I absolutely loved The Horror of High Ridge as a kid. Read it so many times. To this day the ending where knives appear in their backs still resonates with me.
Never heard of HoHR (didn't have access to anything like the full CYOA series) but I'm thrilled to see MoCR talked about! It was one of my favorites, scary or not. :D
❤ Become a channel member to gain access to perks: th-cam.com/channels/Ekk4x_cHGE0hcY1u7kUJNA.htmljoin ❓❔ Which do YOU feel is the scariest Choose Your Own Adventure book? Also tell me how you feel about these CYOA books in general, and your most treasured memories. 📌 I investigate classic Doctor Who on Britbox UK: th-cam.com/play/PLfjpPMH3SZFUbMp-02cCkKDzANYNR2z9e.html
My choice is an odd choice for the 'scariest choose your own adventure book,' but mine would definitely have to be the Empire Strikes Back choose your own Star Wars adventure, by Christopher Golden. One of the first CYOA books I ever read, and on my first read I chose the 'Dark Side' path...it creeped me out a lot as a kid. Of course, it didn't take much to frighten me as a kid!
At 10 I read 'Mystery of Chimney Rock.' I thought the pictures were crap and the writing was immature (cuz I was such a big boy). I did enjoy that there were lots of bad endings, though the scary endings didn't scare me at all (cuz I was such a big boy). Suffocating in a closet, getting turned into a mouse to be eaten by a cat, having the roof collapse in on you, nothing scary at all. Then I came across an ending that got me. You accidentally break a green china cat. You apologize and bend down to pick up the pieces, but when you return the pieces to the serving tray you look down to see them on the floor again. So you pick them up again. Eventually you realize you have been cursed to pick up the pieces forever. Instead of saying 'The End' like the other endings the book says 'There Is No End'. That was a fate I didn't predict and it slightly unnerved me. It was like a new kind of fear that I couldn't understand. In fact it wasn't really fear, it was something else. In later years I realized what disturbed me, though at age 10 I couldn't articulate it. Nihilism and existential dread. As goofy as the writing was, that book introduced me to a reimagined version of the fate of Sisyphus, which is over 3,000 years old. Only, where Sisyphus had to exert himself terribly before repeating the loop, the china cat is very easy and mundane, which is more fitting for the modern world. It is a narrative representation of working a boring, unfulfilling job and then dying. But instead of doing this in blissful ignorance, you must witness the vapidity and pointlessness of your own life as you live it, and remain trapped in this self-awareness until you die. >
Mystery Of The Chimer Rock I got this book when I was in primary school and it changed my life. Many of the other books were not even published in my country but this was my first book and it really gave me such an experience that no game or movie has ever given me such an experience. This is the book that made me love books. 😭
Wow…..what a flashback… I had both of these books. I’m sure both of these books were available from collecting tokens from Kellogg’s cornflakes in the 80s…..loved both the books. I recall first few paragraphs in Chimney Rock were the scariest and most atmospheric, setting the scene for the entire book; whilst Horror of High Ridge became more terrifying as you got further into it…. I never forgot the tomahawks in the museum…
I remember all those Choose Your Own Adventures from the school library as a kid… So many dozens of hours reading through and making death-defying decisions almost simultaneously. There was - or is - something marvellous about these books, and it’s telling that the formula was successful given how popular they still are today (in some ways). I mean hell, they printed Star Wars the Clone Wars path-choosing books about a decade ago, I believe.
Wow, very jealous of your gamebook collection! So many cool things in there... I've always been partial to a bit of Grailquest - Herbie Brennan did some great stuff. Dracula's Castle is fun too. Really want to pick up more CYOA books, including these two. They used to be everywhere, but I never seem to see them anymore.
Hey there Stephen! And whoa, yeah, Grailquest - I loved those books too. Haven't read Drac's Castle yet, but should. And yeah, with gamebooks, I reckon it's a case of original readers having reached A Certain Age and wanting this stuff again, thereby driving up the prices...
I did do quite a few CYOA books in the 80s but can't remember which. I would love any videos about Fighting Fantasy. I recently managed to purchase half a dozen early ones, some very early editions too and am currently half-way through The Warlock of Firetop Mountain with my son. He loves it, despite it being pretty violent!
That's awesome about getting your son into FF, David! Just to check - did you see my report from the 2019 FF Fest? The link appears onscreen, right at the end of this video.
You’ve got the best set to cover right there… Grailquest! I was searching for a TH-cam video covering them to show my son and couldn’t find one - there’s your chance! Maybe with a side of Demonspawn
Aha, yes, I do have a real soft spot for those Grailquest books. Those gorgeous covers will look great on camera! Thanks for the idea. And you haven't been alone! 😊
@@jarnopp Yay! I might actually have a touch to contribute as well; I wrote to JH Brennan a few years ago asking what happened to the series and could probably dig out the mail on request :)
Another vote for Grailquest. The innovative mechanics (map, folding a paperboat, etc.) and distinctive humor (was there a recurring character called the poetic rogue?) made those stand out.
I remember Chimney Rock - specifically the ending you showed about turning into a mouse and only being able to think, "Run, eat, hide." The one I had the most fun with, and I don't know if it was an official Choose Your Own Adventure or a knockoff, but it was Star Trek where the reader is a new ensign interacting with the bridge crew. At one juncture, you need to beam down to a planet, but the transporter is possibly malfunctioning. In an effort to impress the crew, you tell them there's probably nothing to worry about and jump into the beam. And materialize inside a big boulder. There was even a drawing of a boulder with hair on it on that page. * chef's kiss *
One of the best endings in Mystery of Chimney Rock is the one where a ghostly presence tells you to run away from the house and never look back. The fun part is that you can either choose to end the story right there... *or* you can sneak one last look at the house. If you DO look back, the book doesn't even say what happens to you; there's just a long, agonizing scream trailing down the page, cut off at the end by a "THUNK". What the actual hell.
Just started watching. I know for a FACT that Chimney Rock is the winner, and if he doesn't admit it, I am never watching any of his videos ever again. That book creeped me SMOOTH the f*** OUT as a kid. EDIT: Fail @ 4:39. I'm out.
The only Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a kid were the Doctor Who Decide Your Destiny ones from 2007 to 2010, they were pretty good from what I remember. From the sounds of it, The Horror of High Ridge is the scariest for me.
@@jarnopp There were a good idea. It kind of makes me think that a Doctor Who videogame in that style could work as "branching narrative" games have become quite popular now with the likes of Until Dawn, The Wolf Among Us and Detroit Become Human. A Doctor Who game in that style would be brilliant as you could have a lot of fun with the timey-wimey-ness of it and really play around with the different ways you could get out of sticky situations and feel the impact of losing the characters that you are supposed to keep alive to the end of the story mode. Maybe in one of the many endings have the Doctor regenerate, that'd be amazing!
Great video. I just read the Horror of High Ridge...wow...much more full on than the Mystery of Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock was more implied violence, while Horror Ridge is more explicit. Like the EC Horror Comics of the 50s, I'm amazed it got published....but would have loved it as a kid
Would love to see a deep dive into Falcon, as I only ever owned two of them, and never found any others in the wild. I also have a lot of love for the silly Grail Quest and the myth-infused Cretan Chronicles.
The Citadel of Chaos - one of the Fighting Fantasy books I think? The cover alone freaked me out. There was also a CYOA book with a load of torture in it if I remember right, you were a spy, and you'd get caught in water torture traps, bamboo under the fingernails etc.
Citadel was the first FF book I encountered- loved that thing! I don't remember the torture tome, though - you may have persevered farther into the FF range than I did! 😊
@@jarnopp the citadel of chaos is my favourite FFGB. the ape-dog and dog-ape guards are outstanding. still have all my childhood books. would love to see more book videos jason. your channel is fantastic.
don't know which is scarier, but I definitely remember Horror Of High Ridge being harder. For whatever reason, that one stumped me worse than just about any other CYOA book. Lots of ways to lose/die and I think I ran into all of them.
I’m a bit of a gamebook / interactive fiction geek and my collection of 80s books of this type is probably similar to yours in terms of size and variety. My favourite was Fighting Fantasy, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year. They were a little more complicated than the CYOA books as they had a game mechanic (dice and an adventure sheet record). A look at this series in the future (in time for the anniversary?) would be great.
Wonderful stuff, Mr Fisher! I don't know if you saw my 2019 video from the Fighting Fantasy Fest event? If not, there's an onscreen link at the end of this video!
My friends and I checked out MOCR from our elementary school library constantly as kids! We knew all the possible paths front to back, but what intrigued us was the lore. As with so many CYOA books, MOCR had so much ambiguity and so many contradictions, depending on the path you took. It never explained anything fully. It was surrealistic in a way. I think it was a huge influence on my literature tastes today, where I prefer ambiguous, supernatural horror writers like Thomas Ligotti, Jon Padgett, Brian Evenson, and others.
Like you I grew up with these books. Always loved reading and re-reading them. Would live to see you explore both the Lone Wolf and Steve Jackson's books. 👍
Having been a kid back then, we all loved mystery of chimney rock, which imo remains one of the most beloved and iconic entries in the series. High ridge doesn't come close.
I was hooked on these as a kid but goodness are they not child friendly. I mean, looking back, they were pretty tame, but to a 3rd grader, they were terrifying. Add in the factor that all these horrible things are supposedly happening to YOU and yeah, I think I've still got mental scars from these books as a middle aged adult. BTW: I still own my childhood copy of Horror on High Ridge. I'm now working on collecting the rest of the series.
I loved CYOA books as a kid, but had to not talk to my friends about it because they would make fun of me. Ghost Hunter was my favorite, but there was another one I forget the name of. It was one of the thicker books with a blue cover instead of white. All I remember about it was it takes place on Jupiter I think.
I read this back in the 80's on a vacation with my family in Mexico when I was like 7 or 8. It was a bit horrific for me + I was coming down with Bronchitis and was running a high fever so I had some pretty vivid nightmares about this book. Good times man.
@@jarnopp Yeah it was Horror of High Ridge. I can still recall waking out of my nightmares at different intervals of tine to receive medicine. Sweaty, scared and relieved it was over...but as soon as I went back to sleep it just continued where it left off.
there is a CYOA (style?) book that i used to have where "the Ghouls make lampshades from your bones" .. i would love to find the title and get that book again .. I cant remember the name of it ..
I read the first book in my childhood, the Cave of Time and that had some pretty horrible endings too for children, like getting eaten by a Loch Ness monster, Smilodon or a Tyrannosaurus, choking to Death on a primordial earth that had no oxygen, getting yourself hanged in the middle ages, becoming a slave in ancient China and forced to build the Great Wall, or freezing to death on Earth billions of years in the future, where the sun had already died and was a white dwarf. One of the scariest ones was ending on some unknown point of future on a field, where you begin to hear some strange noises near you and when the sun rises up, everywhere around you are these monstrous insect-like creatures the size of sheeps(don't know if they were aliens or future animal mutations) that probably eat you. All this just reinforced the feeling that random time travelling would not be fun.
HoHR was my first game book when I was about 7 or 8 and I LOVED it. I got really excited when I found a Copy in a charity shop for my kids. I still think its the best one
@@paulparsons7734 Haha, those cereal promos used to be so cool. Remember that Young Ones moment when Mike tipped all the promo stuff out of the cereal box? Or maybe it wasn't Mike. 🤔🤔😆
I downloaded a couple of apps from the play store which are basically just gamebooks you play on the tablet but it's just not the same as the paperbacks. I would love to see a series of videos about the history of fighting fantasy books and in depth reviews about a couple of titles 😃
@@jarnopp haha no definitely not my name! when I bought my tablet and was setting it up it asked for a username so I thought well it's Ryan's tablet so why not go for that and keep things simple.I kept meaning to change it but never got round to it 🤣
Yeah, the problem with fear is that it's ever-evolving. Nowadays, it is indeed quite difficult to get a real scare out of someone, especially given the internet; I think analog horror is where it's at these days but I think the only ones who truly get good, strong scares from books these days are true avid bibliophiles.
I had totally forgotten about The Lone Wolf series, which is weird because I bought a lot of those (alongside the Steve Livingstone ones). I got a real Proustian rush when I saw that cover.
I love CYOA books, and I’m thinking if someone can make a video of something like “top 10 worstendingsin R.L Stine’s CYOA books” or something like that. For me, the worst ending in all of the CYOA books I’ve read has got to be eaten alive by ants in Temple Run:Doom Lagoon
I do, know that the mystery of chimney rock is pretty scary but, I have never read the horror of high ridge so can you do a choose your own adventure story time so that I can really know?
Hey folks.Looking for some help if you don't mind. Looking for a gamebook I checked out one time at a public library back in the 80's. It was like a Choose Your Own Adventure style tho, so it may be more like that than an actual gamebook (But it definitely wasn't an actual choose your own adventure book).Anyway, all I can remember is there was a part where you flew a little spaceship, but you were flying it in big caves, and there was a part where a guy in the story turned into a rat-man kind of like a werewolf. Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated as I have looked everywhere I could think of. Thanks in advance.
Just saw a Chimney Rock at a used book store yesterday, NM condition probably for $15.00. I already have one and am a little broke, or I would have bought it.
I still remember Sorcery! It was good until the 4th and last book which was boring. I never got a chance to finish the Lone Wolf and I think the best one was simply the first one.The way of the tiger was fun too but got a bit repetitive like Lone Wolf
Hi there Kathy! Sorry for the delay - when I first saw your comment, I made a note to check my shelves for Trixie books! Then failed to do so. 😩😊 Did Trixie write the Famous Five investigation books?
@@jarnopp hi jason sorry for the late response. i made a mistake. there were some yellow spines in your collection which resemble the trixie belden series. to answer your question, no, trixie belden was a seperate series about a teen girl who investigated mysteries along with her friend. a must read is THE SECRET OF THE MANSION. i rate it up there with any other book of the genre. we seem to have similar interests. dr who, heavy metal, mystery books. i was born in 1973 so i assume we're of similar age.
@Kathy Garry No worries, Kathy! And that's a good title, Secret Of The Mansion. Glad to hear you're finding things to enjoy on this channel! Here's my metal-specific channel, by the way, in case you find it of interest too: bit.ly/PossessedByMetal
@@jarnopp Hi Jason ... just saw your Exodus video. i saw them at the London Astoria 1988 on the Pleasures Of The Flesh tour. met a few of the guys prior to the show. were you there?
Hey there Andy! Oh, you are talking my language. Those books are definitely ripe for a video on this channel - especially as they're so visual! Awesome books, weren't they. Which is your fave?
@@jarnopp 'Robot World'. It was harsh as fuck. You had to pick a robot exoskeleton early on, and the margin for picking the wrong one was about 2mm visually and based on one of those perspective illusions. Ergo, I was upset and hating myself about 8 minutes after starting in on it on my Nan's living room floor in Cheshunt in about 1986.
Yea I think the books like horror are too descriptive... later books are so morbid... like one as a space cop.. where you get diseases tested on you ... brrrr or another being fed to sharks ugh!!!
I absolutely loved The Horror of High Ridge as a kid. Read it so many times. To this day the ending where knives appear in their backs still resonates with me.
Yeah, that illustration is mad, isn't it! Definitely pushing the boundaries, that book...
I have them still
Oh snap...I'm going home to read "The Horror of High Ridge" tonight! Thx for the reminder how awesome this book is
You are so welcome! 😊👊
Wow, it just so happens I have both books... The Horror Of High Ridge gets my vote.
Well done for keeping both! 😊👊
What about Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey? That one creeped me out too. My vote is for Horror of High Ridge.
Oh yeah, Traci, good call! I have that one - may well revisit. :)
That one deliberately had a small amount of endings in order for you to make a thorough research in your investigation
Yeah I got that one for Xmas as a kid...very cool
Never heard of HoHR (didn't have access to anything like the full CYOA series) but I'm thrilled to see MoCR talked about! It was one of my favorites, scary or not. :D
Great! This channel is all about that recognition, and giving viewers the retro rush! :)
The Mystery Chimney Rock scared the bejesus out of me in the early 80's.
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❓❔ Which do YOU feel is the scariest Choose Your Own Adventure book? Also tell me how you feel about these CYOA books in general, and your most treasured memories.
📌 I investigate classic Doctor Who on Britbox UK: th-cam.com/play/PLfjpPMH3SZFUbMp-02cCkKDzANYNR2z9e.html
My choice is an odd choice for the 'scariest choose your own adventure book,' but mine would definitely have to be the Empire Strikes Back choose your own Star Wars adventure, by Christopher Golden. One of the first CYOA books I ever read, and on my first read I chose the 'Dark Side' path...it creeped me out a lot as a kid. Of course, it didn't take much to frighten me as a kid!
@@harlowethrombey3509 Wow, I didn't even know that crossover existed!
At 10 I read 'Mystery of Chimney Rock.' I thought the pictures were crap and the writing was immature (cuz I was such a big boy). I did enjoy that there were lots of bad endings, though the scary endings didn't scare me at all (cuz I was such a big boy). Suffocating in a closet, getting turned into a mouse to be eaten by a cat, having the roof collapse in on you, nothing scary at all. Then I came across an ending that got me. You accidentally break a green china cat. You apologize and bend down to pick up the pieces, but when you return the pieces to the serving tray you look down to see them on the floor again. So you pick them up again. Eventually you realize you have been cursed to pick up the pieces forever. Instead of saying 'The End' like the other endings the book says 'There Is No End'.
That was a fate I didn't predict and it slightly unnerved me. It was like a new kind of fear that I couldn't understand. In fact it wasn't really fear, it was something else.
In later years I realized what disturbed me, though at age 10 I couldn't articulate it. Nihilism and existential dread. As goofy as the writing was, that book introduced me to a reimagined version of the fate of Sisyphus, which is over 3,000 years old. Only, where Sisyphus had to exert himself terribly before repeating the loop, the china cat is very easy and mundane, which is more fitting for the modern world. It is a narrative representation of working a boring, unfulfilling job and then dying. But instead of doing this in blissful ignorance, you must witness the vapidity and pointlessness of your own life as you live it, and remain trapped in this self-awareness until you die.
>
Mystery Of The Chimer Rock I got this book when I was in primary school and it changed my life. Many of the other books were not even published in my country but this was my first book and it really gave me such an experience that no game or movie has ever given me such an experience. This is the book that made me love books. 😭
Awww, love that!
Wow…..what a flashback… I had both of these books. I’m sure both of these books were available from collecting tokens from Kellogg’s cornflakes in the 80s…..loved both the books. I recall first few paragraphs in Chimney Rock were the scariest and most atmospheric, setting the scene for the entire book; whilst Horror of High Ridge became more terrifying as you got further into it…. I never forgot the tomahawks in the museum…
Awesome memories, Richard - thank you!
I remember all those Choose Your Own Adventures from the school library as a kid… So many dozens of hours reading through and making death-defying decisions almost simultaneously. There was - or is - something marvellous about these books, and it’s telling that the formula was successful given how popular they still are today (in some ways). I mean hell, they printed Star Wars the Clone Wars path-choosing books about a decade ago, I believe.
Did they? That's cool, that gamebooks live on in some shape or form.
Wow, very jealous of your gamebook collection! So many cool things in there... I've always been partial to a bit of Grailquest - Herbie Brennan did some great stuff. Dracula's Castle is fun too.
Really want to pick up more CYOA books, including these two. They used to be everywhere, but I never seem to see them anymore.
Hey there Stephen! And whoa, yeah, Grailquest - I loved those books too. Haven't read Drac's Castle yet, but should. And yeah, with gamebooks, I reckon it's a case of original readers having reached A Certain Age and wanting this stuff again, thereby driving up the prices...
I did do quite a few CYOA books in the 80s but can't remember which. I would love any videos about Fighting Fantasy. I recently managed to purchase half a dozen early ones, some very early editions too and am currently half-way through The Warlock of Firetop Mountain with my son. He loves it, despite it being pretty violent!
That's awesome about getting your son into FF, David! Just to check - did you see my report from the 2019 FF Fest? The link appears onscreen, right at the end of this video.
@@jarnopp 2019 is probably before I started watching your videos so I'll check that out. Thanks!
@@davidbull7210 Ah cool! I reckon that video should keep you entertained with FF content for a bit!
@@jarnopp I realized very quickly I had seen it before, so naturally I watched it a second time. Great stuff.
@@davidbull7210 Hehe, awesome, thank you!
You’ve got the best set to cover right there… Grailquest! I was searching for a TH-cam video covering them to show my son and couldn’t find one - there’s your chance! Maybe with a side of Demonspawn
Aha, yes, I do have a real soft spot for those Grailquest books. Those gorgeous covers will look great on camera! Thanks for the idea. And you haven't been alone! 😊
@@jarnopp Yay! I might actually have a touch to contribute as well; I wrote to JH Brennan a few years ago asking what happened to the series and could probably dig out the mail on request :)
@@goldmundbyrne7075 Ah, cool! Is he quite easy to get hold of? Never thought to look for a website, etc!
Another vote for Grailquest. The innovative mechanics (map, folding a paperboat, etc.) and distinctive humor (was there a recurring character called the poetic rogue?) made those stand out.
@@wanderlking8634 The poetic fiend!
I remember Chimney Rock - specifically the ending you showed about turning into a mouse and only being able to think, "Run, eat, hide." The one I had the most fun with, and I don't know if it was an official Choose Your Own Adventure or a knockoff, but it was Star Trek where the reader is a new ensign interacting with the bridge crew. At one juncture, you need to beam down to a planet, but the transporter is possibly malfunctioning. In an effort to impress the crew, you tell them there's probably nothing to worry about and jump into the beam.
And materialize inside a big boulder. There was even a drawing of a boulder with hair on it on that page. * chef's kiss *
Haha, wow. Now that's an ending! 😊👊😆
One of the best endings in Mystery of Chimney Rock is the one where a ghostly presence tells you to run away from the house and never look back. The fun part is that you can either choose to end the story right there... *or* you can sneak one last look at the house. If you DO look back, the book doesn't even say what happens to you; there's just a long, agonizing scream trailing down the page, cut off at the end by a "THUNK". What the actual hell.
Oh God yeah! I remember that. What a creepy idea. 😳 😊👊
I never did understand that
I would still read more books if they were organized like this
Just started watching. I know for a FACT that Chimney Rock is the winner, and if he doesn't admit it, I am never watching any of his videos ever again. That book creeped me SMOOTH the f*** OUT as a kid.
EDIT: Fail @ 4:39. I'm out.
😂 Sorry, Milo! Very funny comment. Thank you.
The only Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a kid were the Doctor Who Decide Your Destiny ones from 2007 to 2010, they were pretty good from what I remember.
From the sounds of it, The Horror of High Ridge is the scariest for me.
Hey there! Ah yes, I do have some Doctor Who gamebooks, and they'd be fun for this channel!
@@jarnopp There were a good idea. It kind of makes me think that a Doctor Who videogame in that style could work as "branching narrative" games have become quite popular now with the likes of Until Dawn, The Wolf Among Us and Detroit Become Human.
A Doctor Who game in that style would be brilliant as you could have a lot of fun with the timey-wimey-ness of it and really play around with the different ways you could get out of sticky situations and feel the impact of losing the characters that you are supposed to keep alive to the end of the story mode.
Maybe in one of the many endings have the Doctor regenerate, that'd be amazing!
@@Benji568 Sounds good to me, sir! :)
I had some of these which I would read with my son, he loved them.
@@marcpaters0n Hey there Marc! The Doctor Who gamebooks? Nice!
Great video. I just read the Horror of High Ridge...wow...much more full on than the Mystery of Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock was more implied violence, while Horror Ridge is more explicit. Like the EC Horror Comics of the 50s, I'm amazed it got published....but would have loved it as a kid
Would love to see a deep dive into Falcon, as I only ever owned two of them, and never found any others in the wild.
I also have a lot of love for the silly Grail Quest and the myth-infused Cretan Chronicles.
Great, cheers Simon, noted. Can't promise a deep dive, but I can certainly promise me mooning over the covers and blurb. :D
The Citadel of Chaos - one of the Fighting Fantasy books I think? The cover alone freaked me out. There was also a CYOA book with a load of torture in it if I remember right, you were a spy, and you'd get caught in water torture traps, bamboo under the fingernails etc.
Citadel was the first FF book I encountered- loved that thing! I don't remember the torture tome, though - you may have persevered farther into the FF range than I did! 😊
@@jarnopp the citadel of chaos is my favourite FFGB. the ape-dog and dog-ape guards are outstanding. still have all my childhood books. would love to see more book videos jason. your channel is fantastic.
don't know which is scarier, but I definitely remember Horror Of High Ridge being harder. For whatever reason, that one stumped me worse than just about any other CYOA book. Lots of ways to lose/die and I think I ran into all of them.
Oh yes indeed, we all died 1,000,000 times!
Have you ever read "Invasion of the Black Slime"? As a kid, I found that one very scary.
Shockingly, I haven't heard of that one! Sounds cool :)
I’m a bit of a gamebook / interactive fiction geek and my collection of 80s books of this type is probably similar to yours in terms of size and variety. My favourite was Fighting Fantasy, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year. They were a little more complicated than the CYOA books as they had a game mechanic (dice and an adventure sheet record). A look at this series in the future (in time for the anniversary?) would be great.
Wonderful stuff, Mr Fisher! I don't know if you saw my 2019 video from the Fighting Fantasy Fest event? If not, there's an onscreen link at the end of this video!
I did indeed see that video, great stuff.
@@Jason_Fisher Ah, good!
My friends and I checked out MOCR from our elementary school library constantly as kids! We knew all the possible paths front to back, but what intrigued us was the lore. As with so many CYOA books, MOCR had so much ambiguity and so many contradictions, depending on the path you took. It never explained anything fully. It was surrealistic in a way. I think it was a huge influence on my literature tastes today, where I prefer ambiguous, supernatural horror writers like Thomas Ligotti, Jon Padgett, Brian Evenson, and others.
Like you I grew up with these books. Always loved reading and re-reading them.
Would live to see you explore both the Lone Wolf and Steve Jackson's books. 👍
Awesome, Nate - thanks! And noted.
Having been a kid back then, we all loved mystery of chimney rock, which imo remains one of the most beloved and iconic entries in the series. High ridge doesn't come close.
Chimney Rock is a stunner! 😊👊
I must try and track some of these down again on ebay! I played Sorcery and Fighting Fantasy books too. Oh what an era that was!
Hell yes. God, I love those Sorcery books. Will make a video on them, regardless of whether anyone asks. :D
Both books were awesome! Also Vampire Express was a great horror entry in the series.
Ah yes, good call! Such a fun series, eh?
@@jarnopp Yeah. One of the first ones I got.
I was hooked on these as a kid but goodness are they not child friendly. I mean, looking back, they were pretty tame, but to a 3rd grader, they were terrifying. Add in the factor that all these horrible things are supposedly happening to YOU and yeah, I think I've still got mental scars from these books as a middle aged adult.
BTW: I still own my childhood copy of Horror on High Ridge. I'm now working on collecting the rest of the series.
Hi Shanie! All of this is pretty true. Good point that it often seemed more scary because it was happening to the reader!
I loved CYOA books as a kid, but had to not talk to my friends about it because they would make fun of me.
Ghost Hunter was my favorite, but there was another one I forget the name of. It was one of the thicker books with a blue cover instead of white. All I remember about it was it takes place on Jupiter I think.
Hey there! I'm sorry to hear your friends made fun of you, just for liking incredibly cool books. 👊
I never read The Horror of High Ridge, but I loved The Mystery of Chimney Rock!
Cool! And you're in for a treat with High Ridge :)
My fav Choose Your Own Adventure for sure. Loved it as a kid!
Awesome! But which book? :-)
@@jarnopp Sorry... that would help wouldn't it? lol... Horror of Highridge for sure!!!!
I read this back in the 80's on a vacation with my family in Mexico when I was like 7 or 8. It was a bit horrific for me + I was coming down with Bronchitis and was running a high fever so I had some pretty vivid nightmares about this book. Good times man.
Oh wow, Ricardo, I can only imagine what those dreams must have been like. Are you talking about Horror Of High Ridge in particular?
@@jarnopp Yeah it was Horror of High Ridge. I can still recall waking out of my nightmares at different intervals of tine to receive medicine. Sweaty, scared and relieved it was over...but as soon as I went back to sleep it just continued where it left off.
there is a CYOA (style?) book that i used to have where "the Ghouls make lampshades from your bones" .. i would love to find the title and get that book again .. I cant remember the name of it ..
Wow! That does sound pretty scary 😨 😆👊
I read the first book in my childhood, the Cave of Time and that had some pretty horrible endings too for children, like getting eaten by a Loch Ness monster, Smilodon or a Tyrannosaurus, choking to Death on a primordial earth that had no oxygen, getting yourself hanged in the middle ages, becoming a slave in ancient China and forced to build the Great Wall, or freezing to death on Earth billions of years in the future, where the sun had already died and was a white dwarf. One of the scariest ones was ending on some unknown point of future on a field, where you begin to hear some strange noises near you and when the sun rises up, everywhere around you are these monstrous insect-like creatures the size of sheeps(don't know if they were aliens or future animal mutations) that probably eat you. All this just reinforced the feeling that random time travelling would not be fun.
God, I'd forgotten about all of that, ha! 😆😆👊
HoHR was my first game book when I was about 7 or 8 and I LOVED it. I got really excited when I found a Copy in a charity shop for my kids. I still think its the best one
What a crazy book, eh? In a good and scary way. 🎃
I vaguely remember getting copies of Horror of Ridge and Mountain Survival free with Weetabix!
Ha, wow, how cool! Thanks for this memory, Paul. So it wasn't only Doctor Who stuff that came with Weetabix. 🤔😆
@@jarnopp Oh, yeah - remember that too! Also seem to recall forcing down shreddies to collect tokens for a Star Wars promo....
@@paulparsons7734 Haha, those cereal promos used to be so cool. Remember that Young Ones moment when Mike tipped all the promo stuff out of the cereal box? Or maybe it wasn't Mike. 🤔🤔😆
I downloaded a couple of apps from the play store which are basically just gamebooks you play on the tablet but it's just not the same as the paperbacks. I would love to see a series of videos about the history of fighting fantasy books and in depth reviews about a couple of titles 😃
Cheers Ryan! And now I'm curious - is your surname actually Tablet, or is that more of a nickname, derived from your love of computer tablets? 🤔😃
@@jarnopp haha no definitely not my name! when I bought my tablet and was setting it up it asked for a username so I thought well it's Ryan's tablet so why not go for that and keep things simple.I kept meaning to change it but never got round to it 🤣
The only ones I owned were Fighting Fantasy books but I remember the the Lone Wolf and several others that friends had.
Fighting Fantasy was the main fantasy gamebook range for sure. Lone Wolf books were doozies too!
The Mystery of Chimney Rock was so good. I might get it and re-read it lol
I hope gamebooks make a comeback. They're brilliant! Thanks for the video. I haven't read those two yet.
I agree, they are. And you're very welcome! 😊
Dude I remember one about spider ants and that one was so scary as a child to me.
Oh yeah. Was that one called Prisoner Of The Ant People? 🐜 🤔
I'd really like some more videos on the fighting fantasy and Steve Jackson books
Great to know, thanks Ryan!
Yeah, the problem with fear is that it's ever-evolving. Nowadays, it is indeed quite difficult to get a real scare out of someone, especially given the internet; I think analog horror is where it's at these days but I think the only ones who truly get good, strong scares from books these days are true avid bibliophiles.
Interesting points, FN! 😊👊
I had totally forgotten about The Lone Wolf series, which is weird because I bought a lot of those (alongside the Steve Livingstone ones). I got a real Proustian rush when I saw that cover.
Brilliant stuff, Tony. This channel is ALL about the Proustian rush!
The Mystery of Chimney Rock was scary as hell! Wish I had a copy of the other one. Maybe I'll find it on ebay
Glad to meet others who remember the evil magic of these books!
I love CYOA books, and I’m thinking if someone can make a video of something like “top 10 worstendingsin R.L Stine’s CYOA books” or something like that. For me, the worst ending in all of the CYOA books I’ve read has got to be eaten alive by ants in Temple Run:Doom Lagoon
Nice idea, Jana! And you're right - being eaten by Ants would be no fun at all. For one thing, they have such tiny mouths 👀
Chimney Rock gets my vote, but I think House of Danger was very scary for me too.
Ah yes, I seem to remember that one having its moments too! :)
I’d like a video of each series please
Thanks, noted! And I think I might like that too. :)
I do, know that the mystery of chimney rock is pretty scary but, I have never read the horror of high ridge so can you do a choose your own adventure story time so that I can really know?
Chimney Rock! Loved that one and Your Code Name Is Jonah
Love 'em! :)
Hey folks.Looking for some help if you don't mind. Looking for a gamebook I checked out one time at a public library back in the 80's. It was like a Choose Your Own Adventure style tho, so it may be more like that than an actual gamebook (But it definitely wasn't an actual choose your own adventure book).Anyway, all I can remember is there was a part where you flew a little spaceship, but you were flying it in big caves, and there was a part where a guy in the story turned into a rat-man kind of like a werewolf. Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated as I have looked everywhere I could think of. Thanks in advance.
Thanks Brent! Hmm, this rings no immediate bells with me. Can anyone else help? 🤔🤔
Just saw a Chimney Rock at a used book store yesterday, NM condition probably for $15.00. I already have one and am a little broke, or I would have bought it.
Great to still see these beauties out in the wild!
Choose your own adventure books were awesome...I had tons of these...had Chimney rock...didn't have the other...🤔
Hey there Mark - glad this video connected with you! Do you not still have the books?
@@jarnopp sadly no, they were damaged in a house fire many years ago...🤷♂️ I have purchased a few for nostalgia sake...😁
@@marksmadhousemetaphysicalm2938 Damn, sorry about the fire. Glad you've picked up some new ones, though! They're not too expensive these days, right?
@@jarnopp as long as they're not the ones out of print...😁
Wasn't that first drawing you held up Jason Arnopp?
Famous at last!
I still remember Sorcery! It was good until the 4th and last book which was boring. I never got a chance to finish the Lone Wolf and I think the best one was simply the first one.The way of the tiger was fun too but got a bit repetitive like Lone Wolf
Glad you remember the amazing sorcery! I seem to remember cheating Crown Of Kings in order to finish it. Ulp.
Weren't there decision books where you are a coach of a football or baseball team?
Hey there Danny! Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised. 😀 Can't remember those myself, though!
Those books look pretty fun
They sure are, JT!
They were scary and when I was a kid I avoided reading both. But the Chimney Rock was horrible..
it looks like you have some trixie belden books in your collection. how about the three investigators series?
Hi there Kathy! Sorry for the delay - when I first saw your comment, I made a note to check my shelves for Trixie books! Then failed to do so. 😩😊 Did Trixie write the Famous Five investigation books?
@@jarnopp hi jason sorry for the late response. i made a mistake. there were some yellow spines in your collection which resemble the trixie belden series. to answer your question, no, trixie belden was a seperate series about a teen girl who investigated mysteries along with her friend. a must read is THE SECRET OF THE MANSION. i rate it up there with any other book of the genre. we seem to have similar interests. dr who, heavy metal, mystery books. i was born in 1973 so i assume we're of similar age.
@Kathy Garry No worries, Kathy! And that's a good title, Secret Of The Mansion. Glad to hear you're finding things to enjoy on this channel! Here's my metal-specific channel, by the way, in case you find it of interest too: bit.ly/PossessedByMetal
@@jarnopp Hi Jason ... just saw your Exodus video. i saw them at the London Astoria 1988 on the Pleasures Of The Flesh tour. met a few of the guys prior to the show. were you there?
@Kathy Garry Sadly no, but I would have loved to have seen them on that tour! 😢
Goosebumps Choose Your Own Adventure books.
CYOA and Fighting Fantasy were good.
But personally, I was about the 'Interplanetary Spy' series.
Hey there Andy! Oh, you are talking my language. Those books are definitely ripe for a video on this channel - especially as they're so visual! Awesome books, weren't they. Which is your fave?
@@jarnopp 'Robot World'. It was harsh as fuck. You had to pick a robot exoskeleton early on, and the margin for picking the wrong one was about 2mm visually and based on one of those perspective illusions. Ergo, I was upset and hating myself about 8 minutes after starting in on it on my Nan's living room floor in Cheshunt in about 1986.
@@CUPUK61 haha! I love this tale. And yeah, some of the puzzles were unforgiving
I’m watching this on the first Friday the 13th of 2023 lol.
I loved the originals even as a 90’s kid, and Nintendo dived into the craze a bit too.
Horror of High Ridge 😨😳😮😱
Fantastic really
Yea I think the books like horror are too descriptive... later books are so morbid... like one as a space cop.. where you get diseases tested on you ... brrrr or another being fed to sharks ugh!!!
Hehe, yes, some of the outcomes are certainly borderline for younger kids!
What a trip :)
They both scared the 💩 out of me
Hehe! Join the club. :)
💃