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Fighting Fantasy: Sorcery! #4
Sorcery: Crown of Kings
Final book in the 4 part series. Each sorcery book is a complete adventure - you don't need to have read a previous book to move on to the next. Play as either a warrior or a wizard. If you choosee wizardry, your survival will depend onyourknowledge of the sorcery. Age 9+.
Paperback
First published June 4, 1985
5 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Steve Jackson
67Ìýbooks152ÌýfollowersSteve Jackson (born 20 May 1951) is a British game designer, writer, and game reviewer, who is often confused with the American game designer of the same name.
Along with Ian Livingstone, he is the creator of the Fighting Fantasy books. The US Jackson also wrote three books in the Fighting Fantasy series, which adds to the confusion, especially as these books were simply credited to "Steve Jackson" without any acknowledgement that it was a different person.
See also:
Steve Jackson, US game designer
Steve Jackson, author of works on crime
Steve Jackson, Scottish thriller writer
Along with Ian Livingstone, he is the creator of the Fighting Fantasy books. The US Jackson also wrote three books in the Fighting Fantasy series, which adds to the confusion, especially as these books were simply credited to "Steve Jackson" without any acknowledgement that it was a different person.
See also:
Steve Jackson, US game designer
Steve Jackson, author of works on crime
Steve Jackson, Scottish thriller writer
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 13, 2024
Steve Jackson brings in his A-game in the finisher of an already pretty great saga. Only two flaws in it are enough of a crack to its perfection to snatch away the fifth star:
First, as I said way back for The Shamutanti Hills, being a fighter still doesn't do anything. This final book brings in what's effectively a canon cheat to allow a fighter to finish the book, which only serves to mar an otherwise great plot twist. At the end of the day, this really should have been a wizard-only quest.
Second, the final boss is a bunch of crud. Four whole books of buildup come to essentially nothing. It's an even greater disappointment if you compare it to Balthus Dire, by the same author.
Other than the nitpicks, though, it's some of Fighting Fantasy's best. It never quite reaches the level of my absolute favourites, but it's not too far off and has a great deal of the right elements to it. Pick them up if you have the chance.
First, as I said way back for The Shamutanti Hills, being a fighter still doesn't do anything. This final book brings in what's effectively a canon cheat to allow a fighter to finish the book, which only serves to mar an otherwise great plot twist. At the end of the day, this really should have been a wizard-only quest.
Second, the final boss is a bunch of crud. Four whole books of buildup come to essentially nothing. It's an even greater disappointment if you compare it to Balthus Dire, by the same author.
Other than the nitpicks, though, it's some of Fighting Fantasy's best. It never quite reaches the level of my absolute favourites, but it's not too far off and has a great deal of the right elements to it. Pick them up if you have the chance.
January 25, 2018
Fantastic!!! Way before Harry Potter. If you like Harry Potter give these sorcery books a go and you can be Harry Potter!!! Lol!
May 27, 2019
It was all building up to this - the showdown in High Xamen.
Through three vast sets of Throben doors, the Archmage like a flamen
Holds sway over his citadel dire. Is there anywhere to hide?
But not all is as it seems, as you seek him far and wide.
Through three vast sets of Throben doors, the Archmage like a flamen
Holds sway over his citadel dire. Is there anywhere to hide?
But not all is as it seems, as you seek him far and wide.
November 16, 2015
As a young boy I spent countless hours trying to defeat this book - a 'choose your own adventure' fight and fantasy story. I never did, but you know what, it was the journey that counted more than the ending; those countless hours were FUN hours! I will always look back fondly on this book as a big part of my childhood.
September 8, 2011
Back when I was a boy I read this book. I loved it because its a DIFFERENT type of novel/book. You actually ARE the protagonist, you FEEL like you're in the action, and you DETERMINE your outcome, in the novel, as it has several options for you to choose from. Its a totally insane and new concept which is very invigorating and attractive.
Its those type of books which the reader is faced with a decision (or battle) and your decide by turning to this page ## and so and so.
I loved the series, that's true. But for this book, somewhere along the pages I got lost and did not know how to 'win'. So fortunately there was this website which offered a linear map with thee decisions and its outcomes for readers to follow (basically a cheat sheet). It was sad that I had to use one to get to the ultimate victory! haha.
But for young teen readers, these are really, truly awesome books to be read.
Its those type of books which the reader is faced with a decision (or battle) and your decide by turning to this page ## and so and so.
I loved the series, that's true. But for this book, somewhere along the pages I got lost and did not know how to 'win'. So fortunately there was this website which offered a linear map with thee decisions and its outcomes for readers to follow (basically a cheat sheet). It was sad that I had to use one to get to the ultimate victory! haha.
But for young teen readers, these are really, truly awesome books to be read.
August 4, 2013
This was an innovative combo of choose your own adventure and RPGs in a cohesive fantasy series. Really loved it as a kid, to the point of contorting my body to roll dice on the floor of the plane in economy on my my way to Wisconsin for Christmas one year. Good fun!
March 23, 2017
Have this as part of the Sorcery! boxed set.
Read
June 27, 2023The Biggest, and Trickiest, Yet
25 July 2023
This is the final book in the Sorcery Series, and it is probably one of the longest Fighting Fantasy books that I have ever encountered, clocking into something like 700 entries, and it certainly feels like it. In the book you have travelled across the plains, and are now entering the foothills where you make your way through to the Mampang Fortress where you have to confront the Archmage that stole the Crown of Kings, and some how retrieve it.
Fortunately, the book is divided into sections, so first you have to make your way through the mountains to get to the fortress, and once there there are a series of doors that you have to get through before you confront the Archmage. The catch is that there is a serious twist the the story that may involve you having to read through the entire series again (though I suspect nobody is going to do that, but rather they will just skip to the relevant section and start from there � unless, of course, you want to play it properly).
Personally, I did quite like it, even though I ended up just following a walkthrough on the internet, something that I didn’t quite have access to years ago when I previously read these books. In fact, I sometimes wonder how teenage me would have managed to have completed these books considering that they actually seem to be really quite difficult, yet I do vaguely remember managing to read through all of them.
While there is probably not much more to say about it, other than that I got the impression that it was really quite hard, I do have to say that it did have quite a bit of atmosphere about it, though I sometimes wonder what the deal with all the traps are � like, this is somebody’s home, so how do they like come and go without having to navigate all of these deadly rooms. You know, sometimes I wonder as if these mad overlords that you have to confront in these adventures are more of a prisoner than the prisoners in their dungeons. Then again, one could quite argue that in our world a lot of these power people are in fact prisoners in their own homes.
Anyway, it’s a high fantasy gamebook, and what would a high fantasy gamebook be without magical traps and ferocious beasts guarding the way to the big bad guy.
25 July 2023
This is the final book in the Sorcery Series, and it is probably one of the longest Fighting Fantasy books that I have ever encountered, clocking into something like 700 entries, and it certainly feels like it. In the book you have travelled across the plains, and are now entering the foothills where you make your way through to the Mampang Fortress where you have to confront the Archmage that stole the Crown of Kings, and some how retrieve it.
Fortunately, the book is divided into sections, so first you have to make your way through the mountains to get to the fortress, and once there there are a series of doors that you have to get through before you confront the Archmage. The catch is that there is a serious twist the the story that may involve you having to read through the entire series again (though I suspect nobody is going to do that, but rather they will just skip to the relevant section and start from there � unless, of course, you want to play it properly).
Personally, I did quite like it, even though I ended up just following a walkthrough on the internet, something that I didn’t quite have access to years ago when I previously read these books. In fact, I sometimes wonder how teenage me would have managed to have completed these books considering that they actually seem to be really quite difficult, yet I do vaguely remember managing to read through all of them.
While there is probably not much more to say about it, other than that I got the impression that it was really quite hard, I do have to say that it did have quite a bit of atmosphere about it, though I sometimes wonder what the deal with all the traps are � like, this is somebody’s home, so how do they like come and go without having to navigate all of these deadly rooms. You know, sometimes I wonder as if these mad overlords that you have to confront in these adventures are more of a prisoner than the prisoners in their dungeons. Then again, one could quite argue that in our world a lot of these power people are in fact prisoners in their own homes.
Anyway, it’s a high fantasy gamebook, and what would a high fantasy gamebook be without magical traps and ferocious beasts guarding the way to the big bad guy.
August 4, 2022
The last of the Sorcery gamebook series I have been re-reading. Well, I say re-reading but I never did this one at the time.
A big book, twice as long as most Fighting Fantasy books at 800 entries. In part due to a clever mechanism where clues and guidance earlier in the book or in previous ones leads you to a different numbered entry than the one in front of you ("when you use a password, add X to the entry you are given" etc).
Nice, for a magic-based game, that the final sequence is more a matter of making clever (or lucky) choices, of learning from others, of thinking your way out of trouble rather than of building up to a big "end-boss fight". I felt I had done the right thing both intellectually and ethically, to earn the win.
This, and the books before it, had a good mix of tempting encounters balanced with traps to fall into, and overall - as I like in these books - rewarded you for a certain amount of trust in others - but not too much. Certainly, there are several good allies to find along the way.
If you choose to play, adventurer, be sure to choose the path of sorcery and to read your spell book most carefully before your travels begin. May Libra protect you!
A big book, twice as long as most Fighting Fantasy books at 800 entries. In part due to a clever mechanism where clues and guidance earlier in the book or in previous ones leads you to a different numbered entry than the one in front of you ("when you use a password, add X to the entry you are given" etc).
Nice, for a magic-based game, that the final sequence is more a matter of making clever (or lucky) choices, of learning from others, of thinking your way out of trouble rather than of building up to a big "end-boss fight". I felt I had done the right thing both intellectually and ethically, to earn the win.
This, and the books before it, had a good mix of tempting encounters balanced with traps to fall into, and overall - as I like in these books - rewarded you for a certain amount of trust in others - but not too much. Certainly, there are several good allies to find along the way.
If you choose to play, adventurer, be sure to choose the path of sorcery and to read your spell book most carefully before your travels begin. May Libra protect you!
September 29, 2022
The crowning achievement (pun not intended) in the Sorcery! series is this, the final entry of them all. This is a very clever book with subtle layers of difference to it depending on how well players fared in the previous volume and if the reader manages to solve things or find objects along the way or otherwise resolves secrets (e.g., "subtract 90 from the entry if ... [certain conditions are true]"). It is also a massive entry for the series with many different entries contained within it.
Now it is certainly the case that such game books are very dated by today's modern standards and doubly so given the proliferation of computer games (including of this book itself!) and other experiences. Set against this backdrop, it would be understandable to give the book a slightly lower grade. But for me, that would be a great disservice to what is a novel, engaging, well planned, well executed, and fundamentally fun book to conquer that still shines from when I was a youngster. If only the Inkle version was as "easy" (I use the term in a comparative sense only!).
Now it is certainly the case that such game books are very dated by today's modern standards and doubly so given the proliferation of computer games (including of this book itself!) and other experiences. Set against this backdrop, it would be understandable to give the book a slightly lower grade. But for me, that would be a great disservice to what is a novel, engaging, well planned, well executed, and fundamentally fun book to conquer that still shines from when I was a youngster. If only the Inkle version was as "easy" (I use the term in a comparative sense only!).
September 14, 2024
The final book in an epic gamebook series, it has a great setting and a really cool ending, but loses a star for less than stellar challenge construction and spell use. You find way too many things you need (e.g., keys and codes) right before needing them, I often wanted to use specific spells during encounters that cried out for them, and at the very end you happen upon the one creature you need to figure out a super powerful spell, but only if you interact with it in *just* the right order. Not very satisfying. Also, the interactions with the black elves... trigger warning for racism. It's yeesh, even for the eighties. Still, it was nice to finally win this book after nearly forty years.
November 23, 2020
the game?
December 18, 2022
Final part of Steve Jackson's magnum opus. Full review:
July 26, 2019
One of the best, most clear set of reasons and reflections I’ve ever read. Everything he writes is brilliant.
May 15, 2023
Enfant je me suis perdu des heures durant dans ce monde, tournant les pages en gardant toujours un doigt au paragraphe précédent (héhé). Je n'avais malheureusement pas les 4 livres et quelques 15ans plus tard, nostalgique j'ai décidé de retenter l'aventure. Il faut dire que la vision d'une couverture suffit à me revoir le livre à la main, une feuille et un crayon de papier à mes côtés, penché vers des pages aux dessins "sâles" qui me faisaient combattre une manticore, déjouer les pièges de Kharé, marchander une cotte de maille avec des elfes noirs et périr encore et encore. #Sorcellerie était l'une de mes série LDVELH favorite, immersive (quelle richesse dans le bestiaire et les paysages), complexe (la mémorisation des sorts!), alliant jeu de rôle, énigme et combat. Aujourd'hui ces livres semblent un peu désuets face à l'immersion créée par les jeux vidéos mais même un Witcher ne peut lutter contre la stimulation de l'imagination provoquée par ces livres aventures.
September 14, 2021
A fantastic end to the fantastic Sorcery! series!
The four-book saga is simply amazing as it is. That said, The Crown Of Kings provides a fittingly fantastic ending to the saga. There are plenty of callbacks to the previous three books and it's all done really well. To top it off, this book has some serious girth to it! It's probably one of the thickest FF books, if not the thickest, that I'm aware of.
It's such a great book and there are some fantastic references and characters in this one.
A solid 5/5
The four-book saga is simply amazing as it is. That said, The Crown Of Kings provides a fittingly fantastic ending to the saga. There are plenty of callbacks to the previous three books and it's all done really well. To top it off, this book has some serious girth to it! It's probably one of the thickest FF books, if not the thickest, that I'm aware of.
It's such a great book and there are some fantastic references and characters in this one.
A solid 5/5
April 12, 2020
Having a break from the computer screen during Coronavirus Lockdown I am revisiting this epic series of Fighting Fantasy books from my youth...
Really clever finale, full of secrets and '...subtract 90 from your location if you think it's correct to use it' type scenarios, meaning you can't just cheat and blunder your way through. I made it and my legendary status is secured...but I did die 6 times getting there...
Great fun, glad I did it.
Really clever finale, full of secrets and '...subtract 90 from your location if you think it's correct to use it' type scenarios, meaning you can't just cheat and blunder your way through. I made it and my legendary status is secured...but I did die 6 times getting there...
Great fun, glad I did it.
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December 4, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
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