YOU ARE THE HERO at the UK Games Expo

On Saturday and Sunday (30th and 31st May) I shall be attending the UK Games Expo at the NEC Metropole hotel outside Birmingham. I'll be sharing a table with Graham Bottley of Arion Games (table P41 in the Palace Suite) and I will have the last few boxes of hardbacks of the limited first edition print run of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks with me. So, if you've not yet picked up a copy, you know where to come.

YOU ARE THE HERO at the MCM Expo, London

I will be at the Excel Centre in London again this weekend, attending the MCM Expo and will have some of the few remaining hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks for sale.

If you're a fan of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, the gamebook genre in general, or just great fantasy art, and you've not yet picked up a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO, you should really make the most of the opportunity to pick up one of the increasingly rare first edition copies of the book and get it signed while you're at it.

Buy a signed limited edition hardback of YOU ARE THE HERO

With 47 5-star reviews on Amazon (at the time of writing) and referred to as 'a cultural roadmap of an '80s childhood', the critically-acclaimed YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks is a must buy (at least according to SciFiNow magazine).

If you would like one of the few remaining limited first edition hardbacks, signed by the author, then drop me a line at info@jonathangreenauthor.com and I'll sort you out with one.

The books cost £40.00 each, which includes post and packing within the UK. (Overseas readers will need to pay a little bit more to acquire their signed copies.) I shall look forward to hearing from you.

YOU ARE THE HERO - 'A cultural roadmap of an '80s childhood'

That's what Jes Bickham, current editor of White Dwarf magazine and the man who commissioned my original History of Fighting Fantasy piece for an SFX Fantasy special back in 2012 says, more or less. Here's Jes in his own words:

"I read You Are The Hero over Christmas and what a treat it was... Not only was the book an absorbing account of a phenomenon, it also acted as a strange cultural roadmap for my childhood/adolescence - like you, I grew up with GW and now I find myself editing my favourite magazine from when I was 13! Lovely stuff, and very well done sir."

If you haven't got hold of a copy yourself yet, you can acquire a strictly limited edition signed hardback here.

* * * * *

In other gamebook-related news, Bloodbones the App appears to be going down a storm and has certainly created some buzz online, such as here, and here (even if Pocket Gamer don't actually know who wrote it).

The Tin Man himself has this to say about his company's latest release:

"Jonathan Green has become the modern standard bearer for Fighting Fantasy, having recently written You Are The Hero, a history of the series. I’m really thrilled to have one of Jon’s titles as part of our FF library and Bloodbones is truly an epic adventure – one of our biggest yet!"

Illustrator Tony Hough gets a mention too:

"Veteran fantasy and science-fiction artist, Tony Hough, has also returned to add some colour to his original black and white artwork, which can still be viewed by playing in an added retro mode."

Reviews have already appeared on 148apps and Playboard, with the latter saying:

"This one is from Tin Man Games. Almost all of their gamebooks were awesome and this one is even better - fantastic story and just so much fun!"

Don't forget you can download Bloodbones for the smartphone of your choice via the portal here.

All I wanted for Christmas was... YOU ARE THE HERO!

So Black Friday has been and gone, Christmas has been and gone, the New Year sales are as good as over, and still no one has bought you a copy of the critically-acclaimed* YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. What's a gamebook fan to do?

Simple answer is drop me a line at info@jonathangreenauthor.com and I'll sort you out with one of the few remaining hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO, and I'll even sign it for you. Now I can't say fairer than that, can I?

The hardback and the softback editions of YOU ARE THE HERO side by side.

The books cost £40.00 each, which includes post and packing within the UK. (Overseas readers will need to pay a little bit more to acquire their signed copies.) I shall look forward to hearing from you.


* 38 five-star reviews on Amazon, at the last count.

YOU ARE THE HERO at Dragonmeet 2014

I shall be at Dragonmeet 2014 tomorrow, attending as a guest author, and I shall have a few remaining hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks with me. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are also going to be in attendance, so you might even be able to get your book signed by them as well.

If you would like to pick one up, make sure you drop by the Author area. I'll also have some badges and dice for sale. After all, Dragonmeet wouldn't be Dragonmeet without the dice. And remember, if you are planning on popping along, this year Dragonmeet is being held at the Ibis Hotel Earls Court and ILEC Convention Centre (47 Lillie Road, London, SW6 1UD).

Maybe I'll see you there...

YOU ARE THE HERO at Dragonmeet '14

I shall be at Dragonmeet at the ILEC Convention Centre, London, this Saturday 6th December, along with the few last hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. 

Tickets are just £8 until Friday night, and £10 on the day. It's free entry for children under 16 attending with an adult and there's are free local parking. (You can find out more at www.dragonmeet.co.uk.)

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are also going to be in attendance. They will be giving a talk about their Top 10 Games at 1.00pm and afterwards (at around 2.00pm) they will be stopping by my table to sign copies of YOU ARE THE HERO. So if you've yet to pick up a copy and missed Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, why not pop along on Saturday?

Today is your last chance to buy tickets for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014!

Tickets are on sale until one minute to midnight tonight, and then that's it! Zagor can't wait to meet you...

Buy your ticket now, and get your copy of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, signed by a host of special guests and contributing artists!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - Featuring Malcolm Barter and the Fighting Fantasy Exhibition

There are now just 3 days left in which to buy your tickets for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014...

In yet another coup for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, The Forest of Doom artist Malcolm Barter is going to be joining us at the DoubleTree Hilton, Ealing, on Sunday 7 September.

Malcolm's unique artwork appears in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, which has a whole chunk of one chapter given over to Ian Livingstone's The Forest of Doom and which will be launching at the event. So why not come along and get Malcolm to sign your copy on the day?

Another of the highlights of the day is going to be an exhibition of rare and unique items from the history of Fighting Fantasy - everything from original artwork, to miniatures, to hand-written manuscripts!

There's never been an event like it, so book your place at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 today! And tell all your friends!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - Featuring guest artist John Blanche

There are now just 4 days left in which to buy your tickets for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014...

In what has to be quite some coup for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, Sorcery! and Clash of the Princes artist John Blanche is going to be joining us in Ealing on Sunday 7 September.

Yes - the John Blanche, whose mind now works feverishly to create the quasi-Medieval worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.

John's unique artwork appears in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, which has a whole chapter given over to the Sorcery! series, and which will be launching at the event. So why not come along and get John to sign your copy on the day?

Fighting Fantasy 2014 - Official Press Release

For immediate release!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

The first dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention, with Special Guests of Honour Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, featuring the official launch of YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks by Jonathan Green.

Sunday 7 September 2014 will see the first dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention take place at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Ealing, West London. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, co-creators of the publishing and gaming phenomenon that is Fighting Fantasy, will be Special Guests of Honour at the event, where they will be joined by legendary fantasy artists Russ Nicholson, Chris Achilleos and Tony Hough. A highlight of the day will be Steve and Ian’s own talk on the History of Fighting Fantasy.

Fighting Fantasy Fest will see the official launch of Jonathan Green’s YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, along with an exhibition of rare FF memorabilia – including original artwork and other more obscure artefacts connected to the series – as well as trade stands, and an auction of Fighting Fantasy treasures. Arion Games will be running Advanced Fighting Fantasy role-playing game sessions during the day, while Tin Man Games and Inkle Studios will also be in attendance, talking about their digital versions of such classic gamebooks as Ian Livingstone’s The Forest of Doom and Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! epic.

Tickets for the event cost £50 each, and every attendee will receive an event-exclusive Adventurer’s Backpack containing various Fighting Fantasy Fest and YOU ARE THE HERO goodies.

“The success of the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter project demonstrated that there is still an active community of Fighting Fantasy fans out in the world who would relish the chance to not only meet their heroes, but to get together and share their stories of battling the horrors of Deathtrap Dungeon or braving the perils of Kharé – Cityport of Traps,” says Jonathan Green, author of the History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, “ideally whilst quaffing a flagon of ale in Port Blacksand’s infamous Black Lobster Tavern.” (The event will even feature a themed bar!)

Ian Livingstone, co-creator of Fighting Fantasy said, “It’s crazy really that it’s taken 32 years for a dedicated Fighting Fantasy event to take place!  But that’s going to make it all the more special. It will be brilliant to see old friends, artists, authors and fans again after all this time. I’m going to bring along some special Fighting Fantasy items that have never been seen in public before. It certainly will be a Return to Firetop Mountain! I can’t wait.”

Steve Jackson, who is famed for his Sorcery! series, said, “Amazing to think it’s almost 40 years since the first Games Day was held, at Seymour Hall and Baths in Central London. There was a great buzz at that event. Visitors – and organisers – felt they were attending a special occasion. I’m sure it will be the same kind of buzz at Fighting Fantasy Fest. FF celebrities will be there, dealers and memorabilia, game demos and a special auction of items from the Jackson and Livingstone personal archives. This will be an event not to be missed by FF readers. I’m really looking forward to it.”

For more information, or to arrange interviews with the organisers of Fighting Fantasy Fest, please email Jonathan Green at info@jonathangreenauthor.com.

@fightingfantasy @stevejacksonuk @ian_livingstone @jonathangreen @You_Are_TheHero #FightingFantasyFest2014

Sunday 7 September 2014 • The DoubleTree Hilton, Ealing, London, UK

Artists • Panels • Book Signings • Games • Exhibition • Special Guests • Auction

www.FightingFantasy.com