The Shadow of Death

Holding the Spear of Doom up high, you shout your war-cry and charge. The Spear is not meant to kill Voivod; as the Horned God said, it returns life to the dead. But Voivod is death itself, so the Spear may not have enough Life-force to affect him. Fight each Attack Round of combat as normal; but once, at the end of each round (whether you win the round or not), you can attempt to give Voivod life. Roll two dice: if the total is equal to or less than the Spear's current Life-force, turn to 400; but if the number you roll is higher, you have failed. If you fail, deduct 1 from the Spear's Life-force, then fight another round of combat, and so on. Because you are trying to wield the Spear, you fight Voivod only in defence: if you win a round, he loses no STAMINA; on the other hand, Voivod thrives on your death, so if you lose a round, you must add any points of STAMINA that you lose to Voivod's current total. If the Spear expends its Life-force, you must try to defeat the Voivod in normal combat -- only then will your telling blows cause him to lose STAMINA points.

VOIVOD        SKILL 10        STAMINA 10

Should it be that you win in normal combat, turn to 303.

So goes the final combat of the 44th Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Legend of the Shadow Warriors by Stephen Hand (published 1991). It's around this point you can tell that the authors are aiming the range at adult collectors as much, if not more, than the series' original target audience of teenage boys. This eventually came to be seen as a problem by Puffin Books, who felt the series had become too unknowable and needed to get back to its roots, but a planned 'back-to-basics' relaunch in 1995 blew up on the launchpad and no revamped books were ever published, despite the fact the first one had been completed.

And maybe they had a point there, and maybe the new 21st-century books thread a needle which the range didn't manage to in the nineties, innovating with the format whilst keeping in mind who the target audience is. But Legend of the Shadow Warriors boasts a rich backstory, an immersive writing style, high replay value, experimentation with the series' basic rules including an innovative system for equipping different weapons and armour, and possibly the best-written 'boss battle' not just of the range, but of any gamebook.

Should you end up killing the Voivod:

Guided by a misplaced and hopeless sense of valour, you defy the odds and beat the armoured Warlord into the ground. But Voivod is death, and death cannot be killed. Frantic and panic-stricken, you look up to see the shambling Undead marching towards you, their weapons raised in an ever-tightening noose of death. At journey's end comes horror. True horror. You look all about you and scream!

But should you successfully return life to the dead:

You dodge Voivod's bone-crushing gauntlets and thrust the Spear of Doom deep into his armoured body. He cries aloud with shock, and you are flung back by an explosion of Life-force. Astonishment numbs your mind as you lie there in the dirt and witness events almost beyond your comprehension. The shambling Undead fall back into their graves, and all five Shadow Warriors reappear, only to be pulled skywards in a whirl of Life-force. The five fleeting shadows are scattered, howling on the wind, never to return. You look back towards Voivod and see that his armour has dissolved, revealing an emaciated old man. He stumbles forward crying, 'Life! I had forgotten ... The smell of the flowers, the feel of the breeze. I ... I...'

The Sisters of Time, the Horned God and Jack-in-the-Green all appear before you. As one, they say, 'You have done well, forsaking the hand of vengeful death for that of forgiving life. By this act you have righted all the wrongs and made whole all the corruptions. Voivod, Warlord of the Apocalypse, is human once more. Take him and reacquaint him with the ways of life.' Then they are gone.

You stand there on the windswept battle plains, and put your arm round the old man who is crying with the simple joy of being alive.

I hope there were some teenage boys in 1991 who got something out of that ending.

I really, really do.