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Try Not To Die #12
Try Not to Die: In the Shadowlands
Enter The Shadowlands... If You Dare.Tragedy has struck. Your younger brother is dead, and the world holds you responsible.
Tommy was a strong swimmer, yet he drowned in your backyard pool when you were supposed to be watching. Now, today is his funeral, and he's back as a shadowy figure, pulling you into a brutal world where danger lurks around every corner. The rules are survive The Shadowlands� or die trying.
The path ahead is treacherous. A land filled with monstrous creatures and deadly landscapes will stop at nothing to see you fail. But the choices you make will determine your fate. Will you uncover the truth about Tommy’s death? Or will the Shadowlands claim your life, like it has claimed so many before you?
In Try Not to In The Shadowlands, your decisions are the key to your survival—and there are no second chances. Will you make it to the end, or will you succumb to the over two dozen brutal ways to die? With 8 unique endings, every choice counts. Be careful. Be brave. But above all, be ready to die.
This interactive dark fantasy is connected to The Neverborn Thief, but stands alone as a gripping, blood-soaked adventure meant for mature readers. If you love the thrill of Goosebumps® or Choose Your Own Adventure®, but crave a much darker, more violent experience, this is the book for you.
Are you ready to face the darkness?
Over 2 dozen ways to die.
8 possible endings.
Do you have what it takes to survive?
Grab your copy of Try Not to In The Shadowlands today and see if you can survive this nightmare.
Tommy was a strong swimmer, yet he drowned in your backyard pool when you were supposed to be watching. Now, today is his funeral, and he's back as a shadowy figure, pulling you into a brutal world where danger lurks around every corner. The rules are survive The Shadowlands� or die trying.
The path ahead is treacherous. A land filled with monstrous creatures and deadly landscapes will stop at nothing to see you fail. But the choices you make will determine your fate. Will you uncover the truth about Tommy’s death? Or will the Shadowlands claim your life, like it has claimed so many before you?
In Try Not to In The Shadowlands, your decisions are the key to your survival—and there are no second chances. Will you make it to the end, or will you succumb to the over two dozen brutal ways to die? With 8 unique endings, every choice counts. Be careful. Be brave. But above all, be ready to die.
This interactive dark fantasy is connected to The Neverborn Thief, but stands alone as a gripping, blood-soaked adventure meant for mature readers. If you love the thrill of Goosebumps® or Choose Your Own Adventure®, but crave a much darker, more violent experience, this is the book for you.
Are you ready to face the darkness?
Over 2 dozen ways to die.
8 possible endings.
Do you have what it takes to survive?
Grab your copy of Try Not to In The Shadowlands today and see if you can survive this nightmare.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2024
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Najberg
22books111followersAndrew Najberg is the author of the novel The Mobius Door (Wicked House Publications, 2023) and the forthcoming novels Gollitok (Wicked House Publishing, 2023) and The Neverborn Thief (Olive-Ridley Press, 2024), as well as the collection of poems The Goats Have Taken Over the Barracks (Finishing Line Press, 2021). In addition, his collection of short fiction, In Those Fading Stars, is due out through Crystal Lake Publishing in November 2024 and his novel Extinction Dream comes out in September 2025 through Wicked House Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in Prose Online, Psychopomp Review, Bookends Review, The Colored Lens, Utopia Science Fiction, The Gateway Review, Dark Death Things, Creepy Podcast, and is forthcoming in Fusion Fragment, Translunar Travelers Lounge, and the Gods And Globes III anthology. Currently, he teaches for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is serving as a senior editor for Symposeum magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 25, 2024
I always have the absolute best time reading a Try Not to Die book, and TNTD in the Shadowlands was such an exciting and fun installment to this series! And I only clocked 6 deaths on this one! I'm counting that as a win 😁
What really sets this TNTD book apart from the others is its "replayability." While you go through and make your choices, there are certain choices that way a little more. When you get to the end, you have to pick which option represents the important choices you made, and that's the ending you get. There are 8 different ways you can end the book, and I can't wait to see what the other ones are! My choices led me to getting turned into a living table, and I best be the absolute most beautiful and well-made table you've ever seen! There was a lot of poetic irony to this ending, so I can't even be mad at it 😂
I really liked getting to see some of the characters from Neverborn Thief back again! While you can definitely read this without having read Neverborn Thief, it does give you more of a rounded experience since you know some of the characters and can attempt to gear your choices based on what you know (or think you know) about them. It was so cool getting to learn more about these characters, though there were some things I could've done without (looking at you, Mr. Weird Stabby Removy Hands....).
Despite two of my violent and highly unfortunate deaths coming within 5 minutes of each other, my time in the Shadowlands was enjoyable (or as enjoyable as the Shadowlands can be, at any rate), and I'm really excited to play again and get some of the other endings and deaths!
Also.......TOMMY SUCKS!!
What really sets this TNTD book apart from the others is its "replayability." While you go through and make your choices, there are certain choices that way a little more. When you get to the end, you have to pick which option represents the important choices you made, and that's the ending you get. There are 8 different ways you can end the book, and I can't wait to see what the other ones are! My choices led me to getting turned into a living table, and I best be the absolute most beautiful and well-made table you've ever seen! There was a lot of poetic irony to this ending, so I can't even be mad at it 😂
I really liked getting to see some of the characters from Neverborn Thief back again! While you can definitely read this without having read Neverborn Thief, it does give you more of a rounded experience since you know some of the characters and can attempt to gear your choices based on what you know (or think you know) about them. It was so cool getting to learn more about these characters, though there were some things I could've done without (looking at you, Mr. Weird Stabby Removy Hands....).
Despite two of my violent and highly unfortunate deaths coming within 5 minutes of each other, my time in the Shadowlands was enjoyable (or as enjoyable as the Shadowlands can be, at any rate), and I'm really excited to play again and get some of the other endings and deaths!
Also.......TOMMY SUCKS!!
November 21, 2024
It's the day of his brother Tommy's funeral. Danny thought nothing of it when Tommy told him that he was going to go swimming. He was an amazing swimmer. Since Tommy was set, Danny continued to play video games. That is, until his mother found Tommy's body in the pool.
Everyone blames Danny, and it shows from their disdain and anger towards him at the funeral home. While there, he sees something strange beckoning him to follow. It's a dark figure, looking like a familiar shadow. Is that.... Tommy? Following his brother's shadow, Danny is about to enter a world where nothing makes sense to him and death lurks around every corner. Every choice he makes could lead to his demise.
I LOVE the Try Not To Die books. I grew up on the choose your own adventure stories, and always get a certain sense of nostalgia when I read them. Every time I read one, I truly try to survive, and want to see how far I can make it on my own. I started off strong, thinking that I might be able to make it.
WRONG. At one point, I had 6 deaths within a span of 40 minutes. I stopped reading at night, thinking I would fare better in the morning after I was rested. ALSO WRONG. I made three poor decisions when I picked right back up from where I left off.
This one is special in a really interesting way. You have the normal decisions that lead you to certain death or moving forward, BUT you also have decisions that you have to remember. At the very end, there are eight different endings that rely on the decisions you previously made in your journey through the Shadowlands. I can't wait to go back and see the rest of them, especially since my first read through ended in a frozen death.
Fans of The Neverborn Thief will love the tie ins to the book in this one. Certain characters return, others are mentioned, but every single one made me exclaim OH IT'S _____. You don't have to read Neverborn Thief first, but I think it will add to your experience if you do (and it's also an excellent read). As its predecessor is a YA novel, this one is definitely darker and geared towards adults.
Yet again another incredibly fun entry in the TNTD series!
Everyone blames Danny, and it shows from their disdain and anger towards him at the funeral home. While there, he sees something strange beckoning him to follow. It's a dark figure, looking like a familiar shadow. Is that.... Tommy? Following his brother's shadow, Danny is about to enter a world where nothing makes sense to him and death lurks around every corner. Every choice he makes could lead to his demise.
I LOVE the Try Not To Die books. I grew up on the choose your own adventure stories, and always get a certain sense of nostalgia when I read them. Every time I read one, I truly try to survive, and want to see how far I can make it on my own. I started off strong, thinking that I might be able to make it.
WRONG. At one point, I had 6 deaths within a span of 40 minutes. I stopped reading at night, thinking I would fare better in the morning after I was rested. ALSO WRONG. I made three poor decisions when I picked right back up from where I left off.
This one is special in a really interesting way. You have the normal decisions that lead you to certain death or moving forward, BUT you also have decisions that you have to remember. At the very end, there are eight different endings that rely on the decisions you previously made in your journey through the Shadowlands. I can't wait to go back and see the rest of them, especially since my first read through ended in a frozen death.
Fans of The Neverborn Thief will love the tie ins to the book in this one. Certain characters return, others are mentioned, but every single one made me exclaim OH IT'S _____. You don't have to read Neverborn Thief first, but I think it will add to your experience if you do (and it's also an excellent read). As its predecessor is a YA novel, this one is definitely darker and geared towards adults.
Yet again another incredibly fun entry in the TNTD series!
December 10, 2024
I LOVED Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid in the 80’s - it’s one of those things that helped define the era for young readers. My nostalgia drenched heart was intrigued and delighted with the idea of a new series that brought them back in a novel and inventive way - combining forking storylines with a bunch of my favorite indie horror books. This time around, the adventures are NOT for kidlets.
Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands revisits the world Andrew Najberg built in his YA dark fantasy The Neverborn Thief. It’s okay if you haven’t read The Neverborn Thief - TNTD stands alone - but having some familiarity with the quirks and characters of that world brings even more depth to the adventure, and Najberg is a fantastic writer, so you might as well read both.
If I counted correctly as I went along, there were 26 junctures where choices were presented - sometimes just a pair of options, sometimes three, and the reader is charged with making particular note of three of those choices because in the end, that combination dictates which of EIGHT different possible endings will be delivered. Eight was also the number of brutal and inventive ways I perished along the way.
Thanks to Andrew for the ARC; it was a total blast - disturbing, gross, creepy, chilling, excellent world and character building, and with plenty of excellently deployed humor.
Book cover image description: a tweenage boy in jeans and a hoody stands in front of a swirling purple, pink, and white portal within a coffin leaning vertically against a stone wall, with a detached shadow that doesn’t quite match standing slightly behind and to his left. The title is printed at the top in yellow and turquoise and the authors name at the bottom in an electric spring green.
Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands revisits the world Andrew Najberg built in his YA dark fantasy The Neverborn Thief. It’s okay if you haven’t read The Neverborn Thief - TNTD stands alone - but having some familiarity with the quirks and characters of that world brings even more depth to the adventure, and Najberg is a fantastic writer, so you might as well read both.
If I counted correctly as I went along, there were 26 junctures where choices were presented - sometimes just a pair of options, sometimes three, and the reader is charged with making particular note of three of those choices because in the end, that combination dictates which of EIGHT different possible endings will be delivered. Eight was also the number of brutal and inventive ways I perished along the way.
Thanks to Andrew for the ARC; it was a total blast - disturbing, gross, creepy, chilling, excellent world and character building, and with plenty of excellently deployed humor.
Book cover image description: a tweenage boy in jeans and a hoody stands in front of a swirling purple, pink, and white portal within a coffin leaning vertically against a stone wall, with a detached shadow that doesn’t quite match standing slightly behind and to his left. The title is printed at the top in yellow and turquoise and the authors name at the bottom in an electric spring green.
November 25, 2024
As an aquired fan of the Shadowlands, I really enjoyed the second trip over to the land of shadows, and this time it was even better than the first. Creatures that will freeze your bones, natural anomalies, intrigue and betrayal follow the main character on his journey.
What's so special about TNTD in the Shadowlands, compared to other books from the TNTD series, is that you can get a different ending based on the choices you made on the way. So make sure you write down or memorise your choices when being asked to, because it will matter toward the end.
What's so special about TNTD in the Shadowlands, compared to other books from the TNTD series, is that you can get a different ending based on the choices you made on the way. So make sure you write down or memorise your choices when being asked to, because it will matter toward the end.
November 27, 2024
This book is amazing. I loved taking the journey with Andrew Najberg. I really enjoyed his dark fantasy books. He is definitely an entertaining wordsmith. I did died more times than I could count. Occasionally, I guess correctly.
Monitor those you encounter in the Shadowlands.
Monitor those you encounter in the Shadowlands.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2024
Try Not To Die: In the Shadowlands, by Andrew Najberg, is a gruesome adventure following the world first introduced in The Neverborn Thief. Even having not read that yet, I thoroughly enjoyed this bloody romp through a strange place full of danger, darkness, and strange creatures. I managed to make some good choices along my journey but still died spectacularly in a wide variety of creative ways. This another great installment in Mark Tulius’s series!
November 26, 2024
Danny has just lost his brother. When he follows a shadowy figure at the funeral, he ends up somewhere else. Danny must figure out how to survive the Shadowlands. Make the right choices and trust the right people. Full of amazing characters. Beautifully frightening places and things. Fast paced action packed read.
November 22, 2024
Another excellent experience with TNTD. This one is definitely not for children. I loved the writing style, the story, and the choices. The difficulty level was just right, and I really enjoyed that your choices along the way decided your ending.
January 10, 2025
I’m loving these interactive novels! Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands is another fantastic addition to the series. On top of all the ways to die, this one especially stands out with 8 different endings - and I don’t want to ruin it, but I think I got a good one 😆
Try Not to Die In the Shadowlands is a dark fantasy which follows Danny through the Shadowlands as he tries to uncover the truth about his brother Tommy’s death. It’s the same world as The Neverborn Thief (which I will now need to read!) but you don’t need to read it first. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the descriptions of monsters and landscapes, and there were some great choices to make - this is one you can read over again and follow a completely different story.
Try Not to Die In the Shadowlands is a dark fantasy which follows Danny through the Shadowlands as he tries to uncover the truth about his brother Tommy’s death. It’s the same world as The Neverborn Thief (which I will now need to read!) but you don’t need to read it first. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the descriptions of monsters and landscapes, and there were some great choices to make - this is one you can read over again and follow a completely different story.
January 8, 2025
A dark fantasy/horror called Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands, by Andrew Najberg, was my first interactive book, where the story evolves based on choices you make while reading, offering different endings based on those decisions.
The story starts at the funeral of the main character’s younger brother. While feeling guilty over his death, his brother’s shadowy figure takes him on a quest to another world where you either survive or die. As the reader, the outcome is in your hands. (Note: The very first paragraph got me all teary-eyed. Okay, this may have something to do with having a milestone birthday soon, and feeling old, but still. Dang!)
I’ll admit, being new to the interactive nature of a book made it a bit of a struggle in the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, I came to really appreciate the story, the choices offered, and the progression of events. At first, I’d find myself second-guessing my decisions and wondering what I was missing by making those particular decisions. But once I accepted the nature of an interactive story, I really got into it, realizing that it’s a book with many stories, and I was in the driver’s seat. I’ll say this, the story is brilliant. It’s a dark fantasy adventure, and the author’s writing really made me imagine being in the Shadowlands.
And while I didn’t care for the ending I wound up with this first time around, I look forward to reading it again and again, making different choices along the way, and seeing how the story ends differently each time. I highly recommend this book, giving it a 5 out of 5.
The story starts at the funeral of the main character’s younger brother. While feeling guilty over his death, his brother’s shadowy figure takes him on a quest to another world where you either survive or die. As the reader, the outcome is in your hands. (Note: The very first paragraph got me all teary-eyed. Okay, this may have something to do with having a milestone birthday soon, and feeling old, but still. Dang!)
I’ll admit, being new to the interactive nature of a book made it a bit of a struggle in the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, I came to really appreciate the story, the choices offered, and the progression of events. At first, I’d find myself second-guessing my decisions and wondering what I was missing by making those particular decisions. But once I accepted the nature of an interactive story, I really got into it, realizing that it’s a book with many stories, and I was in the driver’s seat. I’ll say this, the story is brilliant. It’s a dark fantasy adventure, and the author’s writing really made me imagine being in the Shadowlands.
And while I didn’t care for the ending I wound up with this first time around, I look forward to reading it again and again, making different choices along the way, and seeing how the story ends differently each time. I highly recommend this book, giving it a 5 out of 5.
January 2, 2025
I was excited to read this one. While I wanted to read all of the endings, I decided to play fair and read it hoping to land as little deaths and the best possible ending.
All I can say is I died 7 times, which I think is pretty good lol. I had a great start but died two times within a span of a minute which ruined my good run, haha. Who am I kidding? The deaths were fun, only because I didn't feel them. Overall, the story itself is dark but really fun. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without good imagery, which is something Andrew is really good at after reading his other books. So while the interactive nature of the story is great, you'll grow with the characters and setting. It's almost like playing a really good video game with multiple endings depending on your actions.
I will read the other endings, but I'm guessing I got an ok ending, lol. For the first book of 2025, this was a really fun one.
All I can say is I died 7 times, which I think is pretty good lol. I had a great start but died two times within a span of a minute which ruined my good run, haha. Who am I kidding? The deaths were fun, only because I didn't feel them. Overall, the story itself is dark but really fun. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without good imagery, which is something Andrew is really good at after reading his other books. So while the interactive nature of the story is great, you'll grow with the characters and setting. It's almost like playing a really good video game with multiple endings depending on your actions.
I will read the other endings, but I'm guessing I got an ok ending, lol. For the first book of 2025, this was a really fun one.
February 3, 2025
This was a really fun read that brought back memories of all the Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a kid. This formula is a little different though, where if you pick a "wrong" choice, the author gently informs you that was a bad choice, and points you back to the previous page so you can proceed with the correct choice. The endings are determined by a second level of choices you make throughout the book, which adds another layer of complexity.
The story itself was a fun and gruesome dark fantasy adventure. Najberg promises "more than a dozen ways to die", and I think I exceeded that number on my first read-through. I'm looking forward to reading this again (and again) to see how the endings change and what other gory deaths are in store for Danny.
The story itself was a fun and gruesome dark fantasy adventure. Najberg promises "more than a dozen ways to die", and I think I exceeded that number on my first read-through. I'm looking forward to reading this again (and again) to see how the endings change and what other gory deaths are in store for Danny.
November 27, 2024
Try Not to Die in The Shadowland written by Andrew Najberg in Mark Tullius’s interactive series TNTD was “absolutely to die for� and oh trust me, I died multiple times with the choices I chose. The story was raw and unique from the very beginning. Danny feels everyone blames him for his younger brother's drowning and his guilt is overwhelming. When a shadowy version of his brother asks for help, you will need to help Danny make choices - one of these choices is to climb into a casket. So how will this adventure end?! Your choices will determine that. So choose wisely or not. Either way you will love trying not to die in the shadowland.
December 9, 2024
Okay suffice to say i love the TNTD series, i am always waiting to see who is up next to be made into one, or what Mark is writing himself for that matter.
This one was no slouch in the oh my god department, i only died 7 times in this one, but you know what that means?
I can go back to die in more ways and get a different story arch, these are like tons of stories in one but better.
Andrews story being turned into a TNTD has been my top pick so far, but I do have a few more to work through, so stay tuned.
This one was no slouch in the oh my god department, i only died 7 times in this one, but you know what that means?
I can go back to die in more ways and get a different story arch, these are like tons of stories in one but better.
Andrews story being turned into a TNTD has been my top pick so far, but I do have a few more to work through, so stay tuned.
December 16, 2024
Amazing Read
I love Andrew Najberg's descriptions and the entire story line is remarkable! I died a few times, but was able to read each of the different endings and didn't want to put it down.
I recommend Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands to those who grew up Reading Choose Your Own Adventure books and young readers.
I gave it 5 Stars because he did so well with the description that I want to go to the Shadowlands and look at all of it's beauty.
I love Andrew Najberg's descriptions and the entire story line is remarkable! I died a few times, but was able to read each of the different endings and didn't want to put it down.
I recommend Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands to those who grew up Reading Choose Your Own Adventure books and young readers.
I gave it 5 Stars because he did so well with the description that I want to go to the Shadowlands and look at all of it's beauty.
December 26, 2024
This review is long overdue! Try Not to Die in the Shadowlands by Andrew Najberg was my first Try Not To Die adventure book and it was so much fun! I thought I would choose wisely and not die, but that was not the case. I died multiple times.
The Shadowlands are full of interesting creatures and terrifying places that will take great pleasure in deception, pain, and misery of others.
The concept of the shadows and how Tommy’s brother entered the Shadowlands is truly original. Without inadvertently giving anything away, I absolutely loved the imagery in this.
This was a very well written adventure novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you for the ARC!
The Shadowlands are full of interesting creatures and terrifying places that will take great pleasure in deception, pain, and misery of others.
The concept of the shadows and how Tommy’s brother entered the Shadowlands is truly original. Without inadvertently giving anything away, I absolutely loved the imagery in this.
This was a very well written adventure novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you for the ARC!
January 3, 2025
This is an interesting entry in the Try Not to Die series, as the setting is unique and unpredictable. Furthermore, the approach of having eight different final endings depending on the reader's choice at three specific points is something that I have not seen done before in a gamebook. The resultant endings were distinct and well-crafted, and each fit what led up to it. One can debate which of those endings is the best, and that speaks to the excellent writing on offer herein.
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