The Seven Serpents (Fighting Fantasy: Sorcery!, #3) by Steve Jackson

The Seven Serpents (Fighting Fantasy: Sorcery!, #3) Reviews

• 
  Rich Stoehr

  I was ridiculously addicted to the 'Sorcery!' series as a a kid, and this book in particular. Though I'd read many other interactive books (Choose Your Own Adventure, Fighting Fantasy, etc.), this one really grabbed me with its mixture of role-playing elements, puzzle-solving, and clever story. This book stumped me many times but I always went back to the beginning to try it again, to see what detail I'd missed. I wound my way back and forth through its pages until I finally found a way to destroy all seven serpents and, at last, progress safely to the fourth and final volume.
  
  Computer games make it so much easier today to engage the person experiencing it with interactive features while telling a story, but coming from a time when an interactive book was still a relatively groundbreaking concept, they didn't come much better, more engaging, or more challenging than Steve Jackson's 'Seven Serpents.'
  
  For me personally, even looking at the cover brings back memories of summer days spent with the book in one hand and a pair of dice in the other, losing myself in that strange world for hours on end. Good stuff.
• 
  Paul Christensen

  Adrift in the glow of the Baklands, where Space conquers Time
  (Trying to gain the fortress Mampang, where the Archmage plots his crimes),
  
  Your footsteps must lead from the Baddu plains to the wastes of Klatta-Bak,
  And thence to the mighty forest that is home to the SNATTACATS.
  
  Then, if you manage to cross the lake and enter the Swamp of Vischlami,
  You may find instead that Time conquers Space, and slices you up like salami.
  
• 
  Michael Kelly

  I'm going to revisit this one at some future date when I'm in a better frame of mind and I may then revise my review of it. But at present, I've just lost patience with it.
  
  It's a huge book compared to other gamebooks. Not as huge as volume 4, but pretty damn huge. But at the moment, it doesn't seem to be huge in a good way. It's sprawling rather than epic, and just about every single situation I've been in has scythed away huge amounts of Stamina, without even the excuse of a fight.
  
  I met and destroyed only one of the Serpents before being wiped out in the forest.
  
  I'm sure the true path through this book is fascinating and spellbinding, but at the moment it just seems to me to be wandering around bewildered in area that's too damn large. IU can't even begin to imagine the number of replays necessary to work through this one, and quite frankly I don't have time for it. It's a great idea, but my initial impression is that it could and should have been so much tighter. Far too big and far too punishing and nowhere near engaging enough.
  
  I may change my mind at a later date when I'm willing to give it another chance.
• 
  Chris Dw i

  The Seven Serpents is honestly really good.
  
  Your goal is to slay the seven serpents who have learnt of your plans before they can report back to their master and it's really fun. You've got some fun mechanics to implement when facing the serpents which usually consists of you going to a specific reference and the serpents themselves are pretty tough and put up a good fight.
  
  You have some great encounters and meet some fun characters whilst on your journey. My favourite had to be the creepy snake charmer but there's a good selection to choose from.
  
  Ultimately, this book feels like an adventure and you don't have to constantly worry about flicking to specific references under specific conditions. You're travelling from point to point whilst trying to slay some evil serpents. What's not to like?
• 
  Stuart

  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!
• 
  John Somers

  Have this as part of the Sorcery! boxed set.
• 
  Stefano

  Il migliore dei quattro della serie. Sono riuscito a sconfiggerli tutti, i sette serpenti. Ma che fatica.
• 
  Kevin Pimbblet

  A large and challenging game book, The Seven Serpents is probably going to be the first one in the series that causes repeated failures of expeditions. Although it is likely that an expedition will defeat a few of the serpents, slaying all seven of them before the end requires more than just luck. A lot of planning is required and insight into the optimal pathway to take. This will make the book less appealing to some, but for the more serious game reader, the Seven Serpents is a delight with plenty of twists and turns, and unexpected plotlines.
  
• 
  Juho Pohjalainen

  This one offers a fine compromise to the plot coupons, possible by means of continuity and there being one more book in the series before finishing up - you need to hunt down a bunch of serpents, but failing to catch them all does not necessarily mean a game over, only making things more difficult in the final part of the saga.
  
  After the slump of Part 2, we're back to good stuff in every other way. I particularly liked the artwork of the magic shop blending in together with gameplay.
• 
  Jeff Miller

  Having a break from the computer screen during Coronavirus Lockdown I am revisiting this epic series of Fighting Fantasy books from my youth...
  
  Difficult...I only managed 4 serpents so news of my plan will have preceded me...all 7 must be almost impossible surely!?!?!
• 
  Alison Tala

  I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
  
  http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14792976