It’s another debut writer for Fighting Fantasy. In fact at the time of recording it’s the last debut writer for the series in the shape of Rhianna Pratchett, noted scriptwriter for the gaming industry and daughter of the legendary Terry Pratchett. Crystal of Swords is her first gamebook but is it any good? Listen along to find out.
Episode 72 - Assassins of Allansia
Assassins of Allansia by Ian Livingstone with art by Robert Ball has a great premise - you are being hunted by assassins sent by Lord Azzur of Port Blacksand. Does the actual book live up to the hype? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - Temple of the Spider God
It’s a listener special this episode as we play Temple of the Spider God (recommended by listener Al), a digital gamebook by Jonathan Green released in 2011 by Tin Man Games who have also produced digital adaptations of classic Fighting Fantasy games. Jonathan Green is no stranger to this podcast but does this stack up well with his usually very high standard? Listen along to find out.
Episode 70 - The Port of Peril
We’re back in extremely familiar Fighting Fantasy territory as Ian Livingstone takes us on a tour of some of Allansia’s most recognisable settings in The Port of Peril. With art by Vlados Krizan we journey through Chalice to the Moonstone Hills and on to Darkwood Forest and Port Blacksand in search of the means to vanquish an old enemy.
Don’t forget that the Lindenbaum Prize is currently taking submissions. Find more information here: https://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2026/02/voting-is-now-open-for-2026-lindenbaum.html
Bonus Episode - Conan the Outlaw
“Conan! What is best in life?”
“Why, it’s listening to a middle aged man play an adventure gamebook based on my many adventures of course.”
In this episode HJDoom, a man who isn’t even sure he has thews, never mind mighty ones, takes on Conan the Outlaw by Roger E Moore and art by Ron Randall. Will this meet with his favour? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - Steam Highwayman 1: Smog and Ambuscade
We’re doing another open world book this episode in the form of the first Steam Highwayman book by Martin Noutch with art by Ben May. It’s a whopper of a Victorian science fiction extravaganza weighing in at over 1000 sections and featuring all manner of systems and a whole host of different plot lines to explore. Is it any good? Listen along to find out.
Note that the review portion starts at 47:20.
Episode 64: The Eye of the Dragon
Ian Livingstone is back! Eye of the Dragon written in 2005 is the first new Fighting Fantasy book since 1995 and Livingstone’s first book since 1992. We’re in proper old school mode for this extended dungeon crawl which has the added bonus of Martin McKenna’s always exceptional artwork. Will it be able to recapture the magic of the series for a new generation? Listen along to find out.
The review portion of the episode starts at 46m22s.
Episode 63 - Sorcery 4: The Crown of Kings
We’ve reached the end of another journey as we play and critically examine The Crown of Kings, book four in the Sorcery series by Steve Jackson with art by the wonderful John Blanche. It’s been an epic quest but now only the fortress of Mampang and its vile archmage stand between us and ultimate success. How does the adventure go? Listen along to find out.
Episode 62 - Sorcery 3: The Seven Serpents
The third book of the Sorcery series is in some ways a retread of the first book in that the mission is simply to cross a wilderness. This time however there’s a problem, seven problems in fact, in the shape of seven magic snakes that are carrying news of the mission to the evil arch-mage of Mampang. How does our gallant hero fare in the Baklands and the dark forest of Snatta? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - What Lies Beneath The Clock Tower
This bonus episode we’re doing something a little different with Margaret Killjoy’s interactive novel What Lies Beneath the Clock Tower, a steampunk infused tale of underground kingdoms, goblins, gnomes, and bloody revolution. It’s a chance to see the breadth of stories you can tell using adventure gamebooks and a welcome chance to talk about anarchist politics and the problems of violence which is pretty cool for a fun book about a hapless drunk.
Episode 61 - Sorcery 2: Kharé - Cityport of Traps
Having survived a walking holiday in the Shamutanti Hills we now get to enjoy a citybreak in Kharé, a cityport known for having the most violent and paranoid locals anywhere in the known world. All that needs to happen is to walk from one side of the city to the other. What could possibly go wrong? Listen along to find out. Kharé - Cityport of Traps was written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Blanche.
Bonus Episode - Choose Your Own Adventure: Prisoner of the Ant People Vs Outlaws of Sherwood Forest
We’re on the old school track this episode as we tackle two classic Choose Your Own Adventure books from the mid 1980s, Prisoner of the Ant People by R. A. Montgomery, and Outlaws of Sherwood Forest by Ellen Kushner. But which will be better, the one that sounds like a 50s B-movie or the one that sounds like a 30s swashbuckler? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - Way of the Tiger: Redeemer!
It’s a bittersweet bonus episode as we bid a fond farewell to the Way of the Tiger series of ninja themed gamebooks. The final volume Redeemer is by David Walters, Mark Smith, and Jamie Thomson with art by a variety of different talents. Can this series bow out strong with a book more than twenty five years in the making? Listen along to find out. Also I’ve relaunched my other podcast Popular Antiquarian. That’s exciting. You can also find it over on https://www.hauntedphonograph.com/popular-antiquarian/
Episode 59 - Curse of the Mummy
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.
Bonus Episode - Blood Sword: The Battlepits of Krarth
The Bloodsword series is a set of gamebooks which take place in the world of Dragon Warriors, the classic roleplaying game written by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson. It’s great that they are available again but do they bring anything fresh to the table? The first book, Battlepits of Krarth, tips its hat to Deathtrap Dungeon and has art by the great Russ Nicholson (who seems to have been a regular feature on the podcast lately). There’s no less than four different characters to play and a whole host of additional combat rules. Listen along to find out if more is more in this instance.
Bonus Episode - Castle of Lost Souls
It’s bonus time again and this episode I’m playing The Castle of Lost Souls by Dave Morris with art by Leo Hartas. This is part of the Golden Dragon series of gamebooks released by Grafton Books in the 1980s and is based on a Dungeons and Dragons adventure Dave Morris and Yve Newnham serialised in early White Dwarf. This is re-release as a print on demand book in 2013.
Bonus Episode - Way of the Tiger 3: Usurper!
It’s bonus episode time again and this instalment sees us continue to explore the Way of the Tiger series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson (with kind thanks to Stuart Lloyd for the loan of the book). Usurper, book 3 in the series, sees our ninja hero embark on a new adventure as they seek to take back a crown that is rightfully theirs under the dubious law of primogeniture. Will I manage it on my first try? If you’ve been listening for a while you already know the answer to that question but you might as well listen to the episode anyway.
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.