Worlds of Power
Worlds of Power is a series of young adult novelizations of popular Nintendo Entertainment Systems video games published by Scholastic. Ten books were published from 1990-1991. The series was produced by Seth Godin who wanted to encourage children obsessed with video games to read more. All of the books are attributed to the pen name "F.X. Nine," but they are written by various authors. Each book included hints for the game between chapters, as well as a collectible card that could be torn out of the book. The cards had the game's box art on the front.
Though Seth Godin claims to have played each of the games in detail in order to make a reference document for each author, the books usually bore only a passing resemblance to the source material. Either the authors were supplied too little information, incorrect information, or allowed to take great liberties with the game (probably a combination of all three). Scholastic also required the stories to be heavily censored from the source material. Despite being about the military, ninjas, and various monsters, people are rarely killed. Instead, the heroes stun their enemies or knock them unconscious.
My mother allowed me to order the Blaster Master novella through my elementary school's monthly book catalog. I had never played or even seen the game, but the fact that the book was about a Nintendo game was enough to entice me. As a child, I really liked the book and it encouraged me to seek out and play the game, which I discovered was very different than the book. Re-reading the book years later, I realized just how hokey the story was, but I still enjoyed it due to nostalgia. In my late 20s, I decided to try and find the other books and see how they were, and, sure enough, they were equally as hokey and took great liberties with the actual games.
Books
# | Title | Author | Published | Own |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Blaster Master | Peter Lerangis | 1990 | Yes |
2 | Metal Gear | Alexander Frost | 1990 | |
3 | Ninja Gaiden | Peter Lerangis | 1990 | Yes |
4 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | Christopher Howell | 1990 | |
5 | Wizards and Warriors | Ellen Miles | 1990 | Yes |
Mega Man 2 | Ellen Miles | 1990 | ||
6 | Bionic Commando) | Judith Bauer Stamper | 1991 | Yes |
7 | Infiltrator | Peter Lerangis | 1991 | |
8 | Before Shadowgate | Ellen Miles | 1991 | |
Bases Loaded II: Second Season | Peter Lerangis | 1991 |
Links
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_Power - Wikipedia.
- noiselesschatter.com/the-lost-worlds-of-power - Fan reboot, 12 new game books.
- throwbacks.com/10-awesome-facts-about-the-worlds-of-power-books - Throwbacks.
- atarihq.com/tsr/odd/scans/wop.html - Reviews.