Edward Packard

Deadwood City is a very decent entry in the CYOA series, and makes some interesting choices with the second-person narrative. Books in the series tend to switch back and forth between portraying the reader in illustrations as an adult and as a child, and this one chooses to incorporate the latter in a (somewhat) realistic historical setting. Edward Packard has avoided time caves and space travel this time, with the reader simply riding a lone horse into the book's titular town.

It's also show more interesting that the illustrations chose to feature a young girl in the role instead of a boy, seeking out jobs as a cattle rancher, stagecoach guard, or outlaw. This isn't that unusual for the western genre, but it is always encouraging to find children's authors willing to step outside of traditional gender roles.

Finally, Packard does a commendable job at maintaining a good/bad ending balance with plenty of "dead" ends, but without having any of those reader demises involve being shot. While there is gunplay, and the occasional vague implication of a shooting death, the vast majority of endings involve the reader moving on with their lives and settling down. Acknowledging the existence and use of guns without playing into the exploitation of gun violence is a fine tightrope walk. show less

You'll find that most of the reviews for Cave of Time and other entries in the Choose Your Own Adventure series are written by adults. This is because Cave of Time was the beginning of a genre that had a deep and lasting impact on an entire generation of childhood readers. Before video games and computer text adventure games became commonplace, the Choose Your Own Adventure series introduced children to interactive fiction that converted them from passive viewer to active participant. show more Rereading Cave of Time, I found myself doing the same thing I used to do as a child when reading these books, using my fingers as temporary placeholders at each crossroad so when on branch of the story ended - sometimes to horrific consequences - I could skip back and find out where the other narrative path would lead.

Cave of Time is the perfect introduction to the format. Wandering through the twisting tunnels of a mysterious cave and popping out at random points in time is an ideal narrative to expose the reader to the unpredictable nature of cause and effect, and how decisions don't always lead where you expect them to. From prehistoric Earth to a futuristic Utopia, Cave of Time explores the realms of time travel for its intended age group with - as countless middle-age reviewers can attest - lasting results. show less

The Choose Your Own Adventure series offered an option every few pages to choose how the story would continue. According to your preference, you would follow its instructions by turning to the appropriate page of the book as indicated by your choice. This was a popular and revolutionary idea when the series was first launched in the early 1980s, driving it to incredible sales levels for many years until it was overshadowed by variants on the idea that took the concept to more elaborate show more lengths (e.g. Fighting Fantasy) and especially by other interactive media.

The plot: It's a sequel to Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey? #9. Being a PI was fun, but now you're branching out into investigating ghost sightings. And one of those sightings might be Harlowe Thrombey.

Observations: It's okay if it makes you want to sing the Ghostbusters theme song, that's entirely appropriate. It's not a bit scary, not even spooky, which is sort of a missed opportunity. If that's what you wanted, go back to The Horror of High Ridge #27. This one is just light fun.

Personal memories: One of my later favourites in the series. show less

The Choose Your Own Adventure series offered an option every few pages to choose how the story would continue. According to your preference, you would follow its instructions by turning to the appropriate page of the book as indicated by your choice. This was a popular and revolutionary idea when the series was first launched in the early 1980s, driving it to incredible sales levels for many years until it was overshadowed by variants on the idea that took the concept to more elaborate show more lengths (e.g. Fighting Fantasy) and especially by other interactive media.

The plot: this explores the idea Jules Verne once did, that nestled within our planet is a hollow area where another world awaits our discovery. Cool stuff.

Observations: While not technically fantasy-themed in the traditional sense, it has more of that feel than it does science fiction. On the other hand, Doctor Bruckner's "boring" scientific essay at the beginning might save your life, and its accompanying diagram is a pretty cool way to get you excited about the adventure that lies ahead. Oh, and here's Dr. Vivaldi again (her third appearance).

Personal memories: I loved the idea of it more than the stories, but I was fond of this one. Another that I probably read every page of. show less