Item - Runesword!

This book is both better and worse than its predecessor. Its use of romance is much more restrained and subtle than the last book's, but at the same time it's also less believable because the reader's potential romantic interest is (to me at least) a really irritating character. As in the last book, the fantasy elements on display are fairly generic in nature (except perhaps for some unusual dragon flies and the unfortunately-named Mud Goons). As before, though, this doesn't prevent the adventure from being satisfying -- although I wasn't surprised by anything that happened, I still managed to enjoy the trip. I have only a few other minor complaints. First of all, some of the writing is a bit awkward; there are some word and punctuation choices that bothered me a bit. Secondly, the pacing and continuity aren't always right -- at one point, I ran into the dwarf king and couldn't help feeling that I'd missed something, even though I really hadn't. At another point, I was asked if I wanted to use one of the old man's gifts when I hadn't actually run into the old man on that adventure. I also wasn't too pleased by the inclusion of a space-wasting "give up and don't have an adventure" choice. Finally, the challenge level is fairly low; I reached an optimal ending on the first try without feeling too stressed out by any of the choices along the way. It turns out that this is because there are a lot of successful paths through the book. Since I always find it harder to motivate myself to replay a gamebook after a successful ending than after a failure, I would probably have missed out on a lot of the interesting events of the book if I had not been motivated to read it thoroughly for reviewing purposes. Ultimately, this book won't challenge your decision-making skills too much, nor will it change the way you think about fantasy... but it's not a bad way to kill an hour or two, or even more if your motivation to replay is stronger than mine.

More reviews by Demian

This series has become my substitute for the Endless Quest series, as it feels really similar in style and substance. In this book you play a shepherd with the unlikely name of Kevin, who accidentally discovers the entrance to the Dwarf King's cavern. Along the way, you can meet monsters, an evil Baron, a very headstrong sarcastic princess and even the dwarf King, who had the most potential to be interesting.

Overall, it's decent, but with the usual "Give up and go home" type of choices which really show unoriginality on the part of the author. And there appear to be a few continuity errors, but it's overall a fun romp. The only thing that annoyed me was the main character in a fantasy world having the very 1980s name "Kevin." It pulls you out of the fantasy world. (And this coming from a guy named Kvetoslav). I half expected Kevin's friends "Brad" and "Troy" to invite him over to play some Atari.

More reviews by Kveto

[Rating: 4/10]
[Recommended? NO]

Rhondi Vilott's Dragontales gamebooks are a pleasantly refreshing exploration of the limitless potential of the epic fantasy genre, providing within each title an adventurous sort of excursion into danger with a bit of romance on the side. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the same approach returns in "Runesword!", what with its fairly lengthy quest of a familiar nature and the way readers are intended to play through it. Distinctively different enough in tone yet reminiscent of both the HeartQuest and Endless Quest series in more ways than I predicted, this is a moderately paced story with a commendably well-conceived setting and cast of characters (for the most part), and while the narrative and set-up are admittedly on the predictable side of things, the eloquently fashioned tone is quite readable. It's a seamless experience overall, but I couldn't help finding myself strangely dissatisfied by the end of it; perhaps I was hoping for something a little more ambitious or innovative, since I thoroughly enjoyed reading good portions of the book and found it ended before it made much use of what the experience had going for it. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily - but it made me more analytical upon my next few re-reading exercises, to which I came to the conclusion that, alas, some paths are more satisfying than others, and that the intuitive incompleteness was owing to the fact that not every path was... well, completely written.

This title is recommended to a precisely particular extent: a majority of fantasy readers and gamebook lovers alike will relish in the refreshing feel and thoughtfully designed adventure offered here. But a few warnings are to be had (which keep me from recommending this title wholly) - not all copies are created equal! Original printing editions feature proper passage pointing, well-formatted pages and some absolutely stunning cover artwork by the brilliant Tom Hallman... while reprintings and reissues are cheap, shallow, incorrectly embedded and outright ugly to look at, if not unreadable and inaccessible (numerous errors, omissions and problems with the writing itself). Furthermore, don't be surprised if the entirety of the book is not as good as the best parts (ex. alternative routes)... but don't be afraid to give this one a shot if this sounds up your alley! ^^

(Mysteriously disappears into the shadows.)

More reviews by Shadeheart