Demian's Gamebook Web Page

Item - Terror in Australia

Please log in to manage your collection or post a review.

(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition)

Combined Summary

Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 81
Choose Your Own Adventure (2005-) — no. 21
Choose Your Own Adventure Reissues (Australian Versions) — no. 19
Alternate Title: Struggle Down Under (reissue)
Contained In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set (78-82) (Collection)
Adapted Into: The Lost City of the Outback (Graded Reader) (Gamebook)
Author: Gilligan, Shannon
Illustrators: Sundaravej, Sittisan (ChooseCo reissue edition - cover)
Burphon, Suphak (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Mattingly, David B. (Original edition, first printing - cover)
Simpson, Howard (Original edition, first printing - interior)
Yaweera, Sasiprapa (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Donploypetch, Jintanan (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Dates: July, 1988 (Original edition, first printing)
2005 (ChooseCo reissue edition)
ISBNs: 0553272772 / 9780553272772 (Original edition, first printing)
1933390212 / 9781933390215 (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Length: 113 pages (Original edition, first printing)
123 pages (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Number of Endings: 13
User Summary: Your parents have left you home alone, so you do the only logical thing you can think of: attempt to run off and join your uncle's archaeological expedition.
Demian's Thoughts:

This is an archetypical entry in the series; it's got all the standard characteristics: an adventurous relative, archaeology, terrorists, aliens, tidbits of information about other cultures and a pacifist message. It is a little unusual in that it casts the reader as an Australian; a more typical thing to do would have been to make the reader's character an American on vacation. Also surprising was the grimness of some of the paths -- I remember finding the path involving a trip on a mail plane rather disturbing when I read this at the time of its original release. To her credit, the author does a fairly good job of balancing diversity of paths and outcomes with some degree of internal plot consistency, but this accomplishment and the book's few unusual characteristics don't quite manage to raise it above average level. It's a satisfying enough read, but not a very memorable one.

More reviews by Demian

Jordashebasics's Thoughts:

A frustrating book, because the writing is generally pretty good. There are some fun ideas in here. But I have some suspicions that R. A. Montgomery had a bit of influence on the title.

There are a few things that drag the title down. There's a path that involves you getting kidnapped and forced to... negotiate for buying camels? Maybe I need to look at the book again, but I have no idea why this story exists, there's no explanation for what they want to do with the camels, and throughout the rest of the book, there's only one mention of camels -- just that there's a shortage of them.

The last ending I reached involved aliens, an ancient culture, and a heavy-handed message about nuclear power.

By this point in the series, Montgomery had backed off from doing these types of stories, but it reads exactly like his work. I strongly suspect that Shannon Gilligan took some advisement from him.

Regardless, there are some enjoyable sequences.

More reviews by Jordashebasics

Users Who Own This Item: aline, Ardennes, benji2, bigcobra, bookwormjeff, Chanticrow, dave2002a, Demian (coverless), Eamonn McCusker, Erikwinslow (Original), exaquint (2005), fraze, Himynameistony, jeremydouglass, jharvey79, Jordashebasics, katzcollection, KenJenningsJeopardy74, kinderstef, kleme (Original & Reissue), knginatl (orig., reissue/signed, cover craft, Sundance ) (orig., reissue/signed, cover craft, Sundance) (orig., reissue/signed, cover craft, Sundance), Lambchop, Madeye, marcfonline, marnaudo, mattender, mlvoss, nelsondesign, ntar, Nym90, Oberonbombadil (Original US 1st), pinkfloydechoes, plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, Radical347, redpiper05 (In gift box, new), rolipo26, rtaylor352, SherlockHolmes, spragmatic, stonemason, strawberry_brite, SuperAM2, ThaRid, toadhjo, twar, waktool (Original, US 1st printing ($2.50)) (Australian, 1st printing), Yalius, YourSoundtrack, yunakitty
Users Who Want This Item: AgathaRaisin79, Aldrin23, barryattles, bbanzai, Cyan, damieng, exaquint, Ffghtermedic, horrorbusiness, MasterChief, Mr ?, Muffy (PDF), NEMO, Nomad, odo_ital, Pessimeister, Ryuran333, SherlockHolmes, stock, Von Scotty, Waluigi Freak 99
Users with Extra Copies: bigcobra
kinderstef
Madeye
ntar
SherlockHolmes
strawberry_brite
Yalius

Known Editions

Original edition, first printing
ChooseCo reissue edition
Australian edition

Please log in to manage your collection or post a review.