It’s time to bid a fond hello to one of the original creators of Fighting Fantasy as we enjoy Secrets of Salamonis written by Steve Jackson with help from Jonathan Green and art from Tazio Bettin. This is Jackson’s first Fighting Fantasy book since Creature of Havoc way back in 1989. Is this a triumphant return to the genre that he helped define? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man City in Darkness
It’s time for another bonus episode and this time we’re playing a book based on one of Marvel’s most popular characters Spider-Man as he tangles with Doctor Octopus, Electro, and others beneath the streets of New York city. Does this gamebook capture the magic of 80s comics? Listen along to find out. City in Darkness was written by Jeff Grubb and published in the UK by Puffin Books.
Episode 73 - Crystal of Storms
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.
Bonus Episode - Thousand Year Old Vampire
It’s a little change of pace this episode as HJDoom tackles a solo journaling RPG called Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchinson in which a structured set of rules and a series of prompts help you navigate the life story of an ancient undead fiend. It’s won awards and everything but how much fun is it and does it offer anything to people coming at it from the perspective of gamebooks as a medium? 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.
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.
Episode 69 - Blood of the Zombies
Staples to mark this milestone. It’s a big departure for the later series as it takes place in modern day and there’s also an entirely new combat system. Otherwise there’s more than a hint of the familiar about proceeding as you explore a zombie infested castle looking for the twenty to thirty different items you’ll need to escape. It might be a fresh approach but is it any good? Listen along to find.
Also I have a new gamebook out today. It’s called Mr Blobby and the Propaganda of the Deed and it’s available over at patreon.com/hjdoom for all my lovely patrons. It really is extremely silly.
Bonus Episode - The Ghosts of Craven Manor
It’s time for another bonus episode this time featuring The Ghosts of Craven Manor by Joseph Daniels. This horror gamebook reads like a mash up between Day of the Tentacle and Quantum Leap. Is that a good thing? Listen along to find out.
Episode 68 - Night of the Necromancer
It’s a bittersweet episode of Fantastic Fights as we bid farewell to Jonathan Green whose series of late Fighting Fantasy books have been a real high point for the series as a whole. Can he bow out strong with Night of the Necromancer? Listen along to find out.
Episode 67 - Stormslayer
We round off a trilogy of Jonathan Green Fighting Fantasy books with Stormslayer, which follows Bloodbones and Howl of the Werewolf. Is it a case of the third time’s the charm or is this book falling at the final hurdle? With art from experienced illustrator Stephen Player this takes more of a classic fantasy approach than the more horror themed Howl of the Werewolf. Eagle eyed fans will notice a few neat Easter Eggs for those familiar with his previous work, as well as long standing fans of Fighting Fantasy and the Sorcery series. There’s also a small announcement about the first ever patron only bonus episode. Don’t worry, it won’t become a habit.
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 65 - Bloodbones
We’re back on another modern Fighting Fantasy book (2006 was basically last week right?) with Bloodbones by Jonathan Green with art by Tony Hough. This is a book with an interesting history as it was originally supposed to be part of the original run. It’s not often you get to have another go at something in this world but does it land? Listen along to find out.
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.
Bonus Episode - Falcon 2: Mechanon
It’s another thrilling bonus episode of the podcast and this time out we’re meddling in space and time as we take on the role of special time agent Falcon in Mechanon, the second book in the science fiction gamebook series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson with art by Nic Weeks and Geoff Senior. Can this be the entry to show me exactly how you write a good science fiction gamebook? Listen along to find out.
Episode 60 - Sorcery 1: The Shamutanti Hills
We’re taking a break from the mainline Fighting Fantasy books to work through the Sorcery series by Steve Jackson which are Fighting Fantasy books in all but name honestly. We’re starting at the beginning with The Shamutanti Hills. With a fancy new magic system and art by legendary UK illustrator and artist John Blanche this has all the ingredients to be a classic but will it land? Listen along to find out.
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.
Bonus Episode - Way of the Tiger: Inferno!
In a change from the advertised episode we’re playing the penultimate Way of the Tiger gamebook (actually the last one to be released during the original run in the 80s). Our tireless hero has tried their hand at diplomacy, statecraft, and commanding armies in the field. What’s left? Why only a descent into the fabled Rift, also known as The Bowels of Orb. How will our fearless hero do? Listen along to find out.
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.