Demons of the Deep

Fighting Fantasy #19

by Steve Jackson, Bob Harvey (Illustrator), Les Edwards (Illustrator)

Copyright deposit, Jan. 13, 1987.

Genres: Fantasy, Gamebooks, Fiction, Role Playing Games, Choose Your Own Adventure, Young Adult, Gaming

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

American game designer, often confused with the British game designer of the same name.

Author of games/systems such as GURPS, Illuminati, CarWars, and Munchkins.

See also:
Steve Jackson, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series (NB the US game designer also wrote 3 titles in this series)
Steve Jackson, author of works on crime
Steve Jackson, Scottish thriller writer

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of the Fighting Fantasy series, this one written by Steve Jackson the American contributor rather than Steve Jackson the originator of the series. The hook of DEMONS OF THE DEEP is that the entire adventure is set beneath the ocean depths, with the hero finding himself with a pair of gills thanks to a magic spell.

The novelty value of the undersea kingdom makes for some fun encounters with various denizens of the deep, including octopii, barracuda, sharks, dolphins, and the usual run of wizards, skeletons and spirits. The varied settings include coral reefs, ruined cities and extensive cave systems. There's plenty of action and items and treasures waiting to be discovered.

We played this through three times, dying twice (once when unwisely trying to outswim a Kraken) before finally "winning" of sorts the third time around. And while the novelty value of the different setting makes this a fun adventure to play, it's not in the same league as the true classics of the series.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first "Choose-your-fantasy" novels and I loved it. I found it at a library book sale, I think I was in middle school. When faced with a battle in the book, I kept choosing to win, or successfully swim away from combat situations, hahah! I should play with some dice or flip a coin to decide outcomes of confrontations- it might make the game that much more interesting :)

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adventure under the sea
15 July 2012

Well, Steve Jackson (2) or, as he is otherwise called, Steve Jackson (US), has returned to the Fighting Fantasy genre with another adventure, this time set under the sea. You are, or where, the captain of a ship, that is until it is attacked by pirates, all of your crew put to the sword, and you are thrown into the ocean, I suspect, as a way of 'walking the plank'. However, as it turns out, you don't drown because you find yourself in a magical pentagram in the middle of a large undersea city called 'Atlantis' (maybe this name was used because we are all familiar with the tale of the sunken city of Atlantis, but I thought he could have been a little more imaginative).
There is little in the way of a plot beyond exploring the city and finally exacting your revenge upon the pirates, if you chose to that is. There are a number of ways to complete this book, and I actually noticed that this is the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook where the successful completion of the adventure is not at the final paragraph, but rather nestled deep in the book. For those who do not know, the successful completion involves killing the pirates and stealing their ship and their treasure (and by the way you do this with a skeleton crew, being a crew of skeletons as opposed to a handful of loyal men).
I noticed that as I explored this book the most successful route will take you through most of the locations. It is imperative at the beginning that you explore the building in the courtyard, but do not leave through the back entrance but by the way you came. You are then given three places to explore, and you are able to explore each of these places, however to do so you should start at the first one (the coloseum, and when you do, make sure you leave through the ground floor). Once you have done that, you will need to go through the coral garden and meet the wizard who lives there, and then you will be given another three choices which should be explored in the same way as the others. To successfully complete the adventure you need at least eight black pearls, the ice crystal from the water elemental, and the code word that you pick up from the wizard. You also need to know the location of the ship, which can be found in two places: the sunken galley and the underwater cathedral. You don't need the dragon, and in some cases it may be best to avoid him.
Once again we seem to be returning to some dubious endings. While it is clear that you are not a pirate and have no intention of becoming a pirate, the element of seeking revenge against those who have wronged you is probably not the most noble aspects of this quest, and the fact that you get that revenge through either allying with the sea dragon (who can't be trusted by the way) or by summoning an army of undead, does raise a bit of a question mark. In the successful ending, you even sail away with your crew of undead which makes me wonder how noble and pure your character really is.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fighting Fantasy #19, written by ‘the other’ Steve Jackson, stands out due to its fearsome cover, its underwater setting, its multiple endings and the delightfully atmospheric writing describing your underwater adventure. It reminds me of the Megadrive game, Ecco the Dolphin, which had puzzle-solving elements and lush graphics, which I used to play around the same time as this book, in the early 1990s. Reading it again as an adult, I really liked the sense of losing myself in its beautiful descriptions and strangely melancholic tone.

[Adam Cleaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books as a kid. Must go back and re-read them to make a proper review. But just look at that art work too... amazing!

[J.D. Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never played this book before despite having it on my shelf for years. What a fabulous entry in the series. Strong illustrations, a simple revenge plotline, and multiple endings make for a great adventure. I especially like the many options to parlay with undersea creatures. The sense of exploration was strong in this book and I actually wanted to go back to read the entries I missed. The only issue I had was the occasional song from The Little Mermaid playing in my mind. But that's a me problem.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this as a kid.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set all under the sea and has some great illustrations but far too easy as I completed on my second attempt!

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright but not spectacular gamebook. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...

[ninjais]

i died 😭😭 i was doing so good too 😭

[cauldronofevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s start another adventure!

SKILL 11, STAMINA 23, LUCK 8. An unlucky beast!

Handwritten on the Adventure Sheet in the book is a character with SKILL 12, STAMINA 23 and LUCK 12. Cheat much?

I’m a doughty sailor that lost a battle, and a ship, and all my crew to Captain Bloodaxe. But he was so impressed with my valiant last stand that he gives me my sword back, some provisions and throws me overboard with my hands tied.

Thanks Mr. Bloodaxe.

Luckily they dropped me into an undersea pentagram that magically gives me the power to breathe underwater. I quickly find some sharp coral to free my wrists.

It looks like the spell also keeps my provisions from being ruined by the sea-water. I think I’ll explore further.

In what appears to be a magical underwater city I meet a beautiful Mermaid. But instead of getting some lifelong questions answered, I decide I’m still pissed at the pirates. She tells me I should seek the Black Pearls. She then gives me a Lucky magical pendant.

Thanks Ms. Mermaid. She leaves quickly.

Searching Atlantis I find a ghost who wants his skeleton buried because just being at the bottom of the ocean isn’t good enough for him. I look for his bones. After all, I’ve done a lot of swimming and haven’t found anything dangerous yet.

I help him and free his spirit but it is exhausting. The ghost rewards me by taking me to a bottle that he doesn’t know what’s inside. Go head. Open it.

Thanks Mr. Ghost.

I free a Genie who is really ticked off that I freed him completely contradictory to my expectations. He freezes me in ice and disappears. I break out but decide I need to eat and rest before I go on.

Thanks Mr. Genie.

I’m not in a great mood when I see the first fish so I through something sharp at it. That scares it off.

I keep exploring until I find a mausoleum with a crowned statue. Maybe messing with more dead guys will help me! When the statue starts a sentence with “Who dares…” I quickly back off.

Then I see a trapdoor in the floor of the mausoleum. Well, doors are meant to be opened aren’t they? A whirlpool sucks me down into darkness.

Eventually I am popped out into sunlight and spy a Dolphin. I say hi! It wants me to help it fight a shark. I’m pretty doughty!

SHARK SKILL 8, STAMINA 13
DOLPHIN SKILL 10, STAMINA 9

This type of combat the GBC can’t even handle. I’ll have to do this manually.

After a long and dragged out fight, we kill the shark.

Thanks Mr. Dolphin.

There is a weird thing about the way it is written however in that it looks like the Dolphin cannot possibly die. And yet, it’s death is one possibility in later choices. It was tempting to fight the battle ‘normally’, but I thought I fought it as written, which now seems wrong.

The Dolphin takes me to an underwater garden. I get stung by a poisonous scorpion-fish and then I find some fruit and eat it, which helps a little. Then I find a cottage with an old man. In a large bubble of air.

The old man Greylock is starting to worry me. He keeps insinuating that if I had a bunch of other stuff I might survive this adventure, but since I don’t, ‘Never mind’. He tells me the Sea Dragon might help me.

Thanks Mr. Greylock.

I had forgotten how fun these can be! A sword fighting lesson from the ‘greatest swordmaster of all the oceans’ was very helpful and inspiring!

Thanks Mr. Cyrano!

Well, even though I’d been boosted to SKILL 13 that still wasn’t enough to prevent me from being eaten by a KRAKEN.

Thanks Mr. Kraken!

A very interesting 5 star adventure!