Sir Ian Livingstone's City of Thieves published 40 years ago!

City of Thieves, by Sir Ian Livingstone, was published 40 years ago, on 1 September 1983.

For his second gamebook with sole writing credit, Livingstone sent the reader to the nefarious Port Blacksand for the first time, searching for the means to save the prosperous town of Silverton from the evil Night Prince Zanbar Bone and his bloodthirsty Moon Dogs.

This was the first occasion on which Iain McCaig produced not just the internal illustrations but also, what has since become, a classic cover.

“I’ve always been fascinated by graveside sculptures of the Grim Reaper,” says McCaig. “I eventually designed one for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Zanbar Bone is an early attempt to bring one to life.” 

The City of Thieves has been revisited again and again, in gamebooks like Midnight Rogue, Night Dragon and The Port of Peril, as well as the Advanced Fighting Fantasy titles Dungeoneer and Blacksand!

There have been various digital adaptations and there is even an original City of Thieves graphic novel on the way. Not bad for the book that was first published four decades ago!

Are YOU Game?

I understand that on your Earthly Plane you are facing a weekend of noble sporting endeavours, it being the finals of both the ball-blugeon contest Wimbledon, and the foot-the-ball competition of the Euros.

While I prefer the gladiatorial games of Blood Island myself, sport is nonetheless enjoyed by all manner of races, all across the world of Titan too. Port Blacksand - that notorious City of Thieves - even has its own Sports Arena, where events such as Dwarf-tossing, Pixie Throttling, and Shoot-the-Apple-Off-The-Goblin's-Head - entrance 1 Gold Piece - may be enjoyed.

However, without doubt, the most popular sport undertaken within the arena is that of Bays' Ball.

Bays' Ball is a game played by the small Goblin-like creatures known as Bays, hence its name. It is their favourite game.

The game is played by two teams of small, Goblin-like creatures, known as Bays (hence its name), who alternate between fielding and batting. A small leather ball is thrown or "pitched" by a designated member of the fielding side to an opposing player who, armed with a wooden stick, hits the ball and then attempts to run around a circuit delimited by cloth bags manned by fielding Bays.

If the ball is hit over the wall of the stadium or arena the game is being played in then the batting team will score a complete circuit and can potentially win immediately. If the batter misses completely then they are out and this is denoted by the words "You're out!" being called behind the batter. The score is often displayed on the walls of the arena through the employment of cloth banners suspended from wooden hangers. These are updated as the score changes by designated Bays.

Bays are passionate about the game and players and supporters alike will react badly to losing. On the other hand, they are overjoyed when they win and supporters have been known to shower gifts upon the player responsible for the victory. It has been known for non-Bays to be allowed to play, and even spectators are sometimes accepted onto the field to play.

Other sports popular across Allansia and beyond include Ogreball, and Bataar Racing. What's your favourite of all the Titan games?

Oh, and good luck England!

The Return of Sourbelly and Fatnose

We first met them in Ian Livingstone's seminal Fighting Fantasy gamebook City of Thieves...

And more recently, Atlantis Miniatures turned them into 3D models...

But everyone's favourite Port Blacksand law enforcement duo - Sourbelly and Fatnose - will also be making an appearance as supporting characters in Chameleon Comix's City of Thieves graphic novel.

Not many details have been released about the plot of the graphic novel yet, but we do know that one Ebonious Malfante is the villain of the story...

And that the cults of Tanit, Goddess of Envy, and Slangg, the God of Malice, clearly also have a part to play, judging by these character illustrations by artist Krisztián Balla. 

Are you looking forward to the City of Thieves graphic novel? And who else do you hope will make an appearance during the course of the story? Let us know in the comments below.

City of Thieves - The Graphic Novel

If you are attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 3 at the end of the month, you will be among the first people to see a four-page spread of the official graphic novel of Ian Livingstone's City of Thieves, as published by Chameleon Comics.

This Hungary-based publisher has already published a Hungarian translation of Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter, but will be producing an English language version of the new graphic novel.

To find out more, watch this space... or come along to Fighting Fantasy Fest 3.