Nightshift: Choose your path and face the consequence

by Victoria Hancox

Do you prefer your gamebooks to have less dice and more gore? Welcome to the Nightshift! Normally, you turn up at the hospital at 9PM and prepare to face whatever comes through the door. You’ve patched up gunshot wounds, plated broken bones and drained abscesses. Sometimes, you’ve spent the entire night watching TV, feeling bored and just willing the phone to ring. Waiting for something to happen. But what if something did happen? What would you do if your ordinary routine just turned upside down? In this adventure, you are not a hero. You’re just a hospital worker who’s plunged into an interactive battle against demons, witches and time itself. You're caught in the middle of a nightmare but will you be able to use your wits and survive? There’s a difference with this adventure though. There's no dice to throw and no battles to fight. You won't get through by being lucky and you definitely have no spells or swords. What will get you through to the end of the nightshift is what you already have—knowledge, skills, memory and a pencil—the best advice is that you make notes of all the evidence and hints you find! You just might make it out if you can piece together the clues and figure out the puzzles. We'll see you on the other side!

Genres: Gamebooks, Choose Your Own Adventure, Horror, Gaming, Fiction

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2019

About the author

Living in Berlin but still a Mancunian at heart!
Victoria Hancox has worked as a nurse, science teacher and now, is finally getting paid as a writer, albeit for e-learning content. This is a far cry from her early stabs at novels with the escapades of Charlie the hamster. These days she prefers to immerse herself in the world of interactive gamebooks, revisiting her misspent youth, where she cheated with dice, never died in battle and was always lucky.
When not at a desk, this (almost) lifelong vegetarian is usually cooking and eating, although she now has to fight off Frank the cat, especially when it comes to cheese and bread!

Reviews

[Krasi Karaivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Около 6 часа си блъсках главата, умирах око 20 пъти, но не се отказах... не знам как се случи, но “оцелях” 🤣 За пърди досег с книга-игра, мога да кажа че ми беше интересно, забавно, дразнещо, напрягащо, смешно и още куп полюсни емоции и настроения преживях до финала. На 3-4 пъти исках да засиля книгата и да я видя как лети през 8я етаж, но и това мина. Може би леко ме разочарова финала, но то е толкова сбъркано всичко, че дори той ми се стори приемлив.

[Dane Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the year 1999, a young 25 year-old video gamer (me, back when I still played such things) discovered a game named Silent Hill. Never before had I experienced an atmosphere so creepy; so disturbing. It was a game that won me over in a heartbeat though it did its best several times to make my heart stop.
Onwards to 2019, 40 years on, and I've discovered a book, a work of interactive fiction, which not only brought back all those same feelings (the good ones!) but also kept me occupied for hours, puzzling my way through a challenging and terrifying ordeal.
Nightshift takes place in a hospital, where you take on the role of one of the nurses who works there. After a particularly tiring shift you decide to have a rest, eventually falling asleep. You awaken into a veritable nightmare, with your friend dead and the hospital looking like it fell through countless holes in the space/time continuum!
This book is full of puzzles, twists and turns, and is written in such a joyfully personal way that you will feel like you ARE the character, trapped in that horrible reality. Making careful notes are a must as some of the puzzles that need deciphering can be tricky, though the book builds a good and logical level of difficulty as you progress.
Victoria Hancox is clearly a skilled writer, and what she has accomplished here, to create an interactive horror novel which brings back the same thoughts and feelings I had for a favourite game some 20 years ago, speaks volumes as to her talent.
If you want some interaction embedded seamlessly into your horror then I cannot recommend Nightshift highly enough.

[Лейдрин Суийвър · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прочетох книгата и странно за мен самия успях от първи прочит. Странно, защото имаше доста избори тип - наляво или надясно, без да имам добра идея какво има натам, точно като в ББ. Смятам, обаче, че присъствието на такива слепи избори е търсен ефект, ако вземем под внимание сюжета и атмосферата. Всъщност, срещнах не малко податки къде да ида и какво и кого да търся и как да го намеря. Няма как да не споделя приятното си впечатление от използваните кодирани подсказки. Може би ми дойдоха една идея повече от нужното. Моята асоциация по време на прочита беше с Мутирала Плът на Рони Мейдей. Сцените и последователността може да се сторят хаотични, но по-скоро е подреден хаос, който допринася за предаване на атмосферата. И авторът и героинята са жени и някои описания и реакции ми идват странни, но жените имат логика, която функционира по различен и необясним за мен начин. Най-фрапантното за мен беше как в края героинята просто свива рамене и приема случилото се. Точно след като се е погледнала в огледалото и е осъзнала, че всичко наистина се е случило. Книгата ми хареса. Един нетипичен представител на английската класическа ББ школа. Поздравявам издателя за избора и редакторите за свършената работа. Корицата и илюстрациите са страхотни.

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never before have I both loved and hated a book so much, never before have I both wanted to throw a book across the room and yet been unable to stop reading.

This horror-themed Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style book puts you in control of the story as you make your way through the labyrinthine halls of the hospital where you work the night shift. Ghosts, demons, witches, time slips, creepy children, puzzles, riddles, spells, and lots (and lots and lots) of doubling back before you finally get everything straight make this a frustrating yet fun journey.

You'll need a pen and paper (blank pages are included in the back of the book for note-taking, but I suggest using spare paper) to keep track of clues and items as you go. Also, it helps to have a calculator handy!

All in all, an enjoyable experience for anyone who loves a creepy story and revels in the challenge of a well-plotted puzzle.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Отне ми дни и много нерви да изляза жива накрая. Умирах многократно и трябваше да се връщам отново и отново на ключови избори, за да намеря правилния път. Беше доста сериозно предизвикателство заради голямото количество слепи избори "наляво или надясно". Картата, публикувана от авторката, беше много полезна на моменти.
Логическите пъзели бяха сравнително лесни за решаване. Събирането на предмети, обаче, беше предизвикателство, защото има доста подвеждащи.
Отнемам една звезда в крайната ми оценка заради епизода с червата, където с едно допълнително изречение можеше да се спестят много неуспешни опити.

[Borislav Traykov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in Bulgarian below.
I’ll start with the prefix that I prefer to read books for relaxation - even gamebooks and thus rarely take notes, pay attention to die-rolling and I cheat as much as I can. I disregard mechanics, but I do appreciate them as I read-play.
TL;DR: This is a challenging, well-written gamebook with a great atmosphere!
As Dane Berrett pointed out in his review, there are strong “Silent Hill” vibes here! Whether intentional or not, I felt them as well! I even had some of the music tracks playing in my head while read-playing.
Here are some objective things about the book:
+ Item hunting/collection red herrings
+ Multiple puzzles - you will need to pay attention, take notes and consult with an alphabet index (not included in the book). They are mandatory.
+ Since the adventure takes place in a hospital and from the viewpoint of a medical worker, there will be a lot of hospital and medical scenes which can be technical in description and oh, boy - usually gory and disturbing.
+ There are a lot of gory AND disturbing scenes in the book!
+ Other themes in the book: witchcraft + terror + horror + unease
+ There are pinches of dark and/or quirky humor sprinkled here and there
+ There are choices based on traversing locations - some of them are “blind/leaps of fate”
+ There are multiple possibilities for death - most of them can be avoided by careful play.

Here’s what I liked about the book.
+ Atmosphere!!! The text is very well-written and the themes mentioned above are beautifully woven together. For me this was the major factor that got me past the things I did not like. The author even published a “behind the scenes” post in her blog with details on the theme elements she used and why she chose to do so. Very cool!
+ Because of the many themes and general suspense, there is a pleasant surprise factor even when reaching a fatal ending. I intentionally went through all of these endings because they were so well-described!
+ Challenge! The author has stated that she loves puzzles and challenges. I was intimidated by the puzzles, but I was intrigued at how she posed the challenge - the protagonist’s context and that she gradually needs to struggle to understand what is the final goal and how to reach it.
+ The cat!!! Reach him and you will see what I mean
+ The illustrations of the Bulgarian edition - well, it’s worth mentioning that to me the picture of the final badie is the LEAST impressive one. All of the others fit perfectly into the context and they are suitably gruesome.
+ The personality of the protagonist. You are essentially playing as the author - that’s why thoughts and actions are coherent across the adventure … with 2 exceptions
breaking the pagan mural
slashing the evil doctor’s throat
+ The final boss battle - I really liked the atmosphere here as well + the fact that it requires more than one thing to succeed - greater stakes & gravity of the situation.
Things I disliked:
- Too many puzzles! There’s even a math puzzle here which is mandatory.
I have choice words for the puzzles that require alphabet indexing and summing.
The movement in the hospital was too blind for me. Thank God that the author published the floor plan on her Facebook profile - it was only then that I was able to find out how moving and getting to specific rooms was actually possible.

Накратко/: “Нощна смяна” е страхотна книга-игра, защото хем литературата е силна, хем и играта. Въпреки че се опротвих и ми отне няколко месеца да се ядосвам на някои слепи преходи и да се насиля да си водя бележки, накрая останах доволен от приключението от-до.
Обективно, ето какво предлага книгата:
+ Събиране и използване на предмети има и подвеждащи
+ Множество пъзели - ще трябва да внимавате, да си водите бележки и да се допитвате до азбучен индекс. Тези пъзели са напълно задължителни.
+ Тъй като приключението се развива в болница и е от гледната точка на медицински работник, има множество сцени с болничен и медицински контексти, т.е. Текстът може да е доста техничен/научен, но и много, ама много гнусен и с кървища.
+ Има много, ама много гнусни и кървави моменти!
+ Други теми: вещерство + терор + ужас
+ Тук-там има черен или особняшки хумор
+ Има избори, които изискват преминаване между локации - коридори и стаи. Някои от тях са “слепи”, т.е. Читателят не знае какво да очаква и дали може да се върне ако е попаднал там без да е изпълнил някакво условие.
+ Има няколко фатални краища. Повечето от тях могат да се избегнат ако читателят-играч следи внимателно какво се случва.

Ето какво НЕ ми хареса в книгата:
- Използвах и използвам много, ама много сочни псувни за пъзелите в книгата, особено тези с превръщането на думички в цифри и сумирането, а и прогресията с числа е гадост.
- Добре, че авторката публикува схема на етажa на болницата, та успях да се ориентирам в преходите между локациите. Бях си съставил напълно погрешна представа кое къде и как се стига до него и така бях забил и се отказах за няколко месеца.

Ето какво ми хареса в книгата:
+ Атмосферата!!! Silent Hill!!! Въйй!! Тексът е написан (и преведен) много добре, а гореспоменатите теми са преплетени много добре. За мен това беше основният фактор да искам да преборя книгата след като й се бях ядосал и зарязал за няколко месеца. Авторката публикува статия на блога си тип “зад кулисите”, в която разказва за имената и предметите, които е вложила и защо. Много яко!
+ Заради множеството теми и цялостния съспенс, има приятен фактор изненада дори при достигане на фатален край. Даже нарочно минах през всички такива краища, защото са много творчески описани.
+ Предизвикателството! Авторката споменава в блога си, че обожава пъзели и предизвикателства. Аз пък бях сдухан от пъзелите, но пък заинтригуван от предизвикателствата: да съм в контекстът на героинята, да се боря на всяка крачка и полека да разбирам каква е крайната цел и как да я постигна.
+ Котаракът!! Стигнете до него и сами ще видите.
+ Корицата на Петър Станимиров и илюстрациите на Венцислав Великов - май най-МАЛКО плашештата илюстрация е на крайния лошковец. Всички останали се вписват перфектно като контекст и атмосфера.
+ Характерът на героинята. Авторката всъщност е написала себе си - затова и мислите и действията на героинята са консистентни от началото до края (с 2 малки изключения)
+ Битката с финалния бос - само ще издам, че нещата не приключват веднага, а има няколко фази. Доста епичен и добре възващ се завършек.

[Scott Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m rather glad that I read this after The Phantom Self, also by Victoria Hancox, as that makes for a good introduction to Victoria’s books, whereas this debut gamebook is a challenging adventure in many ways. On one level, it is a frightening journey to escape a terrifying hospital that morphs from modern to Victorian. On another level, it is the gradual discovery of the aims and methods of an adversary who you fleetingly encounter early on.

There are many references in the book to medicine, but also to folk and classical mythology. So the world it depicts is both a modern (and not-so-modern) hospital and a fantasy - or rather a nightmare - world. As a game, it is well-crafted in that there are no rules presented at the beginning of the book; instead, they are integral to the adventure. You collect items and a few codewords, solve puzzles and gain hints and tips along the way. It is far from easy to solve as a game, but there is always at least one clue to every problem, and sometimes there are couple of ways to progress past a certain point. The ‘hospital-crawl’ aspect of the adventure is far from easy, as you revisit certain sections of the hospital, sometimes simply heading in a different direction, and at other times facing a different encounter. The puzzles are pitched at an appropriate level - neither too easy nor too difficult - though it helps a little to have some knowledge of medicine (which I do).

Overall, I regard this a tour-de-force, among the very best of gamebooks, and possibly even the best example of that genre to have been published in the past couple of decades.

[Collin Greenwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit pretentious and tacky, but not altogether bad. When you start out by saying "There are no dice and if there were we both know you'd cheat", I'm already a bit bothered. I have played a number of gamebooks in total honesty, and I had a great time doing so. If a writer makes failure just as fun as success, there's never any need to cheat. Frankly that is a dig at both my character and at other gamebooks. Insulting someone is not a great way to draw them in.

The book itself is pretentious, as I said. It pretends to greater intelligence than it really seems to have. "If you follow the clues and you're careful," it seems to say, "then you'll make it out alive". And yet... I found myself dying constantly with no prior warning or way of preventing it. Explore too much? Die. Don't explore enough? Die. Pick up an item you think you might need? Die, because it's bad. And so, so many other ways to just instantly die because you did or did not see something in the book. It's like the book doesn't want you to experience all of it, just certain parts.

I did enjoy the story, and it had a decent creep factor, but a number of issues kept drawing me out of the book and broke immersion.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy to read gamebook with a suitably dark atmosphere. Only a pencil and paper for note-taking is really required to start playing, so the reader can immediately jump in to the opening section of the book that wastes no time in setting the scene and plot.

The story moves along at a good pace and one thing I liked about it is that unlike some game books, the author supplies you with a good reason for each choice on offer, as if reading your mind.

There are some things I was less keen on in this book. For one thing, the author too frequently falls back on the expression “and then...” as if she was struggling to find the prose to explain events in sequence at times. Also, although the setting and atmosphere was good - it’s not too difficult to establish an atmosphere of dread in a hospital I guess, but the author still sells it well - the overall purpose and plot of the story was slightly illogical and confusing to me even, on my third playthrough. Overall though, this is a good choice and good value for anyone who wants a gamebook that's easy to pick up and read.

[Andrew Jenkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two adult-facing horror choose-your-own adventure style books, that I've read this year. No dice required. Interesting experiments in non-linear fiction, by this self published author. Nightshift was her first book in this genre, and I enjoyed it enough to buy the new one (Alchemist's Folly, 2020). I think AF is actually the better book, and the plot (such as it is) which is 'get through the interview procedure at the (evil) company' is gloriously daft. The first book was wander-around-a-macabre-hospital complete with all the horror tropes. The thing I liked about these was the variety in the puzzles, from noting 'codewords' you'd picked up along the way, to calculating page numbers, to actually knowing some general knowledge. They feel a bit more substantial than the old Fighting Fantasy books.

[John Gervasoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small spoilers alert:

There seems to be four choke points where the story’s progress bottlenecks into whether or not you have successfully gathered the required items and/or knowledge before allowing progression. On the fourth day of the third attempt I made it to the third choke point. However, the instructions garnered by a credible assistant hampered my progress and I had to restart. There are no alternative win conditions. There can be no mistakes made. Many things are essential. Much information needs to be located. I found this fun initially and frustrating after a while.

Serious spoiler:

There are twelve witches, around seven essential items, and a ton of information required to complete the book.

[Стефан Стефанов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятно заглавие, което ми беше интересно и като сюжет, и като механика. Лутането наляво-надясно бе малко дразнещо, но все пак е survival horror, а това е важен елемент за изграждането на атмосферата - да не знаеш какво те очаква зад ъгъла. На 100 процента подкрепям идеята да не се използват зарове, точки и т.н. - колкото по-малко, толкова по-добре. В детството си играех да хвърлям зарче, да пресмятам точки и щети... днес това го прескачам по подразбиране и съм приел, че е в арсенала на компютърните игри и се радвам, когато видя тази механика умело заобиколена.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun adventure! I used to love these types of books as a kid, so to find an even more in-depth version was a pleasant surprise. (It’s basically an escape room as a book) It’s full of riddles, clues, puzzles, codes and tons of frustration when you die (which you will) but I highly recommend it.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always loved the Goosebumps - You Choose Your Scare books and didn’t know adult versions resisted. This book was so much fun and pretty challenging! So glad somebody posted about this in one of the book groups I’m in. Also- loved the illustrations! Can’t wait to start the next one!

[Atanas Gadelev · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's hard intetesting book. No luck,hard to cheat and a lot of ...everithing

[Cleber Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story

Really catching…you cannot let it go. I devoured this book and died many times till I could finally finish! Such a great story…cannot wait till the next book

[Casey Hampshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. I haven't read a CYOA book before and I was laughing out loud at this. Was the writing top of the line, no. Were some of the pictures a little cheesy, yes. But this was fun!

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

ITS BEEN TWO HOURS AND I CANT GET OUT! Reminds me a lot of Silent Hill.

[Rog Middleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

my first interactive book - not for me, I'm afraid. cleverly put together but just not my thing.

[Sassas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally the worst "choose your own path" book I've ever read
First of all the layout was the worst "turn left, turn righ, go back, make a u turn whatever" I genuinely had no idea where anything was. I started making a map in the beginning and the directions we're given make 0 sense. Also you never know when choosing between two paths, if one will never be an option again - make up your mind if it's a linear story or if you're meant to explore the building.
It was super confusing and it kept contradicting its own logic?? First it's "talk to everyone so you can figure shit out" then it's "curiosity killed the cat, fuck you", you talk to all the crazy people you find, because apparently you're supposed to be chill like that, but if you try to talk to the black ~misterios~ "thing" it ignores you, no, don't do that, you have to throw a book at it to get on its good side?????
And half the choices you make have to just be random and good luck if you're wrong, you'll find out too late
God I hated this experience 0/10 never going back

[Liz Marnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is a fun little book! I enjoyed the ease with which the kindle edition allowed me to follow the paths I chose. I grew up reading the Goosebumps Choose your own scare books and this was very similar. I will have to spend more time with it, but it was a fun little read before bed. Would recommend to fans of chose your own adventure or scare books.