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Choose Your Own Adventure #5
The Mystery of Chimney Rock
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
9 people are currently reading
789 people want to read
About the author
Edward Packard
169 books125 followersEdward Packard attended and graduated from both Princeton University and Columbia Law School. He was one of the first authors to explore the idea of gamebooks, in which the reader is inserted as the main character and makes choices about the direction the story will go at designated places in the text.
The first such book that Edward Packard wrote in the Choose Your Own Adventure series was titled "Sugarcane Island", but it was not actually published as the first entry in the Choose Your Own Adventure Series. In 1979, the first book to be released in the series was "The Cave of Time", a fantasy time-travel story that remained in print for many years. Eventually, one hundred eighty-four Choose Your Own Adventure books would be published before production on new entries to the series ceased in 1998. Edward Packard was the author of many of these books, though a substantial number of other authors were included as well.
In 2005, Choose Your Own Adventure books once again began to be published, but none of Edward Packard's titles have yet been included among the newly-released books.
The first such book that Edward Packard wrote in the Choose Your Own Adventure series was titled "Sugarcane Island", but it was not actually published as the first entry in the Choose Your Own Adventure Series. In 1979, the first book to be released in the series was "The Cave of Time", a fantasy time-travel story that remained in print for many years. Eventually, one hundred eighty-four Choose Your Own Adventure books would be published before production on new entries to the series ceased in 1998. Edward Packard was the author of many of these books, though a substantial number of other authors were included as well.
In 2005, Choose Your Own Adventure books once again began to be published, but none of Edward Packard's titles have yet been included among the newly-released books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 22, 2024
Yay. Options!
Chimney Rock was once inhabited by a mean old lady. After dying, she left it in her will to her cat. The house is now said to be cursed, no one who enters ever leaves. Cousins Michael, Jane and You dare each other to enter the house… and after many choices…
Best Endings :
★★★★★
★★★★★ [4.5]
★★★★☆ [3.5]
Amusing Endings :
★★★☆☆ [3.5]
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆
Meh Endings :
★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
I read some of the series, but not many. This one was my favorite. One of my very first books, and a beloved childhood memory.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE : There were many more endings, but I had my fill.
[1979] [121p] [Children’s] [Fairly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Choose #5 The Mystery of Chimney Rock
★★★☆☆ Choose #14 The Forbidden Castle
★★☆☆☆ Choose #21 Hyperspace
-----------------------------------------------
Yay. ¡Opciones!
Chimney Rock fue alguna vez habitada por una vieja malvada. Después de morir, se la dejó en su testamento al gato. Se dice que la casa esta maldita, nadie que entra sale jamás. Primos Michael, Jane y Tú se retan a entrar a la casa y… después de muchas opciones…
Mejores Finales :
★★★★★
★★★★★ [4.5]
★★★★☆ [3.5]
Finales Entretenidos :
★★★☆☆ [3.5]
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆
Finales Meh :
★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
Leí algunos de la serie, pero no muchos. Este fue mi favorito. Uno de mis primerísimos libros, y un hermoso recuerdo de la niñez.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL : Había muchos más finales, pero ya estaba satisfecho.
[1979] [121p] [Niños] [Bastante Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Chimney Rock was once inhabited by a mean old lady. After dying, she left it in her will to her cat. The house is now said to be cursed, no one who enters ever leaves. Cousins Michael, Jane and You dare each other to enter the house… and after many choices…
Best Endings :
★★★★★
★★★★★ [4.5]
★★★★☆ [3.5]
Amusing Endings :
★★★☆☆ [3.5]
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆
Meh Endings :
★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
I read some of the series, but not many. This one was my favorite. One of my very first books, and a beloved childhood memory.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE : There were many more endings, but I had my fill.
[1979] [121p] [Children’s] [Fairly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Choose #5 The Mystery of Chimney Rock
★★★☆☆ Choose #14 The Forbidden Castle
★★☆☆☆ Choose #21 Hyperspace
-----------------------------------------------
Yay. ¡Opciones!
Chimney Rock fue alguna vez habitada por una vieja malvada. Después de morir, se la dejó en su testamento al gato. Se dice que la casa esta maldita, nadie que entra sale jamás. Primos Michael, Jane y Tú se retan a entrar a la casa y… después de muchas opciones…
Mejores Finales :
★★★★★
★★★★★ [4.5]
★★★★☆ [3.5]
Finales Entretenidos :
★★★☆☆ [3.5]
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆
Finales Meh :
★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
Leí algunos de la serie, pero no muchos. Este fue mi favorito. Uno de mis primerísimos libros, y un hermoso recuerdo de la niñez.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL : Había muchos más finales, pero ya estaba satisfecho.
[1979] [121p] [Niños] [Bastante Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
April 12, 2021
This book is featured on Shabby Sunday @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2018/...
This particular book in the Choose Your Own Adventure series is very nostalgic for me. I can still remember reading it in my classroom during break when I was in elementary school. These books are so much fun to read and great for reluctant readers too as the stories are quite short and contain illustrations throughout.
In this edition, you (the reader) are on vacation and visiting your cousins for a few days in Connecticut. As you go on a tour of the neighborhood, you come across a very scary looking stone house. Your cousin Michael explains the chilling story about the house and the woman who lived there along with her cat. Now it's your decision whether or not you want to go inside to see if it's true that she still remains.
What made this one so spooky to me is that the house in the book reminded me so much of a stone house across the street from my great grandfather's house where I used to visit. In the summer, I’d spend a considerable amount of time outside and was always drawn to the old stone house, and the old woman that lived there. She had this huge beehive-type hairstyle that was jet black and reminded me of a witch. She had cats, and the one that I remember most was this all-black cat with yellowish eyes that used to walk around behind her front picture window. It was spooky and would hiss if you came near the house. It was just so dark looking, and I always wondered what was going on inside. It’s funny that I was so enticed to even go near it.
There are so many different choices to make and alternate endings ranging from jumping out of a window to waking up next to a giant mouse. It's fun to go through and read each ending to see which on you like best, but will you be able to escape the curse of Chimney Rock?
My copy is pretty worn on the binding, but the pages are in great condition and the illustrations are still just as expressive. This has to be my favorite out of all the Choose Your Own Adventure books I've read to date. I have about six others to share and hope to find more in the future.
This particular book in the Choose Your Own Adventure series is very nostalgic for me. I can still remember reading it in my classroom during break when I was in elementary school. These books are so much fun to read and great for reluctant readers too as the stories are quite short and contain illustrations throughout.
In this edition, you (the reader) are on vacation and visiting your cousins for a few days in Connecticut. As you go on a tour of the neighborhood, you come across a very scary looking stone house. Your cousin Michael explains the chilling story about the house and the woman who lived there along with her cat. Now it's your decision whether or not you want to go inside to see if it's true that she still remains.
What made this one so spooky to me is that the house in the book reminded me so much of a stone house across the street from my great grandfather's house where I used to visit. In the summer, I’d spend a considerable amount of time outside and was always drawn to the old stone house, and the old woman that lived there. She had this huge beehive-type hairstyle that was jet black and reminded me of a witch. She had cats, and the one that I remember most was this all-black cat with yellowish eyes that used to walk around behind her front picture window. It was spooky and would hiss if you came near the house. It was just so dark looking, and I always wondered what was going on inside. It’s funny that I was so enticed to even go near it.
There are so many different choices to make and alternate endings ranging from jumping out of a window to waking up next to a giant mouse. It's fun to go through and read each ending to see which on you like best, but will you be able to escape the curse of Chimney Rock?
My copy is pretty worn on the binding, but the pages are in great condition and the illustrations are still just as expressive. This has to be my favorite out of all the Choose Your Own Adventure books I've read to date. I have about six others to share and hope to find more in the future.
December 11, 2013
Cue the scary music! For this is......The Mystery of Chimney Rock BWAHAHAHAAAAH!!! *cat sound!*
The fifth volume in the Choose Your Own Adventure series gets an extra star from me for some genuinely spooky moments. Yeah sure, it's just a haunted house story about kids snooping where they shouldn't, but if you allow yourself to be drawn into the moment, you'll find that Edward Packard wrote some scenes with a little Hitchcockian aura about them. Nicely atmosphered, indeed!
The drawbacks of The Mystery of Chimney Rock are that the stories often end too quickly and also that it suffers on one or two occasions from assumptive inclusions. What I mean is that people and things are named as if you have prior knowledge of them, and perhaps the character does, but you the reader do not, so that's a little confusing.
WARNING!!!
If you plan on reading this book, stop now! Do not continue on, for there be spoilers ahead…
Here are the storylines I just read in prep for the review:
1) Refused to go into the haunted house again and again like a big old coward until finally the story came to an end. It was late when I started reading and I got scared...
2) Followed my braver cousin Jane into the Chimney Rock house. Ran into the old lady who apparently haunts it. She creeps about acting all creepy like a creep. I went looking for Jane in the attic and mysteriously ended up shrinking down to nothing.
3) Grabbed hold of my balls finally and went into the house before my female cousin. Found the old lady's cat and brought it home with me. Because of aclaws clause in the old lady's will, since the cat accepted me as its new master I become the owner of the Chimney Rock mansion! (Notice how it went from a rotten old haunted house to a mansion? It's all in the eye of the beholder!)
4) Made it down into a wine cellar type place and then me and my cousin got buried alive. My 2nd least favorite way to die in real life. (First is having my face eaten off by a bat.)
5) Snuck upstairs and apparently gave the old lady a heart attack that killed her. The policeman on the scene essentially said, "Oh you kids" and lets us go free.
6) The disgusting caretaker let me into the house. I chased after the cat, found the maid and old lady, and end up giving her another deadly heart attack. Old people suck at life.
The fifth volume in the Choose Your Own Adventure series gets an extra star from me for some genuinely spooky moments. Yeah sure, it's just a haunted house story about kids snooping where they shouldn't, but if you allow yourself to be drawn into the moment, you'll find that Edward Packard wrote some scenes with a little Hitchcockian aura about them. Nicely atmosphered, indeed!
The drawbacks of The Mystery of Chimney Rock are that the stories often end too quickly and also that it suffers on one or two occasions from assumptive inclusions. What I mean is that people and things are named as if you have prior knowledge of them, and perhaps the character does, but you the reader do not, so that's a little confusing.
WARNING!!!
If you plan on reading this book, stop now! Do not continue on, for there be spoilers ahead…
Here are the storylines I just read in prep for the review:
1) Refused to go into the haunted house again and again like a big old coward until finally the story came to an end. It was late when I started reading and I got scared...
2) Followed my braver cousin Jane into the Chimney Rock house. Ran into the old lady who apparently haunts it. She creeps about acting all creepy like a creep. I went looking for Jane in the attic and mysteriously ended up shrinking down to nothing.
3) Grabbed hold of my balls finally and went into the house before my female cousin. Found the old lady's cat and brought it home with me. Because of a
4) Made it down into a wine cellar type place and then me and my cousin got buried alive. My 2nd least favorite way to die in real life. (First is having my face eaten off by a bat.)
5) Snuck upstairs and apparently gave the old lady a heart attack that killed her. The policeman on the scene essentially said, "Oh you kids" and lets us go free.
6) The disgusting caretaker let me into the house. I chased after the cat, found the maid and old lady, and end up giving her another deadly heart attack. Old people suck at life.
April 11, 2021
Chimney Rock is one pretty creepy place!
I'm on a bit of a binge trying to get my hands on as many of these old school books as I can and re-reading them.
The Mystery of Chimney Rock was one of my favorites. Having now re-read it a few times, I recall why. Compared to some of the others of this old series, I recall this one being hard to navigate. Reading it as an adult, I found this dilapidated, nearly haunted mansion even more intriguing and harder not to get trapped in.
I know these were kid's books at the time and that, well, yeah, it still reads as a kid's book, but for some reason I found this one scarier that riding a horse into Deadwood City (boy I'd strongly consider giving up a relative's kidney to get a copy of that one now!), or looking for the lost alien planet of Ultima, whatever. It was a good sense of menace and intrigue and story that seems to me know, doesn't really talk down to readers. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it. But I really enjoyed this one a lot. And I really, vividly recall the illustrations of the caretaker, Jervis, kinda creeping me out. And, yup, those same illustrations gave my older and wiser self a bit of a shiver...
I'm on a bit of a binge trying to get my hands on as many of these old school books as I can and re-reading them.
The Mystery of Chimney Rock was one of my favorites. Having now re-read it a few times, I recall why. Compared to some of the others of this old series, I recall this one being hard to navigate. Reading it as an adult, I found this dilapidated, nearly haunted mansion even more intriguing and harder not to get trapped in.
I know these were kid's books at the time and that, well, yeah, it still reads as a kid's book, but for some reason I found this one scarier that riding a horse into Deadwood City (boy I'd strongly consider giving up a relative's kidney to get a copy of that one now!), or looking for the lost alien planet of Ultima, whatever. It was a good sense of menace and intrigue and story that seems to me know, doesn't really talk down to readers. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it. But I really enjoyed this one a lot. And I really, vividly recall the illustrations of the caretaker, Jervis, kinda creeping me out. And, yup, those same illustrations gave my older and wiser self a bit of a shiver...
December 3, 2007
By far the best of the series. The scratchy drawing of doughy-faced, beady-eyed Jarvis the groundskeeper is unforgettable.
May 31, 2025
Of the one hundred eighty-five books in the original Choose Your Own Adventure series, several turned out to be classics, but none make as indelible an imprint on young readers as The Curse of the Haunted Mansion. While visiting your cousins Michael and Jane in Connecticut, you spot a forbidding-looking mansion called Chimney Rock in their neighborhood. Mrs. Bigley, a reputed witch, lived there with her cat, and after her death she bequeathed the gothic residence to the cat, who now lives there alone. Only Jervis the bad-tempered caretaker legally has access to the place, and strangers who enter are said to disappear. Michael and Jane dare you to step inside for a look; are you up for a bit of benign trespassing, or is it a bridge too far?
Almost every exterior door of the vine-strewn manor is locked, but you find a back door that isn't. Chimney Rock’s dingy interior sprawls out in numerous directions. Go upstairs if you wish to examine a room packed with antiques, along with a costume closet. Back outside the room, you run into a black cat with burning green eyes. An aged voice calls the name Melissa to the cat...but no human is supposed to live here. Is Mrs. Bigley alive? The cat is aggressive and jumpy, but make friends and you might trail her to the basement, which is on the verge of collapse. Head downstairs without Melissa, and you risk Jervis catching you. He resembles a monster and is furious at your intrusion; can you hide in the huge house? If you elude Jervis you might meet Mrs. Krim, who claims she is Mrs. Bigley's sister but comes across as senile. If you encounter Melissa again you could pick up the cat and take her with you; is she connected to the curse of Chimney Rock? Play your cards right and you'll break the curse once and for all.
Declining to enter Chimney Rock at first won't exempt you from this horror adventure. Jane volunteers to explore the mansion, but when she doesn't come back, Michael dashes off to call the police. Should you enter the house and search for Jane, or approach Jervis in his cottage and beg for help? Either way, going inside Chimney Rock puts you in a bad way. You might locate Jane cowering behind the grand staircase, convinced that invisible bars hold her here. Leaving Jane in order to bring help, you might cross paths with Lena, a young woman who identifies herself as Mrs. Bigley's maid. She offers you cheese and crackers or brownies, but can you trust her? If you release Jane from her psychological containment cell, there's a good chance Mrs. Bigley confronts you, an old woman with burning green eyes like the cat's. She has the power to turn you into a mouse, but there's just as much danger from the cursed house itself. If Michael returns with the police, there isn't much they can do against Mrs. Bigley; escaping with your life is probably the sunniest outcome. Can you avoid becoming the latest in a long line of victims?
"You must understand that there are things that people don't talk about, so you never learn about them except through experience—sometimes horrible experience."
—Mrs. Krim, P. 100
My heart pleads for me to rate The Curse of the Haunted Mansion three stars, but my head says that would be objectively incorrect. This has been my favorite gamebook most of my life, and the gritty, unnerving atmosphere is wonderful, but not enough care was taken to create a story that makes sense. Multiple structures of narrative canon are built in these pages, and they come into conflict. Had Edward Packard settled on just one, this could be the greatest Choose Your Own Adventure of all. Keeping track of every story path is difficult because they weave in, out, and around each other; a typical Choose Your Own Adventure branches off in two distinct directions near the beginning, but this one doesn't. I rate The Curse of the Haunted Mansion two and a half stars, and am disappointed it doesn't live up to its all-time great potential.
Almost every exterior door of the vine-strewn manor is locked, but you find a back door that isn't. Chimney Rock’s dingy interior sprawls out in numerous directions. Go upstairs if you wish to examine a room packed with antiques, along with a costume closet. Back outside the room, you run into a black cat with burning green eyes. An aged voice calls the name Melissa to the cat...but no human is supposed to live here. Is Mrs. Bigley alive? The cat is aggressive and jumpy, but make friends and you might trail her to the basement, which is on the verge of collapse. Head downstairs without Melissa, and you risk Jervis catching you. He resembles a monster and is furious at your intrusion; can you hide in the huge house? If you elude Jervis you might meet Mrs. Krim, who claims she is Mrs. Bigley's sister but comes across as senile. If you encounter Melissa again you could pick up the cat and take her with you; is she connected to the curse of Chimney Rock? Play your cards right and you'll break the curse once and for all.
Declining to enter Chimney Rock at first won't exempt you from this horror adventure. Jane volunteers to explore the mansion, but when she doesn't come back, Michael dashes off to call the police. Should you enter the house and search for Jane, or approach Jervis in his cottage and beg for help? Either way, going inside Chimney Rock puts you in a bad way. You might locate Jane cowering behind the grand staircase, convinced that invisible bars hold her here. Leaving Jane in order to bring help, you might cross paths with Lena, a young woman who identifies herself as Mrs. Bigley's maid. She offers you cheese and crackers or brownies, but can you trust her? If you release Jane from her psychological containment cell, there's a good chance Mrs. Bigley confronts you, an old woman with burning green eyes like the cat's. She has the power to turn you into a mouse, but there's just as much danger from the cursed house itself. If Michael returns with the police, there isn't much they can do against Mrs. Bigley; escaping with your life is probably the sunniest outcome. Can you avoid becoming the latest in a long line of victims?
"You must understand that there are things that people don't talk about, so you never learn about them except through experience—sometimes horrible experience."
—Mrs. Krim, P. 100
My heart pleads for me to rate The Curse of the Haunted Mansion three stars, but my head says that would be objectively incorrect. This has been my favorite gamebook most of my life, and the gritty, unnerving atmosphere is wonderful, but not enough care was taken to create a story that makes sense. Multiple structures of narrative canon are built in these pages, and they come into conflict. Had Edward Packard settled on just one, this could be the greatest Choose Your Own Adventure of all. Keeping track of every story path is difficult because they weave in, out, and around each other; a typical Choose Your Own Adventure branches off in two distinct directions near the beginning, but this one doesn't. I rate The Curse of the Haunted Mansion two and a half stars, and am disappointed it doesn't live up to its all-time great potential.
September 26, 2022
05 Feb 2016
Dulu minjem di rental...atau di perpus ya? ^ ^; Lupa...
Yang jelas, seru! ♪((d⌒ω⌒b))♬
Awalnya berusaha milih 'jalan yang keliatan aman'...eh, malah jadi korban~ XD
Yang keinget juga ada kucing item yang serem (kalo 'ndak salah ^ ^)
Setelah beberapa kali 'nyasar', akhirnya nemu jalan keluar dari rumah hantu itu~ (^..^)
_________
26 Sep 2022
Seneng banget kalo nemu seri ini di lapak buku bekas~
Sekarang bacanya dengan niat nyari semua ending-nya, tanpa pilah-pilih pilihannya. Jadi biarpun jenis pilihannya ga sesuai sama keinginanku, tetep aku pilih demi tau ada ending kayak apa di ujungnya (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Dan cara baca kayak gini jadinya seru! Baru tau kalau jenis tamatnya
Dulu minjem di rental...atau di perpus ya? ^ ^; Lupa...
Yang jelas, seru! ♪((d⌒ω⌒b))♬
Awalnya berusaha milih 'jalan yang keliatan aman'...eh, malah jadi korban~ XD
Yang keinget juga ada kucing item yang serem (kalo 'ndak salah ^ ^)
Setelah beberapa kali 'nyasar', akhirnya nemu jalan keluar dari rumah hantu itu~ (^..^)
_________
26 Sep 2022
Seneng banget kalo nemu seri ini di lapak buku bekas~
Sekarang bacanya dengan niat nyari semua ending-nya, tanpa pilah-pilih pilihannya. Jadi biarpun jenis pilihannya ga sesuai sama keinginanku, tetep aku pilih demi tau ada ending kayak apa di ujungnya (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Dan cara baca kayak gini jadinya seru! Baru tau kalau jenis tamatnya
July 5, 2016
Encerrada en la casa para siempre.
January 29, 2017
Having been a bit disappointed with Prisoner of the Ant People (CYOA #25). I decide to go back to the book that first introduced me to the series and which was always my favorite: The Mystery of Chimney Rock (#5) by Edward Packard. I wanted to see if it still held up nearly 40 years later (has it really been that long?!). I checked this out of the library and fell in love with the idea of choosing my own fate in the stories I was reading. I wound up buying a copy of my very own just to have ('cause that's what I do with books I love) and foisted it upon my son in the hopes that he'd fall in love with them too. So, what's the verdict?
Chimney Rock finds you visiting your cousins, Jane and Michael, in Connecticut. Nearby is a huge stone house with turrets, walled terraces, and a square tower that looks like a chimney. Windows are boarded up and vines and bushes are growing all over. Your cousins tell you that Chimney Rock (for that's the name of the house) is rumored to be cursed and that people who have gone in have never come out. When you scoff at the idea that Mrs. Bigley, the last owner, died and put a spell of some sort on the house so her cat could live there without anyone bothering it, your cousins dare you to go in the house. Your first decision--do you take the dare or not? Depending on your choices you might fall under the curse, lift the curse, become the heir to a fortune, lose a cousin or two along the way, or never be seen again.
Packard maintains his primary story while offering the reader multiple endings--both good and bad. There is a grand feeling of suspense and mystery and, despite being several years older, I found myself wrapped up in the mystery just as much as when I was young. I definitely would recommend this series to young readers looking for a bit of adventure--particularly the earlier offerings. ★★★★★ when I was young and ★★★★★ now.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Chimney Rock finds you visiting your cousins, Jane and Michael, in Connecticut. Nearby is a huge stone house with turrets, walled terraces, and a square tower that looks like a chimney. Windows are boarded up and vines and bushes are growing all over. Your cousins tell you that Chimney Rock (for that's the name of the house) is rumored to be cursed and that people who have gone in have never come out. When you scoff at the idea that Mrs. Bigley, the last owner, died and put a spell of some sort on the house so her cat could live there without anyone bothering it, your cousins dare you to go in the house. Your first decision--do you take the dare or not? Depending on your choices you might fall under the curse, lift the curse, become the heir to a fortune, lose a cousin or two along the way, or never be seen again.
Packard maintains his primary story while offering the reader multiple endings--both good and bad. There is a grand feeling of suspense and mystery and, despite being several years older, I found myself wrapped up in the mystery just as much as when I was young. I definitely would recommend this series to young readers looking for a bit of adventure--particularly the earlier offerings. ★★★★★ when I was young and ★★★★★ now.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
June 14, 2018
This is easily my favorite CYOA book of all time. There are a LOT of choices to make and a lot of different endings you can wind up with which makes for fun reading. One thing I do like about this book is that it is truly creepy! My sister and I are full grown adults, in our 30’s, and sometimes I will read this one out loud and let her make the choices as the story goes on and she gets genuinely bothered by some of the scenarios we end up in! I also read this one to an ex and he ended up with a rather benign ending and was creeped out enough and glad enough to have gotten an okay ending (aka an ending where he was not DEED) that he didn’t want me to read anymore. XD
This is a dark entry but one of the most exciting and one with a particularly high re-read factor. Highly recommended! :D
This is a dark entry but one of the most exciting and one with a particularly high re-read factor. Highly recommended! :D
September 15, 2009
Just could not get into this one. The curse was too vague to make any sense, and the woman and cat weren't particularly scary. Too many endings, too many reused paths, not enough colour or flavour.
Packard's prose was fine for the most part, and I'm still a fan of his; but I believe he does better when there are fewer endings and he has time to develop a real story.
Montgomery's style, on the other hand, strikes me as better suited to many endings. His zaniness and unpredictability translates well to that format.
Packard's prose was fine for the most part, and I'm still a fan of his; but I believe he does better when there are fewer endings and he has time to develop a real story.
Montgomery's style, on the other hand, strikes me as better suited to many endings. His zaniness and unpredictability translates well to that format.
May 2, 2012
Yes, and I'm not ashamed to say I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books. This one was my particular favorite. I must have read and re-read this book a million times over. I tried all the possible combinations. I got so good at figuring out how to read all of the combos. Even now when I see one of these CYOA books I get excited. They're a guilty little pleasure.
March 7, 2014
Some plot lines fizzle out, while others go on far too long. It's not my favorite in the series, but a worthy addition. I love this series so much (hello, childhood) that I can look past its imperfections.
September 12, 2007
Its was my first choose your own adventure book, and it was the best out of all them that I collected in my opinion.
March 21, 2008
of all of those cyoa books, this was the standout to me, i think the deaths, or the bad choices, were particularly gruesome or disturbing. awesome.
September 6, 2015
This is one of the most consistent Choose Your Own Adventure books I've read; unfortunately, it's so incredibly consistent that the action in every path is nearly identical, making for a dull read.
July 20, 2025
Of the one hundred eighty-five books in the original Choose Your Own Adventure series, several turned out to be classics, but none make as indelible an imprint on young readers as The Mystery of Chimney Rock. While visiting your cousins Michael and Jane in Connecticut, you spot a forbidding-looking mansion called Chimney Rock in their neighborhood. Mrs. Bigley, a reputed witch, lived there with her cat, and after her death she bequeathed the gothic residence to the cat, who now lives there alone. Only Jervis the bad-tempered caretaker legally has access to the place, and strangers who enter are said to disappear. Michael and Jane dare you to step inside for a look; are you up for a bit of benign trespassing, or is it a bridge too far?
Almost every exterior door of the vine-strewn manor is locked, but you find a back door that isn't. Chimney Rock’s dingy interior sprawls out in numerous directions. Go upstairs if you wish to examine a room packed with antiques, along with a costume closet. Back outside the room, you run into a black cat with burning green eyes. An aged voice calls the name Melissa to the cat...but no human is supposed to live here. Is Mrs. Bigley alive? The cat is aggressive and jumpy, but make friends and you might trail her to the basement, which is on the verge of collapse. Head downstairs without Melissa, and you risk Jervis catching you. He resembles a monster and is furious at your intrusion; can you hide in the huge house? If you elude Jervis you might meet Mrs. Krim, who claims she is Mrs. Bigley's sister but comes across as senile. If you encounter Melissa again you could pick up the cat and take her with you; is she connected to the curse of Chimney Rock? Play your cards right and you'll break the curse once and for all.
Declining to enter Chimney Rock at first won't exempt you from this horror adventure. Jane volunteers to explore the mansion, but when she doesn't come back, Michael dashes off to call the police. Should you enter the house and search for Jane, or approach Jervis in his cottage and beg for help? Either way, going inside Chimney Rock puts you in a bad way. You might locate Jane cowering behind the grand staircase, convinced that invisible bars hold her here. Leaving Jane in order to bring help, you might cross paths with Lena, a young woman who identifies herself as Mrs. Bigley's maid. She offers you cheese and crackers or brownies, but can you trust her? If you release Jane from her psychological containment cell, there's a good chance Mrs. Bigley confronts you, an old woman with burning green eyes like the cat's. She has the power to turn you into a mouse, but there's just as much danger from the cursed house itself. If Michael returns with the police, there isn't much they can do against Mrs. Bigley; escaping with your life is probably the sunniest outcome. Can you avoid becoming the latest in a long line of victims?
"You must understand that there are things that people don't talk about, so you never learn about them except through experience—sometimes horrible experience."
—Mrs. Krim, P. 100
My heart pleads for me to rate The Mystery of Chimney Rock three stars, but my head says that would be objectively incorrect. This has been my favorite gamebook most of my life, and the gritty, unnerving atmosphere is wonderful, but not enough care was taken to create a story that makes sense. Multiple structures of narrative canon are built in these pages, and they come into conflict. Had Edward Packard settled on just one, this could be the greatest Choose Your Own Adventure of all. Keeping track of every story path is difficult because they weave in, out, and around each other; a typical Choose Your Own Adventure branches off in two distinct directions near the beginning, but this one doesn't. I rate The Mystery of Chimney Rock two and a half stars, and am disappointed it doesn't live up to its all-time great potential.
Almost every exterior door of the vine-strewn manor is locked, but you find a back door that isn't. Chimney Rock’s dingy interior sprawls out in numerous directions. Go upstairs if you wish to examine a room packed with antiques, along with a costume closet. Back outside the room, you run into a black cat with burning green eyes. An aged voice calls the name Melissa to the cat...but no human is supposed to live here. Is Mrs. Bigley alive? The cat is aggressive and jumpy, but make friends and you might trail her to the basement, which is on the verge of collapse. Head downstairs without Melissa, and you risk Jervis catching you. He resembles a monster and is furious at your intrusion; can you hide in the huge house? If you elude Jervis you might meet Mrs. Krim, who claims she is Mrs. Bigley's sister but comes across as senile. If you encounter Melissa again you could pick up the cat and take her with you; is she connected to the curse of Chimney Rock? Play your cards right and you'll break the curse once and for all.
Declining to enter Chimney Rock at first won't exempt you from this horror adventure. Jane volunteers to explore the mansion, but when she doesn't come back, Michael dashes off to call the police. Should you enter the house and search for Jane, or approach Jervis in his cottage and beg for help? Either way, going inside Chimney Rock puts you in a bad way. You might locate Jane cowering behind the grand staircase, convinced that invisible bars hold her here. Leaving Jane in order to bring help, you might cross paths with Lena, a young woman who identifies herself as Mrs. Bigley's maid. She offers you cheese and crackers or brownies, but can you trust her? If you release Jane from her psychological containment cell, there's a good chance Mrs. Bigley confronts you, an old woman with burning green eyes like the cat's. She has the power to turn you into a mouse, but there's just as much danger from the cursed house itself. If Michael returns with the police, there isn't much they can do against Mrs. Bigley; escaping with your life is probably the sunniest outcome. Can you avoid becoming the latest in a long line of victims?
"You must understand that there are things that people don't talk about, so you never learn about them except through experience—sometimes horrible experience."
—Mrs. Krim, P. 100
My heart pleads for me to rate The Mystery of Chimney Rock three stars, but my head says that would be objectively incorrect. This has been my favorite gamebook most of my life, and the gritty, unnerving atmosphere is wonderful, but not enough care was taken to create a story that makes sense. Multiple structures of narrative canon are built in these pages, and they come into conflict. Had Edward Packard settled on just one, this could be the greatest Choose Your Own Adventure of all. Keeping track of every story path is difficult because they weave in, out, and around each other; a typical Choose Your Own Adventure branches off in two distinct directions near the beginning, but this one doesn't. I rate The Mystery of Chimney Rock two and a half stars, and am disappointed it doesn't live up to its all-time great potential.
January 24, 2021
I'm not sure how to review a book from the original Choose Your Own Adventure series. Given the potential that a CYOA story (The type, not the commercial brand) has, it's hard to say that this is a particularly good example of it. The choose design seems arbitrary, as do many of the characters you meet. On the other hand, it does hit a certain mood of spookiness, so it's a success on that front, even if that success sometimes seems accidental.
The plot is that you have been dared by your cousins to enter the haunted house on their block, Chimney Rock. Said to be inhabited solely by Mrs Bigley and her cat, the house is known to be cursed. A bit of light home invasion later, you (or your cousin Jane, if you decide not to go in) are participating in said curse.
The book marks a bit of a departure for the series; the previous four are much more expansive in scope, but Mystery of Chimney Rock is dedicated to a fairly singular locale and plot. In a way, it's to its advantage. The series is by and large deterministic, in the sense that there's no consistent universe to the stories. You make one choice, and a character you met turns out to be an alien, and another choice and it turns out to be a robot. Because Mystery of Chimney Rock is more rooted in fairly simple set of happenings, and because the rules of the witch are so loosely defined, its reality can be much more acceptably malleable. In some endings, you are transformed into a mouse, in others you spend eternity cleaning up pieces of glass, or shrunk for no apparent reason. The inconsistencies and impossible to predict events feel more at home with a plot of this structure. That said, while it does hit its tone, the tone gets a bit dull after a while. There's multiple answers as to why the place has a curse, but they don't feel entirely satisfying, nor do the differing ways to break said curse.
I also have a weird amount of baggage for this story. Remember the glass pieces? Well, in most branches, the cat is an actual living cat, but in one in particular, it's a china cat. Knock it over, and Mrs Bigley will curse you so that you're picking up its pieces forever. This idea absolutely terrified me when I read it. At least in the other bad endings, death brings about some actual ending. To sum up, it's not as randomly or incredibly horrific as a Give Yourself Goosebumps book, but as a variation to the standard CYOA, it's at lesat somewhat interesting.
And now I'm done greatly overanalyzing a choose your own adventure book.
The plot is that you have been dared by your cousins to enter the haunted house on their block, Chimney Rock. Said to be inhabited solely by Mrs Bigley and her cat, the house is known to be cursed. A bit of light home invasion later, you (or your cousin Jane, if you decide not to go in) are participating in said curse.
The book marks a bit of a departure for the series; the previous four are much more expansive in scope, but Mystery of Chimney Rock is dedicated to a fairly singular locale and plot. In a way, it's to its advantage. The series is by and large deterministic, in the sense that there's no consistent universe to the stories. You make one choice, and a character you met turns out to be an alien, and another choice and it turns out to be a robot. Because Mystery of Chimney Rock is more rooted in fairly simple set of happenings, and because the rules of the witch are so loosely defined, its reality can be much more acceptably malleable. In some endings, you are transformed into a mouse, in others you spend eternity cleaning up pieces of glass, or shrunk for no apparent reason. The inconsistencies and impossible to predict events feel more at home with a plot of this structure. That said, while it does hit its tone, the tone gets a bit dull after a while. There's multiple answers as to why the place has a curse, but they don't feel entirely satisfying, nor do the differing ways to break said curse.
I also have a weird amount of baggage for this story. Remember the glass pieces? Well, in most branches, the cat is an actual living cat, but in one in particular, it's a china cat. Knock it over, and Mrs Bigley will curse you so that you're picking up its pieces forever. This idea absolutely terrified me when I read it. At least in the other bad endings, death brings about some actual ending. To sum up, it's not as randomly or incredibly horrific as a Give Yourself Goosebumps book, but as a variation to the standard CYOA, it's at lesat somewhat interesting.
And now I'm done greatly overanalyzing a choose your own adventure book.
October 3, 2022
Este fue mi libro preferido de elige tu propia aventura cuando era chica, lo leí un montón de veces, uno de los finales era perfecto pero los leí todos.
August 5, 2014
This one you explore a haunted house
18 June 2012
I didn't particularly like this book probably because it is a horror story and I could never get into horror stories. Okay, that is not entirely true because there are a number of Stephen King books that I did enjoy however his style of writing horror is somewhat different to what I would call a 'slasher flick'. Yes, I know, I am using movie terminology for a book, but it does help in differentiating the two different styles of horror. The first style (which this book follows) simply attempts to create horror out of supernatural endings, whereas the second type of horror works to bring out that which really does scare us.
Okay, supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires, and the like can be scary, especially if you stumble across one in a ruined house, however a big guy carrying a machine gun, or being locked in a room with no way out, can be just as scary. Look, even going to a new place for the first time (such as high school) can also work on our fears. However, the difference still is that one style plays off things that may not exist, while the other plays off things that could realistically happen to us.
As for this adventure, well, it is simply a jaunt through a haunted house and I guess they were always going to write one like this early on in the series. Also I have noticed that the name of this book was changed to 'The Curse of the Haunted Mansion' in later releases, but that was probably to do with giving the potential buyer an idea of what this story is about. Remember, these aren't literature, they are game books, so don't expect Shakespearian plots (though it would be cool to write Hamlet as a Choose Your Own adventure, if they have not done so already). Oh, and you guide the actions of two children in this book, so you are more omniscient than in some of the other books.
18 June 2012
I didn't particularly like this book probably because it is a horror story and I could never get into horror stories. Okay, that is not entirely true because there are a number of Stephen King books that I did enjoy however his style of writing horror is somewhat different to what I would call a 'slasher flick'. Yes, I know, I am using movie terminology for a book, but it does help in differentiating the two different styles of horror. The first style (which this book follows) simply attempts to create horror out of supernatural endings, whereas the second type of horror works to bring out that which really does scare us.
Okay, supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires, and the like can be scary, especially if you stumble across one in a ruined house, however a big guy carrying a machine gun, or being locked in a room with no way out, can be just as scary. Look, even going to a new place for the first time (such as high school) can also work on our fears. However, the difference still is that one style plays off things that may not exist, while the other plays off things that could realistically happen to us.
As for this adventure, well, it is simply a jaunt through a haunted house and I guess they were always going to write one like this early on in the series. Also I have noticed that the name of this book was changed to 'The Curse of the Haunted Mansion' in later releases, but that was probably to do with giving the potential buyer an idea of what this story is about. Remember, these aren't literature, they are game books, so don't expect Shakespearian plots (though it would be cool to write Hamlet as a Choose Your Own adventure, if they have not done so already). Oh, and you guide the actions of two children in this book, so you are more omniscient than in some of the other books.
January 10, 2016
So far as I recall, I never owned a copy of this book, but I borrowed a friend’s copy and read it several times. It isn’t bad, but it’s not the best of the original “Choose Your Own Adventure” series. The premise is that you explore a haunted house, either alone or with your (female) cousin. The pictures presume that the narrator is white and male, although that isn’t key to the story. On reading it today, I found that there were fewer meaningful choices than other books in the series – a lot of it is “do you go right or left” with no real context, and a lot of the endings are negative. I got turned into a mouse twice in one day! I suppose that’s somewhat appropriate to the genre, but I’d have appreciated more opportunities to make smart choices and have a positive outcome. The premise is that there is an old woman who is supposedly dead (but isn’t in several of the outcomes) whose cat is supposedly the only resident in her old house, and who has supposedly placed a curse on the house. You meet the old woman, the cat, and other servants in the house in certain outcomes, while in others you just creep around dusty rooms until something bad happens. It’s amusing enough, but not as imaginative as “The Cave of Time” or “By Balloon to the Sahara.”
December 10, 2015
Aquí la nota es puramente ' subjetiva' ( y qué no, diréis..)...pero me voy a explicar. En los libros anteriores la nota que he puesto, es una mezcla de calidad argumental y redacción a la par que entretenimiento. En éste libro mi nota se debe a ser uno de los libros más atractivos de la serie, y una vez lo lee un infante, quiere volver a leer otra aventura...¡ a quién no le resulta fascinante una vieja y abandonada casa aparentemente maldita?..y la posibilidad de entrar en ésta, mediante apuesta con tus amigos!.
Encantamientos, desapariciones, bichos gigantes, antiguos propietarios resucitados o brujos, etc..
Lo dicho, engancha.
Encantamientos, desapariciones, bichos gigantes, antiguos propietarios resucitados o brujos, etc..
Lo dicho, engancha.
November 14, 2020
Revisited after forty years, this adventure still delivered. With nostalgic, rose colored glasses firmly set against my nose, I crushed through multiple endings over a pot of coffee. Beside me? My cat. A fitting way to spend a weekend sunrise.
Edward Packard is a bit of a genius.
Edward Packard is a bit of a genius.
June 11, 2013
I read this Choose Your Own Adventure book as a kid, and since I didn't particularly appreciate horror, I think I ended up putting it down. I think the "body shock" idea is one of the scarier forms of horror to me, and as a kid it was of course sharper, so the fact that choices could lead to me getting trapped as a cursed mouse in a haunted house or something made me nervous about reading. I'm pretty sure that the images were creepy all around, and it just didn't suit my taste, but I think a writer is doing a good job if he can convey a real sense of danger and dismay.
March 14, 2018
This was the first book I read in this series as a kid and I loved it then. I loved the creepy atmosphere, the haunted house, all of it. There are a huge amount of scenarios to participate in and rooms to visit. The ambiguity of certain characters' actions actually works well. The endings manage to be creepy without being overly gory and that's the magic of this book. The illustrations do a great job of deepening the story and altogether the book just does everything right. A basic but must-have CYOA. Recommended.
November 7, 2016
Una gran ambientación, un gran desarrollo y múltiples y originales finales. Una historia de casas encantadas que te atrapa (como la casa) y que fascina. La primera vez que lo leí, no pude parar hasta haber recorrido todas sus opciones y finales y, tras aquella vez, lo he releido en multitud de ocasiones.
Una obra magnifica que, aun hoy que no soy adolescente, sigo releyendo nostálgicamente, rememorando aquella sensación entre el miedo y la curiosidad que tanto me fascinó.
Muy, pero que muy, recomendable.
Una obra magnifica que, aun hoy que no soy adolescente, sigo releyendo nostálgicamente, rememorando aquella sensación entre el miedo y la curiosidad que tanto me fascinó.
Muy, pero que muy, recomendable.
November 29, 2013
I must have reread this book a million times as a child. It was my favorite of the Choose your own adventures. It stayed on my shelf long after I got rid of the rest of them.
It had everything for a "scary" kids story. Remember at this time there was no Mr. Stine with his Goosebumps line of stories. We recently received got some of these at our local library. I was sad to see that this one was not among them.
It had everything for a "scary" kids story. Remember at this time there was no Mr. Stine with his Goosebumps line of stories. We recently received got some of these at our local library. I was sad to see that this one was not among them.
June 29, 2010
Found this book on an old bookshelf at my father's house back east. I threw it in my suitcase on a lark.
When I got home I brought it in to the office to keep on my desk as a kind of conversation piece, but I find my eyes drawn to it constantly. I've opened it up and read a couple quick story arcs. All have had bad endings. I don't recall dying in the books I read as a kid!
When I got home I brought it in to the office to keep on my desk as a kind of conversation piece, but I find my eyes drawn to it constantly. I've opened it up and read a couple quick story arcs. All have had bad endings. I don't recall dying in the books I read as a kid!
January 13, 2014
This book was a good nostalgic break for me. I don't think I've read a Choose Your Own Adventure in years. When I came to one of the endings, though, I remembered it as the story had stuck with me for all these years. Not all 36 endings are unique...quite a lot rely on a certain transformation. But I'd still say there are 4-5 unique endings and it encourages kids to re-read.
March 6, 2016
Sin ser la bomba... es un librojuego bastante apañado, coherente entre rutas, con un misterio a resolver (que no se logra dilucidar en la mayoría de finales) y buena atmósfera. Como siempre, la escritura es muy simplona, y algunas cosas... algo tontorronas.
Por encima de la media de la colección.
Por encima de la media de la colección.
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