A deceptively difficult gamebook. For example, the fights aren't too difficult, which leads you into a false sense that defeating Agglax will be easy. But make no mistake, there is only one true path, and you need to collect a load of items both magical and mundane. This book requires exploration and map-making, and repreated plays. This time round I was evaporated by Agglax as I attempted to have at him with my special demon-slaying sword. Better luck next time! ( )

I guess one of the reasons that the authors of the Fighting Fantasy Gamebook series are exploring new concepts is because they need to experiment and change to continue to produce a viable product. The new idea that comes into this particular book is the concept of the skirmish, or the mass army battle. Unlike the other books, where you are generally on your own, in this one you are leading an army to go out and fight an army. Okay, there are other books where you are a commander (such as Starship Traveller) but this one experiments with the concept of the army and skirmish battles.
Basically a demon has raised an army and is threatening to destroy the freedom that exists within the land of Alansia (though since this is a medieval fantasy world, I suspect this concept of freedom really only extends to the freedom of the cities to rule themselves, though I have never found that the Fighting Fantasy books are either deep or philosophical in that regard). You, being the hero, and also as is indicated, being the one that succeeded in Deathtrap Dungeon (or Trail of Champions, it is not clear which) you are the obvious one to lead the army, though it is not as if you are tasked to do so, because you simply decide to do it yourself.
An interesting thing to note is that the idea of the army that is raised here is generally how armies worked before the development of the modern professional soldier. Armies were made up of ordinary people who were paid to pretty much give up their jobs and to go and fight a war. In some cases they were not even paid, or given the option, they were simply recruited. I have heard that Alexander the Great created the first standing army, which meant that he would have an army at his beck and call as opposed to having to recruit from the peasantry. However the problem with standing armies is that the farmers need to be able to produce excess food to be able to feed those who are not producing food. That means that if there are 50 farmers, and 50 non farmers, the farmers need to produce enough food to feed them and one other person.
However, in the world of Fighting Fantasy armies only exist while a war was in progress, and once the war was over, people would return to their normal lives. This was the case in Ancient Greece, though the Athenians tended to pride themselves on their democracy meaning that they would be more than willing to drop their ploughshares and go to fight. I guess that is also where the idea in the Psalms about beating swords into ploughshares come from, namely because once the war was over, and the farmer returned to his farm, he no longer needed his sword and would rework it back into a farming implement. ( )

Dans son oeuvre précédente, Livingstone nous avait opposé à un sorcier tiré de sa prison séculaire qui se mettait en tête de conquérir l'Allansia. Cette fois-ci, c'est un Démon Fulgineux qui est tiré de sa prison séculaire et qui se met en tête de conquérir l'Allansia. Ca change tout.

La première chose qui saute aux yeux dans cette aventure, c'est que cette fois, notre personnage est à la tête d'une armée. Malheureusement, la gestion des escarmouches est assez insipide, et pour les rares décisions stratégiques qu'il y aura à prendre, on éprouve que peu de plaisir à jouer au condottiere (si vous voulez un livre dont vous êtes le héros avec de la stratégie, tournez-vous plutôt vers "Les Seigneurs de la Guerre", dans la Série "La Voie du Tigre"). Du reste, comme l'armée ne servira en fin de compte qu'à se frayer un chemin jusqu'au grand méchant (il ne vient pas à l'esprit de votre personnage de se faire escorter quand il met le nez dans les ennuis), c'est encore une fois vous seul qui devrez vous farcir tout le boulot (au fait, n'aurait-il pas mieux valu infiltrer l'armée ennemie en se déguisant ? parce que si tout ce qui compte, c'est d'approcher le général adverse, une attaque frontale face à une armée supérieure en nombre, c'est un moyen assez douteux).

Et en quoi consiste-t-il ce boulot ? Trouver l'objet magique qui permettra d'abattre le démon et comment l'utiliser. Pour trouver ça, il vous faudra toute une collection d'objets, parmi lesquels les plus invraisemblables (les plus saugrenus étant ceux qu'il vous faudra pour tirer les vers du nez à un devin sénile), ramassés au hasard du voyage. Il va sans dire qu'un seul chemin permet d'accomplir cet exploit. Bref, Livingstone fait du Livingstone.

A faire une fois pour la curiosité. ( )