword of the Samurai
What looks like medieval Japan, sounds like medieval Japan, but technically isn’t medieval Japan? Sword of the Samurai, that’s what. Set on the mythical land of Hachiman which just so happens to be functionally identical to Japan this Fighting Fantasy book has you set out to find a magic sword on behalf of the Shogu##n. There are many pitfalls along the way so why not have a listen to enjoy a few of them?
There’s also an update on my very own adventure gamebook which is now complete. It’ll be going out to my patrons at Christmas. You can join that august assembly by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound or local equivalent to support this podcast.
Sword of the Samurai was written by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson with illustrations by Alan Langford. It was released i n 1986 by Puffin Books and the cover art was by Peter Andew Jones.