Difference between revisions of "Worlds of Power"
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| || ''[[Mega Man 2 (book)|Mega Man 2]]'' || ''[[Mega Man 2]]'' || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1990-08-?? (USA) || 0-590-43772-0 || | | || ''[[Mega Man 2 (book)|Mega Man 2]]'' || ''[[Mega Man 2]]'' || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1990-08-?? (USA) || 0-590-43772-0 || | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | 6 || ''[[Bionic Commando (book)|Bionic Commando]]'' || ''[[Bionic Commando]]'' || [[Judith Bauer Stamper]] || 1991-01-?? (USA)<br />1991-07-19 (UK) || 0-590-44315-1<br />0-590-76556-6|| Yes<br /> | + | | 6 || ''[[Bionic Commando (book)|Bionic Commando]]'' || ''[[Bionic Commando (NES)|Bionic Commando]]'' || [[Judith Bauer Stamper]] || 1991-01-?? (USA)<br />1991-07-19 (UK) || 0-590-44315-1<br />0-590-76556-6|| Yes<br /> |
|- | |- | ||
| 7 || ''[[Infiltrator (book)|Infiltrator]]'' || ''[[Infiltrator]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991-03-?? (USA) || 0-590-44314-3 || | | 7 || ''[[Infiltrator (book)|Infiltrator]]'' || ''[[Infiltrator]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991-03-?? (USA) || 0-590-44314-3 || | ||
Revision as of 15:19, 25 September 2020
Worlds of Power is a series of young adult novelizations of popular Nintendo Entertainment System 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. The initially sold for $2.95 USD, $3.95 CAD, £1.95 GBP, but have become rather collectable and now regularly sell for around $10-$20 apiece.
Although the games created by Nintendo were among the most popular for the NES at the time, they are not represented among the books. Possibly, because the books were not licensed by their creators, Scholastic decided it unwise to enter legal battle with Nintendo over it.
Though Seth Godin claims to have played each of the video games in great 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 many of them being about the war and battles with monsters, people are rarely killed. Instead, the heroes stun their enemies or knock them unconscious.
The first four books in the series advertise the ability to win a Game Boy on the cover (though the fifth book also mentions the contest at the back of the book). Books 1-6 include a collectible card that could be torn out of the book which featured the game box art on the front and a hint in mirror writing on the back. These cards were removed for the second printing. The first six books were printed in the UK. Two of the books (Mega Man 2 and Bases Loaded II: Second Season) were part of the Junior Edition series and were not numbered and were shorter in length and printed in a larger format.
One thing I noticed after looking at the covers for awhile is that they're all reproductions. Since none of the games were authorized by the developers, Scholastic did not get publishing rights for the box art of any of the games. Instead, they hired someone to paint deceptively accurate replicas. Some of them include minor censoring to lessen the violence. The Blaster Master cover is especially impressive as the artist had to simulate a close-up of a TV screen complete with scanlines and pixel separation.
Contents
Personal
When I was 11-years-old, 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 | Game | Author | Published | ISBN | Own |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaster Master | Blaster Master | Peter Lerangis | 1990-07-?? (USA) 1991-??-?? (USA Reprint) 1991-04-?? (UK) |
0-590-43778-X 0-590-43778-X 0-590-76481-0 |
Yes |
| 2 | Metal Gear | Metal Gear | Alexander Frost | 1990-07-?? (USA) 1991-??-?? (USA Reprint) 1991-04-?? (UK) |
0-590-43777-1 0-590-43777-1 0-590-76482-9 |
|
| 3 | Ninja Gaiden | Ninja Gaiden | Peter Lerangis | 1990-07-?? (USA) 1991-??-?? (USA Reprint) 1991-04-?? (UK) |
0-590-44598-7 0-590-43776-3 0-590-76484-5 |
Yes |
| 4 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | Christopher Howell | 1990-07-?? (USA) 1991-??-?? (USA Reprint) 1991-04-?? (UK) |
0-590-43775-5 0-590-43775-5 0-590-76483-7 |
Yes |
| 5 | Wizards and Warriors | Wizards and Warriors | Ellen Miles | 1990-09-?? (USA) 1991-??-?? (USA Reprint) 1991-07-18 (UK) |
0-590-43769-0 0-590-43769-0 0-590-76528-0 |
Yes |
| Mega Man 2 | Mega Man 2 | Ellen Miles | 1990-08-?? (USA) | 0-590-43772-0 | ||
| 6 | Bionic Commando | Bionic Commando | Judith Bauer Stamper | 1991-01-?? (USA) 1991-07-19 (UK) |
0-590-44315-1 0-590-76556-6 |
Yes |
| 7 | Infiltrator | Infiltrator | Peter Lerangis | 1991-03-?? (USA) | 0-590-44314-3 | |
| 8 | Before Shadowgate | Shadowgate | Ellen Miles | 1991-05-?? (USA) | 0-590-44313-5 | |
| Bases Loaded II: Second Season | Bases Loaded II: Second Season | Peter Lerangis | 1991-??-?? (USA) | 0-590-44312-7 |
Media
Covers
Blaster Master, USA, 1st edition.
Blaster Master, USA, reprint.
Blaster Master, UK.
Metal Gear, USA, 1st edition.
Metal Gear, USA, reprint.
Metal Gear, UK.
Ninja Gaiden, USA, 1st edition.
Ninja Gaiden, USA, reprint.
Ninja Gaiden, UK.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, USA, 1st edition.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, USA, reprint.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, UK.
Wizards and Warriors, USA, 1st edition.
Wizards and Warriors, USA, 2nd edition.
Wizards and Warriors, UK.
Mega Man 2, USA, 1st edition.
Bionic Commando, USA, 1st edition.
Bionic Commando, UK.
Infiltrator, USA, 1st edition.
Before Shadowgate, USA, 1st edition.
Bases Loaded II: Second Season, USA, 1st edition.
Downloads
The Lost Worlds of Power (fan books).
Links
- 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.
