The Zaltec gamebooks are graphical solo RPGs with both puzzle and combat elements. Rather than narrated passages, the books are mostly comprised of illustrations, with bits of text here and there. The mechanics of the game are more akin to playing an old-school point-and-click game than reading a linear story. Progress is made both through …
The Zaltec Gamebooks, by Yehuda Shapira Read More »
At GBN we love reviewing books by veteran authors. In the past few years, we have offered our perspective on works by illustrious names such as Joe Dever, Ian Livingstone and Jonathan Green and have not been disappointed. So when the chance came to review The Houses of the Dead by Jamie Thomson (the first …
REVIEW: The Houses of the Dead by Jamie Thomson Read More »
Recently, GBN received word that Malthus Dire (aka the upstanding gamebook author and prolific reviewer Mark Lain) has been hard at work and seeking tribute for his latest creation KaleidoscopeFrenzy. The fifth book in the Destiny’s Role adventure gamebook series and the long-awaited sequel to Fragile Beauty – a modern day hardboiled detective adventure concerning …
Kickstarter: Kaleidoscope Frenzy by Mark Lain Read More »
Be afraid, be VERY afraid… James Shannep’s latest gamebook takes on a decidedly horrific turn in the shape of Haunted, a click your poison book. Released in paperback and Kindle on 2.2.2022 Haunted promises 3 unique storylines, over 50 possible endings, but just one question: Can YOU be Scared… to Death? Take a look at …
HAUNTED by James Shannep Read More »
There is something about the idea of trying to survive a zombie apocalypse that never gets old. Whether the appeal lays in being free to loot stores, living free from the constraints society places on us, or simply being forced to invoke your inner undead slayer, we never seem to grow tired of imagining running …
INFECTED 10th Anniversary Illustrated Collector’s Edition Read More »
Disclosure: The featured gamebook has been written by GBN’s very own writer and editor, KJ Shadmand. Re-imagining classic works of literature as gamebooks is not an easy task. After all, novels tend to be linear and have a single ending, whereas gamebooks thrive on branching narratives that not only allow multiple paths to the story’s …
New Gamebook: The Island of Doctor Moreau – An Interactive Adventure Read More »
Solar War is the soon-to-be released new gamebook by Sam Isaacson, author of The Altimer and New Gaia. The system is identical to the earlier two books, and it can work as a standalone story although those that have read the others will appreciate some familiar names in there. It’s a return to the dark …
Interview: Solar War by Sam Isaacson Read More »
Gamebook releases are coming thick and fast, so it seems a great time for The Gamebook Zine – a free upcoming magazine dedicated to gamebooks, interactive fiction and related materials – to hit the shelves. The magazine’s first issue (Spring, 2021) will be released digitally on Itch.io, DriveThruRPG and as a printed magazine via Lulu …
Would you be interested in a piece of interactive fiction that claims to be “the biggest gamebook ever written”? If so, you’ll be glad to hear that ALBA – a post-apocalypse science fiction gamebook – is currently on track to fund on Kickstarter. ALBA seems to tie into several different sci-fi genres, promising an open-world …
Kickstarter: ALBA – open world post-apocalypse sci-fi Read More »
GBN appreciates the fact that gamebooks are tricky to write at the best of times, but how about a thousand paragraph gamebook that has time travel as its central theme? If it takes courage to attempt such a thing, then Joseph Daniels – author of The Legacy of Craven Manor – is amongst the bravest …
The Legacy of Craven Manor Read More »
GBN was excited when Soren Jonsson – a creator of two augmented reality gamebooks – got in touch and offered to talk about the first two installments in the Peasoup Smartbook series: Firemaster and The Archmage Tower. Aimed at 9 to 13 year olds, these books use the Firemaster app (available via Google Play or …
INTERVIEW: Firemaster and The Archmage Tower, by Soren Jonsson Read More »
Metal Heroes and the Fate of Rock is a new gamebook filled with all the pitfalls, clichés and famous figures that the rock scene has to offer. Combined with a goodly portion of humor and tough talk, this is an adventure with a difference that invites you to master its challenges. You are Taylor, a …
Kickstarter: Metal Heroes and the Fate of Rock: A Rock/Comedy Gamebook Read More »
Shelby is the first gamebook of illustrator and comic book artist Francesco Mattioli, where you must help a little mouse find his way home. Originally written in Italian and later translated to French, the English version is a collaboration with Jonathan Green. So how does it work? All you need to do is choose a …
New Gamebook: Shelby – the adventures of a little mouse in the country Read More »
GBN has heard some exciting news from Black Dog Gamebooks: Hunted, the second book in the Shadow Thief series that follows on from Jailbreak, is due to be launched in August! This second installment in the series will continue exactly where Jailbreak left off – finding you in the Holy City having just escaped (and …
New Gamebook: Hunted, by David Lowrie Read More »