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The Altimer: An interactive story
Reviews"This book contains the best elements of what I want from a Compelling story...Thrilling mystery...Interesting characters...Coupled with the atmospheric artwork, I highly recommend this, and can’t wait for more!" -James Spearing, My Gamebook Adventures
"It oozes quality...It's stunningly good...Possibly the best gamebook I've ever read." -Paul Stapleton, author of The Curse of Saltash Mine
"What a sense of satisfaction to conquer it. That is one well-constructed gamebook and my brain boggles at what you had to do to put it together!" -Victoria Hancox, author of Nightshift, on Escape From Portsrood Forest
From the back coverThe year is 2162, intelligent extra-terrestrial life has been discovered, and a new recruit arrives at the Global Interstellar Group to be trained as an astronaut.
That trainee is you.
Immerse yourself in a mysterious sci-fi horror in which you will discover the truth behind a new alien threat...or die trying.
"It oozes quality...It's stunningly good...Possibly the best gamebook I've ever read." -Paul Stapleton, author of The Curse of Saltash Mine
"What a sense of satisfaction to conquer it. That is one well-constructed gamebook and my brain boggles at what you had to do to put it together!" -Victoria Hancox, author of Nightshift, on Escape From Portsrood Forest
From the back coverThe year is 2162, intelligent extra-terrestrial life has been discovered, and a new recruit arrives at the Global Interstellar Group to be trained as an astronaut.
That trainee is you.
Immerse yourself in a mysterious sci-fi horror in which you will discover the truth behind a new alien threat...or die trying.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2019
9 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Isaacson
17 books1 followerThis author is also published under the pen name Sam Isaacson.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 19, 2019
A couple of bizarre design decisions do nothing to dampen the enjoyable story for this science fiction mystery.
You play the part of an astronaut of the future; part of a small group of trainees who eventually qualify to perform a mission in the space ship Altimer (the first section of the book includes your time at the academy). This being a mystery adventure, naturally things don't go according to plan and it falls to you to try and save the ship before arriving on Mars. Once safely landed you will then play witness to a surprising revelation about your journey as well as face further danger as someone attempts to terminate members of the crew. This is very much a book of three distinct acts though all flow into each other nicely.
I really enjoyed reading this interactive gamebook. The writing is clear, concise and engaging. The game system is well-implemented, and leans somewhat towards the player having the most advantages in battle, though still depends much on dice rolls. The skill checks were by far the more challenging element, though failing one doesn't necessarily end in your death.
There were a few oddities in the book which in no way affect the gameplay or the plot (I didn't find anything which breaks the player's ability to finish the story). Note that I was reading what was probably the first edition of the book, so I don't know if these will be changed in later editions. There are a few times the reader is told to subtract an amount off a score, only to immediately die later in the same paragraph. Very strange to mark up the Adventure Sheet when you're about to die anyway. There was also one instance where I was asked to fight someone, and then if I won or lost I died either way. That seemed a little strange to make the player perform an entire battle needlessly. Most of the book is error-free but for an odd glitch in which the character of Catalina is referred to as a "He" and a "She" in different parts. Also I discovered one section which asked me if I had a specific codeword when no other section in the book ever seems to give you that codeword. I thought for a moment it might have been a trap to catch cheats, but the resulting paragraph continues as if you'd had the codeword which identifies another crew member as the captain. As odd as some of these glitches are, none of them ruin the book in any way.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good science fiction mystery and want to try something with an interactive twist. This book is the first in a series, and I'm already looking for ward to the next one!
You play the part of an astronaut of the future; part of a small group of trainees who eventually qualify to perform a mission in the space ship Altimer (the first section of the book includes your time at the academy). This being a mystery adventure, naturally things don't go according to plan and it falls to you to try and save the ship before arriving on Mars. Once safely landed you will then play witness to a surprising revelation about your journey as well as face further danger as someone attempts to terminate members of the crew. This is very much a book of three distinct acts though all flow into each other nicely.
I really enjoyed reading this interactive gamebook. The writing is clear, concise and engaging. The game system is well-implemented, and leans somewhat towards the player having the most advantages in battle, though still depends much on dice rolls. The skill checks were by far the more challenging element, though failing one doesn't necessarily end in your death.
There were a few oddities in the book which in no way affect the gameplay or the plot (I didn't find anything which breaks the player's ability to finish the story). Note that I was reading what was probably the first edition of the book, so I don't know if these will be changed in later editions. There are a few times the reader is told to subtract an amount off a score, only to immediately die later in the same paragraph. Very strange to mark up the Adventure Sheet when you're about to die anyway. There was also one instance where I was asked to fight someone, and then if I won or lost I died either way. That seemed a little strange to make the player perform an entire battle needlessly. Most of the book is error-free but for an odd glitch in which the character of Catalina is referred to as a "He" and a "She" in different parts. Also I discovered one section which asked me if I had a specific codeword when no other section in the book ever seems to give you that codeword. I thought for a moment it might have been a trap to catch cheats, but the resulting paragraph continues as if you'd had the codeword which identifies another crew member as the captain. As odd as some of these glitches are, none of them ruin the book in any way.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good science fiction mystery and want to try something with an interactive twist. This book is the first in a series, and I'm already looking for ward to the next one!
May 14, 2021
in this choose-your-own adventure tale, I was treated to an atmospheric second-person perspective narrative combining interactive game elements with fiction. It provides opportunities to do character creation, stat assignment, etc. and is coupled with excellent artwork.
With a concise and professional presentation it starts off quickly and takes little time to set up or get into. Due to its immersive playability, and multiple routes, you can easily replay/ reread, while making different decisions and choosing separate routes.
I found the backstory intriguing with its retro futuristic feel, quick-paced plot, and beautiful illustrations, all of which served to enhance the reading experience. You are presented with choices which branch through story fragments. Get your dice ready.
The puzzles are integrated into the quirky narration and came as an interesting surprise. All of the game elements are implemented well with the realism and modern writing style.
It could very well be that this is the next step in literary experimentation, but at the very least it is a break from the traditional books crowding my shelves, which so often retell the same stories in familiar ways.
By drawing a higher level of engagement from the reader, the author has provided a distinct and memorable product.
While some paths lead to a swift 'Game Over,' you will inevitably find out more detail and nuance upon a replay. One of the things I liked most was how the characters inhabit the fictional world like NPCs, but set the scene and converse with you in a way that feels authentic.
Entertaining in a fresh way and not to be missed if you are a fan of science fiction and role-playing storytelling.
With a concise and professional presentation it starts off quickly and takes little time to set up or get into. Due to its immersive playability, and multiple routes, you can easily replay/ reread, while making different decisions and choosing separate routes.
I found the backstory intriguing with its retro futuristic feel, quick-paced plot, and beautiful illustrations, all of which served to enhance the reading experience. You are presented with choices which branch through story fragments. Get your dice ready.
The puzzles are integrated into the quirky narration and came as an interesting surprise. All of the game elements are implemented well with the realism and modern writing style.
It could very well be that this is the next step in literary experimentation, but at the very least it is a break from the traditional books crowding my shelves, which so often retell the same stories in familiar ways.
By drawing a higher level of engagement from the reader, the author has provided a distinct and memorable product.
While some paths lead to a swift 'Game Over,' you will inevitably find out more detail and nuance upon a replay. One of the things I liked most was how the characters inhabit the fictional world like NPCs, but set the scene and converse with you in a way that feels authentic.
Entertaining in a fresh way and not to be missed if you are a fan of science fiction and role-playing storytelling.
March 6, 2024
This one was a blast. What an incredible story this was. And it was an actually good gamebook, too. It gave you choices that weren't just random goings somewhere as many other gamebooks are. You have to not only get every piece of important gear, but also act right, because if you do not, death is waiting for you.
And the story aspect of this gamebook was awesome too, with lots of smaller and bigger twists that I didn't see coming.
Still I gave it 4 stars. Why? Because I think sometimes the story is way too harsh and that the writer thinks that we have infinite time. There are pages where there is only one way to do things and all others lead to death and starting over.
Other than that there was one other problem and that was a missing keyword. Because at one point I was stuck in an infinite loop looking for the right keyword, and I've checked all possible pages, but still didn't manage to find it. Could be a translation error on my end, but I really don't know what did I do wrong.
And the story aspect of this gamebook was awesome too, with lots of smaller and bigger twists that I didn't see coming.
Still I gave it 4 stars. Why? Because I think sometimes the story is way too harsh and that the writer thinks that we have infinite time. There are pages where there is only one way to do things and all others lead to death and starting over.
Other than that there was one other problem and that was a missing keyword. Because at one point I was stuck in an infinite loop looking for the right keyword, and I've checked all possible pages, but still didn't manage to find it. Could be a translation error on my end, but I really don't know what did I do wrong.
March 10, 2022
I'm not sure when it's fair to say that I've read a book like this, but after dying in a couple playthroughs I'm ready to call it. I thought it was pretty enjoyable. Interesting enough premise, although I'm discovering that the whole "there's a bunch of scary gross aliens attacking everybody and there's blood everywhere" is not really my thing. I think there are much more interesting ways to do scary that don't involve so much blood and gore. But I had fun exploring the spaceship, at least until I died.
I think the book has some interesting game mechanics too, with the keywords and everything. I may want to give this book another go at some point and try to get further into the story, but for now I'm putting it down.
I think the book has some interesting game mechanics too, with the keywords and everything. I may want to give this book another go at some point and try to get further into the story, but for now I'm putting it down.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews