By Jonathan Green, with Ian Livingstone In August 1982, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s first Fighting Fantasy gamebook was published by Penguin Books under their children’s imprint, Puffin Books. It was an innovative branching narrative fantasy adventure and had a simple game system and the intriguing title of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. What followed was nothing less than a publishing phenomenon. By the 40th anniversary of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, more than 20 million Fighting Fantasy gamebooks had been sold worldwide in over 30 languages. Over the years, the one thing that the books, as well as the spin-off novels, role-playing games, comics, board games, miniature figurines, and video games all had in common was the incredible artwork which helped define Fighting Fantasy. From the heroes to the characters, to the settings, to the legions of terrifying monsters, the world of Fighting Fantasy was brought to life by a succession of hugely talented artists. Who could fail to remember the multi-eyed Bloodbeast staring menacingly at the readers from the cover of Deathtrap Dungeon? Who didn’t feel a touch of nervous excitement when witnessing the Shape Changer’s transformation on the cover of The Forest of Doom? Who didn’t marvel at the beauty of the iconic covers of the four Sorcery! gamebooks? Who wouldn’t have felt threatened by the foul undead smashing through the door on the cover of Blood of the Zombies? And fast forward to today, who wouldn’t be intrigued by the Iron Giants destroying a village on the cover of Shadow of the Giants? The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a book which celebrates the incredible art of the brilliant and highly respected fantasy and science fiction artists who, over the years, worked with the Fighting Fantasy authors to bring their interactive adventures to life. Written by Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone and Fighting Fantasy historian Jonathan Green, The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a who’s who of fantasy art. Includes artwork from: Chris Achilleos, Robert Ball, Malcolm Barter, Tazio Bettin, Brian Bolland, John Blanche, Jim Burns, Les Edwards, David Gallagher, Mel Grant, Leo Hartas, Tony Hough, Karl Kopinski, Alan Langford, Terry Oakes, Iain McCaig, Mike McCarthy, Martin McKenna, Ian Miller, Russ Nicholson, John Sibbick, Duncan Smith, Greg Staples, Gary Ward & Edward Crosby. Packed with illustrations from four decades of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and featuring fascinating insights into their work from the artists themselves, The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a collector’s item which is destined to take pride of place on the bookshelves of gamebook fans and lovers of fantasy art the world over. We now have the pleasure of inviting you to immerse yourself in the glorious pictorial world of Fighting Fantasy.
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