Complete the Quest

And the Crown of Kings shall be yours!

This April, Scholastic Books will release the final two parts of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! epic. And each one features brand new cover art by Rob Ball.

Which is next on your reading list?

Titan - The Audiobook

Independent audiobook publisher Spokenworld Audio is proud to announce a partnership with legendary UK gaming authors Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone to bring the original Fighting Fantasy world guide, Titan, to audiobook life.

Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World was first released by Puffin Books in 1986, and was compiled and edited by Marc Gascoigne. The large-format book brought together the lore, history and characters of the many Fighting Fantasy gamebooks available at the time, and fleshed it out into a grimoire full of exciting world-building. It was not only a guide to fans of the books, but also a compendium of facts for those creating their own fantasy adventures within the wider FF world, and a gateway for many into the expansive artform of fantasy fiction.

Titan is being narrated by award-winning audiobook director/narrator Neil Gardner, a lifelong fan of the Fighting Fantasy series. Neil said of Titan:

“I was 12 years old, it was 1986, my Mum had dragged me shopping in Orpington and I was thoroughly miserable. But then, in WHSmith’s , I saw Titan, and there was no going back. I begged my mum to let me buy it, and for the next few weeks I was lost in this incredible tome. I had bought every FF book up to that point, and friends and I were writing our own adventures to share between us. Titan fleshed out the FF landscape and tied together the various stories and characters. It opened my eyes to a universe of creative possibilities, and I’ve owned that copy ever since. It sits proudly on my bookshelf to this day!”

On bringing Titan to audiobooks, Neil said:

“For my entire professional career in radio and audio, I’ve dreamed of bringing Fighting Fantasy to life. For so long I’ve been frustrated by the technology, or the lack of interest from commissioning editors and broadcasters. But now, with audiobooks in such demand, and fantasy being so entrenched in our modern culture, it feels like it is time to bring Fighting Fantasy to audio life. Titan has always been my favourite FF title, and being prose makes it perfect for an audiobook release. If the fanbase enjoy what they hear, my next aim is to bring Out of the Pit to audio, and then some of the other prose FF titles.”

On partnering with Steve and Ian, Neil said:

“There are moments in your life when you just have to take a step back and do a little Snoopy-dance of joy. For me, getting the go-ahead from Steve and Ian was just such a moment. Their words, creativity and vision have been with me my entire life. From Fighting Fantasy, Warlock, and Games Workshop, to amazing video games and how they have represented the UK’s creative industries… they are true legends, who in my mind, sit alongside Douglas Adams, Pat Mills, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin. I hope this will be just the first step on a long audio adventure with these incredible gentlemen!”

Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World will be released as a download-to-own single-voice audiobook on the 1st February 2022 exclusively via www.spokenworldaudio.biz. FF fans are encouraged to support the independent publishing of the title by buying it from Spokenworld Audio during the initial 10 day period. It will then become available across all other platforms (including Audible and iTunes) from the 11th February 2022.

Forthcoming Events

As you can imagine, with 2022 being The Year of Fighting Fantasy, there are a number of events taking place this year at which FF will have a significant presence.

Kicking things off is the Scottish Book Trust's online book tour...

Scottish Book Trust ~ Friday 28 January 2022

Sir Ian Livingstone will be interviewed as part of the Scottish Book Trust's Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour that is taking place online. The event is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Schools, and to find out how to apply for a place, follow this link.

LarpCon 2022 ~ Friday 4 - Sunday 6 March 2022

LarpCon is an annual event that has been running since 2011. This year's event will be celebrating 40 years of Fighting Fantasy, and lucky attendees will receive a Lucky pencil! To find out more, click here.

UK Games Expo 2022 ~ Friday 3 - Sunday 5 June 2022

Fighting Fantasy will be attending the UK Games Expo again, later this year, where Sir Ian Livingstone will be a guest. To book your ticket for the UK's largest gaming convention, follow this link.

International Gamebook Day 2022 ~ Saturday 27 August 2022

This year, International Gamebook Day will take place on the actual 40th anniversary of the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. You can sign up to be notified as more details are released here.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 ~ Saturday 3 September 2022

It's the event you've all been waiting for! Fighting Fantasy Fest will be returning to the University of West London in FF's 40th anniversary year, featuring Guests of Honour, Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone, as well as a host of other FF authors and artists.

More information regarding sales and booking a trader's table will be released soon, so watch this space!

2022 - The Year of Fighting Fantasy!

27 August 2022 marks 40 years since the publication of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, by Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone.

As you can imagine, 2022 is a going to be a very big year for Fighting Fantasy and it got off to a fantastic start with Sir Ian Livingstone receiving a knighthood from the Queen!

As you might expect, 2022 will see the publication of not just one but several books connected to the world's premier gamebook series. As well as the publications, there will be various events taking place throughout the year, celebrating 40 years of FF, including LarpCon in March.

This year's International Gamebook Day actually falls on The Warlock of Firetop Mountain's 40th anniversary, and a week later, on Saturday 3rd September 2022, Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 will be happening in West London*.

So put the date in your diary and watch this space for more details soon!

* COVID willing!

Sir Ian Livingstone CBE

Today we want to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Sir Ian Livingstone, who has been made a Knight Batchelor in the Queen's New Year Honours list for services to the Online Gaming Industry.

Sir Ian Livingstone CBE

Sir Ian, who turned 72 just three days ago, is one of the founding fathers of the UK games industry, having co-founded Games Workshop with Steve Jackson and John Peake in 1975, launching Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer in Europe*. In 1982, with Steve Jackson, he co-authored The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, which was to become the first gamebook in the multi-million selling Fighting Fantasy series.

When Chairman of video games publisher Eidos plc, he launched Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 1996. In 2011, he co-authored the Next Gen review and chaired the Next Gen Skills campaign, working with government to introduce the new Computing curriculum in schools in 2014. With a focus on creativity and computational thinking, the Livingstone Academy, Bournemouth opened in 2021 to enable children to be digital makers as well as digital consumers.

He is Chairman of Sumo Group plc, Partner at Hiro Capital, Non-executive Director of the National Citizen Service, Non-executive Director of the Aspirations Academies Trust, Non-executive Director of the Foundation for Education Development, Non-executive Director of Creative UK, Member of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and President of the BGI.

May his STAMINA never fail!

* You can read more about their experiences in Dice Men: Games Workshop 1975 to 1985, by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, which will be published this year by Unbound.