| Fighting Fantasy Gamebook | |
|---|---|
| Outline | |
| Location: | Fire Island, Titan |
| References: | 400 |
| Publication Details | |
| Author(s): | Ian Livingstone |
| Illustrator(s): | Alan Langford (Puffin/Wizard versions) Vlado Krizan (Scholastic version) |
| Puffin | |
| |
| Cover illustrator: | Iain McCaig |
| First published: | March 29 1984 |
| Number | 7 |
| ISBN: | ISBN 0-14-031743-0 |
| Previous Book: | Deathtrap Dungeon |
| Next Book: | Scorpion Swamp |
| Wizard (Series 1) | |
| |
| Cover illustrator: | Martin McKenna |
| First published: | November 6 2003 |
| Number | 17 |
| ISBN: | ISBN 1-84046-491-7 |
| Previous Book: | Return to Firetop Mountain |
| Next Book: | Appointment with F.E.A.R. |
| Wizard (Series 2) | |
| Scholastic | |
| |
| Cover illustrator: | Robert M. Ball |
| First published: | April 5 2018 |
| Number | 10 |
| ISBN: | ISBN 1-40718-620-5 |
| Previous Book: | Appointment with F.E.A.R. |
| Next Book: | The Shamutanti Hills |
- For other uses of Island of the Lizard King, see Island of the Lizard King
Island of the Lizard King is a single-player role-playing gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, illustrated by Alan Langford and originally published in 1984 by Puffin Books. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2003, and again in 2018 by Scholastic Books with new illustrations by Vlado Krizan. It forms part of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy series. It is the 7th in the series in the original Puffin series (ISBN 0-14-031743-0), 17th in the Wizard "Series 1" (ISBN 1-84046-491-7), and 10th in the Scholastic series (ISBN 1-40718-620-5).
Creation[]
Background[]
“ Can you save the young men of Oyster Bay from the evil Lizard Men?
Kidnapped by a vicious race of Lizard Men from Fire Island, the young men of Oyster Bay face a grim future of slavery, starvation and a lingering death. Their new master is the mad and dangerous Lizard King, who holds sway over his land of mutants by the eerie powers of black magic and voodoo. YOU are the only one who can hope to rescue the suffering prisoners, but do you have the courage to risk this dangerous mission?
Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need for this adventure. YOU decide which route to follow, which dangers to risk and which monsters to fight.” —Island of the Lizard King - Back Cover ("Dragon" Edition)
Like much of the Fighting Fantasy series, Island of the Lizard King is set in the fictional world of Titan; this particular adventure takes place on the continent of Allansia. The player's character begins the story by travelling from the populous city of Fang to the quiet coastal village of Oyster Bay, only to discover that the village is regularly being attacked by the Lizard Men of Fire Island, and that young men are being carried off to serve as slaves in their gold mines. The game proper beings with the player setting sail for Fire Island, intent on righting the situation.
Like many other Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy books, such as Deathtrap Dungeon, Caverns of the Snow Witch and Temple of Terror, Island of the Lizard King has multiple paths which lead to the final confrontation, although the overall journey is fairly linear. This linear design, combined with the fact that there are a bare minimum of essential items to collect, means that any path can lead to a successful quest. However, some paths and items can make the adventure much more easy or difficult. Despite a distinct lack of "sudden death" sections in the book, several bruising encounters can make this a difficult quest to complete, even with a skill of 11 or more. This book is notable for the massive battle between the freed slaves and Lizard Men which takes place, one of the few large scale battles depicted in a Fighting Fantasy gamebook.
How to Fight the Creatures of Fire Island/Equipment and Potions/Hints on Play[]
The book in general follows the original rules set down in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (see Game System).
Equipment List[1][]
- Sword
- Leather Armour
- Backpack
- 10 Provisions
- Choice of one of three Potions (see Game System for generic fantasy setting choices)
Cover and Illustrations[]
- Main article: Island of the Lizard King (illustrations)
Covers[]
The original cover of the book was designed and illustrated by Iain McCaig.
When the book was republished by Wizard a new cover was designed and illustrated by Martin McKenna that in many ways reflects the original cover of the Puffin Books publication. For McKenna:
“ this again was a case of replacing and/or updating another wonderful Iain McCaig original. Ian Livingstone wanted some kind of jungle background, and decided against the inclusion of the Lizard King's black lion. I suggested the addition of sinister-looking statues in the undergrowth. ”
Island of the Lizard King was the final Fighting Fantasy book to be produced using the Coloured Number Format layout when originally published by Puffin. The "Special Limited Edition" of the Wizard version used gold embossing as opposed to the usual silver.
In 2018 it was republished with a new cover by Robert M. Ball.
| 1984 | 1984 | 1987 | 1989 | 1990 | 1993 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| Colour Star | Adventure Gamebooks |
Dragon ver.I | Dragon ver.II | Dragon ver.III | Dragon ver.IV |
| £1.501,2 | £1.503 | £1.954 | £3.505 | £3.506 | £X.xx |
| 2002 | 2002 | 2018 | |||
|
| ||||
| Wizard Special |
Wizard | Scholastic Circle | |||
| £4.99 | £4.99 | £6.99 | |||
NOTES
  The never-released cover
| |||||
Illustrations[]
Puffin/Wizard Editions[]
The interior illustrations, including the black and white map accompanying paragraph 149, were by Alan Langford. There were 32 full page illustrations and 5 minor repeated illustrations scattered throughout the text. There is also an exclusive illustration on the title page. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: 1, 14, 30, 39, 48, 59, 71, 82, 101, 116, 128, 139, 149, 158, 168, 195, 211, 223, 235, 249, 254, 268, 279, 291, 305, 317, 325, 337, 350, 360, 379 and 390.
Scholastic Edition[]
The interior illustrations were by Vlado Krizan. There were 20 full page illustrations and 6 minor repeated illustrations scattered throughout the text. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: 1, 14, 30, 48, 82, 101, 116, 139, 149, 168, 195, 211, 223, 235, 254, 279, 305, 325, 350 and 360. The full-page illustrations in the book were accompanied with a caption giving a short extract from the text.
The map was by Leo Hartas.
Intertextual References[]
The Hero starts his journey in Fang, the setting of the previous gamebook, Deathtrap Dungeon.[2] The Dungeon itself is mentioned by Mungo as the place where his father met his end.[3] While some have suggested it is possible that the Hero of this book is the same individual as that of Deathtrap Dungeon (and by extension, also that of City of Thieves), it is nowhere explicitly stated that he is.
Other Media[]
- Main article: Island of the Lizard King (mobile game)
An iOS/Android conversion of the book was produced by Tin Man Games and released in 2013.
Main Characters[]
YOU: Hero of Island of the Lizard King
Locations[]
Encounters[]
- Bear
- Black Lion
- Cave Woman
- Crocodile
- Cyclops
- Giant Crab
- Giant Dragonfly
- Giant Lizard
- Giant Wasp
- Giant Water-Snake
- Goblin
- Grannits
- Headhunters - Chief/Pygmy/Regular
- Hill Troll
- Hobgoblin
- Humans - Delirious Prisoner/Pirates/Pirate Captain
- Hydra
- Lizard Men - King/Mutant/Regular/Two-Headed
- Ogre
- Orc - Guard
- Razorjaw
- Sabre-Toothed Tiger
- Shape Changer
- Slime Sucker
- Spit Toad
- Styracosaurus
Other Creatures of Note[]
Further Notes[]
- 10 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by stamina loss or bad luck.
- During the adventure it is possible to recover the magic helmet (over one hundred years old) of the fabled warrior-sorcerer named Sog.[4]
- The encounter with the Razorjaw eggs seems more than likely inspired by the Aliens franchise.
Errors[]
- The map in the Scholastic edition mis-spells Salamonis as "Salamons".
- On (158), if you need to fight the Slime Sucker with your sword, you're instructed to reduce your Attack Strength by 2 due to the conditions of the fight. However, if you throw a spear at it first and have to continue the battle on (191) or (202) - that instruction is missing.
- On (284) you somehow forget to search the defeated Lizard Men and thus you don't find the iron keys - which you do in both other similar resolutions of this encounter. There is no apparent in-world explanation for this discrepancy.
- On (282) you're offered to eat some food on the spot, or take it for later. If you take it, you're never instructed how much Stamina the food restores, so it's practically useless. It should restore 2 Stamina.
- At both (22) and (296) you get to fight the Lizard King while possessing both a quest item and the requisite weapon. However, on (296) the Lizard King has Skill 6, while on (22) he has a Skill 10 - a discrepancy all the more baffling when you consider that at (22) the Lizard King himself is fighting unarmed.
Dedication[]
Puffin Edition[]
For Roy Coleman[5]
Wizard Edition[]
For Dave Holt, the unsung hero
of Fighting Fantasy[6]
Scholastic Edition[]
none
See Also[]
Reviews[]
- Reviewed by Marcus L. Rowland in White Dwarf 53 (May 1984) "Open Box" (pg.16-17):
“ This book seemed to contain more monsters and less traps than others in the series, and most of the traps seemed to be fair. However it is probably the toughest adventure of this series, since few options allow the adventurer to avoid a fight. ”
External Links[]
- Character Sheet - Retrieved 2019-10-26
- Fighting Fantasy at Gamebooks.org - Retrieved 2019-10-26
- Fighting Fantasy (Wizard Series 1) at Gamebooks.org - Retrieved 2019-10-26
- Island of the Lizard King at Gamebooks.org - Retrieved 2019-10-26
- Island of the Lizard King at the Internet Archive record of the old Fightingfantasy.com - Retrieved 2019-10-26