There is a marked difference between Jon's 'old' and 'new' gamebooks. They all contain gripping stories but the 'old' gamebooks are ludicrously difficult and involve you having to make several improbable rolls in order to win. His later gamebooks do not contain such difficulties and they can be beaten fairly (I'd say that Bloodbones is still quite difficult in terms of rolls but not ludicrously so - it is the bridge between the old and new books).
Fighting Fantasy is not Jon's only area. He has also written many other wonderful books and keeps a blog which he updates almost daily (Jon is also taking part in the April A to Z).
What was the first
gamebook you read (that wasn't your own)?
The Warlock of
Firetop Mountain, back when it was first published in 1982.
What is your favourite
gamebook?
That I've written
or that I've read? I'm never good with favourite, so for other people's I'll
have to go with a Top 5, if that's okay. Deathtrap Dungeon,Midnight
Rogue, Vault of the Vampire, Dead of Night and Legend
of the Shadow Warriors. Of the seven I've written, Howl of the
Werewolf and Night of the Necromancer are my Top 2.
What
gamebooks/interactive fiction would you recommend to a newcomer to the genre?
City of Thieves, Deathtrap Dungeon, and Stormslayer.
Oh, and Temple of the Spider God. ;-)
Summarise what a
gamebook is to a newcomer in 100 characters or fewer.
A novel in which
you, the reader, are the hero, influencing the outcome of the story.
Why are gamebooks
great compared to games or books?
They are unique.
They give you the story-telling experience and immersion of a novel whilst
offering the freedom of choice and random element of a game.
Where did you come
up with your ideas for gamebook stories?
Where? Well I was
living outside Bath when I wrote my first one. Or do you mean something more
like 'the shower'? Wherever I am, I have ideas, although annoyingly I often get
some really good ones when it's not the most convenient time to write them
down, such as in the aforementioned shower or just as I'm going to sleep.
Where did you come
up with your ideas for gamebook game systems?
See above.
Generally at my desk, with pen in hand, as I wrote down ideas of what I could
include in the story. Such mechanics always comes from the character/setting/storyline.
When it comes to
writing a gamebook, what's the most important thing that you do?
Hmm... Plan
meticulously.
What did you learn
from your late nineties gamebooks that you applied to your later gamebooks?
The reading a
gamebook should be fun, that the adventure should be fair, and to trust the
reader. If someone's going to cheat, they'll cheat. You need to write the
adventure for the person who won't.
What have you got
coming up in terms of your gamebook projects?
I have a gamebook
coming out this summer from Black Library and I'll be writing another one for
them before the end of the year. I'm also writing another Gamebook Adventure
for Tin Man Games and I'm working on another project that I can't talk about
yet. All very hush-hush.
Do you have any
other sites besides your blogs?
My main
website/blog these days can be found at www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com, but there are
another five that I update semi-regularly. That's enough for now, I think.
What do you think
the future of gamebooks is?
Apps for handhelds.
But as a result I also think the future for gamebooks is bright.
To find out more about Jon and to get his great books, go to www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com.
The pain I suffered with Curse of the Mummy. That book killed me so many times. I have no idea why that one was particularly difficult, but it really was. Come to think of it, I still haven't finished it.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview :) Thanks to you both.