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Dungeons & Dragons: Endless Quest #11
Search for the Pegasus (Endless Quest) by Roger Moore
Pick a path to adventure!In Endless Quest, readers become heroes in their own fantasy quest. Fight a dragon; ride a flying carpet, or fling spells at an evil wizard. The adventure is endless and the choices are yours!In the latest Endless Quest adventure your best friend Clarion the pegasus has been kidnapped by the Evil Blue Hag. It's up to you and your friends, a noble gnome and a colorful leprechaun, to save Clarion before it's too late.
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First published October 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 29, 2021
This is another one of those D&D based choose your own adventure books, which I adored as a kid. I've been snatching up copies of the ones I never got around to reading back in ye olden days of my youth. It's been a pleasant jaunt into the past.
The main character (aka you) in Spell of the Winter Wizard is a young girl. Often these books featured somewhat androgynous pre-teens as the MC named something like Jamie. I guess this was so that neither gender would feel excluded, but in this edition of the series Omina is decided female. She is thrust into a search and recovery mission to retrieve her stepfather, the wizard Alcazar, who's been captured by the evil winter wizard Warzen. There are a wide variety of friends (her pet cat/reindeer, a foppish elf, halflings, a talking moth) and foes (orcs, quagbeasts and boar), as well as a number of neutral types who could help or hinder you. Author Linda Lowery does a bang up job of creating colorful characters throughout.
Overall, the book is fine. It's decently written with some nice imagery now and then. One of the major drawbacks are the simplicity of the choices. Most were either obviously law-abiding and goodhearted, which would lead you to a positive outcome. Or the other choice would seen by most as greedy, selfish or headstrong, which inevitably sets you on a highway to hell. Another "issue" would be the very twee tone. It's not as bad as say My Little Pony, but there is a definite leaning toward a more unicorns, fairies and rainbows sense of fantasy here, which a younger me would have hated. And for all its fanciful setting, I never felt all that drawn into the world. Mind you, these are very short books which have to hurry the story along. However, even so, in some of the other Endless Quest books, I have felt the world building, for what it is, to be a little more immersive than this one. I don't know, maybe if I were a nine-year-old girl I might feel differently about Spell of the Winter Wizard.
The main character (aka you) in Spell of the Winter Wizard is a young girl. Often these books featured somewhat androgynous pre-teens as the MC named something like Jamie. I guess this was so that neither gender would feel excluded, but in this edition of the series Omina is decided female. She is thrust into a search and recovery mission to retrieve her stepfather, the wizard Alcazar, who's been captured by the evil winter wizard Warzen. There are a wide variety of friends (her pet cat/reindeer, a foppish elf, halflings, a talking moth) and foes (orcs, quagbeasts and boar), as well as a number of neutral types who could help or hinder you. Author Linda Lowery does a bang up job of creating colorful characters throughout.
Overall, the book is fine. It's decently written with some nice imagery now and then. One of the major drawbacks are the simplicity of the choices. Most were either obviously law-abiding and goodhearted, which would lead you to a positive outcome. Or the other choice would seen by most as greedy, selfish or headstrong, which inevitably sets you on a highway to hell. Another "issue" would be the very twee tone. It's not as bad as say My Little Pony, but there is a definite leaning toward a more unicorns, fairies and rainbows sense of fantasy here, which a younger me would have hated. And for all its fanciful setting, I never felt all that drawn into the world. Mind you, these are very short books which have to hurry the story along. However, even so, in some of the other Endless Quest books, I have felt the world building, for what it is, to be a little more immersive than this one. I don't know, maybe if I were a nine-year-old girl I might feel differently about Spell of the Winter Wizard.
April 8, 2013
The first book I ever read. How incredible, I remember thinking, to get whisked off to a mystical winter forest AND be able to choose my own path through it. To allow a child to take part in the narrative in such a way is a gift! A great idea and a wonderful hands-on entrance into literature.
October 22, 2015
It was one of the first few books that I had read, and it was one of my forays into a new genre - fantasy. I was quite excited and thrilled at making my own choices to rescue someone other than myself and being so talented (at least inside the book).
Even now, when I read it, the book is as impressive as it was during my first read. But I am still not sure whether I have completed this book or not as yet!
Even now, when I read it, the book is as impressive as it was during my first read. But I am still not sure whether I have completed this book or not as yet!
September 6, 2023
It starts so quickly and with so little preamble that I verified the page numbers to see if something were missing. There isn't: this really never does explain who the Winter Wizard is and why he has such a beef with the Kingdom of Eternal Spring. Or who you are, other than "stepchild of the other wizard" in various offhand ways.
While "Omina" as a name is coded to "female" by English conventions, the book seems to take effort in hiding the pronoun and there's only a few places where it is definitive. The illustrations portraying Omina show pulled-back hair and shapeless, indistinct clothing not really indicative of anything at all. I was actually a little disappointed to see the her gender confirmed because there's so little that would matter one way or the other.
In this quasi-fairytale setting not really reminiscent of any D&D that I'm familiar with, it's the over-the-top names that are the real attractions: "Glutias T Argonimas" ("Fred", for short). "Professor Erasmus Quince".
While "Omina" as a name is coded to "female" by English conventions, the book seems to take effort in hiding the pronoun and there's only a few places where it is definitive. The illustrations portraying Omina show pulled-back hair and shapeless, indistinct clothing not really indicative of anything at all. I was actually a little disappointed to see the her gender confirmed because there's so little that would matter one way or the other.
In this quasi-fairytale setting not really reminiscent of any D&D that I'm familiar with, it's the over-the-top names that are the real attractions: "Glutias T Argonimas" ("Fred", for short). "Professor Erasmus Quince".
January 1, 2024
The Spell of the Winter Wizard is a children's, middle grade choose-your-own-adventure stylel book that is Number 11 in the Endless Quest series. It is a Dungeons and Dragons Adventures book also, which is what caught my attention when it landed in our Little Free Library. I'm a latecomer to Dungeons and Dragons and trying to learn the basics of it, thanks to my husband. Even as an older adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventurous quest! It had all the elements of a fairy tale and oh, so much magic! The path I initially chose was pretty mellow and just turned the bad guy, the wizard of winter, into a flower and saving my stepfather, the good wizard. My character is a young girl whose stepfather good wizard has just been whisked off by the evil wizard of winter and my cat has been turned into a reindeer.
After my initial chosen adventure, I went back and read through the entire book, with all of the various outcomes. The author's imagination is vast and the book contains talking clams who sail boats and trees who bleed when their limbs are cut off, and many, many other creative and magical creatures throughout. The situations seem endless. Many end in doom and death, but hopefully you choose correctly and wind up with a happy ending!
After my initial chosen adventure, I went back and read through the entire book, with all of the various outcomes. The author's imagination is vast and the book contains talking clams who sail boats and trees who bleed when their limbs are cut off, and many, many other creative and magical creatures throughout. The situations seem endless. Many end in doom and death, but hopefully you choose correctly and wind up with a happy ending!
March 12, 2019
I remember getting this book for Christmas, maybe in 1983 or 1984. I don't have my original copy, which had a gemstone on the spine. The cover artwork is pretty evocative, and I picked it up to read because of the winter going on around me. I remember having a pretty strong mixed reaction to it when I read it initially - I wanted these books to be about adult adventurers with full equipment and abilities, but this one is about a female adopted ward of the wizard of eternal spring, who is incapacitated with illness when he is captured by the wizard of eternal winter.
I found most of the entries and choices to have a deus ex machina type of plot, where the choices made are rather token. I suppose that all Choose Your Own Adventure types of books have this kind of issue, but this book was particularly strong.
The interior artwork is acceptable, but not great. I was surprised to find that there is an actual scene of the cover art in one of the stories - I had thought it was just bad advertising. Nevertheless, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be about.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book again, and recalling some of the pleasant memories of my youth.
I found most of the entries and choices to have a deus ex machina type of plot, where the choices made are rather token. I suppose that all Choose Your Own Adventure types of books have this kind of issue, but this book was particularly strong.
The interior artwork is acceptable, but not great. I was surprised to find that there is an actual scene of the cover art in one of the stories - I had thought it was just bad advertising. Nevertheless, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be about.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book again, and recalling some of the pleasant memories of my youth.
February 4, 2018
This wasn't my favorite in the series when I was a kid, and it still isn't. While the choices are plentiful enough, neither the stories nor the characters are particularly engaging. Mostly it feels like a slapped-together mishmash of several ideas that are only slightly interesting, and while the cover shows a giant riding a white dragon, the story line never reaches that level of badassery.
March 23, 2025
Another little nostalgia treat. Revisiting a series that jump started my love of reading - interactive, choose your own adventure fantasy fiction.
March 6, 2010
I loved these sorts of "choose your own adventure" books as a kid and found this one hidden on my shelf so I decided to let it feel loved by opening it and reading through twice (a very quick read). I succeeded in rescuing the wizard and getting a happy ending, yay me! It's a cheesy yet fun one to read (if you're an adult) to just have fun with as you wonder which page to turn to and if you've made the right choice. I'll keep this around for my kids to hopefully enjoy.
February 13, 2013
This is a good book if one needs a fix for something cute and(for those who grew up with Choose-Your-Adventure books) nostalgic. Of course, it was written for children, so do not expect much beyond it tickling your fancy, instead of being plunged into an engrossing story.
July 10, 2009
Typical of the D&D books in the series. Lots of variety, a plot, and lots of monsters and friendly guys to meet along the way.
December 13, 2010
Give this book to an eleven-year-old you know - TODAY!
January 21, 2021
Super fun! Found it at GenCon. I think I'll try to find some more of these guys.
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January 10, 2016I am fond of the story as it is a very unique one with all the colors of a brilliant fantasy world tale.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews