Item - The Forgotten Planet

This book is one that I have owned for a while, but never really read until now. I know that I bought it because of the futuristic, science fiction-like theme, and even though I usually prefer CYOA books by Edward Packard (like The Perfect Planet), this particular book by Doug Wilhelm was actually pretty good, and the illustrations by Ron Wing were very well-done.

Like I said, this book takes place in the future (2145) and your home planet, Casgar, is a member of the Galaxy Union. You're a summer intern for Interweb, "the galaxywide communications network." You are shocked to discover evidence of what may be a government conspiracy to cover up a space probe's discovery of intelligent life on the planet Minos. Now, the data you recover denies that the probe ever existed.

You later learn that energy transmissions from Minos, also called "seizures," have been disabling key Interweb systems, such as those for spacecraft guidance, and there have many accidents. If a seizure was powerful enough, Interweb could collapse, and the entire Galaxy Union would be totally vulnerable to attack!

The book progresses as you and your uncle Jardon, a historian, and Murphy, an agent with Galaxy Union Intelligence, work on a plan to use Quantum energy particles to create a hologram of yourself that you will transport to Minos. Then you can find out who is behind the deadly transmissions, and stop them.

Incidentally, the name "Minos" has been used for two different episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The first Minos is from an episode where the native population has been totally wiped out by their own advanced weapons technology. The second is Minos Korva, and is near the border of the Cardassian Union, home to the Cardassians, a race native to the Alpha Quadrant, which shares territory with the United Federation Of Planets.

Anyway, I liked this book, now that I have finally actually read it. If you like Sci-Fi CYOA titles, you will probably like this book, too!

More reviews by drereichdude

The Forgotten Planet is really pretty good. The story is established well, your motivation is clear, the mystery is clear, and your objectives are clear. You get a teleportation device (which is never called one) which allows for some fun, as well as allows the story to jump locations without needing an explanation.

The biggest weakness the book has is that it isn't longer. For a satisfying story, it needed more fleshing out. We never get a clear sense of why the villain wants to defeat the rest of the galaxy.

Still, a hidden gem in the run.

More reviews by Jordashebasics

I'd heard a few things about The Forgotten Planet before cracking the binding for the first time. The impression I had is that serious gamebook readers consider it a subpar Choose Your Own Adventure, but I was curious what my own take would be. You are a computer intern at Interweb Central on the planet Casgar of the Sirian solar system. In the year 2145 it's normal to live and work well beyond Earth within the Galaxy Union government system, but interplanetary peace hits a snag when reporter Jack Herbert of the Earth News Service reaches out to you for help. Herbert has hit a cyber-blockade around all information regarding a probe launched forty years ago to investigate the planet Minos. The situation has the earmarks of a government coverup. You could search the Interweb for info yourself and risk the wrath of the Galaxy Union, but would it be wiser to consult your uncle Jardon, a historian with a personal connection to the Minos Probe?

Jardon's reaction to your inquiry is a giveaway that something's not right. He introduces you to Murphy, a Galaxy Union Intelligence officer with his finger on the pulse of the Minos problem. Murphy says there were three Minos Probes sent to the planet. None ever came back, and recent energy signals emitted from that sector are purposely jamming the Interweb. Murphy and Jardon propose physically projecting you to the surface of Minos to diagnose the issue. If you project into the mountains, you fall in with a group of human rebels from the original Minos Probe, fighting an entity called the Power. These humans are no match on their own for the Power, but you might help them destroy the microwave transceptors the Power has weaponized against the Interweb. If you join the rebels you might meet your great-aunt Julia, a prisoner here as a crew member from the Minos Probe. Are you or Julia prepared to sacrifice your life to beat the Power? If you projected into the city rather than the mountains you meet a younger boy named 2-4 who wants to assist your mission. The fate of the Sirian solar system and beyond is on your shoulders; can you rescue 2-4 without jeopardizing the plot to stop the Power?

Given the pervasive coverup by the Galaxy Union about the Minos Probe's history, it's understandable if you opt never to include Uncle Jardon in your investigation after receiving Jack Herbert's original complaint. Examining the Interweb yourself produces the same dead ends Herbert spoke of; the stonewalling is insidious. Just as you're executing a clever end-around, your supervisor pops up onscreen to say your internship has been terminated for reasons she isn't privy to. The Galaxy Union is definitely hiding something. Arranging a meeting with Jardon at this point loops around to your being commissioned by Murphy, but traveling to Earth to interview Jack Herbert in person doesn't go far before your life and project abruptly end. Getting on the Galaxy Union's bad side has disturbing consequences; your best bet for discovering the truth about the Minos Probe is to sync up with Murphy and make your involvement official.

The Forgotten Planet isn't a good book. The concept is fine—in fact, could have yielded a brilliant story—but its execution is awful in more ways than I'm likely to recall for this review. More than once, specific plot points shift without explanation; for instance, why are you shocked when Uncle Jardon admits the Minos Probe existed? In the early pages you and Jack Herbert treat it as common knowledge. The Galaxy Union's coverup of everything related to the probe makes no pragmatic sense, and their censorship enforcement tactics reveal they are at least as evil as the Power. Why should the reader care, then, if we prevent the Power from attacking? We should worry first about overthrowing the authoritarian Galaxy Union. The book's biggest flaw is how many endings take you through a single mild escapade and then end the story before you ever really battle the Power; things draws to a close before the adventure can start in earnest. The highlight of The Forgotten Planet is 2-4, a human child forced into factory labor on Minos. He truly cares about helping you, and his backbone is inspiring. This book doesn't have much to praise, but 2-4 and his evergreen spirit is a bright spot that will have me coming back.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74