Item - Underground Kingdom

This sequel to Survival at Sea (again, only a sequel because of the presence of Dr. Vivaldi) is fairly weak. The book can be fun, but there are some continuity problems which make it feel as if it wasn't as well-planned as some of the earlier books in the series.

More reviews by Demian

Easy to get to the kingdom, but have no idea where to start. The first few reads were fun, but the plot is just--hmm--bad.
Underground adventures should have been like the last book in the series.
3/10

More reviews by Good

[Rating: 0/10]
[Recommended? NO]

If finding the titular location in this Choose Your Own Adventure is supposed to be the main draw, then "Underground Kingdom" manages to oversimplify, underdeliver and inescapably exhaust any interest in its passion within a record number of pages. Released during what I refer to as the golden age of both fantasy and interactive storytelling (1970s and 1980s, save for Japan), the ever-awful CYOA series strikes again in what is arguably Edward Packard's worst showing; this title is more reminiscent of one of the evil R. A. Montgomenry's insufferable books than anything. Characteristically devoid of passion, emotion, excitement or even a clearly set narrative direction, this book is a major flop from start to its many bad finishes - it is never established WHY the story has to go the way it does, HOW these motivations would end, or IF an ounce of logic had been put into the design of this story (ex. the accompanying illustrations are hideous). The book is overly pretentious, senselessly random and arbitrary - "characters" in the story range from stock cardboard cutouts to potentially offensive caricatures, one-dimensional from the get-go and taken right from the dozens of second-rate stories the series tends to steal from. It's extremely disappointing how the story makes readers NOT want to find the kingdom, how it finds NOTHING to do while there (and even less when circling endlessly trying to find it should you not fall in the hole right off the bat), and how frequently the book goes through great effort to remove any and all potential efforts for interactivity/immersiveness. The results are, of course, futile; most routes are pathetic/downright stupid, and there isn't a moment of satisfaction anywhere along the way through this sluggish read of low appeal. I'd call it a death-defyingly dumb book, since the story literally defies death in some of the stupidest ways known to gamebook readers.

At the end of the day I cannot recommend the book for any of its accomplishments or failings, nor do I generally recommend the ​​CYOA​​ series in general.​ It is DEFINITELY worth remembering, however, for its completely disastrous take on what should have been a discovery-filled expedition/escape story from which none of the contents, in line with much of the series, are redeeming in the slightest. ^^

(Mysteriously disappears into the shadows.)

More reviews by Shadeheart

The only Choose Your Own Adventure book to have a special warning, and certainly one that merits it, considering how difficult it is to actually reach the Underground Kingdom, let alone return. The book kicks off with an interesting theory that revolves around the kingdom, and it was also a lot of fun exploring the kingdom and everything. Good but not great, Underground Kingdom pushes down a few boundaries - just enough to make it more memorable than other entries in the series, but not enough to truly make it stand out.

More reviews by Waluigi Freak 99

To me, I didn't think that the "warning" at the beginning about how difficult it is to reach the Underground Kingdom was all that necessary. One of the first choices in the book is that you're slipping into a deep crack in the earth, and should you let yourself fall or try to land on a ledge? Well, you can figure out if it's an Underground Kingdom, you need to get underground to get there, so I just fell. Boom, you're there. Unless they mean it's hard to get into a certain part of the Underground, like into one of the tribe's settlements, but I assumed that it just meant the whole underground world. Of course, if you chose to land on the ledge, it's possible to escape from the crack and then you don't ever get down there, but that's actually the smaller arc in the story, and it's possible to get back underground after that point. Anyway.

I have to say that the pictures in this book are simply awful, in a hilarious way. The illustrator is Anthony Kramer, who I've seen draw for other gamebooks, including Which Way's The Spell of the Black Raven. People's faces are asymmetrical, and some things just look downright goofy. The "angel birds" have these googly eyes, and the native, ape-like tribes will make you laugh out loud. But the actual book is pretty good.

More reviews by yunakitty