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Item - The Race Forever

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(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
(ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
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Combined Summary

Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 17
Choose Your Own Adventure (2005-) — no. 7
Choose Your Own Adventure Reissues (Australian Versions) — no. 7
Alternate Title: Race Forever (2005 reissue)
Contained In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set 4 (16-20) (Collection)
Choose Your Own Adventure Epic Collection (Collection)
Translated Into: La carrera interminable (Spanish)
Correr por siempre (Spanish)
A corrida sem fim (Portuguese)
La corsa senza fine (Italian)
El gran rally (Catalan)
El gran rallye (Spanish)
O grande rallye (Portuguese)
Lasterketa amaigabea (Basque)
Livsfarligt rally (Swedish)
Shi no sabaibaru rarii [死のサバイバルラリー] (Japanese)
A toda velocidad (Spanish)
Verdens hårdeste rally (Danish)
Adapted Into: Race Forever (Graded Reader) (Gamebook)
Author: Montgomery, R. A.
Illustrators: Reese, Ralph (Original edition, first printing; Original edition, later printing; Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover)
Sundaravej, Sittisan (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing; Australian edition; ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge; ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing; ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
Thongmoon, Kriangsak (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing; Australian edition; ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge; ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing; ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
Dates: February, 1983 (Original edition, first printing)
1988 (Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover)
2005 (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing)
ISBNs: 0553232908 / 9780553232905 (Original edition, first printing)
0553259881 / 9780553259889 (Original edition, later printing)
0942545125 / 9780942545128 (Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover)
1933390077 / 9781933390079 (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing, ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge, ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing, ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover)
Edition Description: ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover:
This has an identical interior to the other listed "first reissue printing," but it has a cyoa.com banner on the back cover that is lacking on the other version. Perhaps this is actually a mislabeled second printing, or perhaps a second run of covers was printed for an overstock of interior pages.
Length: 116 pages (Original edition, first printing, Original edition, later printing, Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover)
122 pages (ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing, ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover, ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge, ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing)
Number of Endings: 33 (incorrectly listed as 32 on some early covers) (Original edition, first printing, Original edition, later printing)
33 (Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover, ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing, ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover, ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge, ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing, Australian edition)
Cover Price: US$1.95 (Original edition, first printing)
User Summary: You have been chosen to compete in two races in Africa, a speed race and a rough road race.
Countersound's Thoughts:

This is one of R. A. Montgomery's better books. Two different style races to do, and a unique way to format an adventure book. It is easy to see early in the series how the authors were being creative with the choices you can make (Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, Hyperspace, Inside UFO 54-40 and The Mystery of Chimney Rock are also good examples of this). I wish they had taken more risks with the styles of books they did as the series progressed (there are many good books later in the series as well, but not as unique as this). I enjoyed being able to possibly win two races before the book ended.

More reviews by Countersound

Demian's Thoughts:

This is a fun gamebook to play... It has two goals for the reader to aim for, and it allows both of them to be reached in one reading. Definitely a well-designed book.

More reviews by Demian

Dtar's Thoughts:

(Review based on the 2005 version)

One significant problem that I have with this book is that it seems to reward what I would call foolish or incautious actions. Literally, hostile armed insurgents are reported in the sector you are about to drive into. If you charge on through you finish the race or win or whatever. If you follow the advice of the race organizers and turn back you get captured by the insurgents. WHAT?! There is a certain amount of chance in life: the organizers' info might be inaccurate or just too late and the insurgents could already be behind you, but I think it's best to err on the side of caution and to help kids learn that. I couldn't recommend that a kid read this without having an adult to help put the decisions and potential consequences into better perspective.

More reviews by Dtar

Fireguard's Thoughts:

Without a doubt one of the highlights of the series, and so early in. Although each session tends to be rather short with two different races to incorporate, the wealth of possible adventures more than makes up for it. The title's a little odd -- I was half expecting to race through time or some such -- but the book is definitely a winner. Highly recommended to dedicated and casual gamebook readers alike.

More reviews by Fireguard

Good's Thoughts:

Rating: 10/10. I have the old version.

With two races to choose from, this book still manages to intrigue me. There are four characters, cars, and ways to win. Montgomery teaches about how wrong taking a bribe is -- though you wouldn't die if you accept it.

The characters you can meet in the speed race are: Zokil in the Saab 900, and Jane in the Lancia. In the rough road race: Eduardo in the Land Rover, and Amos in the Toyota.

I just can't say enough great things about this book. Highly recommended.

More reviews by Good

Guillermo's Thoughts:

(Review based on the Spanish (Timun Mas) translation.)

In this book's dedication, R. A. Montgomery credits Julius Goodman with 'assistance in the book's creation.' Though much less prolific than good old R. A., Goodman was a much better gamebook writer. Indeed, the quality of this book's design leads me to believe that at least significant parts of it must have been written by Goodman rather than by Montgomery (though R. A.'s preoccupations also show up throughout the text). The book is indeed a pleasure to play, with the consequences of choices making logical sense without being overly predictable. Overall, this is probably the best gamebook ever authored by Montgomery (or pretty close). Do yourself a favour and read it.

More reviews by Guillermo

SeventhSon's Thoughts:

This was one of my favorite CYOA books as a kid. Having just re-read it, it is still up there. The biggest problem with it is a direct result of its greatest asset. The fact that there are SO many different plots here (based on the different choices made with regards to which race and which vehicle) also severely limits the amount of actual gameplay per plot. This book could have been about 4 times as long as it is. That said, the idea of being a contestant in an African Rally style race and the vivid imagery make this one of my favorite R.A. Montgomery books. The art by Ralph Reese is very good as well.

More reviews by SeventhSon

stonemason's Thoughts:

The only thing wrong with this book is that most of the endings say "THE END" but actually instruct the reader to continue by going to the other race. This is a good idea, as you get to race twice in a row, but there's also a minor error in that, once you've finished both races, you are instructed to go back to the first one. If you follow the instructions literally, you'll end up reading this book FOREVER! (wonder if this has anything to do with the title). Most people would probably stop after they've had enough racing, so it's not too bad of an error.

Other than that, it's pretty good. It's a lot better than R. A. Montgomery's early books in the series (like #4, #10, and #11.)

More reviews by stonemason

tonylachief's Thoughts:

Despite having 30+ endings, R. A. Montgomery manages to make it seem as if none of the branching narratives were rushed or concluded too abruptly. There is quite a bit of variety to the branching stories but they are within the overall theme of the book. The book delves into exploring some mature themes as well. For example, you come across a refugee that tries committing vehicular suicide at your hands so you may pay his famished family monetary restitution and you are given the opportunity to get in league with criminal gamblers to subvert the race. I feel I have a much more panoramic appreciation of gamebooks as I am rereading these as an adult. They seem to be a good introduction to how the world actually is instead of how children are led to believe the world is by protective parents.

The Race Forever also significantly raises the ante with some gruesome endings. You’re captured by bandits who tie you to a tree and execute a boy before your eyes. They then shoot your feet so you’re unable to escape. You fall unconscious in agony. In another ending you’re “safely stashed underwater by the crocodiles for a few weeks [after which] they’ll devour you slowly, piece by piece.” The prospect of facing these types of endings better engages kids because it necessarily impels kids, or any reader for that matter, to seriously consider the choices they encounter.

Ralph Reese’s illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment to Montgomery’s writing. Illustrations to the good endings have a real sense of exhilaration to them whereas the illustrations to the unfortunate endings punctuate the horror. This is particularly evident in the ending wherein you die in a car explosion after running into an elephant. Notice how the car’s steering wheel, speedometer, odometer, all taken together resemble a face in severe distress when confronting its impending doom. This is perfect execution of embedding subliminal dread in the visual esthetic. This amplifies the text by engaging the reader’s unconscious fear and anxiety.

I tend not to like Montgomery’s books because for whatever reason I don’t feel that he is as intentionally imaginative in weaving riveting fiction as, let’s say, Edward Packard but I didn’t feel that way having a go at this entry. Ralph Reese and Montgomery have teamed up to successfully deliver an above-average entry in the series.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

More reviews by tonylachief

Waluigi Freak 99's Thoughts:

The ability to race two races in one storyline was a unique, and the choices and plots and distractions from the race all made sense and were interesting. One of R. A. Montgommery's better early works, The Race Forever is probably brought down by only one flaw. Each race has about three or four choices, and then you reach an ending. I would've liked to see longer races and more complexity, however, as it is, this style does provide for some good replay value, and I suppose that it doesn't detract from the book too much. Give it a read and see how you like it.

More reviews by Waluigi Freak 99

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Users Who Want This Item: barryattles, drereichdude (reissue), Game Master, Lambchop, Madeye, MasterChief, mgp22, Mr ?, NEMO, nordik (Race Forever), odo_ital, SherlockHolmes, stevesterling, stock
Users with Extra Copies: Blame it on Rio - original cover
bookwormjeff
exaquint - 2005 reissue
kinderstef
ntar
redpiper05
SherlockHolmes
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Known Editions

Original edition, first printing
Original edition, later printing
Original version, Grey Castle Press hardcover
ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing
ChooseCo reissue edition, first printing with cyoa.com on back cover
ChooseCo reissue edition with online endings badge
ChooseCo reissue edition, fourth printing
Australian edition

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