History Literature / DeadOfNight

''Dead of Night'' is considered among the best gamebooks of the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'': it has a great, gothic-horror atmosphere, well-written and memorable characters and encounters as well as multiple paths to victory. The gameplay features the presence of Talents you can use on your quest to survive certain obstacles, kinda like the Kai powers from ''Literature/LoneWolf''. It also has a KarmaMeter in the form of Evil points, as performing certain actions will rise this score, which may make things harder for you.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: Some of the powers you can choose sounds downright sinister, but you are a servant of good through and through.

* CoolHorse: You own one name Godsfire, though sadly it's unlikely he'll make out of the story alive...

* TheCorrupter: Myurr's very presence turned the forest south of Cragrock Peaks into an hellish nightmare, while he also tries to corrupt the Demon-Stalker himself into becoming his evil minion.

* TheDreaded: For once, it's you: your reputation as a restless Demon-banishing warrior has made you known and feared among the forces of evil, though even more of them are incensed to kill you to increase their reputation.

* HeroicSacrifice: If you destroy Myurr but lack either the Demon-Slaying Sword or Brennar's Ring, there's a chance that [[BittersweetEnding you'll die in your parent's arms in the following explosion]].
* HopelessBossFight: After you used one of the buttons in the Landblight's control room, a shapeless, mysterious entity will emerge from the nearby wall: if you stay and fight, you're horribly killed.

* KarmaMeter: Your Evil score, which increases if you do unworthy or evil acts, such as using the Dark Veil talent. [[spoiler:It makes the game unwinnable if you have too much Evil points and face Myurr.]]
* KingMook: A single Moon Demon Wizard can be encountered in the forest. He's stronger than his brethern and can perform rituals of BlackMagic.
* KnightInSourArmour: The Demon-Stalker lacks a proper armor, but his methods and ability to use [[DarkIsNotEvil morally questionable arts]] marks him as one.

* {{Necromancer}}: Magrand is an evil sorcerer who practice Necromancery and is a loyal servant of Myurr. It's possible to encounter him again, when he's reanimated as the Abomination by a Moon Demon Wizard.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Early on you run into a crowd of villagers who're trying to bury a man named Calbert at a crossroads. If you assist them, it turns out that Calbert is a freshly-born Vampire you must put down, but thankfully it's a rather weak opponent.

* RedHerring: You find a note in Crowford that suggests that your parents are kept prisoner in a cavern in the forest. [[spoiler:It's a trap, but if you manage to defeat the monster waiting for you, there's an extra talent waiting for you.]]

** The worse one is near the end, where, on the top of Myurr's tower, your brother's ghost appears and tells you that you can reach the Demon Lord by jumping from the nearby window.

* {{Sssssnaketalk}}: Myurr's speaks like this, being a Snake Demon.
* StupidNeutral: The Netherworld Sorcerers are neutral and actively try to maintain the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, but they were tricked by Myurr who persuaded them that the balance was tipped off in favor of goodness, so that his invasion of the material realm would restore the balance. Luckily, you can talk the leader back to his senses.
* SwampsAreEvil: The one Magrand lives in was probably a sinister place before Myurr's arrival. You have to fight Zombies in it.

* UndeadAbomination: The aptly named Abomination, a nightmarish undead wight hardly human any more, full of CombatTentacles and MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily, made from {{Necromancer}} Magrand's corpse. Not only it's immune to your Cross and very powerful (enough to OneHitKill you), but you'll gain an Evil Point if you don't destroy this aberration.

* ZergRush: Early on you can run into a village besieged by a horde of Moon Demons, which you have to fight back until dawn.

This time, you are a Templar, a brave knight of a valiant order who fights the forces of evil in the world of Titan. Since your younger brother was killed by a demonic force, you dedicated your life to this battle, slaying many demons and living dead with your faithful sword and your silver cross, gaining fame as the "Demon-Stalker" but also enemies. Among them, the terrible Snake Demon Myurr himself took notice of your demon-slaying skills and took up measures. One night, you dream of Myurr threatening your own parents in your home village of Crowford. Wasting no time, you ride towards your home village, to start a long, treacherous quest across haunted forests, cursed villages and eldricht locations to stop Myurr's latest plans of conquest and save your parents.

* TheNecromancer: Magrand is an evil sorcerer who practice Necromancery and is a loyal servant of Myurr. It's possible to encounter him again, when he's reanimated as the Abomination by a Moon Demon Wizard.

* UndeadAbomination: The aptly named Abomination, a nightmarish undead wight hardly human any more, full of CombatTentacles and MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily, made from TheNecromancer Magrand's corpse. Not only it's immune to your Cross and very powerful (enough to OneHitKill you), but you'll gain an Evil Point if you don't destroy this aberration.

* HumanoidAbomination: The aptly named Abomination, a powerful undead wight made from a Necromancer's cadaver. Not only it's immune to your Cross and very powerful, but you'll gain an Evil Point if you don't destroy this aberration.

* StupidNeutral: The Netherworld Sorcerers are neutral and actively try to maintain the balance between good and evil, but they were tricked by Myurr who persuaded them that the balance was tipped off in favor of goodness, so that his invasion of the material realm would restore the balance. Luckily, you can talk the leader back to his senses.

* TurnUndead: The talent Banish Undead can, well, banish undead monsters. It's also the WeaksauceWeakness of the Blight Demons.

''Dead of Night'' is the fourtieth entry of the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' series of gamebooks, written by Jim Bambra and Stephen Hand.

''Dead of Night'' is considered among the best gamebooks of the Literature/FightingFantasy: it has a great, gothic-horror atmosphere, well-written and memorable characters and encounters as well as multiple paths to victory. The gameplay features the presence of Talents you can use on your quest to survive certain obstacles, kinda like the Kai powers from ''Literature/LoneWolf''. It also has a KarmaMeter in the form of Evil points, as performing certain actions will rise this score, which may make things harder for you.

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!!''Dead of Night'' contains examples of:

* AttackBackfire: As you're warned, sometimes the power of the Dark Veil can be turned against you by powerful opponents. [[spoiler: And leads to an istant game over if you use it against Myurr.]]

* BystanderSyndrome: Averted with Tom the Farmer and his family: if you defend their home against the incoming skeletons, they will fight at your side and even kill some of the attackers themselves.

* KarmaMeter: Your Evil score, which increases if you do unworthy or evil acts, such as using the Dark Veil talent. [[spoiler: It makes the game unwinnable if you have too much Evil points and face Myurr.]]

* NightOfTheLivingMooks: Due to the presence of Myurr and probably Magrand, restless undeads of various types walk the land. A good example is the battle at the farm against a small horde of Skeletons.

* OrganicTechnology: The Landblight is a giant, nightmarish factory which is seemingly made of living flesh. This include a furnace where people are fed to the flames to power it up, a button chamber where the fluids are channeled to the core.
* PuzzleBoss: Myurr can be fought in the conventional way, but he's currently being held on the material plane by an artifact in his throne room, and destroying said artifact can banish him back to his dimension. You have to figure out which is the right one. [[spoiler: Namely, the Bone Pyramid.]]

* RedHerring: You find a note in Crowford that suggests that your parents are kept prisoner in a cavern in the forest. [[spoiler: It's a trap, but if you manage to defeat the monster waiting for you, there's an extra talent waiting for you.]]
* ScaryScarecrows: You can run into a seemingly-animated one on your way to Crowford.
* SchmuckBait: Sometimes, using your talents at the wrong time can lead to an humiliating demise. The worse one is near the end, where, on the top of Myurr's tower, your brother's ghost appears and tells you that you can reach the Demon Lord by jumping from the nearby window.

* ShoutOut: The illustration for the factory made out of flesh and bones is an eerie homage to the "Biomechanical" lairs of the infamous Film/Alien Beast designed by Swiss surrealist-horror painter Creator/HRGiger.

* StupidNeutral: The Netherworld Sorcerers are neutral and actively try to mantain the balance between good and evil, but they were tricked by Myurr who persuaded them that the balance was tipped off in favour of goodness, so that his invasion of the material realm would restore the balance. Luckily, you can talk the leader back to his senses.

* ZergRush: Early on you can run into a village besieged by a horde of Moon Demons, which you have to fight back until dawn.

* GenreSavvy: Your reputation means that the enemy knows of your powers, which makes them more than willing to prepare traps meant to fool your talents. For example, a demonic spell that sends you to Hell if you read it with Demon Speak.

Stephen Hand later wrote two more books with a similar style, namely ''Literature/LegendOfTheShadowWarriors'' and ''Moonrunner''. Do not confuse with ''Film/DeadOfNight'' or the ''FanFic/DeadOfNight''.

Stephen Hand later wrote two more books with a similar style, namely ''Legend of the Shadow Warriors'' and ''Moonrunner''. Do not confuse with ''Film/DeadOfNight'' or the ''FanFic/DeadOfNight''.