Endless Quest

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Cover of Dungeon of Dread Dungeon of Dread.jpg
Cover of Dungeon of Dread

The Endless Quest books were three series of gamebooks. The first two series were released in the 1980s and 1990s by TSR, while the third series was released by Wizards of the Coast. Originally, these books were the result of an Educational department established by TSR with the intention of developing curriculum programs for subjects such as reading, math, history, and problem solving. [1]

Contents

The first series of 36 books was released from 1982 to 1987, the second series of 13 from 1994 to 1996.

These were respectively the first and last gamebooks released by TSR. A short spin-off series of 4 Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures books were also released during 1985. There were also several series of similar books that did not bear the Endless Quest name.

The mechanics of these books involved simple choices in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books, rather than the game-like randomized elements of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. However, the stories and characters in an Endless Quest book, while not necessarily more complex than in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, are often more fully developed because the Endless Quest books are much longer. For example, the character referred to as "you" in the text almost always has a name, gender, and backstory. The result is that the books in the Endless Quest series resemble miniature novels with many different endings.

The majority of the books in the series were based on Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), but some were based on other TSR games (e.g. Gamma World , Top Secret ) or even licensed properties (e.g. Conan, Tarzan).

Mirrorstone, a division of Wizards of the Coast that publishes fantasy fiction for children and teens, began republishing the Endless Quest series in January 2008. The first book in the series is a revision of Claw of the Dragon (#34 from Series One). They have updated the book, including making it gender neutral so it can be enjoyed by both boys and girls, and plan to update and publish more of the D&D books pending the success of this first title.

Endless Quest: Series One

Endless Quest: Series One
#TitleSettingAuthorPublishedCover artInterior artISBN
1 Dungeon of Dread D&D Rose Estes Jun 1982 Larry Elmore Jim Holloway 0-935696-86-5
2 Mountain of Mirrors D&DRose EstesJun 1982Larry ElmoreJim Holloway 0-935696-87-3
3 Pillars of Pentegarn D&DRose EstesJun 1982Larry Elmore Harry J Quinn 0-935696-92-X
4 Return to Brookmere D&DRose EstesJun 1982Larry Elmore Timothy Truman 0-935696-93-8
5 Revolt of the Dwarves D&DRose EstesJan 1983Larry ElmoreJim Holloway 0-88038-020-9
6 Revenge of the Rainbow Dragons D&DRose EstesJan 1983 Jeff Easley Harry J Quinn 0-88038-021-7
7 Hero of Washington Square Top Secret Rose EstesMay 1983 Jeff Easley Timothy Truman 0-88038-022-5
8 Villains of Volturnus Star Frontiers Jean Blashfield May 1983Larry Elmore Jim Roslof 0-88038-023-3
9 Robbers and Robots Top Secret Mike Carr Jul 1983Larry Elmore Vernon Posey 0-88038-036-5
10Circus of FearD&DRose EstesJul 1983 Keith Parkinson Kevin Nichols 0-88038-037-3
11 Spell of the Winter Wizard D&D Linda Lowery Aug 1983Larry Elmore Jeffrey R. Busch 0-88038-054-3
12 Light on Quests Mountain Gamma World Mary L. Kirchoff
James M. Ward 		Aug 1983Keith Parkinson Steve McAfee 0-88038-055-1
13Dragon of DoomD&DRose EstesNov 1983 Clyde Caldwell Harry J Quinn 0-88038-100-0
14 Raid on Nightmare Castle D&D Catherine McGuire Nov 1983 Jeff Easley Jim Holloway 0-88038-101-9
15 Under Dragon's Wing D&D John Kendall Feb 1984Larry Elmore Sam Grainger 0-88038-076-4
16 The Dragon's Ransom D&D Laura French Feb 1984Clyde Caldwell Doug Chaffee 0-88038-077-2
17 Captive Planet Star Frontiers Morris Simon Jul 1984Clyde CaldwellSam Grainger 0-88038-078-0
18King's QuestD&D Tom McGowen Jul 1984 Ben Otero Kevin Nichols 0-88038-079-9
19 Conan the Undaunted Hyborian Age James M. WardJun 1984Clyde CaldwellDoug Chaffee 0-88038-120-5
20 Conan and the Prophecy Hyborian Age Roger E. Moore Jun 1984Keith ParkinsonSam Grainger 0-88038-121-3
21 Duel of the Masters D&D Chris Martindale Sep 1984Clyde CaldwellKeith Parkinson 0-88038-154-X
22 The Endless Catacombs D&D Margaret Weis Sep 1984Jeff EasleyJeff Easley 0-88038-162-0
23 Blade of the Young Samurai D&DMorris SimonNov 1984Clyde Caldwell Gary Williams 0-88038-155-8
24 Trouble on Artule Star FrontiersCatherine McGuireNov 1984Jeff Easley Mitchell O'Connell 0-88038-169-8
25 Conan the Outlaw Hyborian AgeRoger E. MooreDec 1984Keith Parkinson Ron Randall 0-88038-222-8
26Tarzan and the Well of Slaves Tarzan Douglas Niles Jan 1985Larry ElmoreBen Otero 0-394-73968-X 0-88038-206-6
27Lair of the LichD&D Bruce Algozin Mar 1985Jeff Easley Jim Roslof 0-88038-212-0
28 Mystery of the Ancients Gamma WorldMorris SimonMay 1985Keith ParkinsonDoug Chaffee 0-88038-217-1
29Tower of DarknessD&D Regina Oehler Fultz Jul 1985Jeff Easley Mark Nelson 0-88038-204-X
30The FireseedD&DMorris SimonOct 1985Larry Elmore Jeffrey Butler 0-88038-171-X
31Tarzan and the Tower of DiamondsTarzan Richard Reinsmith Dec 1985Jeff EasleyJeffrey Butler 0-394-74188-9 0-88038-205-8
32Prisoner of ElderwoodD&DBruce AlgozinFeb 1986Jeff EasleyGary Williams 0-88038-283-X
33Knight of IllusionD&DMary L. KirchoffJun 1986Clyde CaldwellSam Grainger
Jim Holloway		 0-88038-284-8
34 Claw of the Dragon D&DBruce AlgozinSep 1986Clyde Caldwell Stephen Fabian 0-88038-306-2
35Vision of DoomD&DMary L. KirchoffDec 1986Ben Otero George Barr 0-88038-307-0
36 Song of the Dark Druid D&D Josepha Sherman Mar 1987Jeff EasleyJim Holloway 0-88038-442-5

Collectors' sets

  1. contains Books 1–4, ISBN   0-88038-056-X
  2. contains Books 5–8, ISBN   0-88038-057-8
  3. contains Books 9–12, ISBN   0-88038-163-9
  4. contains Books 13–16, ISBN   0-39472-777-0

Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures

TSR also released a spin-off series of four Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures books during 1985. These books add a small twist in the form of a clear sheet of red plastic that comes stapled to the inside. This plastic piece is removed and then overlaid on top of certain portions of the book to reveal hidden images (by acting as an optical filter).

Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures
#TitleSettingAuthorPublishedCover artInterior artISBN
1 Riddle of the Griffon D&DSusan Lawson (pseudonym for Margaret Weis and Roger E. Moore)March, 1985 Keith Parkinson Mario D. Macari, Jr.
Gary Williams		 0-880382-10-4
2 Search for the Pegasus D&D Roger E. Moore March, 1985 Clyde Caldwell Mario D. Macari, Jr.
Gary Williams		 0-880382-11-2
3Renegades of LuntarGeneric Sci-Fi Roger E. Moore June, 1985Keith ParkinsonMario D. Macari, Jr. 0-880382-18-X
4 Stop that Witch! D&DMary ClarkSeptember, 1985Larry ElmoreMario D. Macari, Jr. 0-880382-51-1

Endless Quest: Series Two

The second series differed from the first in several ways: they were printed in smaller type, the section numbers were independent of the page numbers, they were based on different original games, and they were not officially numbered (collectors and gamers use the numbering shown below, continuing from series one, for convenience).

Endless Quest: Series Two
#TitleSettingAuthorPublishedCover artInterior artISBN
37Dungeon of Fear Dragon Strike Michael Andrews 1994Jeff Easley Terry Dykstra 1-560768-35-5
38Castle of the Undead AD&D Ravenloft Nick Baron1994Clyde CaldwellTerry Dykstra 1-560768-36-3
39Secret of the DjinnAD&D Al-Qadim Jean Rabe 1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 1-560768-64-9
40The Siege of the TowerAD&D Greyhawk Kem Antillies (pseudonym for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta)1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 1-560768-94-0
41A Wild Ride Wildspace Louis Anderson 1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 1-560769-28-9
42Forest of DarknessDragon StrikeMichael Andrews Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 1-560769-32-7
43American KnightsGamma World Nick Pollotta 1995Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 0-099540-21-5 1-560768-99-1
44Night of the TigerAD&D RavenloftJean Rabe1995 Roger Loveless Terry Dykstra 0-099540-81-9 0-786901-14-4
45Galactic Challenge Amazing Engine Allen Varney 1995 Dennis Kauth Terry Dykstra 0-786901-58-6
46 Bigby's CurseAD&D GreyhawkAnne K. Brown1995Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra 0-786901-78-0
47The 24-Hour WarGamma World Nick Pollotta 1995Keith ParkinsonTerry Dykstra 0-786901-98-5
48The Test*AD&D GreyhawkWes Nicholson1996   0-786904-85-2
49Sands of Deception*AD&D Al-QadimJean Rabe1996   0-786904-94-1

* These were never released. The Test was written, turned in, and ready to print, but dropped at the last minute. Sands of Deception was written, but dropped as well. [2]

Endless Quest (2018-9)

These books were all written by Matt Forbeck. Each one is loosely based on a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign.

Endless Quest (2018-2019)
TitleModulePublishedISBN
Escape the Underdark Out of the Abyss 2018 9781787410510
Big Trouble Storm King's Thunder 2018 9781536202441
Into the Jungle Tomb of Annihilation 2018 9781536202410
To Catch a Thief Waterdeep: Dragon Heist 2018 9781536200669
Escape from Castle Ravenloft Curse of Strahd 2019 9781536209235
The Mad Mage's Academy Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage 2019 9781536209259

The related Super Endless Quest series changed its name to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks starting with the fourth book; these books added a more complex game system to stories that otherwise share the same style with the Endless Quest books. A bookmark-style insert was provided with simple Dungeons & Dragons statistics for the book's main character, and a dice-rolling mechanic was added for determining the character's fate within the story.

The Fantasy Forest series of gamebooks (1982–1983) is quite similar to the Endless Quest books, but it is aimed at a somewhat younger audience.

Other similar series from TSR included HeartQuest (interactive romances, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons), Catacombs Solo Quest (more complex again than Super Endless Quest), and 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks that were each a pair of books for two players/readers.

TSR also used the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks format for books tied into their Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game, published as single-character Adventure Gamebooks, and later as 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks, and featuring licensed Marvel Comics characters.

Reception

The first four Endless Quest books were reviewed by Marcus Rowland in White Dwarf #39 (March 1983). [3] Rowland rated Pillars of Pentegarn as 5 out of 10, Mountain of Mirrors as 4 out of 10, Dungeon of Dread as 6 out of 10, and Return to Brookmere as 7 out of 10. [3] Rowland also reviewed the next two books in the series, giving both Revolt of the Dwarves and Revenge of the Rainbow Dragons 5 out of 10. [4]

Reviews

References

  1. ↑ "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2005-08-20.
  2. ↑ "Unreleased Books". The Acaeum Forum . Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  3. 1 2 Rowland, Marcus L (March 1983). "Open Box: Dungeons & Dragons Endless Quest Books". White Dwarf . No. 39. Games Workshop. p. 14. ISSN   0265-8712.
  4. ↑ Rowland, Marcus L. (April 1983). "Open Box". White Dwarf . No. 44. p. 13.
  5. ↑ Lombardy, Dana (June 1985). "Gaming". Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Vol. 09, no. 06. pp. 22–23.
  6. ↑ "Lire l'aventure!". Jeux & stratégie. No. 31. February 1985.
  7. ↑ "Les quetes sans fin". Jeux & stratégie. No. 39. June 1986.
  8. ↑ "Reviews". Science Fiction Chronicle. Vol. 6, no. 1. DNA Publications. October 1984. p. 36.
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