Item - Quest for the Unicorn's Horn

This book starts on bad footing with an awkward and embarrassed-sounding introduction, and further hurts itself with fairly dreary rules -- the character creation is particularly stupid, as it says nothing about how to equip a newly-created character (in the example, some magic items are just made up seemingly at random). You're best off using the pre-created adventurer. Things pick up a bit once the actual story starts, but the book is still a mixed bag. It's ultra-linear, in the fashion of many American gamebooks of this complexity level, with the story following almost exactly the same path barring death by a stupid choice or poor dice roll. It doesn't help that the dice-rolling aspect of the game is rather pointless; most rolls require the use of three six-sided dice, and due to the probability curve for this particular dice combination, things tend to be a little too predictable, with combats dragging on endlessly. Pacing in general, not just in combat, is a problem as well; some sections go on far too long, and it's easy for the reader's mind to wander while waiting for the next choice to arrive. Still, it's actually worth paying attention. Despite its many problems, which include stylistically unimpressive writing, the book's main saving grace is its plot -- most of the book is standard fantasy fare, but it does feature a couple of twists which save it from utter pointlessness. Ultimately, if you're looking for lots of interactivity, you should avoid this; if you're looking for a mildly intriguing fantasy quest with a bit of dice rolling, though, this certainly isn't the worst way you could pass your time....

More reviews by Demian

[Rating: 2/10]
[Recommended? NO]

There's something particularly refreshing about epic fantasy when it's been done right. When a work comes along that understands the genre well and is written with a greater purpose from the very beginning, the efforts often pour through and are evident in the finished product. Bill Fawcett's SwordQuest series takes the very best qualities of fantasy gamebooks and allows them to shine, but something imperceptible is missing from "Quest for the Unicorn's Horn"... and that's a real shame, because the potential in this story is remarkable.

The ever-promising, flashy sword-and-sorcery feel of the story's setting is reminiscent of the best works of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Tanith Lee, just as epic glimpses of this otherworldly scope are evoked in the narrative's finer moments. Where this title loses its way is in the mechanical details; the occasionally refreshing use of tone and emotional resonance is never allowed to fully shine because of the way the experience was designed to read. In theory, interactivity should boost the quality of the reader's abilitiy to become immersed in the story, and in practice, the gameplay system should never get in the way. I was disappointed that "Quest for the Unicorn's Horn" never overcame its unbalanced combat system, inconsistent production values and odd relationship with the law of conservation of detail, to which I wish Fawcett relied less on the conventions expected on him in making the story "suitable for use" with the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying game. Was the book composed as fuel for the imagination of further stories? Was it meant to be a deliberate tie-in/cash-in? Were the conventions originally drafted up for this story intended for a product of greater/different scope? Readers are likely to encounter these and other questions after (and while) playing, and there sadly aren't any answers to offer. This book aims high and misses the bullseye, that's for sure - this is a combination of odd-length passages, faulty results from the combat/gameplay system(s) and overall sense of ephemerality derived from the unattuned marriage of too many rules with an otherwise salvagable story.

Do I recommend this adventure? In a sense, I believe it to be highly underappreciated, historically important and well-defined as an interactive experimentation which could be studied for its merits and its misaligned qualities. This is a decidedly mixed experience which I cannot outright call a satisfactory one, and thus I am hesitant to call it an essential classic. Despite this, there are enough peculiarities the right reader can appreciate between the lines, and there are some genuinely bright, creative sparks of potential. Ultimately I recommend using one's discretion when discerning the value to be found here - the endlessly uneven passages won't live up to their promising potential, but that doesn't mean there aren't occasional glittering jewels scattered throughout... only problem is, some of them are be fool's gold. ^^

(Mysteriously disappears into the shadows.)

More reviews by Shadeheart