Sir Ian Livingstone at Budapest Comic Con

At the weekend, Sir Ian Livingstone was in Hungary, appearing at Budapest Comic Con 2026.

While he was there, as well as hanging out with the team from Chameleon Comix, who publish Fighting Fantasy in Hungarian...

...Sir Ian also met Krisztián Balla, who illustrated The Dungeon on Blood Island...

...and László Arpad, the talented illustrator behind the Qatlas Fighting Fantasy solution maps.

Sir Ian's Saturday signing session was a record in that it took over 8 hours, virtually non-stop, for him to sign everyone's books!

Adventures on Blood Island

Incredibly, it is over 18 months since Sir Ian Livingstone's latest Fighting Fantasy gamebook was launched at Fighting Fantasy Fest 5.

The Dungeon on Blood Island took adventurers back to Lard Carnuss' private, offshore, holiday hangout and sent them into a labyrinth filled with savage creatures and deadly traps.

The prize on offer was the fabled Golden Orb of Fang, if only the brave adventurer who found it could then also escape from the dungeon alive.​​​

Illustrations from The Dungeon on Blood Island, by Krisztián Balla.

Since then, The Dungeon on Blood Island has been published in Danish and Hungarian, by Faraos Cigarer and Chameleon Comix respectively.

So, speakers of which language will be given the dubious pleasure of exploring The Dungeon on Blood Island next?

Sir Ian Livingstone is at the UK Games Expo

Sir Ian Livingstone is attending the UK Games Expo on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June 2025.

He will be selling hardback copies of The Dungeon on Blood Island and Magic Realms at Stand 2-359.

On Saturday 31st May, from 2:00pm Sir Ian will be signing Fighting Fantasy Adventures with Martin Wallace at Stand 3A-460, before heading to the Main Stage in Hall 4 at 3:00pm to be interviewed about his 50 Years in Games by John Robertson of The Dark Room fame.

Merry Christmas from Fighting Fantasy

It has been another busy year for Fighting Fantasy. There has been the release of another new Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Dungeon on Blood Island, as well as the publication of numerous foreign translations, some of which marked the 40th anniversary of particular titles.

Then there was the release of two non-fiction books about Fighting Fantasy, Jonathan Green's YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, and MAGIC REALMS: The Art of Fighting Fantasy, written by Jonathan Green and Sir Ian Livingstone.

There was also crowdfunding success for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy Adventure Creation System and the board game Dark Dungeons.

And of course, Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 took place in September, marking 40 years of Deathtrap Dungeon and featuring an in-person visit from ace artist Iain McCaig.

So, what does 2025 have in store for Fighting Fantasy fans? Apart from the release of Fighting Fantasy Adventures and more Fighting Fantasy Classics from Tin Man Games, you mean? You'll just have to wait and see.

But in the meantime, here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Fighting Fantasy at Dragonmeet 2024

Fighting Fantasy co-creator Sir Ian Livingstone and FF historian Jonathan Green will be attending Dragonmeet on Saturday 30 November 2024. You will find them at the Fighting Fantasy stand in the Upper Trade Hall (indicated by the small blue tent under the FF logo on the map below).

Click on the map to enlarge it.

Jonathan will have copies of YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks to sell, and Sir Ian will have copies of MAGIC REALMS: The Art of Fighting Fantasy, which they worked on together, and a few hardbacks of The Dungeon on Blood Island.

Sir Ian Livingstone to attend Dragonmeet 2024

Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending Dragonmeet again this year, at the Novotel London West, on Saturday 30 November 2024.

Before the trade halls open to the general public, the Dragonmeet Awards ceremony will take place. Last year, one of the awards that was made was the Ian Livingstone Prize for Innovations in Games.

Sir Ian presenting the inaugural Ian Livingstone Prize for Innovations in Games to the Role Play Haven at Dragonmeet 2023.

If you have been meaning to pick up a signed copy of Magic Realms, Dice Men, or the collector's hardback of The Dungeon on Blood Island, Dragonmeet will be the perfect occasion to do just that.

Also in attendance will be FF author and historian Jonathan Green, who will be selling copies of YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

So, if you're in London on Saturday 30 November 2024, why not pop along and say hello?

"YOU are the hero!" with Sir Ian Livingstone

On Monday 7th October 2024, Sir Ian Livingstone, co-creator of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, will be taking part in a webinar with debut author, Iqbal Hussain.

He will be discussing his life, writing process, inspirations, as well as his latest FF adventure, The Dungeon on Blood Island, and Unbound’s new book Magic Realms, a celebration of the iconic artwork in Fighting Fantasy.

The webinar will take place from 7:00-8:00pm BST (GMT+1) and you can reserve your free spot here.

In other FF news, or rather AFF news, the crowdfunding campaign for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy board game Dark Dungeons, launches on Kickstarter on Tuesday 1st October 2024. To find out more and register your interest, click here.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 and a return to Forbidden Planet

Last Saturday, Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 took over the University of West London in Ealing for a day dedicated to your favourite gamebook series.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended, including the traders who came along, and to all our guests, but especially Guests of Honour artist Iain McCaig and Fighting Fantasy co-creator Sir Ian Livingstone.

There is no other event quite like Fighting Fantasy Fest. After all, where else could you see a Hollywood blockbuster character designer dance a jig while a knight of the realm plays blues harmonica?!?

Sir Ian Livingstone with original Penguin Books commissioning editor Geraldine Cooke, who championed The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

Sir Ian's signing queue went out of the door!

The new 75mm Shape Changer produced by Blue Giant Studios and painted by Paul Cooke of Pandaemonium Miniatures during FFF5.

The authors' talk with Marc Gascoigne, Steve Williams, Paul Mason, and Peter Darvill-Evans.

Deathtrap Dungeon Live! Featuring Sir Ian Livingstone, The Dark Room's John Robertson, and Zagor the Warlock!

The legendary Fighting Fantasy Auction with Guest of Honour Sir Ian Livingstone.

The winners of the charity pub quiz that took place the night before FFF5 - I Love Wheelies!

Sir Ian was inundated with people wanting him to sign his new books, The Dungeon on Blood Island (number 72 in the series if you're counting from the beginning) and the #1 Bestseller Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy.

If you were not able to attend FFF5, you have another chance to grab yourself a signed copy of the books at Forbidden Planet, on Saturday 14th September, from 2:00-3:00pm, where Jonathan Green, co-author of Magic Realms, will also be in attendance.

The Dungeon on Blood Island - Limited Edition Collector's Hardback

The cover of the limited edition collector's hardback of The Dungeon on Blood Island, Sir Ian Livingstone's new Fighting Fantasy gamebook, has been revealed.

The hardback is limited to 400 copies and will be on sale for the first time at Fighting Fantasy Fest 5, along with the paperback.

The Dungeon on Blood Island

Sir Ian Livingstone's brand-new gamebook, The Dungeon on Blood Island, written to mark 40 years since the publication of the seminal Deathtrap Dungeon, will launch at Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 on Saturday 7 September 2024.

Jealous of Baron Sukumvit's Deathtrap Dungeon, Lord Carnuss forced six hundred shackled souls to build the ultimate dungeon on Blood Island. ​​ He filled the labyrinth with savage creatures and deadly traps, and offered the fabled prize of the Golden Orb of Fang to any brave Adventurer who could find it and escape from the dungeon alive. ​​​

Are YOU brave enough to enter the Dungeon on Blood Island? 

The adventure has been illustrated by Hungarian artist Krisztián Balla, who impressed Sir Ian with the illustrations he produced for the Hungarian edition of Assassins of Allansia. Krisztián also produced the cover artwork for a number of the translated FF adventures published by Chameleon Comix.

The book also features brand-new cover art by none other than the original Deathtrap Dungeon artist Iain McCaig, who will also be attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 this year as one of our Guests of Honour, alongside Sir Ian Livingstone.

Not only that, but there will be a limited number of signed and numbered hardbacks of Sir Ian's new gamebook on sale on the day. The dustjacket cover art is the same as the paperback but on the back, there is an updated map of Allansia by everyone's favourite FF cartographer Leo Hartas.

So, to be one of the first people to secure a signed copy of The Dungeon on Blood Island, make sure you've got your ticket for Fighting Fantasy Fest 5.

The Dungeon on Blood Island

Fighting Fantasy fans, rejoice! Sir Ian Livingstone is writing a brand new Fighting Fantasy gamebook to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Deathtrap Dungeon.

Deathtrap Dungeon was the No.1 bestselling children’s book in the UK in 1984, and the 8th bestselling book overall in the UK, even including adult titles.

The Dungeon on Blood Island is a long-awaited sequel.

Jealous of the fame and fortune that Baron Sukumvit’s Deathtrap Dungeon had brought him, his brother Lord Carnuss and an army of slaves spend five years building the ultimate dungeon on Blood Island. Offering a prize of the Golden Orb of Fang, he challenges all-comers to risk their lives to find this priceless treasure and escape with it alive. Filled with deadly creatures, lethal traps, fierce competitors, and danger lurking at every turn, are YOU brave enough to enter The Dungeon on Blood Island?

The cover for The Dungeon on Blood Island will feature an original painting by Iain McCaig who painted the original Deathtrap Dungeon cover. It will also feature internal illustrations by Hungarian artist Krisztián Balla and a new map of Allansia by Leo Hartas.

Sir Ian said, “40 years is a very long time to wait for a sequel, but I hope fans of Deathtrap Dungeon both old and new will enjoy my new Fighting Fantasy gamebook The Dungeon on Blood Island. I have tried my best to lure readers to their doom with every choice they make! May their STAMINA never fail!”

For further developments, watch this space...