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Item - The Crown of Kings

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(Original (American, first printing))
(Original (American, first printing))
(Original (American, first printing))
(Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing)
(Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing)
(Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing)
(Original (American, third printing))
(Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number front), UK 9th printing)
(Original (Dragon, White text, Number front))
(Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W))
(Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W))
(Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays))
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Combined Summary

Series: Fighting Fantasy (2002-2007, Wizard Books Series 1) — no. 15
Fighting Fantasy (2017-, Scholastic) — no. 19
Sorcery! — no. 4
Contained In: Sorcery! Box Set (Collection)
Translated Into: A Coroa dos Reis (Portuguese)
La corona de los reyes (Spanish)
La corona de los reyes (Spanish)
La corona dei re (Italian)
La Couronne des rois (French)
Királyok koronája (Hungarian)
Kongernes krone (Danish)
Koruna králů (Czech)
Kralskata korona [Кралската корона] (Bulgarian)
Die Krone der Könige (German)
Die Krone der Könige (German)
KTR HMLKIM [כתר המלכים] (Hebrew)
Ou-tachi no kanmuri [王たちの冠] (Japanese)
Adapted Into: Crown of Kings: A Campaign for Advanced Fighting Fantasy (Role-Playing Material)
Sorcery! 4 (Digital Gamebook)
Author: Jackson, Steve (United Kingdom)
Illustrators: Blanche, John (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W); Original (Dragon, White text, Number front); Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number front), UK 9th printing; Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing; Original (American, first printing); Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W); Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays); Original (American, third printing))
Grant, Melvyn (Mel) (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W) - cover; Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W) - cover; Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays) - cover)
Dates: 1985 (Original (American, first printing))
1985 (Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing)
1987 (Original (American, third printing))
2003 (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W))
2003 (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays))
September 4, 2003 (Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W))
April 7, 2022 (Fighting Fantasy (2017-, Scholastic) edition)
ISBNs: 0140072098 / 9780140072099 (Original (American, first printing), Original (American, third printing))
0140318100 / 9780140318104 (Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number front), UK 9th printing, Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing)
0702314293 / 9780702314292 (Fighting Fantasy (2017-, Scholastic) edition)
1840464380 / 9781840464382 (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W), Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W), Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays))
Length: 800 sections (Original (American, first printing), Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing, Original (American, third printing), Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number front), UK 9th printing, Original (Dragon, White text, Number front), Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W), Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W), Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays))
Special Thanks: Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W):
Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the cover images.
Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W):
Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the back cover/spine/title page verso images.
Yalius's Thoughts:

Ambitious, intricate, and very, very successful, are how I would describe this book. Likely the most difficult gamebook I've read, the sheer length and immersiveness of the plot and gameplay make this a must-read -- assuming you have the patience for the number of tries it will take to make it through. It's possible to make it completely through the book, achieve your objective, then lose because you missed one particular item from the first few sections!

The continuity and consistency, both internally and with the previous books in the series, are also excellent. The variety and detail of the characters you interact with are also high points of the book; a minor detail from the first(!) book in the series can provide a major benefit here, if you remember it -- and to catch it, you have to remember a face in a picture in one of the illustrations (and no, that is not redundant or a typo).

This is really one of the crown jewels of gamebooks; I can't recommend it (and the other books in the series) highly enough. The most important hint I can give is to take the most detailed notes you possibly can, taking extra care to record names, places, events, everything. I don't think you can win without doing so.

More reviews by Yalius

Special Thanks:Thanks to Brett Easterbrook for the previously-used zigzag logo cover scan and to Ben Nelson for the white dragon logo cover scan. Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the remaining images featuring the original cover art.
Users Who Own This Item: aden, Alarion, Alatar001, AlHazred, AndreAntunes, andrewholt, Aniline, B0N0V0X, badboybaggins, BarefootJimmy, Barker1952, bonhomme, bookwormjeff, Braldt, casperthegoth, Citanul, convict7421, Crazyscotsman, CSquared, CWCprime, Cyan, c_wickham, dArtagnan, Darth Rabbitt ("Red Banner" edition), dave2002a, dblizzard72, dbriel, DeKoovenWolf, Demian, demon of the deep lt, Dirk Omnivore, DricoVico, Dronak (1st reissue in Sorcery! Box Set) (original Puffin red banner orange spine), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, edwebb, egokun, Erikwinslow (US), Fido815, firefoxpdm, Florik, Fullerton (diag #), Gallicus (Standard Edition), Gamebook, Gamebook Collector, Gibraltar, gnomeza (Gold Dragon), Graham, greyarea13, Groatsworth, gryff, Haoie, hoops4ever, Ian2405, JamesMulgrue, Janner, jdreller (ZigZag), jeff3333, Joe_TC, JoshW, jr, Jubal, juski (UK first edition), karalynn, katzcollection (4), khaxzan, killagarilla, kinderstef, knginatl (US, reissue) (US, reissue), le maudit, lek, liam0404, MacbthPSW, Malthus Dire, MarcusP, MasterChief, mattender, mir1812, mlvoss, Morthynmir, mrtricks (Orange zigzag cover), mrwalker, Naniyue, Narananas (Dragon numbered front), nelsondesign, nerelax, Nich, nicolau (Spanish Devir ed.), nordik (crown of kings), Oberonbombadil (zigzag), odo_ital, Office Linebacker_, ooklathemokk, Osirian08, outspaced, peterm2, plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, qazplm (reissue), redpiper05, Robert Mammone, Rozo, rpatel1976 (dragon, gold text), ryderark (Spanish Altea Version), Ryuran333, Sabreman, Salpynx, Seizure, Sir Olli, sireeyore (original), skeleton, Smidgeccfc76, snakefire77 (original with red jagged band on top, no isbn number on the book), StagQuests (1st Cover), strawberry_brite, Tamerlane1396, terrysalt, thevagrant, The_Gamebook_Nook, Threepwud, tonk82, Treguard, Tremendez, Trompe-l Oeil (US), twar, Twoflower, umbra682000, Von Scotty, Wardog, wreade, Yalius, zat
Users Who Want This Item: bbanzai, breity (Puffin/Penguin edition if possible) (Puffin/Penguin edition if possible), CSquared, cuenca007, Cyan, domchamon, domj29, exaquint, Gamebook_Pirate (Scholastic), Gurvo, Hugues, Icedlake, iguanaditty (any edition), jeremydouglass, MasterChief, MaxSpender, mrtricks (Original cover only), NEMO, plutonick, punga, truce57, twar, Uraniborg, yermither
Users with Extra Copies: Ian2405 - U.K Edition - 'Red Banner' 1985
MacbthPSW
peterm2
Surcal
Yalius

Known Editions

Original (American, first printing)
Fighting Fantasy (2017-, Scholastic) edition
Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing
Original (American, third printing)
Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number front), UK 9th printing
Original (Dragon, White text, Number front)
Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W)
Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W)
Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (Clays)

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Play Aid

Sorcery! Character Sheet

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