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Fighting Fantasy #43
The Keep of the Lich-Lord
Lord Mortis has risen!
Clawing his way back from the grave, the foul Lich-Lord has once again set his sights on the Arrowhead Islands. Allying himself with the Chaos pirates of Blood Island, he threatens to bring the Varadian Alliance under the cruel domination of his undead armies. They have already taken Bloodrise Keep, a key point in the defence of the islands, and soon nothing will stand between Mortis and victory.
A cunning and fearless warrior is needed for a vital mission to enter Bloodrise Keep and over-throw Lord Mortis – a warrior like YOU!
Part story, part game, this is a book in which YOU become the hero! Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. YOU decide which routes to take, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight.
Clawing his way back from the grave, the foul Lich-Lord has once again set his sights on the Arrowhead Islands. Allying himself with the Chaos pirates of Blood Island, he threatens to bring the Varadian Alliance under the cruel domination of his undead armies. They have already taken Bloodrise Keep, a key point in the defence of the islands, and soon nothing will stand between Mortis and victory.
A cunning and fearless warrior is needed for a vital mission to enter Bloodrise Keep and over-throw Lord Mortis – a warrior like YOU!
Part story, part game, this is a book in which YOU become the hero! Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. YOU decide which routes to take, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2024
This one brings to bear a compelling plot and writing, some nonlinearity and room to explore, and great art and atmosphere. It could have been one of my favourites if only it were a little bit harder.
July 21, 2013
Despite having been a massive fan of these gamebooks as a child, this is an installment I'd never yet read, largely due to the fact that it's but one of the many that never made their way to American shores. However, increased global trade and leaps in entertainment technology now allow for a second wave of exposure - such as this one that I ordered from abroad, right after having played through the recent iPad adaptation.
The gamebook itself is rather interesting. The prose has a bit more humor than one usually finds in these (though a humor that's wry and subtle), and the player character can sometimes be rather mercenary - in character as well as profession - which is a refreshing change from the "blank slate" adventurer that gamebooks of this sort usually employ.
The only real oddity arises from the fact that the two authors divided up the workload in half, so that the two parts of the book have radically different design sensibilities. The first half - the journey towards the Keep - offers hardly any deviating branches at all, so one can easily pass through every significant area and not miss anything. On the other hand, the second half - inside the Keep itself - offers branching paths almost immediately, guaranteeing that one will need to replay the area several times to see all the different scenes, creatures and dangers. This stark contrast in design styles, oddly enough, means that the first "half" of the book seems much, much longer - but the player is effectively on railroads for its entirety. On the other hand, the Keep offers significantly more paths and choices - but as a result feels much more short. It's definitely worth noting and considering, especially for those interested in theories of interactive narrative and game design.
Whether for players of the app who wish to devour the source material, or readers coming to it fresh, the gamebook is well worth reading, and a unique and distinctive entry in the Fighting Fantasy series.
The gamebook itself is rather interesting. The prose has a bit more humor than one usually finds in these (though a humor that's wry and subtle), and the player character can sometimes be rather mercenary - in character as well as profession - which is a refreshing change from the "blank slate" adventurer that gamebooks of this sort usually employ.
The only real oddity arises from the fact that the two authors divided up the workload in half, so that the two parts of the book have radically different design sensibilities. The first half - the journey towards the Keep - offers hardly any deviating branches at all, so one can easily pass through every significant area and not miss anything. On the other hand, the second half - inside the Keep itself - offers branching paths almost immediately, guaranteeing that one will need to replay the area several times to see all the different scenes, creatures and dangers. This stark contrast in design styles, oddly enough, means that the first "half" of the book seems much, much longer - but the player is effectively on railroads for its entirety. On the other hand, the Keep offers significantly more paths and choices - but as a result feels much more short. It's definitely worth noting and considering, especially for those interested in theories of interactive narrative and game design.
Whether for players of the app who wish to devour the source material, or readers coming to it fresh, the gamebook is well worth reading, and a unique and distinctive entry in the Fighting Fantasy series.
January 10, 2015
Another trek to kill some undead overlord
14 September 2013
I believe that I have mentioned it before, but many of these later Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks seem in involve lots of undead serving some undead master. Okay, Black Vein Prophecy didn't, but this one does. Also, I think I did something silly and that was buy two more books over ebay as well as put a bid on a third so that I can continue reading through them. There are about 60 of them, however I have since discovered that a number have been reprinted (and I am only attempting to get the ones with the original covers, which makes them more expensive) with about four never published before books. Mind you, unless I find Magehunter at a reasonable price (it is something like $95.00) then I won't be buying that on. Hey, I don't even think $45.00 is a reasonable price, though I think I did end up paying $26.00 for Moonrunner (and I do hope it actually gets here – that is the one thing I don't like about buying over the internet, the stress of hoping that the product actually arrives).
Anyway, this one is set on some islands where a necromancer who had been killed hundreds of years ago has come back to life, raised an army of undead, and stormed a castle. Now he is negotiating an alliance with the Chaos Pirates, and once he does that he will be setting off to conquer the world – sounds like the goal of pretty much all of the bad guys in these gamebooks. Well, not all of the gamebooks, but a fair number of them. Sometimes I do wish there would be a bit more imagination, but then again I must admit that Black Vein Prophecy was original.
This gamebook has a new stat called resolve, which tests you ability to be able to stand against undead. There have been similar stats in other books, such as horror and fear, though they all tend to work slightly differently. This one increases when you succeed and decreases when you fail. There is also a stat called alarm value, which is used in the final stages of the book when you are sneaking through the keep. I am not sure what that effects because you can complete the book without ever having to respond to its current value. I think it is only there for flavour.
Keep of the Lichlord also uses time, though it is not measured as time is measured in other books. For instance there is a village where if you explore every nook and cranny, by the time you get to the pirate ship it is long gone. I thought that was a bit silly because, well, the last place I explored was full of pirates and when I went down to the docks, they had sailed off. There is another point where you arrive at the keep and find it deserted, and that is because you didn't catch a lift.
I still liked this book, but that is because it was a little easier than some of the others. Basically there is a path that you follow, and once you work out the path (and that can be done by looking at the map inside the front cover, if there is one) you can pretty much guess where to go. However, you do need to take every side path and complete the adventures. Actually, no you don't. In fact, as long as you have the key you can go straight to the keep, get the charm, and win the game. The spear also helps, but it is not necessary.
14 September 2013
I believe that I have mentioned it before, but many of these later Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks seem in involve lots of undead serving some undead master. Okay, Black Vein Prophecy didn't, but this one does. Also, I think I did something silly and that was buy two more books over ebay as well as put a bid on a third so that I can continue reading through them. There are about 60 of them, however I have since discovered that a number have been reprinted (and I am only attempting to get the ones with the original covers, which makes them more expensive) with about four never published before books. Mind you, unless I find Magehunter at a reasonable price (it is something like $95.00) then I won't be buying that on. Hey, I don't even think $45.00 is a reasonable price, though I think I did end up paying $26.00 for Moonrunner (and I do hope it actually gets here – that is the one thing I don't like about buying over the internet, the stress of hoping that the product actually arrives).
Anyway, this one is set on some islands where a necromancer who had been killed hundreds of years ago has come back to life, raised an army of undead, and stormed a castle. Now he is negotiating an alliance with the Chaos Pirates, and once he does that he will be setting off to conquer the world – sounds like the goal of pretty much all of the bad guys in these gamebooks. Well, not all of the gamebooks, but a fair number of them. Sometimes I do wish there would be a bit more imagination, but then again I must admit that Black Vein Prophecy was original.
This gamebook has a new stat called resolve, which tests you ability to be able to stand against undead. There have been similar stats in other books, such as horror and fear, though they all tend to work slightly differently. This one increases when you succeed and decreases when you fail. There is also a stat called alarm value, which is used in the final stages of the book when you are sneaking through the keep. I am not sure what that effects because you can complete the book without ever having to respond to its current value. I think it is only there for flavour.
Keep of the Lichlord also uses time, though it is not measured as time is measured in other books. For instance there is a village where if you explore every nook and cranny, by the time you get to the pirate ship it is long gone. I thought that was a bit silly because, well, the last place I explored was full of pirates and when I went down to the docks, they had sailed off. There is another point where you arrive at the keep and find it deserted, and that is because you didn't catch a lift.
I still liked this book, but that is because it was a little easier than some of the others. Basically there is a path that you follow, and once you work out the path (and that can be done by looking at the map inside the front cover, if there is one) you can pretty much guess where to go. However, you do need to take every side path and complete the adventures. Actually, no you don't. In fact, as long as you have the key you can go straight to the keep, get the charm, and win the game. The spear also helps, but it is not necessary.
January 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this one. It was very close to getting 5 stars from me. The setting is well drawn, with a decent back-story, and an unusual amount of depth in the characters you interact with.
One point in particular that stood out to me is this. It is very difficult in these books to give the impression that things are happening "off-stage", rather than the baddies just hanging around waiting for the hero to turn up. This book manages this as well as any in the series. There is a real feeling of progress as you make your way through the book, with the impact of the bad guys becoming steadily more obvious as you make your way east. An encounter with refugees heading the other way is a nice touch for this.
There are some issues, though. The "true path" is perhaps a little too easy to find. Assuming you survive all of the fights, it is fairly difficult not to complete the book. The final battle is a little anti-climactic as well. Finally, there are some continuity issues as well, though these are mostly minor.
All in all, this is a very strong entry in the series.
One point in particular that stood out to me is this. It is very difficult in these books to give the impression that things are happening "off-stage", rather than the baddies just hanging around waiting for the hero to turn up. This book manages this as well as any in the series. There is a real feeling of progress as you make your way through the book, with the impact of the bad guys becoming steadily more obvious as you make your way east. An encounter with refugees heading the other way is a nice touch for this.
There are some issues, though. The "true path" is perhaps a little too easy to find. Assuming you survive all of the fights, it is fairly difficult not to complete the book. The final battle is a little anti-climactic as well. Finally, there are some continuity issues as well, though these are mostly minor.
All in all, this is a very strong entry in the series.
August 31, 2021
This is a gamebook in which you don’t have to do everything exactly right, pick up crucial objects and learn essential clues, to win. Though some routes are easier than others, there are multiple routes to victory.
The writing, by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson, is excellent. Perhaps its biggest achievements are crafting a credible story and creating a genuinely eery atmosphere, rivalling any of the more overtly horror-themed FF books. The artwork, too, including the cover, all by David Gallagher, is darkly atmospheric.
Both the pre-keep and the keep sections are strong but it does end rather abruptly, and by a certain stage it seems that, as long as your stats don’t fail, you’re going to win whatever you do.
I liked the book well enough to order the first of Morris and Thomson’s Fabled Lands series of gamebooks and I’m really looking forward to that arriving.
The writing, by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson, is excellent. Perhaps its biggest achievements are crafting a credible story and creating a genuinely eery atmosphere, rivalling any of the more overtly horror-themed FF books. The artwork, too, including the cover, all by David Gallagher, is darkly atmospheric.
Both the pre-keep and the keep sections are strong but it does end rather abruptly, and by a certain stage it seems that, as long as your stats don’t fail, you’re going to win whatever you do.
I liked the book well enough to order the first of Morris and Thomson’s Fabled Lands series of gamebooks and I’m really looking forward to that arriving.
December 24, 2022
A middling entry into the series. Once again you are a mercenary set on a quest to fight a big bad this time the very sick looking Lord Mortis who has raised zombies and the very cool named Chaos Pirates as they look to destroy a good empire. This one is very straightforward, there is no big mcguffin required, no taxing puzzles its mostly bamming up goons and traveling from town to town helping in little ways, it slows down at one point pretty badly with the searching of a large town that drags on with very little pay off. Fantastic art as always and some pretty cool images like a dam of bones but not much here to keep you to thrilled.
December 31, 2022
Good if short adventure with a good atmosphere! It is a little too easy if you manage to get a certain item but never the less ideal for a quickie on a Dark Winters evening if you want a book with atmosphere!!
May 13, 2020
Was alright I suppose 😂
April 10, 2023
3.25 / 5 (Fabled Lands version)
August 18, 2023
Part of the late peak of the Puffin Fighting Fantasy range. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
June 10, 2024
A very decent entry in the series. Classic plot and adversaries, good illustrations, nice map and some exploration. It was a bit linear, being easy to hit all the points without having to choose paths, and therefore felt a bit long. I enjoyed the early parts of the book more than the latter half. The keep itself was fairly underdeveloped, and the ending a bit sudden, almost too easy, after so much build up. Still, worth a play.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews