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Sep 06

Froggy approves

Good Show Sir Comments: Determine your destiny! Your destiny is read some shitty fantasy.

Thanks to Ryan for sending this in!

Published 1987

Actually, that cover IS a classical work of art!I would touch it without protective gloves.I've seen worse. Far, far, worse.Interesting, but I would still read it in public.Middlng: Neither awful nor awfully goodWould not like to be seen reading that!Awful... just awful...That belongs in a gold-lame picture frame!Gah... my eyes are burning! Feels so good!Good Show Sir! (Average: 6.50 out of 10)
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19 Responses to “Grey Star the Wizard”

  1. Tat Wood Says:

    Write Your Own Adventure extends to making your own cover from old Forbidden Planet carrier bags.

    Nice to see Shrek before he was famous, though.

  2. Steve S Says:

    Mind what you’re doing with that staff. You’ve just annihilated the discounted price sticker.

  3. fred Says:

    Mr. Toad’s got a new mania. Cover bombing Richard Corben.

  4. Max Bathroom Says:

    If choose your own adventure type books and RPG sharecrop novels are acceptable, I have some nerd game type stuff to hand with pretty rancid covers myself. Is that sort of thing no longer considered a bridge too far?

  5. Francis Boyle Says:

    @Steve

    That’s not a staff that’s a mop. Someone neglected to explain to badly-drawn wizard the correct procedures for dealing with volatile liquids.

  6. Cornelius Says:

    If you want to enthuse kids to buy your book, putting ‘Grey’ in the title probably isn’t the way to go. Next up is ‘Graham, The Beige Warrior.’

  7. Ryan Says:

    Surely this cover is a composite of different illustrators’ work, right? The various creatures certainly aren’t sharing the same light sources or atmospheric conditions at very least.

  8. Daard23 Says:

    Grey Star is world renowned for his epic washtub bass solos.

  9. JuanPaul Says:

    When the monsters find out the wizard is just blowing bubbles, they are gonna kick his ass.

  10. Bruce A Munro Says:

    Grey Star’s mom thinks he’s hanging out with a bad crowd[1]. But, then so does the toad’s.

    [1] “You just don’t understand me!”

  11. fred Says:

    British edition, American edition, back covers, reprints.

    https://gamebooks.org/Item/3824/Show

  12. GSS ex-noob Says:

    So apparently you come across a different critter on each page, and the artist was determined to get ALL of them on the cover.

    In return, the layout person was determined to get ALL the fonts on.

    Did the small explosion of light damage Grey Star (zzzz)’s right hand? Looks like instant terrible arthritis set in.

    @fred: Good find. The British edition art is a bit jaundiced, but not so cluttered and goofy. Dude looks like a proper wizard.

    Collector’s edition seems to have been drawn by someone of the age it’s aimed at.

    Rather enjoyed the reviews as well — seems you HAD to cheat to win, which is bad design. So I suppose this badly designed cover is appropriate.

  13. Hammy Says:

    Grey Star? Is that somewhere between a white dwarf and a black hole? Astronomically speaking, I mean. 😉

  14. Emster Says:

    ♪ Froggy’s on the cover and he did smile, uh-hmm
    Froggy’s on the cover and he did smile, uh-hmm
    Froggy’s on the cover and he did smile, looks like everyone’s lunch is gettin’ overfried
    Froggy’s on the cover and he did smile, uh-hmm ♪

    (From the look on everyone’s faces, Grey Star is getting kicked out of the kitchen, back to sterilizing latrines for the remainder of duty)

  15. Max Bathroom Says:

    @GSS
    Putting the whole cast of monsters on the cover was good enough for Steve Jackson:
    https://gamebooks.org/gallery/figfan02.jpg

  16. B. Chiclitz Says:

    From the back cover copy (thanks, @fred):
    “Ahead lies a terrifying journey into the unknown where survival or death confronts you with every turn of the page.”
    I dunno, isn’t that kind of true of everything?

    And now I hear Three Dog Night in my head:
    🎶How does your light shine
    In the Halls of Shadakine?
    🎶

  17. GSS ex-noob Says:

    I guess “Gormless” is a bad wizard name, even if appropriate.

    @Max: Not so many in the cast of that one, though.

    @Hammy: heh heh. I guess this book thought it was rad and awesome to pick something so… boring and non-existent?

    @Emster: GSS for all of it!

    @BC: GSS. 1) good point 2) excellent earworm. The answer to that is apparently “uncontrolled and worrisome”.

  18. JJYoyo Says:

    You are…. Todd Rungren c 1973. A Wizard, A Grey Star. His psychedelic phase.
    🎶 Hello, it’s me/ a giant mantis is right behind me”
    (I know that’s from a different album but it’s late here…)

  19. Cygnia Says:

    *pours one out for Joe Dever*

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