So my gamebook Nemo’s Fury received this Amazon 1 star review. It’s the only review so far.

I’m not here to complain, far from it – I used to be a film critic (check me out on Rotten Tomatoes if you can be bothered) and if one is happy to dish out low reviews one must be able to take it on the chin in return. (A pity about my glass jaw tho’.)

And frankly, although brief, it’s a very measured and thoughtful review, spelling out what the person (I didn’t look to see who it was) considered wrong with the book.

And I must not forget they paid for the book – so I’m more than happy to listen to what they have to say.

And yes, the paragraphs are brief and the choices in these early passages do not particularly affect the outcome of the game.

They do however, offer character portraits in a way that is hopefully more interesting than a lengthy piece of exposition, and give a little depth to the characters before we plunge with them into the adventure proper.

My gamebook is based on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, and although I wanted to be broadly faithful to Verne’s work and build on his amazing characters and world, I also wanted to provide historical context as to what was happening in the world outside of the Nautilus.

Verne’s audience didn’t need to be reminded of the world of 1869 they lived in, but perhaps a modern audience does.

Anyway, thank you again to the person who bought Nemo’s Fury and left the review. Your time and money are hugely appreciated. There’s nothing worse for a writer than to be not read, and after all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity!

Anyway.

Nemo’s Fury is the thrilling new gamebook, available exclusively from Amazon. Join the mysterious Captain Nemo on board his remarkable submarine the Nautilus and experience a wild voyage of monsters, mayhem and murder!

You can order your copy of the book with this button, it will take you to Amazon.

Or play my fantasy adventure gamebook, ‘Game of Runes’. Also from Amazon, press the button below.