The Houses of the Dead

VulcanVerse #2

by Jamie Thomson, Mattia Simone (Illustrator), Dave Morris (Contributor)

The underworld was once ruled over by the death god Hades, but he sleeps in his immortal tomb, weakened by centuries of neglect. What is to be done with his realm now? Who will refurbish its sepulchral halls, sweep away the corpse dust that coat its tenebrous terraces, and revitalise the dead that once walked its cheerless cloisters? Who else but you?

And what is to be found in the underworld?

Bone chilling winds sweep across desolate plains, carrying the despairing moans of lost souls to every corner of the realm of the dead. Swamps fester in the pale nacreous glow that rises up from the decaying earth, tombs litter the landscape like broken teeth, shadows walk the land, muttering in the darkness.

Here lie the houses of the dead, home to the shades of the deceased – and other things.

As you explore you will forge friendships, meet companions, make enemies – all of whom have long memories and will help or hinder you throughout your adventures. In this vast open world you will find hundreds of amazing quests, make choices with lasting consequences, win glory, cheat death, and face challenges at every turn. Every decision is in your hands. Start in any book, be whoever you choose, go anywhere you please, and do anything you want. The only limit is your imagination.

Genres: Gamebooks

152 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2021

Reviews

[Andy Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors responsible for most of the best series from the golden age of gamebooks return with Vulcanverse, a series of five books steeped in Greek lore and mythology, flavoured with many other influences. The first four books cover different interesting settings, with the final book split between Vulcan City and a lengthy final quest, which is unlocked once 12 main tasks across the rest of the series have been completed.

The quality of writing is first class across the whole series, generating an immersive atmosphere with just the right balance of humour. Whilst the open world style of the series is more in keeping with the same authors Fabled Lands than linear gamebooks, the many tasks to complete result in a nice blend of both styles, with the final quest in the last book also giving players something to aim at. The paperbacks are more robust for repeated plays, with the hardbacks nice as collector items.

The size of Vulcanverse is enormous, each book being several times the size of a standard gamebook, with the clever codeword and tick box design mechanics maximising page space, increasing the size and scope of the adventure further still. Be aware that a significant time investment is therefore required. Note taking is recommended, and especially useful for when you pick the series back up each time after a break.

Although mapping isn’t essential, you’ll love the books if you enjoyed 1980s computer games that required mapping out. They also reminded me a bit of those point and click type adventures, such as the Magic Knight and Lucasfilm series, where completing a section or puzzle opens up more of the game. In summary, Vulcanverse is superb. I hope the series finds a wide audience given the quality of writing and care that has clearly gone into them.

[Ignacio Blasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the collection
Vulcanverse is an ambitious collection of Open World Gamebooks by the authors of Fable Lands. You can start in any Vulcanverse book and travel between books having adventures. Even if each one can be read individually, this collection is more enjoyable when read as a whole. Each book has plenty of references to the others and is full of plots that are intertwined between each of its installments.
About this book
This book takes place in Hades, the realm of the Dead and is the first one of the collection. It is also, in my opinion, the best place to start reading. Of all the Vulcanverse books it is the one feels more independent of the rest since most of the quests can be completed without going to other books.
This doesn't mean that it hasn't plenty of side quests that need to travel from or to other books.
Surprisingly, Hades is a place very much alive, full of inhabitants that continue with their non-lives. In this place you can meet some mythical characters and also people that have been wronged by some greek heroes and claim to be revenged. This book is full of small quests that are not very related between them, but it is plenty of interesting stories and also full of humor

[K.J. Shadmand · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a streamlined and intuitive adventure sheet, highly evolved combat and skill test mechanics and the virtuoso use of tick box codewords and a current location box to keep track of progress, The Houses of the Dead is a masterpiece of game design.
Even though the dark and gloomy colour illustrations do justice to the setting of the Underworld and the text is well ordered and cleanly formatted, the presentation of The Houses of the Dead is less magnificent than its writing and gameplay deserve.
This is a massive open-world adventure that interlinks with other (at times even more massive) gamebooks in the VulcanVerse series. Populated by numerous characters with satisfying backstories and plenty of quests, there is endless replayability to be found here.
A gamebook for the patient and cerebral, The Houses of the Dead is a masterpiece of open-world game design that will not only leave you better informed about the myths and legends of ancient Greece, but open a doorway into the living, breathing world of the VulcanVerse.

[Kjeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

An open world gamebook where the game-mechanics are fine, allthough a skill check on 9 is a tough one when you have just started, so chances of dying is very high.
I also miss a bit of background-story, to just wander around hoping to find a purpose seems strange.
This book also have references to the other books in the series, where one (Workshop of the gods) isn't even written yet.
Maybe my expectations was to high on this one, but the Legendary Kingdoms, Steam Highwayman and the Fabled Lands (I know only 7 out of 12 is written) series are much better in my opinion.