40 years of Sword of the Samurai

40 years ago today, Sword of the Samurai was published for the first time.

Written by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson*, the twentieth book in the series presented readers with the Fighting Fantasy version of Japan, in the form of the mystical land of Hachiman**.

The hero of the adventure is a young Samurai, Kensei, who is tasked with recovering the Dai-Katana - the Shogun’s great sword - which has been stolen by Ikiru, the Master of Shadows, who dwells deep in the Pit of Demons.

“At the time, the whole Samurai/Ninja thing was big and breaking out of the niche world it was in, into the bigger niche of gamebooks and RPGs, which had become substantially more popular than they had been for a long time,” says Thomson. “Still a niche, compared to cinema and even games like Monopoly and stuff, but a big niche.”

Sword of the Samurai was only the second time that Alan Langford had appeared on internal art duties at the time, while Peter Andrew Jones contributed his first cover since Talisman of Death***.

“I’ve been fascinated with the East ever since I read a book called The Earth is the Lord's by Taylor Caldwell,” says Langford. “It’s about the early life of Genghis Khan – Temujin – and that fired up my interest. The other source is Kubla Khan, and that was illustrated by Frank Frazetta. So Sword of the Samurai was quite an interesting job for me to do.”

Sword of the Samurai was translated into numerous languages, including Bulgarian, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese****, and, appropriately enough, Japanese.

We already know that Fighting Fantasy is big in Japan, but it is even bigger now that YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks has been published in Japanese.

* Who had previously worked together on Talisman of Death.

** Which Marc Gascogine would later make part of Khul.

*** The Wizard Books' edition featured cover art by Mel Grant.

**** Sword of the Samurai - or A Espada do Samurai - is still in print in Brazil.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 - Confirmed Guest Artists

Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 is taking place on Saturday 5th September 2026 at the University of West London in Ealing.

It will be a day of talks, signings, gaming, and nostalgia, with fans coming together from across the globe to celebrate all things gamebook-related.

A number of FF alumni have already confirmed that they will be attending including artists Malcolm Barter, Alan Langford, and Tony Hough.

Born in 1957, Malcolm Barter studied Illustration & Design at Ipswich School of Art. He has since freelanced in publishing, editorial and advertising, and illustrated Ian Livingstone’s The Forest of Doom. He is, appropriately, a fully qualified horticulturalist. He is currently illustrating Fighting Fantasy once again for French publishers Scriptarium. He resides in Suffolk with his daughter Poppy and a modest bonsai collection. He only owns a Czech translation of The Forest of Doom. 

Alan Langford was born in Bournemouth in 1952, and from an early age was fascinated by comic illustration, particularly in stories that depicted horses and historical scenarios. The writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and Arthur C. Clarke both fascinated him. After studying art at evening classes at Southampton Art College, he found a full-time job illustrating for a company in Alresford, and later he worked as a freelance comic illustrator. In the 1980s he found work illustrating the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks Island of the Lizard King, Sword of the Samurai, Creature of Havoc, Battleblade Warrior, Portal of Evil, and Spellbreaker. He now specialises in painting equestrian fine art and in 2020 published his own graphic novel, The Secret of the Aesir.

Tony Hough’s influences range from the old comics, TV shows and movies he grew up with, SF, fantasy and horror from art and literature, and back again to the ‘ordinary’ world around him. After studying art and design at Barnfield College in Luton, his work first appeared in Games Workshop’s popular Warhammer 40,000 game. Since then, his illustrations have featured in games, magazines, and books, including the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks Spectral Stalkers, Night Dragon, Knights of Doom, and Bloodbones.

To purchase your ticket for the gamebook event of the year, click this link.

Sir Ian Livingstone no longer attending Ludiverse 2026

Unfortunately, contrary to what was previously announced, Sir Ian Livingstone will NOT be attending Ludiverse 2026 in Paris, France, on the weekend of Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th April 2026.

We apologise for any confusion that may have arisen as a result.

However, Arkhane Asylum, the publishers of the French language edition of Dice Men, the history of the early days of Games Workshop, will be in attendance.

Ludiverse is the Parisian event for all gaming fans where you can discover board games, RPGs, miniatures, TCGs, and plenty of surprises at the Paris Montreuil Expo. To find out more, click this link.