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charlie9_9's review against another edition
3.0
the book was interesting and different to read, although i liked it i will stick to playing rather than reading it.
xeve's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I love choose your own adventure books...but I am really bad at them. I thought I would have made it through this one pretty easily, considering that I DM the Out of the Abyss campaign, which is the same basic storyline as this book, but nope. I believe I ended up making wrong choices about 5 or 6 times and dying. But I eventually found the right path, and I had such a great time with this adventure.
samrushingbooks's review
5.0
Okay, I read this out loud for my fiance as we drove home from the bookstore, so I need to go through the options myself, because I would have chosen a bit differently. But it was still entertaining to watch him die...twice. I very much love these choose your own adventure books.
perilous1's review against another edition
4.0
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/23362-dungeons-and-dragons-escape-the-underdark-an-endless-quest-book
Told in second-person present-tense, this fantasy is styled after the beloved choose-your-own-adventure books of yore. It also features a vast array of renowned D&D art, with works ranging from sepia to full color.
As the story opens, readers know two things: that you are a human fighter, and that you’ve been captured and imprisoned by the Drow in the subterranean world of the Underdark. Slavery is in your near future, so escaping is a no-brainer. But how you go about that is your call. Do you resist immediately? Plot with the other captives? Feign being a model prisoner until a good opportunity arises?
The larger print, abundant imagery, and vagueness in regard to violence all culminate to make this material ideally suited to the lower range of Middle Grade. Readers are given no background on the main character in question outside of their class, so it’s easy enough to insert oneself into the storytelling. Fortunately, not all roads lead to a gruesome death! But… a few of them might.
If you, dear reader, are anything like me… you can count on needing at least a half-dozen bookmarks to note the pages you may want to return to if your storyline’s ending strikes you as less than ideal. >.> (Why yes, I did go back and try every single fork in the non-linear option tree. You live your life and I’ll live mine. ;P)
I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as To Catch A Thief. Primarily because the fact that you are a fighter doesn’t seem to have much bearing on the plot or how things turn out. There’s a lot of running and escaping involved, for which there’s no class or race advantage. And you don’t seem any more likely to stumble upon a positive outcome if you stick to all the possible fighting options.
My primary suggestion for future installments would be the inclusion of a character sheet at the beginning. I think this would help readers with their decision-making, as well as introduce a foundational concept that could later transfer to the tabletop game. (It would also be neat to have a playable character ready-made. Just saying.)
A solid option for reluctant readers, budding D&D fans, and kids who generally appreciate having more engagement and agency in their reading material.
Told in second-person present-tense, this fantasy is styled after the beloved choose-your-own-adventure books of yore. It also features a vast array of renowned D&D art, with works ranging from sepia to full color.
As the story opens, readers know two things: that you are a human fighter, and that you’ve been captured and imprisoned by the Drow in the subterranean world of the Underdark. Slavery is in your near future, so escaping is a no-brainer. But how you go about that is your call. Do you resist immediately? Plot with the other captives? Feign being a model prisoner until a good opportunity arises?
The larger print, abundant imagery, and vagueness in regard to violence all culminate to make this material ideally suited to the lower range of Middle Grade. Readers are given no background on the main character in question outside of their class, so it’s easy enough to insert oneself into the storytelling. Fortunately, not all roads lead to a gruesome death! But… a few of them might.
If you, dear reader, are anything like me… you can count on needing at least a half-dozen bookmarks to note the pages you may want to return to if your storyline’s ending strikes you as less than ideal. >.> (Why yes, I did go back and try every single fork in the non-linear option tree. You live your life and I’ll live mine. ;P)
I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as To Catch A Thief. Primarily because the fact that you are a fighter doesn’t seem to have much bearing on the plot or how things turn out. There’s a lot of running and escaping involved, for which there’s no class or race advantage. And you don’t seem any more likely to stumble upon a positive outcome if you stick to all the possible fighting options.
My primary suggestion for future installments would be the inclusion of a character sheet at the beginning. I think this would help readers with their decision-making, as well as introduce a foundational concept that could later transfer to the tabletop game. (It would also be neat to have a playable character ready-made. Just saying.)
A solid option for reluctant readers, budding D&D fans, and kids who generally appreciate having more engagement and agency in their reading material.
singerji's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mohaa's review
4.0
A fun throwback to choosing your own adventure, but this time in Barovia. Recommended for people who have played Curse of Strahd because there are spoilers for the story.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
I loved "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as a kid, so whenever there's a new version of that type of book--containing multiple endings, where you have various decision points to "Attack! Go to page 10" or "Flee! Go to page 20!" and so forth--I just have to check them out. This one, set in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy world, is a lot of fun. The reader is a cleric who wakes up in the guest room of a spooky castle, with the castle's owner, a creepy vampire named Strahd, there to greet them. What ensues is a lot of skulking around the castle, climbing steep winding stone staircases or dropping into gloomy dungeons, trying to escape but encountering other vampires, a mechanical clockwork creature, wolves, werewolves, a ghost, a supposed damsel in distress, and even zombies! Of course, that's only if you, like me, keep reading the book even when your character has met an untimely end. I always end up reading ALL of the possible endings to the story, just to see what all of the options were. I liked the illustrations in this book, too, they were mostly full color paintings and really nice fantasy-style art. The book is listed as for ages 8-12, and I'd agree with that; the typeface is a little large and while it's got some spooky content it's certainly fine for any 3rd or 4th grader who loves monsters!
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
joth1006's review
Strahd von Zarovich kastade mig nerför slottsmuren till min död.
twistedspyder's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0