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Item - Assassin!

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(Original British edition)
(Original British edition)
(Original British edition)
(British edition with "General $3.95" on cover)
(American edition)
(Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
(Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
(Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
(Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
(Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
(Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)

Combined Summary

Online Full Text: Internet Archive (Original British edition)
Series: The Way of the Tiger — no. 2
Translated Into: Asesino (Spanish)
Assassino! (Italian)
Förgöraren (Swedish)
Les Parchemins de Kettsuin (French)
Authors: Smith, Mark
Thomson, Jamie
Illustrators: Brunet, Sébastien (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Chaussin, Eric (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Gills, Dominique (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Harvey, Bob (Original British edition; British edition with "General $3.95" on cover; American edition)
Nabheebucus, Faiz (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Oozen (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Pfister, Aude (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Rafalli, Lise (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Villeneuve, Mylène (Fabled Lands Publishing reissue; Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Dates: 1985 (Original British edition)
October, 1988 (American edition)
2014 (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
February, 2014 (Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
ISBNs: 0340377887 / 9780340377888 (Original British edition, British edition with "General $3.95" on cover)
0425111016 / 9780425111017 (American edition)
1909905119 / 9781909905115 (Fabled Lands Publishing reissue)
2953944168 / 9782953944167 (Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition)
Publisher: Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition: Megara Entertainment -- France
Length: 420 sections
Special Thanks: Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition:
Thank you to Nicholas Chin for the cover scans.
User Summary: You must return the Sacred Scrolls of Kettsuin to the Island of Tranquil Dreams.
dArtagnan's Thoughts:

The biggest problem with Assassin! is that it doesn't really have much of a plot - you are trying to get home and are constantly inconvenienced by strangers trying to kill you. There's some good segments, particularly the escape from Quench-Heart Keep at the start and a run-in with some troublemakers from Talisman of Death, but it does begin to get a bit tiresome after a while. Even the authors seem to get a bit bored with it as most of the encounters in the second half feel rushed and/or pointless. The battle at the end is quite well designed but it lacks any dramatic punch.

On the plus-side, there are quite a few paths to victory and the writing is tighter than that in Avenger!. The ninja-skills are also better balanced, with all of them having some use. However, this is all off-set by the harsh difficulty of the book. Even on the optimum path, you have to make quite a few lucky rolls and anyone who hasn't brought a few power-ups from Avenger! with them is going to struggle.

So while it is still worth reading for the good writing and setting, Assassin! fails to match the standard set by Avenger!.

More reviews by dArtagnan

Special Thanks:Thanks to dArtagnan for the plot summary, to Ryan Lynch for the original British cover images, and to B. Banzai for the American cover scan.
Users Who Own This Item: aehalpin, Alarion, Alatar001, AlHazred (US), andrewholt, andyr, Aniline, Arcohnz, Ardennes (UK), B0N0V0X, BarefootJimmy (reissue), Belgarath, bigcobra, bookwormjeff (UK & US), Braxus, breity (US edition), brujeria!, cdelacruz, Citanul, Cyan, c_wickham, dArtagnan, Darth Rabbitt, dave2002a, dblizzard72, desdichado66, Dirk Omnivore, domj29, Dronak (reissue), Dtar (UK), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, edwebb, EegahInc, egokun, Erikwinslow (US, UK), firefoxpdm, Fireguard, Gamebook, Gamebook Collector, Gartax, gnomeza, greyarea13, Grifter, Haoie, Himynameistony, Ian2405, iguanaditty, JamesMulgrue, janh, jdreller (US), jeff3333, JimmyClephane, Joe_TC, Jubal, juski (original UK), karalynn, katzcollection, kinderstef, knginatl (UK), le maudit, lek (PDF), Luke, Malthus Dire, marginal_space, marnaudo, mattender, mattward, mlvoss, mvstang, Naniyue, nelsondesign, NEMO (US), nerelax, Nich, Oberonbombadil, Office Linebacker_, Osirian08, outspaced, peterm2, Pirrakas (British), plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, qazplm (UK), Radjabov, redpiper05, Robert Mammone, rpatel1976 (reissue), Sabreman, Seizure, Sheridan77, Sir Olli, sireeyore, skeleton, Smidgeccfc76, spragmatic (US), StagQuests (UK), Tamerlane1396, Treguard, Tremendez, twar, Vampireman (UK), waktool (UK 1st; US 1st), Wardog, xinuz, Yalius, Zolika
Users Who Want This Item: Aryon, Braldt, jeremydouglass, lek, MasterChief, MaxSpender, NEMO (UK), odo_ital, Pessimeister, Samus, skttrbrain
Users with Extra Copies: Sheridan77 - Knight
twar

Known Editions

Original British edition
British edition with "General $3.95" on cover
American edition
Fabled Lands Publishing reissue
Megara Entertainment Collector's Edition

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