| Images: | | Series: | Choose Your Own Adventure #3
| Alternate Title: | Danger in the Desert (reissue)
| Contained In: | Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set 1
| Translated Into: | Al Sahara en globo (Spanish)
Amb globus pel Sàhara (Catalan)
Balonom do Sahare (Serbo-Croatian)
De balão ao deserto do Saara (Portuguese)
En ballon à travers le Sahara (French)
En globo por el Sáhara (Spanish)
Ghubāre men Saharā kā safar (Urdu)
In pallone sul Sahara (Italian)
Met 'n ballon oor die Sahara (Afrikaans)
Met de ballon naar de Sahara (Dutch)
Sahara Sabaku kikyuu ryokou [サハラさばく気球旅行] (Japanese)
So balon do Sahara (Macedonian)
| Author: | D(ouglas). Terman
| Illustrators: | Paul Granger (pseudonym for Don Hedin) (original artwork)
Romas Kukalis (reissue cover)
| Release Date: | July, 1979
| ISBNs:
Click to shop... | 0553127918 / 9780553127911
0553140051 / 9780553140057
0553209493 / 9780553209495
0553231839 / 9780553231830
| | Length: | 117 pages |
| Number of Endings: | 40 |
| Summary: | You travel from France to Africa in a balloon, accompanied by your friends Peter and Sarah and a dog named Harry. |
barryattles's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by barryattles | Ratings: 2
This adventure takes you somewhere in the middle of Africa. The theme alone is pretty dull, and too many endings (including one called "the beginning") definitely didn't help. No wonder the author gets blown to the Sahara and would never issue a CYOA entry again. |
Demian's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by Demian | This is an average entry in the series with no terribly notable features apart from its use of companion characters. I have a feeling that the author's name is a pseudonym, but if it is, I have no idea what the author's real name is. |
laserpotato's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by laserpotato | One thing that really got on my nerves with this one was that they tried to make the deaths funny by implementing gags into "THE END." Gah. Also, the subplot involving the salt-eating aliens was totally uncalled for. Otherwise, tolerable. |
Madeye's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by Madeye | I agree this must be R. A. Montgomery using a pseudonym. I would say it was someone imitating him, but since it's only the third book in the series that would be impossible. But all the alien plot and the strange cave where you can enter doors that take you into different places in an almost metaphysical way, that's very R. A. Montgomery. I don't remember reading this one as a kid, and I looked forward to reading it recently, but was disappointed. I like the exotic adventure tales best, but this one just gets so weird and unfocused. |
stonemason's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by stonemason | It's rather strange to me that D. Terman (whose name sounds suspiciously fake) wrote one of the original ten, yet did not go on to write any others.
This is rather typical for the early books in the series in that it has very little text between choices and has lots of random events. It also reminds me of the Give Yourself Goosebumps series in that it tries to make the deaths silly. It's only average, though...
This was actually the first book in the series to use a plot device where you meet up with yourself in a time warp, but the "other you" made a different choice. Book 47, Outlaws of Sherwood Forest, did the same thing later on.
I can't help but notice some strange similarities between this author and R. A. Montgomery. Although their writing styles are completely different, there are also some weird parallels. R. A. is known for inserting references to his relatives, Ramsey and Anson, in his books (they are featured as characters in The Lost Jewels of Nabooti, for instance). What's strange is that this book does the same thing! There is a reference to Anson and one to Ramsey. Also, the ending on page 116 reveals this story to be a prequel to the second book in the series, Journey Under the Sea, which was written by R. A.
Sounds as if D. Terman and Montgomery are either the same person, or they are related, or the former is just an obsequious fan of the latter (I hope not).
By the way, the inside cover states that the author's first name is actually Douglas Terman. |
Waluigi Freak 99's Thoughts:
Click here for more reviews by Waluigi Freak 99 | While the premise seems a bit unrealistic, it leaves room for some pretty interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, much potential creativity was not utilized. Several random plotlines, such as running into space aliens or your dog becoming a movie star, made me suspend my disbelief a bit too much. The problem, I believe, arises with the fact that there are too many plots, giving each one not nearly enough room for a satisfying adventure. There are a few other flaws, as well. During several choices, you don't have a clue what you're doing, making your outcome reliant on pure luck. Then there's the annoying attempts to make the death endings humorous by inserting gags at the end. It's not a bad book, but you're not missing anything life-threatening by skipping it, either. |
| Special Thanks: | Thanks to Jim Maxwell for the first printing cover scans and to Ken G. for the balloon logo cover scans. |
| Users Who Own This Item: | aline, barryattles, bigcobra, bookwormjeff, Chanticrow, Crazyscotsman, Cyan, dave2002a, dblizzard72, Demian (original), drereichdude, duckhugger, Egghead Nurse, Ffghtermedic, Filipino Paul (used to own original), firefoxpdm, fushek, Game Master, Garrick Muttley, Gartax, gergsnickle, Grifter, Gurvo, hoops4ever, jcruelty, Jennifer, jeremydouglass, Johnny Jones, Jubal (Reissue), KenJenningsJeopardy74, kinderstef, kleme (original & reissue as 'Danger in the Desert'), knginatl (orig. w/balloon, orig. w/o balloon, "you're the Hero", UK HB, ’89 reissue w/sweepstakes, '89 reissue w/o sweepstakes ), MacbthPSW, Madeye, mattender, mlvoss, Mr ?, nelsondesign, NEMO (original), Nomad, ntar (original and alternate title reissue), outspaced, plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, Radical347, RonaldFrobnitz, Ryuran333, SeventhSon, SherlockHolmes, skeleton, stonemason, strawberry_brite, SuperAM2, ThisIslandEarth, toadhjo, turquoise (Original and Reissue), twar, Yalius, YourSoundtrack, zat |
| Users Who Want This Item: | Demian (reissue), killagarilla, Lambchop, MasterChief, NEMO (reissue), Nym90, slyfra, stevesterling, stock, Von Scotty, Waluigi Freak 99, wonderfly |
| Users with Extra Copies: | Cyan
dave2002a
Demian: I have an eighth printing with a nasty stain and a moderately discolored sixth printing.
Jennifer
ntar: 6th printing, writing on inside covers, some wear
Pseudo_Intellectual: reissue
Ryuran333
SherlockHolmes
ThisIslandEarth
Yalius |
