Sværd & Trolddom

Now is a great time for collectors of overseas editions of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, and Danish speakers for that matter.

Fighting Fantasy may be almost 40 years old - it is the 40th anniversary next year! - but there are still new translations being published, as well as new titles, of course.

Two of those new titles - Ian Livingstone's The Port of Peril and Charlie Higson's The Gates of Death - feature among Faraos Cigarer's first tranche of releases for Sværd & Trolddom, or 'Swords & Sorcery', as Fighting Fantasy is known in Denmark.

The other two titles are the original Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, and the seminal City of Thieves.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

City of Thieves

by Ian Livingstone

The Port of Peril

by Ian Livingstone

(Dæmonfyrstens Forbandelse actually translates as 'Curse of the Demon Prince', which was one of the working titles for The Port of Peril.)

The Gates of Death

by Charlie Higson

Which Fighting Fantasy adventure do you LOVE?

We're not talking about the ones you quite like, we're talking about those you are absolutely besotted with. The adventures that you play over and over again, despite knowing every encounter inside out. The books you could never imagine parting with. The titles that you own multiple copies of, and will buy anything that is released that is even remotely connected to them.

Is one of these classic adventures your soulmate?

Or perhaps one of these newer titles has stolen your heart.

And while we're on the subject of things that you love, which is your favourite cover painting? Who is your favourite artist? Who is your favourite author?

Why not confess to your secret crush in the comments below?

Fighting Fantasy Guest Authors on BBC Radio 6 this Saturday

Fans of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks will want to tune in to BBC Radio 6 on Saturday morning, between 7:00am and 10:00am.

Rhianna Pratchett and Charlie Higson will be on Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie's show, talking about the titles they have contributed to the FF series in recent years.

Stuary Maconie and Mark Radcliffe.

Crystal of Storms, by Rhianna Pratchett.

The Gates of Death, by Charlie Higson.

Fighting Fantasy is 38 years young today!

Today is the 38th anniversary of the publication of the original Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.

In honour of this momentous event, today sees the first International Gamebook Day take place, online, all over the world. So far the covers of new Polish translations have been revealed and Branching Narrative have a 48 hour sale happening for Deathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Video Adventure.

Check out the official International Gamebook Day for all the latest news, and tune in at the following times for interviews with these Fighting Fantasy authors and artists.

12:00pm

Jamie Thomson

1:00pm

Rhianna Pratchett

3:00pm

Russ Nicholson

4:00pm

Charlie Higson

5:00pm

Guest of Honour - Ian Livingstone

Click the image above to read the opening of Crystal of Storms.

Rhianna Pratchett at International Gamebook Day

In an exciting development, Rhianna Pratchett is also going to be interviewed by Olly Mc, as part of International Gamebook Day, on this Thursday, 27th August 2020.

If you have a burning question you would like answered, you can post it here. And don't forget you can also post questions for Jamie Thomson, Russ Nicholson, Charlie Higson, and Guests of Honour Ian Livingstone here.

Rhianna Pratchett

Share the International Gamebook Day Facebook event page with all your Fighting Fanasy friends and join in the with the fun on Thursday.

International Gamebook Day - Thursday 27 August 2020

The very first International Gamebook Day is taking place on this Thursday, 27th August 2020, and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks are going to be part of the celebrations.

Co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series Ian Livingstone is going to be Guest of Honour on the day, and will be talking to Olly Mc, of the StoryMaster's Tales, about his gamebook work, which spans almost four decades.

Ian Livingstone

Also being interviewed by Olly for the event are FF authors Charlie Higson and Jamie Thomson, and FF art legend Russ Nicholson.

Charlie Higson

Jamie Thomson

Russ Nicholson

You can get involved by letting know what you want Olly to ask his interviewees on Thursday, and the place to post them is here.

The day's festivities will conclude with a Virtual Beer-o, hosted by James Aukett, which will be kicking off at 8:00pm.

A number of companies have special offers lined up for the day, including Branching Narrative, so you will be able to pick up Deathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Video Adventure at 50% off!

So keep an eye on the International Gamebook Day Facebook event page and join in the Fighting Fantasy fun on Thursday.

Fighting Fantasy Fan Fiction

The Fighting Fantasy gamebooks have inspired countless writers, ever since The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was first published in 1982. Some well-known and popular authors have contributed to the series over the years, including Jamie Thomson, the author of the Dirk Lloyd books, and Charlie Higson.

In the Fan Fiction chamber of the Fighting Fantasy Fan Zone dungeon you will find stories written by fans inspired by their favourite gamebooks, including Christopher Griffith's retelling of the three books in the Zagor saga.

But please be warned, if you have yet to read the gamebooks yourself, these stories contain all sorts of spoilers.

If you have a story you would like to share, you can contact the Warlock here, or via mail@fightingfantasy.com.

Win all 15 of Scholastic's Fighting Fantasy gamebooks!

Thanks to the children's book charity Booktrust, you (or your child) has the chance to win a set of all 15 of the Scholastic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks currently in print.

To enter the competition, simply follow this link. But don't delay - you only have until 11:00pm GMT on Tuesday 17th December to do so!

Charlie Higson's The Gates of Death at the Alligator's Mouth Bookclub

The Alligator's Mouth is a children's bookshop in Richmond, Surrey. This Wednesday, 13th February 2019, at 4:00pm, the Alligator's Mouth Book Club is hosting a live reading of Charlie Higson's The Gates of Death.

The team at the Alligator's Mouth is looking for some brave adventurers to help find a cure for a disease that is turning people into demons! They will be reading through as much as of the book as they can, taking it in turns to roll dice for combat and asking for votes on making those tough decisions that make Fighting Fantasy gamebooks so much fun.

In a slight change from the shop's usual Book Club procedure, it is recommended that participants do not read the book beforehand, but it may be too late for that for hardcore Fighting Fantasy fans. There will also be a discussion about other adventure role-play books, and those taking part are welcome to bring their favourites with them to talk about.

Fighting Fantasy and the City of Romans

Last weekend, Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone and The Gates of Death author Charlie Higson appeared together at the Bath Children's Literature Festival to talk about all things FF gamebook-related. The audience was made up of some enthusiastic 10 year-olds and some enthusiastic 40-somethings who had also once been enthusiastic 10 year-olds.

Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson at the Bath Children's Literature Festival.

Ian and Charlie's talk went down very well - covering everything from the foundation of Games Workshop, through to Charlie's inspiration for a certain contentious character from The Gates of Death - and provoked a number of probing questions from the audience.

Charlie Higson examines the origins of a certain monster in Medieval art.

At the end of the event, having signed books for numerous fans - old and new alike - Ian was the grateful recipient of a model of the Black Lobster tavern, that infamous Port Blacksand drinking den, created by master model-maker Steve Britton.

The Black Lobster Tavern, by Steve Britton.

During the talk, Ian also made an exclusive announcement, slipped in as one of the slides in his PowerPoint presentation...

Return to Kharé - Cityport of Traps

Inspired by inkle's adaptation of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! books, Fighting Fantasy fan Minh Trần Duy has created a digital 3D model of that infamous Kakhabadian den of thieves and monsters, Kharé, also known as the Cityport of Traps.

And while we're talking of traps, don't forget that Sunday 30th September is the deadline for entries in our Trial of Champions competition, which is the day after Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson are appearing at the Bath Children's Literature Festival.

Fighting Fantasy at the Bath Children's Literature Festival

The Warlock has summoned you to his mountain lair this day to remind you that Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson will be visiting the Bath Children's Literature Festival, in just over a week's time, to talk about writing Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

The event is taking place on Saturday 29th September 2018, from 5:30 - 6:30pm, at the Guildhall and is suitable for everyone aged from 9 to 99, or even 999.

Tickets are £7 each and can be booked here.

Charlie Higson is also one of the voices you will hear if you pick up a boxset of four new Fighting Fantasy Audio Dramas, available to pre-order now.

Fighting Fantasy Audio Dramas ready for pre-order!

Exciting news! The Fighting Fantasy Audio Dramas Boxset is now available for pre-order, ready for release in late November or early December.

The Boxset contains adaptations of Steve Jackson's The Citadel of Chaos and Creature of Havoc, as well as Ian Livingstone's The Forest of Doom and Deathtrap Dungeon, and features the voice talents of none other than David Warner (as Yaztromo), Charlie Higson (as Baron Sukumvit), Lisa Bowerman (as Evelina of Dree), Andrew Wincott (as Balthus Dire), and Games of Thrones' Richard Rycroft (as Throm the Barbarian).

The audio dramas also feature the return of Rachel Atkins (as Vale Moonwing) and Tim Treloar (as Cassius Stormblade).

Extras confirmed for the Boxset release include:

• Cast interviews - featuring every cast member involved in the production, including two extended interviews with FF scribes Charlie Higson and Jonathan Green!
• The Writer's Tale - scriptwriter David N. Smith reveals his thoughts on the writing of the Boxset scripts.
• The Making Of.... - a documentary detailing the process of bringing the Boxset to life.
• The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Original Demo - hear the original six minute demo pitch that started the whole thing off!
• Music Suites - featuring all-new score for the boxset.

And if you are new to the range, Fighting Fantasy Audio Dramas are having a limited run flash sale of their first release, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: The Hero's Quest.

Fighting Fantasy at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this weekend, not once but twice.

On Sunday 12th August 2018, between 2:00pm and 3:00pm, Steve and Ian will be at the Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre to take part in a thrilling interactive audio experience in which YOU become the Hero. As the story unfolds, you will be asked to make all the decisions, bringing the worldwide bestselling series of gamebooks to life.

The event is currently sold out, but it may be worth checking for returns nearer the time.

And then on the same day, Sunday 12th August 2018, between 5:30pm and 6:30pm, Steve and Ian will be joined by Charlie Higson to chat about the concept and evolution of the books. Tickets are still available for this event and can be purchased here.

Fighting Fantasy is coming to Bath Children's Literature Festival

The Gates of Death festival tour continues this September, when Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson will be visiting the Bath Children's Literature Festival to talk about writing Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

The event is taking place on Saturday 29th September 2018, from 5:30 - 6:30pm, at the Guildhall. Tickets are £7 each and can be booked here.

Charlie recently visited Durston House School in Ealing, where the boys, having been inspired by a previous visit from the author during their annual Literary Festival, had worked together to write their own adventure gamebook, entitled School of Scares.

Back at the end of May, Steve Jackson joined Charlie at the Hay Festival. And here's what Steve had to say about the event:

“Thanks to all those who came along to the Hay-on-Wye Festival of Literature at the end of May to listen to Charlie Higson and I talk about all things FF.

For those who know little about the annual Hay Festival before (like me) this is one of the UK’s largest Book Festivals, in its 31st year.

With Ian and Jon off to UK Games Expo in Birmingham (an unfortunate clash), Charlie and I hosted the Hay event. Scholastic were keen to promote Gates of Death and many copies of Charlie’s gamebook were sold at the signing afterwards. The signing lasted for 50 minutes! Having recently broke a couple of fingers, including my right-hand index finger, many of the fans got rather a scribbly autograph! Sorry about that.

Before we left, we were approached by a familiar face. It was none other than comedian Dara O’Briain, who also read Fighting Fantasy in his youth. And for a few minutes we greeted and congratulated each other, like a meeting of two Japanese businessmen of equal status.

Our talk was packed (tickets sold out well before the event) and it was good to see so many dads who had brought their kids along, helping to pass the FF legacy over to the next generation.

Next stop Edinburgh Festival…"

Charlie Higson and Steve Jackson at the Hay Festival 2018.

Steve Jackson and Charlie Higson at the Hay Festival this Wednesday!

Join the Steve Jackson, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series of adventure gamebooks, and long-time fan Charlie Higson, at the Hay Festival, to hear all about Charlie's new book, The Gates of Death.

Suitable for anyone age 9 and above, the Fighting Fantasy talk takes place on Wednesday 30th May 2018 in Hay-on-Wye, between 4:00pm - 5:00pm, and tickets can be purchased from the box office here.

Steve Jackson, Charlie Higson and Ian Livingstone at Forbidden Planet.

Steve Jackson and Charlie Higson appearing at the Barnes Children's Literature Festival

Steve Jackson, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series of adventure gamebooks - and author of such classic titles as The Citadel of Chaos, House of Hell, and Creature of Havoc - will be appearing at the Barnes Children's Literature Festival tomorrow, Saturday 12th May 2018.

He will be joined by the actor, comedian and newest FF author Charlie Higson, to talk about Charlie's new book The Gates of Death and all things Fighting Fantasy.

Their talk will be taking place at the Kitson Hall from 5:00pm - 6:00pm, and is suitable for anyone aged 9 and above. Tickets are only £5 each.

To find out more and to book tickets, follow this link.