'City of Thieves' – Ian Livingstone (Scholastic)


It was back in May of this year (and doesn't that seem like such a long time ago now) that I thought I'd beat the 'Lockdown Blues' by ordering some Fighting Fantasy books and getting all nostalgic over the good bits of my childhood (most of which, funnily enough, involved Fighting Fantasy books). Little did I know that my two daughters were about to get involved... I ended up reading 'Forest of Doom' to them and before I knew it, we finished off the half term holiday by reading 'Island of the Lizard King' and 'Deathtrap Dungeon' as well. They loved it, I loved watching them negotiate their way through each book and really get into it. It was a lot of fun and we all promised we'd do it again the next time there was a school holiday.

Well, that 'next school holiday' was last week and I found a copy of 'City of Thieves', everything came together at just the right time :o) The rules were the same as last time. The story is the thing so no dice but the 'five fingered bookmark' did play a part (if you've ever read a Fighting Fantasy book then you know).

So, how did it go...?

Are YOU brave enough to walk the dangerous, dark alleyways of Port Blacksand.? You must travel to the dark tower of demonic sorcerer Zanbar Bone, to put an end to his reign of terror. But you'll have to make it past the bloodthirsty thieves and creeping creatures of the night who lurk in Port Blacksand first. step up, hero, it's time to fight!

'City of Thieves' was a book that I never had in my original collection but did manage to read maybe once or twice (I think I borrowed it from a friend). I was familiar with the plot then but had little to no idea about how to get us all through to the end in one piece. This added a little tension to the read as the girls realised that they couldn't rely on me and would have to really think about what they did. With a few books behind them though, they pretty much knew what to do by now and strode the streets of Port Blacksand like they owned the place ;o) It was funny to watch them, right at the end, when they finally reached the tower only to find that it just kept going up... Seriously, every time they thought they'd reached the end, there was another floor to go and to be fair, that made the sudden appearance of Zanbar Bone all the more surprising when it happened. I'll be honest and say that I played it safe and guided them through those last few paragraphs. Some of the ways that you can die, in those final stages, are pretty bleak and it was just before bedtime for the girls so I didn't want to be having any awkward conversations, about nightmares, with their Mum in the morning...

The bottom line though was that they really enjoyed the adventure and want to do another one. My youngest daughter said it was 'the best one yet' (which is surprising given that she really wanted ot be out on her new bike); the eldest enjoyed it but has a real soft spot for 'Forest of Doom' (just like her Dad). It's a safe bet then that you will see more Fighting Fantasy books covered here... ;o)

The book itself is a move away from the wide open spaces of 'Forest of Doom' and 'Island of the Lizard King' with the largest chunk of the adventure taking place in the urban sprawl of Port Blacksand with a brief pastoral interlude before you hit Zanbar Bone's tower. I came out of the book feeling like we hadn't even scratched the surface of Port Blacksand itself. There is so much to do, and fight, in the city and once again, I was so impressed at Livingstone's ability to convey the grim and slightly seedy atmosphere of the city along with all the little mini-quests that you complete on the way, all in a number of very succinct paragraphs. Even the new illustrations (which I haven't enjoyed in the past) work to convey a murky Port Blacksand where anything can come at you out of the fog... while you're also trying to make sure that nothing stabs you in the back.

There is so much to see and do then but the book is constantly moving forwards and you don't get to go back down any streets... I suspect just one innocuous turn down a particular street is all it will take to have you get to the end and realise that you're missing the one vital piece that means you have to start the whole thing all over again. And you know what? I love that about this book. You will get punished, even though the book has led you gently to this point. That's the way life goes sometimes.

There was a lot then to enjoy about 'City of Thieves' for all three of us. Scholastic appear to be very picky about what is being reissued (understandable, not all of the original line was great...) and they've made a very good choice with 'City of Thieves'. Lots to do, lots to see and lots to fight...

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