Creature of Havoc - Fighting Fantasy Steve Jackson

Creature of Havoc

Fighting Fantasy Gamebook #24

Written by Steve Jackson who along with Ian Livingstone started Fighting Fantasy and Games Workshop inter alia.

Puffin Books, third cover style (Dragon Banner) printed 1987, 1988.

This is an interactive game book where the reader assumes the role of the hero and must make decisions, fight monsters (using dice rolls) and puzzle their way through passages to reach the end.

Creature of Havoc is for many the most memorable of FF books. While various topics had been covered before including traditional fantasy, sci fi, battle mechs, under sea fantasy, pirates, horror, superhero and samurai, this one very much broke the mould. It was bigger (460 passages) and only slightly tweeked the core rules, but thats where it ended. The introduction was a veritable short history of Trolltooth Pass and while not the first, was one of the first to introduce a lovely colour map on the inner front cover (not credited but likely Leo Hartis who did many of these in subsequent books). No spoilers - suffice is to say this really broke the paradigm!

The cover art is by the amazing Ian Miller while Alan Langford, one of the FF lines stalwart interior artists, porodced a visual extravaganza. If there is a website that had fans vote for their favourite FF book (would be surprised if there weren't a few) I can guarantee this would be in the top three, very possibly top position.

The adventure sheet has not been written on. Book has been loved and looked after but has definitly seen some play. Small creasing on rear cover corners, but otherwise in pretty good nick. Pages all present, clean and solidly fixed in binding.

Fighting Fantasy were probably the most popular gamebooks in the heyday of gamebooks era (1982 to about 1991). Quite collectible, fun to play and also useful to get children to read. Bargain start price if one compares to what other sellers are asking.