Difference between revisions of "Worlds of Power"

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[[Image:Worlds of Power - Logo.png|thumb|256x256ps|Logo.]]
 
[[Image:Worlds of Power - Logo.png|thumb|256x256ps|Logo.]]
  
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'''''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, 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.
+
'''''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.
  
−
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.
+
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.
  
−
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.
+
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.
 +
 
 +
==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==
 
==Books==
Line 11: Line 18:
  
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
−
! # !! Title !! Author !! Published !! Own
+
! # !! Title !! Game !! Author !! Published !! ISBN !! Own
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1 || [[Blaster Master (book)|Blaster Master]] || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1990 || Yes
+
| 1 || ''[[Blaster Master (book)|Blaster Master]]'' || ''[[Blaster Master]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1990-07-?? (USA)<br />1991-??-?? (USA Reprint)<br />1991-04-?? (UK) || 0-590-43778-X<br />0-590-43778-X<br />0-590-76481-0 || &nbsp;<br />Yes<br />&nbsp;
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 2 || [[Metal Gear (book)|Metal Gear]] || [[Alexander Frost]] || 1990 ||  
+
| 2 || ''[[Metal Gear (book)|Metal Gear]]'' || ''[[Metal Gear]]'' || [[Alexander Frost]] || 1990-07-?? (USA)<br />1991-??-?? (USA Reprint)<br />1991-04-?? (UK) || 0-590-43777-1<br />0-590-43777-1<br />0-590-76482-9 ||  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 3 || [[Ninja Gaiden (book)|Ninja Gaiden]] || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1990 || Yes
+
| 3 || ''[[Ninja Gaiden (book)|Ninja Gaiden]]'' || ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1990-07-?? (USA)<br />1991-??-?? (USA Reprint)<br />1991-04-?? (UK) || 0-590-44598-7<br />0-590-43776-3<br />0-590-76484-5 || &nbsp;<br />Yes<br />&nbsp;
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 4 || [[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (book)|Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]] || [[Christopher Howell]] || 1990 ||  
+
| 4 || ''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (book)|Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]]'' || ''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]]'' || [[Christopher Howell]] || 1990-07-?? (USA)<br />1991-??-?? (USA Reprint)<br />1991-04-?? (UK) || 0-590-43775-5<br />0-590-43775-5<br />0-590-76483-7 || &nbsp;<br />Yes<br />&nbsp;
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 5 || [[Wizards and Warriors (book)|Wizards and Warriors]] || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1990 || Yes
+
| 5 || ''[[Wizards & Warriors (book)|Wizards & Warriors]]'' || ''[[Wizards & Warriors]]'' || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1990-09-?? (USA)<br />1991-??-?? (USA Reprint)<br />1991-07-18 (UK) || 0-590-43769-0<br />0-590-43769-0<br />0-590-76528-0 || Yes<br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;
 
|-  
 
|-  
−
|  || [[Mega Man 2 (book)|Mega Man 2]] || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1990 ||  
+
|  || ''[[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)]] || [[Judith Bauer Stamper]] || 1991 || Yes
+
| 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 />&nbsp;
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 7 || [[Infiltrator (book)|Infiltrator]] || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991 ||  
+
| 7 || ''[[Infiltrator (book)|Infiltrator]]'' || ''[[Infiltrator]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991-03-?? (USA) || 0-590-44314-3 ||  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 8 || [[Before Shadowgate]] || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1991 ||  
+
| 8 || ''[[Before Shadowgate]]'' || ''[[Shadowgate]]'' || [[Ellen Miles]] || 1991-05-?? (USA) || 0-590-44313-5 ||  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|  || [[Bases Loaded II: Second Season (book)|Bases Loaded II: Second Season]] || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991 ||  
+
|  || ''[[Bases Loaded II: Second Season (book)|Bases Loaded II: Second Season]]'' || ''[[Bases Loaded II: Second Season]]'' || [[Peter Lerangis]] || 1991-??-?? (USA) || 0-590-44312-7 ||  
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
==Media==
 +
===Covers===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Worlds of Power - Blaster Master - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Blaster Master'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Blaster Master - Mass Market - USA - 2nd Edition.jpg|''Blaster Master'', USA, reprint.
 +
Worlds of Power - Blaster Master - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Blaster Master'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Metal Gear - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Metal Gear'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Metal Gear - Mass Market - USA - 2nd Edition.jpg|''Metal Gear'', USA, reprint.
 +
Worlds of Power - Metal Gear - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Metal Gear'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Ninja Gaiden - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Ninja Gaiden'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Ninja Gaiden - Mass Market - USA - 2nd Edition.jpg|''Ninja Gaiden'', USA, reprint.
 +
Worlds of Power - Ninja Gaiden - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Ninja Gaiden'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - Mass Market - USA - 2nd Edition.jpg|''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', USA, reprint.
 +
Worlds of Power - Castlevania II - Simon's Quest - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Wizards and Warriors - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Wizards and Warriors'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Wizards and Warriors - Mass Market - USA - 2nd Edition.jpg|''Wizards and Warriors'', USA, 2nd edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Wizards and Warriors - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Wizards and Warriors'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Mega Man 2 - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Mega Man 2'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Bionic Commando - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Bionic Commando'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Bionic Commando - Mass Market - UK.jpg|''Bionic Commando'', UK.
 +
Worlds of Power - Infiltrator - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Infiltrator'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Before Shadowgate - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Before Shadowgate'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
Worlds of Power - Bases Loaded II - Second Season - Mass Market - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|''Bases Loaded II: Second Season'', USA, 1st edition.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Downloads===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Worlds of Power - Lost Worlds of Power, The.zip|The Lost Worlds of Power (fan books).
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
−
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_Power en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_Power] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_of_Power}}
 +
 
 
* [http://noiselesschatter.com/the-lost-worlds-of-power noiselesschatter.com/the-lost-worlds-of-power] - Fan reboot, 12 new game books.
 
* [http://noiselesschatter.com/the-lost-worlds-of-power noiselesschatter.com/the-lost-worlds-of-power] - Fan reboot, 12 new game books.
 
* [https://www.throwbacks.com/10-awesome-facts-about-the-worlds-of-power-books throwbacks.com/10-awesome-facts-about-the-worlds-of-power-books] - Throwbacks.
 
* [https://www.throwbacks.com/10-awesome-facts-about-the-worlds-of-power-books throwbacks.com/10-awesome-facts-about-the-worlds-of-power-books] - Throwbacks.
Line 42: Line 81:
  
 
[[Category: Book Series]]
 
[[Category: Book Series]]
 +
[[Category: Universes]]

Revision as of 15:05, 25 October 2020

Logo.

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.

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

The complete collection.
# 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 & Warriors Wizards & 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

Link-Wikipedia.png 

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