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Worlds of Power #4
Castlevania II: Simon Quest Worlds of Power #4
Dracula's back! Simon that he had destroyed him - but Count Dracula may have the last laugh. Castlevania is facing disaster, and Simon is turning into a vampire. Unless Simon can defeat Dracula once and for all, Castlevania is doomed. The complete story of the Nintendo action-adventure game with loads of game-solving hints throughout.
144 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
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94 people want to read
About the author
F.X. Nine
16 books8 followersF.X. Nine is a pseudonym used by Seth Godin for the Worlds of Power series. He was the creator of the series and wrote outlines for each book. Authors were hired to write the novelizations based on Godin's vision and outline.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 5, 2007
I think I got this and the "Metal Gear" book (and I think "Blaster Master" and "Wizards and Warriors") through the fabulous "Scholastic Book Club" (My favorite part of the month was when the catalog/order form were given to us.)
The rating reflects my love for it when I was a 12 year old boy, coming to terms with things like ... vampires and ... ................. holistic medicine. (?)
The premise, from what I remember was that a pre-teen boy (aka the reader) is violently thrust into the game world of castlevania with the help of Simon Belmont (aka one of the biggest badasses of all time). Hilarity and drama ensue and the two learn from each other. Simon learns about the tough life of a modern kid and the boy learns how to kill vampires and werewolves.
If I recall.. the boy had a bully problem and then when he gets back from Castlevania-land, the boy confronts the bully. I think the boy did somersaults cracking his new whip at the bully, slicing his skin open. Then after a series of kidney-punches and brutal assaults on the face.. the bully surrenders but the kid is changed, see. He knows true evil when he sees it and then drives a stake through the bully's heart and the kid strikes a heroic pose.
Thats not accurate at all but I think he did confront the bully, triumph in some petty way and then the school janitor smiles, revealing vampire teeth (as in Dracula came to our world and is inhabiting some poor History Phd without a grant or tenure).
The rating reflects my love for it when I was a 12 year old boy, coming to terms with things like ... vampires and ... ................. holistic medicine. (?)
The premise, from what I remember was that a pre-teen boy (aka the reader) is violently thrust into the game world of castlevania with the help of Simon Belmont (aka one of the biggest badasses of all time). Hilarity and drama ensue and the two learn from each other. Simon learns about the tough life of a modern kid and the boy learns how to kill vampires and werewolves.
If I recall.. the boy had a bully problem and then when he gets back from Castlevania-land, the boy confronts the bully. I think the boy did somersaults cracking his new whip at the bully, slicing his skin open. Then after a series of kidney-punches and brutal assaults on the face.. the bully surrenders but the kid is changed, see. He knows true evil when he sees it and then drives a stake through the bully's heart and the kid strikes a heroic pose.
Thats not accurate at all but I think he did confront the bully, triumph in some petty way and then the school janitor smiles, revealing vampire teeth (as in Dracula came to our world and is inhabiting some poor History Phd without a grant or tenure).
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March 12, 2015A full-length audio review? Why not!?
http://www.helpfulsnowman.com/?p=6701
http://www.helpfulsnowman.com/?p=6701
January 18, 2014
This is, by far, the worst of the Worlds of Power books. The writer has some of the worst descriptions I've ever read. Every monster or dark place in the Castlevania world smells of old fish and dirty socks, apparently. Also, it seems that the strongest weapon one can use against Dracula, Lord of all Vampires, is a bad pun.
One of the reasons I really dislike this story is that it incorporates a kid from Earth as the sidekick of Simon Belmont. In an unintentional parody of The Last Starfighter, Simon arrives on Earth to find the "greatest Castlevania player on Earth" to help him defeat Dracula a second time (this kid, by the way, even though he's played and won the first Castlevania game nineteen times, seems to know nothing about the world of Castlevania). The "chosen one" is a joking, chocolate obsessed kid who is, I assume, is supposed to be easily replaced by the reader.
Here's the thing, when I was a kid, I did imagine getting swept into these fictional worlds of the games I played and the books I read, but I was never myself. I was a more capable version of myself, one I knew would survive in the world I went to. This kid, Tim Bradley, wouldn't last five minutes in the Castlevania I remember.
I really loved the Castlevania games as a kid, so seeing this watered-down world where a fourteen year old kid (who is somehow only in the eighth grade) can defeat Dracula with bad jokes and puns is heartbreaking.
Also, the fact that every hero and monster is described as having "muscles like Arnold" shows exactly what was wrong with almost every story for boys in the late 80s, early 90s. Every hero (and villain) had to be some overly musclebound meat head.
There was no redeeming quality in this book. It's awful from start to finish.
One of the reasons I really dislike this story is that it incorporates a kid from Earth as the sidekick of Simon Belmont. In an unintentional parody of The Last Starfighter, Simon arrives on Earth to find the "greatest Castlevania player on Earth" to help him defeat Dracula a second time (this kid, by the way, even though he's played and won the first Castlevania game nineteen times, seems to know nothing about the world of Castlevania). The "chosen one" is a joking, chocolate obsessed kid who is, I assume, is supposed to be easily replaced by the reader.
Here's the thing, when I was a kid, I did imagine getting swept into these fictional worlds of the games I played and the books I read, but I was never myself. I was a more capable version of myself, one I knew would survive in the world I went to. This kid, Tim Bradley, wouldn't last five minutes in the Castlevania I remember.
I really loved the Castlevania games as a kid, so seeing this watered-down world where a fourteen year old kid (who is somehow only in the eighth grade) can defeat Dracula with bad jokes and puns is heartbreaking.
Also, the fact that every hero and monster is described as having "muscles like Arnold" shows exactly what was wrong with almost every story for boys in the late 80s, early 90s. Every hero (and villain) had to be some overly musclebound meat head.
There was no redeeming quality in this book. It's awful from start to finish.
May 8, 2023
Another big oof but there's just too much silly heart in these.
7/10
7/10
October 16, 2018
I’ve read two Worlds of Power books - Simon’s Quest and Wizards & Warriors, and Simon’s Quest is to my mind far better. It’s full of bad puns, but it was those contrasted with the seriousness of the hero (Simon) that helped make the story memorable for me. Sadly, there do not seem to be any more Worlds of Power books written by Christopher Howell, who is credited with Simon’s Quest.
December 17, 2020
Clearly this is the kind of book that you have to approach with the full understanding of the context in which it was released. I expect I'll be talking about a few of these books over the next couple of weeks, so this review is likely to be the longest of them all as I talk about the broader concept of the series.
Videogames were (mostly) something you could only do at home. Kids long dreamed of being able to play videogames outside of the living room or even (gasp!) at school. Enter the Worlds of Power series which aimed to continue the magic of your favorite video games anywhere you had light enough to read.
These books are very clever. They were primarily distributed through scholastic book order, school libraries, or at your local video game rental store. It is clear that the author wants kids to get excited about reading. It is even more abundantly clear that the author respects their audience -- which is so refreshing to see.
Take Castlevania. The story begins with a kid who is the hero of the Nintendo games he plays, but is actually just an average kid who suffers bullies in the real world. Said kid gets pulled into the world of Castlevania (just like the videogame!) where he learns what it truly means to be a hero. After some gnarly adventures, he returns back to the real world ready to use what he's learned to change his life for the better. Simple. Succinct. Easy for a young reader to digest.
What I like so much about this book is that it doesn't just make the world of Castlevania a videogame come to life. There is a real relationship that builds between 'the kid' and the videogame hero Simon Belmont. Simon is able to talk to the protagonist (and therefore to the reader) about concepts of morality, about responsibility, and about taking positive control of your life. It really shines in how it uses the videogame hero as a positive role model without being overtly preachy to the reader.
The plot moves along very fast as we zoom through familiar settings and scenarios where the videogame world come to life. The chapters are short, the action moves quickly, and before you know it you've wrapped on 100+ pages where the vocabulary and the concepts have gradually grown more and more complex as you turn the pages. I don't think any kid is jumping reading levels by the end of the book or anything, but the author is obviously trying to get their reader hooked first before risking more lengthy description, real metaphor, and abstract analogue. To me, this whole book is some amazingly successful edutainment for the age group it targets.
I remember first reading these as kid and how they acted as a gateway to more and more reading for me. I am happy to revisit this now and see what a deft hand the author had at actually caring about using this medium to help nudge kids to explore a true love of reading. I was particularly happy to see that the author also suggests several more books that make excellent next steps in reading for a videogame lover (Stephen King's Eye of the Dragon, The Hobbit, etc...)
For the longest time I remembered these books as an exploitative cash in, praying on kids with a meager allowance and a love of videogames. I am thrilled to come out the other side of this book feeling dead wrong.
Bravo.
Videogames were (mostly) something you could only do at home. Kids long dreamed of being able to play videogames outside of the living room or even (gasp!) at school. Enter the Worlds of Power series which aimed to continue the magic of your favorite video games anywhere you had light enough to read.
These books are very clever. They were primarily distributed through scholastic book order, school libraries, or at your local video game rental store. It is clear that the author wants kids to get excited about reading. It is even more abundantly clear that the author respects their audience -- which is so refreshing to see.
Take Castlevania. The story begins with a kid who is the hero of the Nintendo games he plays, but is actually just an average kid who suffers bullies in the real world. Said kid gets pulled into the world of Castlevania (just like the videogame!) where he learns what it truly means to be a hero. After some gnarly adventures, he returns back to the real world ready to use what he's learned to change his life for the better. Simple. Succinct. Easy for a young reader to digest.
What I like so much about this book is that it doesn't just make the world of Castlevania a videogame come to life. There is a real relationship that builds between 'the kid' and the videogame hero Simon Belmont. Simon is able to talk to the protagonist (and therefore to the reader) about concepts of morality, about responsibility, and about taking positive control of your life. It really shines in how it uses the videogame hero as a positive role model without being overtly preachy to the reader.
The plot moves along very fast as we zoom through familiar settings and scenarios where the videogame world come to life. The chapters are short, the action moves quickly, and before you know it you've wrapped on 100+ pages where the vocabulary and the concepts have gradually grown more and more complex as you turn the pages. I don't think any kid is jumping reading levels by the end of the book or anything, but the author is obviously trying to get their reader hooked first before risking more lengthy description, real metaphor, and abstract analogue. To me, this whole book is some amazingly successful edutainment for the age group it targets.
I remember first reading these as kid and how they acted as a gateway to more and more reading for me. I am happy to revisit this now and see what a deft hand the author had at actually caring about using this medium to help nudge kids to explore a true love of reading. I was particularly happy to see that the author also suggests several more books that make excellent next steps in reading for a videogame lover (Stephen King's Eye of the Dragon, The Hobbit, etc...)
For the longest time I remembered these books as an exploitative cash in, praying on kids with a meager allowance and a love of videogames. I am thrilled to come out the other side of this book feeling dead wrong.
Bravo.
October 5, 2024
Back. Back! Back oh crappy novel! Back to the 90's where thou belongs!"
Do you know what Worlds of Power - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and a Vampire have in common? They both suck.
I knew going in this wasn't going to be great, or even good. What I wasn't expecting was just how godawful it is. I was hoping for a little 8-bit nostalgia, but what I got instead was 2-bit writing. I know that author "F.X. Nine" (actually Peter Lerangis, who has gone on to success with a number of YA series) was probably working under a very tight deadline, so I can't really lay too much blame at his feet. This was a young author trying to break into the business and at the same time still pay his rent. That said, the writing and world building here occupy a special place in the upper pantheon of suck.
There are mistakes galore here, starting with our "heroes". The kid is really annoying, and Simon Belmont isn't much better. Simon is so stiff you'd think he downed a bottle of Viagra. Centering the story around a kid from our world who is sucked into the world of Castlevania was a huge mistake. He's supposed to be an avatar for the reader, but he ends up just getting in the way. Kids wanted to be Simon Belmont, not hang out with him. And don't get me started on Dracula.
I really wanted to love this book. I'm fifty, and occasionally I need to dip myself in the warm, calming waters of nostalgia. Back to a time when the good guys always won and things made sense. I'm really sad to say that this novel doesn't scratch that particular itch.
Do you know what Worlds of Power - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and a Vampire have in common? They both suck.
I knew going in this wasn't going to be great, or even good. What I wasn't expecting was just how godawful it is. I was hoping for a little 8-bit nostalgia, but what I got instead was 2-bit writing. I know that author "F.X. Nine" (actually Peter Lerangis, who has gone on to success with a number of YA series) was probably working under a very tight deadline, so I can't really lay too much blame at his feet. This was a young author trying to break into the business and at the same time still pay his rent. That said, the writing and world building here occupy a special place in the upper pantheon of suck.
There are mistakes galore here, starting with our "heroes". The kid is really annoying, and Simon Belmont isn't much better. Simon is so stiff you'd think he downed a bottle of Viagra. Centering the story around a kid from our world who is sucked into the world of Castlevania was a huge mistake. He's supposed to be an avatar for the reader, but he ends up just getting in the way. Kids wanted to be Simon Belmont, not hang out with him. And don't get me started on Dracula.
I really wanted to love this book. I'm fifty, and occasionally I need to dip myself in the warm, calming waters of nostalgia. Back to a time when the good guys always won and things made sense. I'm really sad to say that this novel doesn't scratch that particular itch.
November 3, 2023
It's a formulaic retread of The Last Starfighter or Captain N, rife with maguffin collecting and corny jokes.
I unearthed this book from a dusty tomb of a basement, just in time for Halloween. I expected a lighthearted Dracula spoof, aimed at kids, and I knew I was in for a cheesy ride, but this was next level. I glanced at the first page. Dracula proclaims he wants to drink Simon's blood "like cherry pop." That pretty much sets the tone right from the get go.
Despite what the artwork and back cover might suggest, the main character isn't Simon; it's the funny guy 'Tim Bradley,' whose full name is constantly reiterated by everyone he meets. Tim Bradley is the quintessential teenage audience surrogate who adores three things: Nintendo, chocolate, and groan-inducing puns, in that exact order. Tim is a certified Nintendo freak who has beaten Castlevania 19 times. One day Simon Belmont himself pays Tim a visit, eager to enlist him in his fight against Dracula.
For reasons unknown, on an alternate Earth within the Castlevania multiverse, it turns out that bad jokes inexplicably hurt Dracula. It's an unusual take on the vampire formula, but this weakness is where our annoying protagonist really comes in handy. Tim suggests Drac visit the "Vampire State Building" and tells an eyeball monster it has a "big pupil" just like Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal trainer. The rest of the dialogue isn't much better. You'll cringe at lines like "Golly, Simon! Things are pretty creepy here in Castlevania at night, huh?"
Much like a video game, our main characters traverse the land collecting items and encountering weird monsters along the way. The humorless android Simon must add Tim Bradley's jokes to his arsenal if he wants to pun-ish the vampire once and for all. Dracula's not easily in-Tim-idated, though. The fate of Castlevania is at stake here; can Simon whip Tim into shape or will Dracula end up getting the last laugh?
Why do I do this to myself?
I unearthed this book from a dusty tomb of a basement, just in time for Halloween. I expected a lighthearted Dracula spoof, aimed at kids, and I knew I was in for a cheesy ride, but this was next level. I glanced at the first page. Dracula proclaims he wants to drink Simon's blood "like cherry pop." That pretty much sets the tone right from the get go.
Despite what the artwork and back cover might suggest, the main character isn't Simon; it's the funny guy 'Tim Bradley,' whose full name is constantly reiterated by everyone he meets. Tim Bradley is the quintessential teenage audience surrogate who adores three things: Nintendo, chocolate, and groan-inducing puns, in that exact order. Tim is a certified Nintendo freak who has beaten Castlevania 19 times. One day Simon Belmont himself pays Tim a visit, eager to enlist him in his fight against Dracula.
For reasons unknown, on an alternate Earth within the Castlevania multiverse, it turns out that bad jokes inexplicably hurt Dracula. It's an unusual take on the vampire formula, but this weakness is where our annoying protagonist really comes in handy. Tim suggests Drac visit the "Vampire State Building" and tells an eyeball monster it has a "big pupil" just like Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal trainer. The rest of the dialogue isn't much better. You'll cringe at lines like "Golly, Simon! Things are pretty creepy here in Castlevania at night, huh?"
Much like a video game, our main characters traverse the land collecting items and encountering weird monsters along the way. The humorless android Simon must add Tim Bradley's jokes to his arsenal if he wants to pun-ish the vampire once and for all. Dracula's not easily in-Tim-idated, though. The fate of Castlevania is at stake here; can Simon whip Tim into shape or will Dracula end up getting the last laugh?
Why do I do this to myself?
May 21, 2019
Outside of a few Goosebumps books and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, this was the first book I ever read, when I was probably about 8 years old. I follow a really cool Castlevania Instagram account (@castlevania.fans) and saw them post this book which reminded me of its existence. I had to revisit it so I ordered a cheap copy on eBay. I figured it would be bad, considering the plot of Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest would absolutely not function well as a children’s book, but also because the author decided on the pen name F.X. Nine (maybe because it rhymes with R.L. Stine?). It was quite a bit worse than I expected. The opening line of dialogue consists of Dracula himself exclaiming, “I will drink your spirit like cherry pop!” which immediately sets the proper tone for the entire read. The rest of the book primarily consists of redundant reminders of a protagonist who’s only personality trait is loving chocolate, and a version of Dracula who can be destroyed by the reciting of mere dad jokes/bad jokes, all while the NES game is referenced insignificantly. I had a good chuckle powering through these wet pages (a bottle of water leaked in my backpack), and I’m keeping it on my bookshelf cuz I’m a diehard Castlevania fan, but I don’t think I’d be able to make it through any of the other 4 game adaptations in “the series”.
January 29, 2019
This book is, or was, meant for its target audience - kids who grew up with the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) as the current gaming console of their day. Its (the book) creators were trying to make sure these kids were also reading books along with their iiurs of video game play and the book even lists some other classic novels they might enjoy after finishing this book. A parent who was introduced their children to some of their retro games via Nintendo's latter day consoles may enjoy reading these books to their kids as well, if solely only for the sake of nostalgia. There are also free fan made audiobook c for people to listen to on the internet as well nowadays. Look for Jay Deester's version of this one as it was made to be kid friendly where other's recordings of it have some explicit content/potty humor.
February 9, 2022
i gave it a two for nostalgia's sake. my mother bought me this book before i had to go away for a week long school camping trip and somehow i read this book multiple times while i was miserable at camp. the jokes are terrible. the story is dumb. somehow 11 year old me loved this book and still has a battered copy with my name written in my mom's wonky cursive. i understand it is a book for children but i recall being a kid and thinking the writing was pretty ass back then. can't win them all but i will remember this book and it's bullshit as long as i live.
September 30, 2022
It's been a very long time since I read this. I think I either bought it from a Scholastic book fair or borrowed it from a friend who had bought it from there. It's a very forgettable video game tie-in novel in the form of a portal fantasy - y'know, normal kid gets pulled into the world of their favorite video game, helps the hero on their quest, and learns valuable lessons he applies when he returns to his normal life.
I'm sure I've read worse, but I definitely remember this as a soulless, lazy cash-in, and this deserves to be forgotten.
I'm sure I've read worse, but I definitely remember this as a soulless, lazy cash-in, and this deserves to be forgotten.
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December 16, 2025Since the full book is read on Cinemassacre I might as well call it an audio book and put it in my Goodreads history.
Takeaways: The main character is completely obsessed with chocolate. His whole personality is loving chocolate. Everyone says the first and last name when addressing each other. James' reading was amusing and the only reason I sat through this.
Takeaways: The main character is completely obsessed with chocolate. His whole personality is loving chocolate. Everyone says the first and last name when addressing each other. James' reading was amusing and the only reason I sat through this.
July 1, 2024
Castlevania II might be the pinnacle of what the Nintendo Worlds of Power books have to offer. Here our protagonist is video game playing, dad joke spewing 12-year-old Tim Bradley, transported into Castlevania to help Simon Belmont defeat Dracula. The book isn’t afraid to poke fun at its premise, all while delivering age-appropriate adventure and good-over-evil morals.
February 12, 2020
Hardly high art and something I wouldn’t have bothered to read were it not for A Dose of Buckley unexpectedly releasing an audiobook version on YouTube. The right level of 80’s cheese that I got from books like Goosebumps back in the day.
August 24, 2020
Started weak but segued into a weird, weird adapatation that managed to stay faithful to the "plot," incorporated odd body horror and stayed anachronistic and mildly amusing. For trying to get children into reading, this series is kind of nailing it.
December 30, 2020
This was actually pretty decent in comparison to some of the other Worlds of Power novels. A very interesting take that felt like an episode of Captain N, which I guess was probably the point. As one who has not yet finished the game, I feel like I got the general story... at least it's better than Ernest Cline's novels, right?
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December 14, 2023Read this one a long time ago. It had a lasting affect on me. Very well written and immersive. I still remember reading it and I was surprised to find this book, I highly recommend for gaming and horror fans.
April 17, 2024
I know it's supposed to be for kids but holy crap is this book cheesy. And this come from someone who LIKES puns and dad jokes. Those were overdone.
This was like they weren't trying to create a novelization of the game, but instead create bad fiction about the game.
This was like they weren't trying to create a novelization of the game, but instead create bad fiction about the game.
March 21, 2020
It was cheesy, it was very 80's, and I wouldn't have watched it if it wasn't for A Dose Of Buckley. I just think this was an okay gym listen.
May 11, 2020
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. It actually has inspired a lot of my writing sense - I might do something of an homage one of these days :)
June 6, 2022
I read this as a young child roughly thirty years ago and enjoyed it from what I can recall, though I don't remember much detail about the plot at this point.
July 14, 2024
Reading through this series for pure nostalgia's sake and they're corny as I remember.
December 12, 2025
I’m gonna have James Rolfe read this to me every night before bed
December 14, 2025
So bad it’s good!
January 17, 2018
A grown man shouldn't be giving this book five stars. I know. Luckily, it's my 9-year-old self who's giving the review. This was my favorite book as a child and I read it over and over. I loved getting lost in the world of Castlevania.
I still have the book, with the cover almost completely ripped off from use and age, in one of my desk drawers. I leave it there to remind myself to not forget about my inner child and the joys of fantasy worlds.
I still have the book, with the cover almost completely ripped off from use and age, in one of my desk drawers. I leave it there to remind myself to not forget about my inner child and the joys of fantasy worlds.
November 8, 2009
Another random book from the odd pile in my room when I was a kid.
March 9, 2012
Lucas loved it.
It was terrible.
But at the same time, it was kind of amazing. I mean, a novelization of Castlevania II? Insanity.
It was terrible.
But at the same time, it was kind of amazing. I mean, a novelization of Castlevania II? Insanity.
October 22, 2012
Dracula is scary, I'm glad he isn't real.
August 24, 2014
I read this just because it reminded me of playing nintendo when i was younger. The writing is good for a younger audience, though not many kids these days know about the original nintendo...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews