Item - Conquest of the Time Master

Time travel books have a lot of potential because of the almost limitless number of things that can happen, and this book remains one of my favorites out of the series. The variety of different eras are what make the book fun to read, although the final battle in the Wizard's path involves some strategy rather than luck, which was a nice touch and should've happened more often.

More reviews by Fireguard

Bought this lovely at a thrift store and my first journey through, I discovered that the book is broken! No spoilers: At one point you end up on page 74, which tells you to turn to page 77; and on page 77, you are directed to turn to page 74. There are no choices, just an endless loop. That Time Master really does mess with you!

More reviews by gebuzuki

An imaginative story, and a very well designed gamebook.

O.K., so even though the whole concept of the "time master" is a little hokey, this is more than made up for by the fact that this book is so fun to play. The Wizards, Warriors & You series (18 books in all) was written by several different authors, and in my view, the titles written by Lynn Beach (books 5 and 15, along with this one), are some of best in the series).

It's a pity Ms. Beach didn't write more gamebooks, because she really understands how to make the most of whatever limitations the format places on an author. To boot- in this book, there are multiple pathways for both the Wizard and the Warrior, (a couple that double back to an earlier part of the story). A trick perhaps, but the effect is that this book feels much broader than it actually is. In addition, the game is challenging, but never feels unfair. The coin flipping and other random elements are limited, and at any rate none of them are on a mandatory path.

The story can feel a little disjointed, as it's basically a series of unconnected adventures that the Wizard and Warrior have in different times until they eventually find the princess (in fact, the book is a sort of analogue to Choose Your Own Adventure #1, The Cave of Time, right down the actual cave!); however, because the choices of where to go are presented in such a delightfully ambiguous way, this book makes for better reading than that one.

The story overall is well-written. In a subtle but nice touch, the author does a good job of describing the impressions and reactions that a pair of time travelers from the middle ages might have when experiencing things and people from the distant past or the far future.

All in all, one of the best books in the series. 9/10.

More reviews by pericles23