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A second Asian inspired D&D Endless Quest book, after Duel of the Masters, this one is more explicit about its setting as instead of following an established D&D class such as the Monk, it goes into a more strictly East Asian setting with Samurais and Ninjas showing up.

D&D Oriental Adventures would be coming out in 1985 and this gamebook clearly anticipates both then and eventually in 1988 the Asian inspired sub-setting of Forgotten Realms: Kara-Tur.

As I didn't get my hands on this on time for the review I can't really speak about the interior of the book or its illustrations, but reviews around the internet praise the story as being quite good, I can't vouch for that, but I am curious! 

Vintage Paperback - HeartQuest #02: Talisman Of Valdegarde by Madeleine Simon (Pseudonym Of Morris Simon)

Art by Larry Elmore

The first in a new series of gamebooks by TSR, this is also the first TSR gamebook which dovetails neatly with their game world and novels. This adventure is very specifically a Dragonlance adventure and if you had read the first novel in the Chronicles series that came out in late 1984, or had played the Dragonlance adventure modules, you would know this immediately from the title, as Pax Tharkas is a major location both in the book and the modules.

Here you play Bern Vallenshield, a young warrior who is taken prisoner by the dragon armies and put in Pax Tharkas, from which you must escape. Basically in this gamebook you are skirting around the tale set out in the Dragons of Autumn Twilight novel, whose heroes are attempting to sneak into Pax Tharkas while you are trying to escape it. 

Of course this book is concerned with the wider Dragonlance continuity, which makes it pretty frustrating as you are never allowed to take any actions which would conflict with the wider Dragonlance story, each time you have an option like that it will lead you to a dead end or just go wrong. It's also interesting to note the change in format for this book, we now have a character sheet, character experience points and a d6 game system! There are also a lot more story entries (201) and these are shorter. Both these elements bring the Super Endless Quest books closer in line with the British, very successful, Fighting Fantasy series. 

Student accommodation investment is an easy buy-in to the property sector

Simon Morris is a London-based property expert with a speciality in commercial property. In this blogpost he looks at student accommodation provider Unite Group who are reporting this week that their accommodation portfolio is already nearly fully let, on increased rents for the next academic year.

Shares in Unite Group are set to bounce upwards in the wake of news about increased rents and an…

What are Judy Garlands Best Ever Movie Musical Roles?

In an ode to iconic movie musical actress Judy Garland, I’ve decided to ask on the Simon Morris blog this week, what are her best ever movie musical roles?

Simon Morris Really Loved Movie Musicals Growing Up!

I grew up watching movie musicals. I was obsessed, and of course, I got to know the genre pretty well. I was tucked in by Maria from The Sound of Music, sang in the rain and swung round…

Simon Morris Launches New Guide

Property expert Simon Morris has launched a new guide designed to provide first time buyers the information they need before investing in a property portfolio.

Simon Morris: Independent Property Expert

Simon Morris is an independent, London-based property expert who acts in an advisory capacity to UK property investment funds on how best to reap high returns from their property portfolios.

What…