Wizards & Warriors (book)

Wizards & Warriors

Mass market - USA - 1st edition.

Author Ellen Miles Published 1990-01-?? Type Fiction, Novelization Genre Fantasy Themes Action, Adventure, Fantasy Age Group Children

Wizards and Warriors is a young adult novelization of the video game Wizards & Warriors and was published by Scholastic in January of 1991. It is book number six in the Worlds of Power series, although it is the seventh book in the series. Like all books in the series, it is attributed to "F. X. Nine," though the internal text lists the author as Ellen Miles.

In the book, Matthew Lukens leaves Earth to join the knight Kuros as his squire on a quest to rescue Princess Miranda and her handmaidens from the evil sorcerer Malkil to prevent the destruction of the Enchanted Realms.

Personal

Own?	Mass-market paperback, first edition, with the card cutout intact.
Read?	Mass-market paperback, first edition.
Finished	2020-11-12.

I read my first Worlds of Power book, Blaster Master, in the early 1990s, but I didn't read any others until 2007 when, being nostalgic for the story, I ordered four other books from the series. Having never played Wizards and Warriors, I didn't get around to reading the book until 2022, and I didn't find it all that enjoyable. I actually played and beat the game during the process of reading the book in order to have a better idea of what I was reading about.

Review

Overall:

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The book generally follows the game.
• There are a few sections in the book that focus on the feelings of inadequacy that boys frequently face.
• There is some good use of fore-shadowing with the knight figurine.

Bad

• Matthew doesn't seem very impressed about a knight suddenly appearing in his room and claiming to be on a dangerous quest to rescue a princess.
• The trap room where Kuros and Matthew has to admit uncomfortable truths about themselves in order to escape was pretty lame.
• Most of recreated cover art Worlds of Power censored violence, and this one is no different, but, unlike the other recreations, this one was pretty low quality.
• I noticed a couple minor typos.

Ugly

• Before they even leave Earth, Kuros explains to Matthew that the monsters of the Enchanted Realms won't harm him, and, indeed, through nearly all of the book, he's never in any peril at all. This ruins pretty much any chance at suspense for the protagonist. Part of being a kid playing a video game is imagining, not that you're controlling the hero of the game, but that you are the hero of the game. Because of this choice, it's more like you're reading a book about someone watching a film rather than taking part in the adventure.
• At one point, Kuros is nearly slain, but Matthew brings him back from death's door simply by being sad that he's almost dead.

Media

• 

  Wizards and Warriors, USA, 1st edition.

• 

  Wizards and Warriors, USA, 2nd edition.

• 

  Wizards and Warriors, UK.

Links

 

• gamebooks.org/Item/3636/Show - Game Books.