Demian's Gamebook Web Page

Item - War with the Evil Power Master

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

(Original edition)
(Original version, book fair edition)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
(Australian edition)
(Australian edition)

Combined Summary

Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 37
Choose Your Own Adventure (2005-) — no. 12
Choose Your Own Adventure Reissues (Australian Versions) — no. 11
Alternate Title: War with the Evil Powermaster
Contained In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set 3 (9-12) (Collection)
Translated Into: L'Amo del Poder Maligne (Catalan)
El Amo del Poder Maligno (Spanish)
Guerra ao poderoso espirito do mal (Portuguese)
Guerra con el Demonio (Spanish)
Guerra contra el amo del mal (Spanish)
Uzay şeytanı (Turkish)
Adapted Into: War with the Evil Power Master (Board Game)
Author: Montgomery, R. A.
Illustrators: Abrams, Paul (Original edition - interior; Original version, book fair edition - interior; Australian edition - original interior)
Donploypetch, Jintanan (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing - cover; ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing - cover; Australian edition - reissue cover)
McBride, Marc (Australian edition - cover)
Millet, Jason (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing - interior; Australian edition - interior; ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing - interior)
Reese, Ralph (Original edition - cover; Original version, book fair edition - cover; Australian edition - original cover)
Dates: October, 1984 (Original edition)
2005 (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
2007 (Australian edition)
ISBNs: 0553245236 / 9780553245233 (Original edition)
1865049344 / 9781865049342 (Australian edition)
1933390123 / 9781933390123 (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing, ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
Length: 118 pages (Original edition, Original version, book fair edition)
123 pages (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing, ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
Number of Endings: 29 (Original edition, Original version, book fair edition)
30 (possibly cover typo for 28) (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
28 (ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing, Australian edition)
User Summary: In this sequel to Prisoner of the Ant People, you and Flppto the Martian are working with the Lacoonian System Rapid Force and must defeat the Evil Power Master before he destroys three entire planets.
auximenes's Thoughts:

"HI, MY NAME IS EVIL. POWER IS MY MIDDLE NAME." Like any good James Bond villain, the tyrannical Evil Power Master isn't subtle with his designs and intentions (and may be the first person to invent shouting in CAPS). He's definitely into evil, and all about the power. Your character is a James Bond-type intergalactic agent tasked with finding and defeating the EPM before he destroys the democratic forces of the alliance of good planets, the Lacoonian System.

This book is a childhood favorite of mine, presented in the style of classic comic-book sci-fi. The villain's name may be blatant, but his tactics can be subtle, just like the devil. He can take any form as he tries to corrupt and destroy the forces of good, and it is a challenge for your character to flush him out, or even resist the subtle temptation to join forces with the EPM and his allies.

A fun book with lots of adventure but also insight into moral and political issues, I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

More reviews by auximenes

Demian's Thoughts:

I didn't particularly enjoy this book... The sci-fi fails to work very well; too much time is spent on exposition that fails to really explain anything, and the author wanders off into weird abstractions a few times too many. The book also suffers from choices that really don't matter because you just get blown up before your decision has time to yield any results. It could be argued that this is done to add a touch of realism, but it's kind of frustrating in a reader-driven story. There are some interesting moments, though, such as a point in the story where you get injured and must choose who will become the new commander. Still, these few moments of creativity don't save the book from mediocrity.

More reviews by Demian

Fireguard's Thoughts:

People need to learn to quit while they're ahead. Like R. A. Montgomery after writing two gamebooks that didn't stick in my craw. I'm glad he wanted to bring Choose Your Own Adventure to a new generation, and I'd probably be even more excited if the books reissued weren't... his. The Evil Power Master (has there ever been a villain with a lamer name?) returns, and once again it's up to you and trusty Martian Flppto to save the day.

Unfortunately, everything that helped cement Prisoner of the Ant People's place in my memory is absent from its sequel. There are no cartoony aliens to encounter, no silly interplay between the members of your team. Rendoxoll isn't even there for most of the book. Also there's too many "the Evil Power Master sees what you're doing and exterminates you with a wave of his hand" type endings. Yes, my enemy's all-powerful. That doesn't make it any less annoying. Reading it I get an image in my mind of R. A. deciding he liked the characters from Prisoner, but didn't like how silly it all turned out so he decided to try again with a more serious tone. Look what happened.

Too much randomness without enough silliness to make it fun. Yep, should've quit while he was ahead.

More reviews by Fireguard

Good's Thoughts:

Sounds worse than The Antarctic People.

More reviews by Good

knifebat's Thoughts:

It seems like this book is not too popular, but I personally enjoyed it. First of all let me point out that the author is a former consultant of the Peace Corps in Washington DC and West Africa. To me this is very interesting because I like to imagine that some of his personal experiences had to affect some of the scenes depicted in this book. Also the incredible illustrations were done by an artist who has worked for Marvel Comics and Heavy Metal magazine.

In this book you are a young but able commander of the Lacoonian System Rapid Force. You're going to be running around this science fiction setting attending important meetings, flying in space ships, and infiltrating the enemy base. Once the action starts things can move very fast because large significant actions can take place in a few sentences without much detail just informing you of what happened. This can make things feel a little detached for you, but at the same time, forces move in and take care of the job all thanks to the information that you were able to discover; in other words, you're still just a pawn of a large team, and it feels that way as it should.

The Evil Power Master does have a generic name but the character is quite interesting; he changes appearances very often, and into some very curious ones at that, three-headed, old/young two-face, small lobster like thing, and there is also the possibility that perhaps he is not all that evil. I didn't know that this was a sequel to Prisoner of the Ant People; I haven't read that one and it doesn't seem to be a problem if you start off with this book. At least for the most part, decisions that you make seemed to be quite logical in my opinion; so many times in other game books I find myself shaking my head at the results of the choices. My final conclusion is that this is not bad at all but I do recommend multiple readings, it grew on me as I did that.

More reviews by knifebat

Stockton's Thoughts:

Given that my local library has most of the reissued CYOAs, I figured I'd do some catching up. I've been reading R. A.'s "works" just for the heck of it. I guess that means I have questionable taste in literature, but anyway....

This book is yet another shining example of R. A.'s vomit-inducing prose. Yet again, he produces strange abstractions aplenty (what the heck is the "Purple Days War?") and comes up with an equally asinine plot. I wish he'd taken the time to explain exactly what the Evil Power Master is – after all, R. A. already gives too much detail about the Lacoonian System federation's origins and operations so it's really only fair.

Not only that, but your character's actions also go unexplained at times. There is really no reason at all given as to why you would go to the end of the Earth to look at a fish farm, but you do it nevertheless. Yes, I agree this book has some interesting moments, but they just can't carry it; the illustrations in the reissued version are better than the actual story.

Sci-fi has been done so much better in other books like Space Patrol and The Third Planet from Altair. This book really just seems like a waste of good paper. But you know, some writers never learn.

More reviews by Stockton

Special Thanks:Thanks to Ken G. for the Australian cover scans and B. Banzai for the book fair cover scan.
Users Who Own This Item: AgathaRaisin79, aline, Andys80s, Ardennes, auximenes, barryattles, benji2, bigcobra, bobthefunny, bookwormjeff, BuraddoRun, Chanticrow, Crazyscotsman, CSquared, Cyan, Darth Rabbitt, dave2002a, dblizzard72, Demian (first and fifth reissue printings), drereichdude (original), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, Erikwinslow (1st print), exaquint (1.95, book fair), fraze, Garrick Muttley, Gartax, hoops4ever, horrorbusiness, jharvey79, katzcollection, KenJenningsJeopardy74, kinderstef, knginatl (orig., "book fair", 2005 reissue, Aus. reissue) (orig., "book fair", 2005 reissue, Aus. reissue) (orig., "book fair", 2005 reissue, Aus. reissue), knifebat, MacbthPSW, Malthus Dire, marcfonline, marnaudo, mattender, mlvoss, Morthynmir, Mr ?, nelsondesign, NEMO (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing), Nomad, ntar (paperback and ex-library hardcover), Nym90, Oberonbombadil (Original US 1st), Pessimeister, pinkfloydechoes, plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, Radical347, RonaldFrobnitz, Ronie1976, rtaylor352, Ryuran333, Seizure, spragmatic, stevesterling, stock, SuperAM2, ThaRid, toadhjo, twar, Von Scotty, waktool (Original, US 1st printing (AU $2.95); Original, UK 1st printing) (Chooseco, large edition, AU 1st printing; Chooseco, small edition, CA 5th printing) (Australian, 1st printing), Yalius, yunakitty, zat
Users Who Want This Item: drereichdude (reissue), Ffghtermedic, Game Master, kleme, Lambchop, MasterChief, NEMO, odo_ital, SherlockHolmes, strawberry_brite, Waluigi Freak 99
Users with Extra Copies: bigcobra
exaquint - 1.95
Fireguard
stevesterling - It is in good condition.
Yalius

Known Editions

Original edition
Original version, book fair edition
ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing
ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing
Australian edition

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