Item - Creatures of the Dark

Some of the mythological creatures that were missed in book 5 are covered here, plus the typical R. G. Austin aliens are present. The most interesting novelty in this book is a series of pages which must be passed by solving math problems. This is an interesting change of pace, but is not unique. Math problems have also been featured in the Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf series.

More reviews by Demian

Creatures of the Dark feels very much like the sequel to Lost in a Strange Land. If you were craving more after finishing that book, this is worth checking out. If you didn't care for that (and vice versa), this isn't something to look for.

More reviews by Fireguard

Creatures of the Dark is a decidedly juvenile fantasy book that runs the gamut of mythical creatures (e.g., dwarfs, pegasus, three-headed fire breathing beings, harpy, griffin, dragon, basilisk, phoenix etc.). While R. G. Austin was at it, for good measure, she also threw in characters from Greek mythology, English folklore, and even aliens, because why not.

I was both unimpressed and unbored with this one. The fundamental premise of this book was picked straight out of Frank Baum's classic, The Wizard of Oz. Just as Dorothy is caught by a tornado in Kansas and carried off to a strange, fantastical world inhabited by otherworldly beings, so too are you caught in a skyward whirlpool and transported to a strange, fantastical world inhabited by otherworldly beings. Before you think that coincidence may account for this one instance of resemblance between the two works, consider also the similarity between the mechanism for Dorothy's return to the Sunflower State and the one and only story branch that allows for your eventual return; just as Dorothy could have done something as unremarkable as tapping her heels three times and reciting "There's no place like home,” so too could you return to the earthly dimension by doing something as unremarkable as simply spinning very rapidly in the manner of the Whirling Dervish.

It should be mentioned that this book is not mediocre because of its unoriginality. Authors, when doing their own riff of someone else’s previous work, can and often do produce works that are far superior to what they are looking back toward. However, R. G. Austin, in the case of Creatures of the Dark, accomplishes no such thing. Notwithstanding, the book deserves credit for presenting a couple of creative ideas. For example, I particularly liked the idea of being able to reach Centrum Terrae (Latin for the center of the earth) through passageways at the floors of one of all but five lakes in the world. Another slightly less interesting idea was the rainbow-pedestrian bridge that could lead one to “a higher land,” a fantastical realm of indescribable, sublime beauty that is itself either inside, or otherwise accessible through, a fantastical realm. However, one cannot expect these ideas to function as premises for anything approximating an engaging story arc. With 35 endings dappled into a 118-page book, it is not feasible for any singular story arc to meaningfully go through the five progressions (i.e., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement) that make for satisfying storytelling.

I was equally unimpressed with Gordon Tomei's artwork. I've started noticing an unmistakable pattern whereby Which Way Books’ art is consistently subpar compared to that of other gamebooks series such as Choose Your Own Adventure or Endless Quest.

In the end one won't suffer getting through this slightly below-average gamebook but at the same time if one's reading goal is merely to not suffer while killing time, one would miss out on much of what life could offer. I recommend giving this one a read if one ends up with it as part of a multi-book lot purchase but not by specifically going out and purchasing this title, unless one is a completist.

Rating: 4.5/10.0

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