A creepy old man arrives at your family’s inn, starting a spiraling chain of events where you find yourself stranded on a mysterious island. Only you can uncover the island’s secrets. Well, because you are the only one there. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure book, and you know what that means? Hot chocolate, and copious hours spent tucked away in a nook reminiscing about the 80’s.
When I was a kid, I would spend weekends scouring the local library for every one of these I could find, only to usually die half an hour in. So, when I was offered a chance to read On the Island of the Mad Magician: An interactive tale from the Realm of Goblin (take a deep breath before saying this one out loud), I jumped at the chance. My first question naturally was: how would my middle-aged, experienced, geezer self do? About the same, actually. Which tells me I have learned nothing. Either way there is always something wonderful about the journey, and On the Island of the Mad Magician has all the great hallmarks of this genre. But how does one rate this type of book?
The usual standards apply differently. Narrative? Well, that is largely up to you. Still, the choices are numerous, the paths wonderfully nebulous, and the overall plot you can construct always makes sense. The prose? Remarkably author Grissom has peppered On the Island with some great descriptions and imagery. Succinct, mostly, but he understands the concept of timing, and when to let go. Further the solid, albeit small cast of characters read well, and suite this sort of format, and the dialogue – where it applies – is believable and flows nicely. The only problem was that I ran out of hot cocoa, and I won’t knock Grissom for that. This time.
In short, On the Island of the Mad Magician: An interactive tale from the Realm of Goblin is a worthy addition to the genre, and I am looking forward to catching more of author Eric Grissom’s books.
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