Rediscover J.H. Brennan’s GrailQuest fantasy gamebooks with a tour inside 1984’s The Castle of Darkness, featuring John Higgins’ illustrations and Les Edwards cover art, plus The Den of Dragons and The Gateway of Doom.
This brought up some memories for me…I have always been fascinated with King Arthur and his Knights since I was a child. But I also remembered something I haven’t thought about in over 50 years! My little sister had some nicknames for me, and one of them was Pip! I’m not sure why though. 😊😊
I didn't have these books when they originally came out. Not sure why; maybe just not available in my area or something. But interestingly, when I web searched a bit, I found out that they're starting to reprint them, kind of like how Fabled Lands Publishing has reprint a lot of their older gamebooks (still would like to see more Falcon from them...). See https://www.reddit.com/r/gamebooks/comments/1q7lkco/sit_still_and_dont_fidget_we_have_an_exciting/ for some information. One book is already available on Amazon (The Castle of Darkness). If they are able to reprint the series -- and 8 books shouldn't be the kind of undertaking that something like Lone Wolf or Fighting Fantasy would be -- it will be a great way for newer readers and/or those of us who just missed them in the past to pick up copies without having to search for 40+ year old, long out of print, original copies.
These books are actual real spells that transport you to another world as Merlin says in the intro (the secret is that all books are).
As a kid, I found a couple of these in my 5th grade classroom and made my own dice out of paper since I didn’t have any on hand. I loved the first book and even though I got stuck in a room where I could not solve the puzzle to escape, it was a truly magical experience. I think I have actually been chasing that feeling ever since :)
I recently collected the same three books in this article. Same editions. I had a wonderful few hours playing through the first one (I solved the puzzle this time 😆). I won’t spoil anything but it has some very creative encounters. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh wow, what cool experiences, FoggyPlanet, thanks for sharing! I never saw these in my elementary school when the Scholastic Book Mobile/Fair would come in the U.S. They had the Fighting Fantasy, Lone Wolf, Endless Quest and some others though.
It sounds like you're an honest adventurer . . . otherwise it would be really easy to have a one or two more 6's on your homemade dice . . . 🎲🎲
Haha yeah I don’t think I put in extra 6s 😆. (I had learned how to make a cube out of paper from the Square One tv show if anyone remembers that).
The books I found as a kid were old used copies in a classroom in Hawaii so I didn’t see them for sale either. Later I got into Lone Wolf and I bought them from those school book fairs.
Grailquest was an awesome addition to the "chose your own adventure with dice" game book genre. The humor in there is great! Just avoid the dreaded entry 13!
Thanks, Bill! I'm only guessing, but I wonder if entry 13 is meant for those who are "cheating" the choices. Or, is it just being used as an unlucky entry number. Now you've got me curious. A mystery is now afoot . . . 👣
These are sooo cool! I was unaware of this series, but certainly I can see how they fit into the same family as Joe Dever's Lone Wolf series. I use books like this to teach my students about the 2nd-person point-of-view narration style. It is not common for a book to address “you”. Then, I try my best to sell the students on reading them. I have converted a few readers to the older game books over the years.
LOVE that, Jim! Maybe this series can be another gateway to reading for your students. Definitely a different flavor than Lone Wolf and Fighting Fantasy due to its humor, which may be more of an attractor!
Oh wow, that sounds like some pretty cool fond memories, Jim. The only thing better than reading old-school solo adventures is experiencing them with friends and getting to share the adventures. Thanks for recounting this here (and for finally unburdening your guilt in not following all the rules! 😜)
This brought up some memories for me…I have always been fascinated with King Arthur and his Knights since I was a child. But I also remembered something I haven’t thought about in over 50 years! My little sister had some nicknames for me, and one of them was Pip! I’m not sure why though. 😊😊
That's awesome, Robin, err, I mean Pip!
I just know "Pip" from Dickens' Great Expectations. Although I did know a "Pippa" once (short for "Philippa").
I didn't have these books when they originally came out. Not sure why; maybe just not available in my area or something. But interestingly, when I web searched a bit, I found out that they're starting to reprint them, kind of like how Fabled Lands Publishing has reprint a lot of their older gamebooks (still would like to see more Falcon from them...). See https://www.reddit.com/r/gamebooks/comments/1q7lkco/sit_still_and_dont_fidget_we_have_an_exciting/ for some information. One book is already available on Amazon (The Castle of Darkness). If they are able to reprint the series -- and 8 books shouldn't be the kind of undertaking that something like Lone Wolf or Fighting Fantasy would be -- it will be a great way for newer readers and/or those of us who just missed them in the past to pick up copies without having to search for 40+ year old, long out of print, original copies.
Wow! That's a great find, Dronak, thank you for sharing. I had no idea they were being re-printed. It's a shame J.H. isn't around to see it 😔
(I never encountered these books in the wild, either.)
missed out on these, great interior art though
I never saw them when I was a kid even though there were both US and UK editions (I grew up in the US). Did you encounter them before, Heavy C?
as a frequent haunter of book stores, i have to say i do not remember these at all
These books are actual real spells that transport you to another world as Merlin says in the intro (the secret is that all books are).
As a kid, I found a couple of these in my 5th grade classroom and made my own dice out of paper since I didn’t have any on hand. I loved the first book and even though I got stuck in a room where I could not solve the puzzle to escape, it was a truly magical experience. I think I have actually been chasing that feeling ever since :)
I recently collected the same three books in this article. Same editions. I had a wonderful few hours playing through the first one (I solved the puzzle this time 😆). I won’t spoil anything but it has some very creative encounters. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh wow, what cool experiences, FoggyPlanet, thanks for sharing! I never saw these in my elementary school when the Scholastic Book Mobile/Fair would come in the U.S. They had the Fighting Fantasy, Lone Wolf, Endless Quest and some others though.
It sounds like you're an honest adventurer . . . otherwise it would be really easy to have a one or two more 6's on your homemade dice . . . 🎲🎲
Haha yeah I don’t think I put in extra 6s 😆. (I had learned how to make a cube out of paper from the Square One tv show if anyone remembers that).
The books I found as a kid were old used copies in a classroom in Hawaii so I didn’t see them for sale either. Later I got into Lone Wolf and I bought them from those school book fairs.
I don't recall that show! I looked it up and it doesn't ring a bell. I am more of the Schoolhouse Rock generation, though!
Grailquest was an awesome addition to the "chose your own adventure with dice" game book genre. The humor in there is great! Just avoid the dreaded entry 13!
Thanks, Bill! I'm only guessing, but I wonder if entry 13 is meant for those who are "cheating" the choices. Or, is it just being used as an unlucky entry number. Now you've got me curious. A mystery is now afoot . . . 👣
Heh. Entry 13 is dreaded because you end up there every time you die. 😁
🪦Oh-ho! Now I understand.
These are sooo cool! I was unaware of this series, but certainly I can see how they fit into the same family as Joe Dever's Lone Wolf series. I use books like this to teach my students about the 2nd-person point-of-view narration style. It is not common for a book to address “you”. Then, I try my best to sell the students on reading them. I have converted a few readers to the older game books over the years.
LOVE that, Jim! Maybe this series can be another gateway to reading for your students. Definitely a different flavor than Lone Wolf and Fighting Fantasy due to its humor, which may be more of an attractor!
I loved these books/quests. My friend Chris had these when we were kids. We'd play them after school/at lunch, etc.
I won't say we always followed the rules, but we had a good time. Thanks for bringing those memories back. This is awesome.
Oh wow, that sounds like some pretty cool fond memories, Jim. The only thing better than reading old-school solo adventures is experiencing them with friends and getting to share the adventures. Thanks for recounting this here (and for finally unburdening your guilt in not following all the rules! 😜)