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Choose Your Own Adventure #59
Terror Island
You've been marooned on Bounty Island, home of the most sinister corporation on earth: Omicron. The Omicron Masters have discovered the secrets of mind control and genetic mutation - and they're about to about to take over the world.
121 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Tony Koltz
19 books1 followerTony Koltz was born and grew up in Dallas, Texas, and was educated by the Jesuits and at Columbia University. He was for many years associate editor of the literary magazine The American Review and a senior editor at Bantam Books.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 25, 2024
At the beginning of this book, when you are sailing on a boat with a friend of your father's (named Bill) who is a government agent on a top secret official mission that not even you are allowed to know much about, it seems the mysteries of the story are going to come to light slowly. Actually the opposite ends up being the case. After only a couple of pages you and Bill are cast adrift from your wrecked boat and pursued by the anti-government organization Omicron, which seems determined to take over the world after disposing of you and Bill.
"Terror Island" is the home base used by Omicron, an island set in the sea that is more sinister than first glance suggests. Omicron has managed to discover methods of genetic wizardry that allow them to bring extinct species of animals back to life, including ferocious saber-toothed tigers that roam the island looking for the chance to tear apart and consume any intruders. If only the saber-toothed tiger were the worst animal that you have to worry about...
Your ability to counteract the intended program of Omicron is severely hampered by two developments: first, your father's friend Bill is too injured from the boat accident to move around with you on the island, and second, you really know very little about the Omicron organization. Your only hope rests in being able to steal undetected across the dangerous island until you meet up with one of several possible allies who are already in operation, hiding from Omicron's terrifying sentry creatures. Once you are moored to a person who knows Omicron's game, you will have a channel through which to aid in the plots to overthrow the tyrannical organization.
You can't trust everyone you meet on Omicron's base, but if you act cautiously and keep in mind that the ultimate destruction of Omicron is probably your only chance of escaping alive, then you will have plenty of opportunities to choose the right path and emerge victorious from the adventure.
Aside from Vampire Express, Terror Island is the only book in the Choose Your Own Adventure series that author Tony Koltz ever wrote, which seems a shame since he clearly has so much potential as a gamebook writer. He brings a unique energy that I like to his books, and paces the action with a greater number of decisions than usual along the way to keep the reader highly engaged at all times. Overall, Terror Island is a good entry in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, and I would read it again.
"Terror Island" is the home base used by Omicron, an island set in the sea that is more sinister than first glance suggests. Omicron has managed to discover methods of genetic wizardry that allow them to bring extinct species of animals back to life, including ferocious saber-toothed tigers that roam the island looking for the chance to tear apart and consume any intruders. If only the saber-toothed tiger were the worst animal that you have to worry about...
Your ability to counteract the intended program of Omicron is severely hampered by two developments: first, your father's friend Bill is too injured from the boat accident to move around with you on the island, and second, you really know very little about the Omicron organization. Your only hope rests in being able to steal undetected across the dangerous island until you meet up with one of several possible allies who are already in operation, hiding from Omicron's terrifying sentry creatures. Once you are moored to a person who knows Omicron's game, you will have a channel through which to aid in the plots to overthrow the tyrannical organization.
You can't trust everyone you meet on Omicron's base, but if you act cautiously and keep in mind that the ultimate destruction of Omicron is probably your only chance of escaping alive, then you will have plenty of opportunities to choose the right path and emerge victorious from the adventure.
Aside from Vampire Express, Terror Island is the only book in the Choose Your Own Adventure series that author Tony Koltz ever wrote, which seems a shame since he clearly has so much potential as a gamebook writer. He brings a unique energy that I like to his books, and paces the action with a greater number of decisions than usual along the way to keep the reader highly engaged at all times. Overall, Terror Island is a good entry in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, and I would read it again.
February 10, 2018
Maybe it was my frustration with the day, or my general feeling of busy-ness today, but I didn't think this book was as well written as some of the others. Words were thrown around without defining them (or stating that the character was confused by them), so I found it easy to get confused. I also noticed that if you chose many of the more passive choices, you were more likely to survive through the various time lines. I wondered if this was a theme across many of the books - take the safe choice and you'll survive, kids!
The basic premise is that a teen is on a ship when it blows up. His father's partner, who is apparently a first-class spy, also dies, but may or may not first give you some information. If you get to Terror Island, you'll discover some pretty crazy experiments that are not friendly, and you'll meet some other people, both the "good guys" and the "bad guys."
The basic premise is that a teen is on a ship when it blows up. His father's partner, who is apparently a first-class spy, also dies, but may or may not first give you some information. If you get to Terror Island, you'll discover some pretty crazy experiments that are not friendly, and you'll meet some other people, both the "good guys" and the "bad guys."
June 18, 2012
Almost 3 stars for a book about sabre-toothed tigers wearing bicycle helmets..
Terror Island (Choose Your Own Adventure #59) by Tony Koltz has you investigating an evil company called Omicron who is planning world domination from an island off of New Guinea via genetic mutations like dinosaurs and carnivorous plants, futuristic devices, and mind-controlling helmets. Sadly this book isn't as exciting as all that makes it sound. The plot is very linear and the art by Ron Wing is decent. He manages to make the idea of sabre-toothed tigers wearing mind-control helmets with red 'O's on them not look as stupid as they should. There are some fun moments (I thought the fate awaiting in the air vents was creepy) but I noticed that no matter what choice I made the on-going narrative happened regardless of my actions. It didn't matter if it was secret agents, Green Berets, slaves in revolts, or the U.N., whoever was trying to stop Omicron would succeed no matter what choices I made. My fate would change but that's about it, which made me feel more like an observer than an active participant.
Also the first choice you have to make is whether to head to the [terror] island after your boat crashes or to head back to the boat. Heading to the island results in an average of 3-5 pages between choices with nearly all of them resulting in the same thing (though very few are satisfying). In fact there are two different paths that lead you to the same page(s). If you decide to go back to the boat every choice leads to either you continuing on or it leads directly to an ending. I found it odd the book was laid out so unevenly. Overall I'd say this book is average.
One other thing that strikes me as odd is that you are traveling to this island on vacation with a friend of your father's (both work for some CIA type company) and unbeknownst to you your father's friend's purpose for the trip is to investigate and possibly shut down this mysterious and ominous evil corporation. And who does he bring with him on this important mission? You: a young teenage boy.
Terror Island (Choose Your Own Adventure #59) by Tony Koltz has you investigating an evil company called Omicron who is planning world domination from an island off of New Guinea via genetic mutations like dinosaurs and carnivorous plants, futuristic devices, and mind-controlling helmets. Sadly this book isn't as exciting as all that makes it sound. The plot is very linear and the art by Ron Wing is decent. He manages to make the idea of sabre-toothed tigers wearing mind-control helmets with red 'O's on them not look as stupid as they should. There are some fun moments (I thought the fate awaiting in the air vents was creepy) but I noticed that no matter what choice I made the on-going narrative happened regardless of my actions. It didn't matter if it was secret agents, Green Berets, slaves in revolts, or the U.N., whoever was trying to stop Omicron would succeed no matter what choices I made. My fate would change but that's about it, which made me feel more like an observer than an active participant.
Also the first choice you have to make is whether to head to the [terror] island after your boat crashes or to head back to the boat. Heading to the island results in an average of 3-5 pages between choices with nearly all of them resulting in the same thing (though very few are satisfying). In fact there are two different paths that lead you to the same page(s). If you decide to go back to the boat every choice leads to either you continuing on or it leads directly to an ending. I found it odd the book was laid out so unevenly. Overall I'd say this book is average.
One other thing that strikes me as odd is that you are traveling to this island on vacation with a friend of your father's (both work for some CIA type company) and unbeknownst to you your father's friend's purpose for the trip is to investigate and possibly shut down this mysterious and ominous evil corporation. And who does he bring with him on this important mission? You: a young teenage boy.
April 17, 2011
The 'Choose your own adventure' series, Terror Island, adventure #59... in these books the reader gets to be the central character by choosing what path the tale follows through a variety of endings...
September 29, 2015
I loved the choose your-own-adventure books during my early years, and believe these are a great set of books for those who are new to reading their own books.
October 25, 2021
elige tu propia aventura es lit un clásico, amo, pero mi favorito siempre va a ser las joyas de los nabuti :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews