Item - Deadwood City

This western adventure is a fast and entertaining read.

More reviews by Demian

I really like this book, as it's one that I read many years ago. Not as a kid in school, but as an 18-year-old on my first job. I had been paid, and I went to my local used bookstore and bought a whole bag of used CYOAs, and this is the one that I enjoyed the best.

I have to disagree with Stockton's opinion that the character in the book that you are portraying is female. I mean, there are never any actual and definite indications as to the gender of your character, but as the illustrations show, even young males can have long hair. I mean, I have never really looked closer to see if there are any "female attributes" of the character that you, the reader, play in this book. But even is Stockton is correct, that Edward Packard originally meant to have the character in this book be a girl, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that. I just think that the long-haired youth that the reader plays is maybe around 18 or 19 years old, and definitely male!

Other than that, this book is really quite enjoyable, as you can do many things in a town in the Old West. You can play poker, you can write and publish a newspaper, you can ride shotgun for a gold or mail shipment, and you have the option of working at numerous cattle or sheep ranches. Along one story path you can make friends with various Indian tribes. There is also the storyline of going into gold mining. And then there is the "king of the outlaws" to watch out for, Kurt Malloy. You can join his band and get arrested, or join a townspeople's posse and bring him and his gang to justice!

So, this being one of the first books in the original CYOA series, it is one of Packard's greats. I recommend it!

More reviews by drereichdude

As with the majority of Edward Packard's books, this title does not disappoint. From what I understand, this is technically the first Choose Your Own Adventure book, having been originally published in 1978 by a different publisher and released as the 8th title under Bantam Books a couple of years later. This alone makes this an intriguing book, as it is always great to read the books that serve as the foundation to a series, whether it be with gamebooks or that of another series.

The stories in this one are, for the most part, enjoyable. As we see in many of Packard's books and in this book, certain sections and threads cleverly loop into one another, making the experience(s) longer or shorter depending on the path taken. The consistency is great and the text is well-written -- another trademark of Packard. Though the overall experience may not be as memorable as some of his later works would be, this book is a fine example of what gamebooks can do and what kind of experiences they can provide in terms of decision making and choices.

More reviews by Enigmatic Synergy

What a unique little entry in the series.

While I'm not much of a fan of westerns, which kept me from checking this out for a lot longer than it should've, I found this to be a pretty interesting interactive book. It's more about exploring the things to be done in a wild west town meaning you have a lot of different options instead of one singular goal that all the space is developed to pursuing.

There's definitely a villain to defeat should that be what strikes your fancy, the demonic-looking gent with the unfortunate dental problems on the cover, but you can also look for work on a ranch, join a poker game at the saloon, make friends with the indigenous peoples, start a newspaper, become a guard on a stagecoach route, etc. It's fun seeing what all there is to do in the book, and it's kind of a shame that as the series went on it slipped farther and farther away from this approach and having a single centralized goal all the time. Part of the fun of rereading interactive books is to see all the possibilities, after all, and there's more incentive to do that when you aren't forced to accomplish the same thing every time.

More reviews by Fireguard

Best Wild West book in the series! Whether you're looking for work, or just love Wild West books, it's one to read. The hundreds of choices really build it.

Even though there's lots of Wild West flavor and random events, Packard ties them together beautifully, like he always does. I love all you can do: Play cards or battle Kurt Malloy! Or you can work at a ranch, or even work on a newspaper!

Other than Paul choosing to draw a girl, I wonder also why on the back, the book reads, "You might end up looking down the barrel of Malloy's gun!" since he NEVER kills you.

Great book! I highly suggest this! 10/10!

More reviews by Good

Several Westerns pop up in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, but none with the atmosphere or insight of Deadwood City. You are a vagabond in the Old West, clopping along on horseback near the Rocky Mountains, when you come upon Deadwood City. It's a small town, but you need a place to settle down and make something of yourself. The people in the streets seem nervous; trouble of some sort is brewing. Will you ask questions at the saloon, check in at the hotel, or see if the sheriff can apprise you of the situation?

According to the hotel desk clerk, the outlaw Kurt Malloy is why everyone is on edge. Malloy and his gang plan to take over Deadwood City. Hightailing it out of here doesn't seem a bad idea, but if you stay at the hotel you have options to avoid gunplay and look for a job. You might hire on with Jim Putney of the Sunrise Ranch. As a cowhand, you'll be on the front lines of a range war with sheep ranchers, but stick to your guns and you can prosper in the cattle business. Just don't count on efficient government protection. You could also head to Eagle Ranch for employment, but there too you deal with prickly sheep ranchers. Other job prospects crop up; you could work at the T-Bar Ranch, or join a citizens' posse to arrest Kurt Malloy. The posse is dangerous work and only temporary, but could you remove the most serious threat to Deadwood City?

The saloon is a lively watering hole, but today customers are worried because of Kurt Malloy. You may find yourself in a card game to determine who has to challenge Malloy to a gunfight. If you don't wish to risk that, you catch on with Jake and Lefty, a pair of gold prospectors setting out in search of riches. The job is dull, but what if you strike gold? Will the three of you split it as agreed, or do shots have to be fired to get your fair portion? Abandon the search for gold and you might be enlisted by a Navaho village to teach English, or you could wander town to town in pursuit of the perfect job you believe is out there. What is required to calm the heart of a restless cowboy? If you stayed in the saloon and played cards, you might lose the ultimate hand and have to battle Malloy; he's a nasty fiend, and antagonizing him gets you shot in the leg. Avoid violence, and Malloy presses you to join his gang. You can walk away, accept the invitation with intent to betray him, or actually join, but a life of crime is risky. Ride too long with Malloy and you wind up staring at the inside of a jail cell. If you won your card game and never faced Malloy, you could win a good amount of money, but be wise and use it to fund career opportunities you never would have had.

Talk to the sheriff as soon as you arrive in Deadwood City and you might land a job as editor of your own newspaper, the Deadwood Dispatch. Being fair-minded in reporting on the range wars between cattle and sheep ranchers puts you under heavy political pressure, but in America, freedom of the press is everything; standing up for it is as marvelous a legacy as any. You could ride shotgun for the Deadwood City stagecoach instead, guarding shipments of gold or U.S. mail against bandits. Protecting gold is the deadlier endeavor, but you have the wits to outsmart gun-toting thieves. A less stressful option is to be a cowhand at Red Creek Ranch for Mr. Griswold. Watch out for Larson, a coworker who has it in for you. When he levies a direct threat and follows it up with a snake in your bunk, you have to confront him. Convincing Mr. Griswold to side with you takes effort, but Larson is a menace. If you move on from working for Mr. Griswold, you may be captured by Indians who want you to negotiate a peace treaty with the white men. Can you prevent further bloodshed in the Wild West?

Deadwood City offers tense moments near the start, where a run-in with scary Kurt Malloy could materialize on any page, but gunslinger encounters are a small part of the book. You can steer completely clear of Malloy and immerse yourself in ranching, running the newspaper, or another career. Deadwood City emphasizes that taking an ill-advised turn isn't the end of the world; the river of opportunity flows as long as you're alive, always with another current to catch. There's a purpose waiting to be claimed that will leave you fulfilled and grateful you didn't let setbacks sideline you permanently. Whether you live in the Old West or the modern day, the future is a stubborn colt ready for you to hop on and tame.

I'm not sure I'd rate Deadwood City equal with the best four or five Choose Your Own Adventure—its action can be dry, and some endings lack detail and color—but it isn't any more than a small step behind. The story's affirming message reminds me of The Cave of Time, another favorite by Edward Packard. Some of the most memorable illustrations of Paul Granger's career are in Deadwood City, such as his renderings of Kurt Malloy and Larson. I'm curious if the Red Creek Ranch you work at is the same one your uncle Howard operates a century later in The Cave of Time; that would be a fun Easter egg. I've always loved Deadwood City, and if you're looking for a gamebook with lots of decisions, none are likely to beat this one.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74

This book is one of my least favourites mainly because there isn't a story about the character. It starts when you enter the town. There is no information about the character. Outlaw Gulch was a way better Western book than this one.

More reviews by Mr ?

Although the Wild West isn't really one of my favourite subjects, this isn't a bad book. Just about everything that can happen in the Wild West does. Two points going against it are the lack of a precise goal, and that it's a little more childish than other CYOA books (no one, for example, seems to notice that your character is a girl – something that would have been very out of place in the real Wild West). Apart from that, it's decidedly above average and covers a lot of ground without being weird or excessively random.

More reviews by Stockton