History Literature / Sorcery

* NintendoHard: Certainly not a pushover. This series was meant for an older audience than the regular ''Fighting Fantasy'' readers.[[note]]and hence was published by Penguin Books' main imprint rather than their Puffin imprint for children, which the main FF series was published by.[[/note]] The fourth book pushes this trope up to eleven. As [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3462028 a group LP]] demonstrates, even a cautious player will likely rack up more deaths in that alone than in the rest of the series combined.

[[http://www.inklestudios.com/sorcery All four books have now been released by Inkle]] as [=iOS=], Android Applications and PC compatible games as of 2016. On the 23rd of June 2022, all four chapters are compiled and released as a Single Game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The video game versions start out as relatively straightforward adaptations but gradually diverge, adding much new content and changing characters or locations. See the ''VideoGame/{{Sorcery}}'' video-game page.

* ChekhovsGun: Several times, making for nice continuity between the books.
** In book 1 you fight a highwayman; if you spare his life, he will meet you as an ally in the second book. [[spoiler:And the other installments as well in the app versions.]]
** There are a number of items that you can obtain in one book that won't have any purpose in that adventure, but will in subsequent books. Most notably, the locket you can find in ''The Shamutanti Hills'' won't have any obvious purpose at all until very late in ''The Crown of Kings'' if you remember the portrait within.

** The Sleepless Ram is a marbled statue that is absolutely indestructible, and trying to fight it directly will have you being trampled to death. You can obtain a vial of liquid from Dintainta or cast a quicksand spell to slow it down, but your best bet is to flee from its assault and make your way to the next exit,

** Incorrect use of the ZED spell in ''The Crown of Kings'' [[spoiler:can send you as far back as the beginning of ''The Shamutanti Hills''... with all your inventory, including several spell-casting items that you shouldn't be able to acquire for several books, intact.]] This problem was caused by the series not written as a whole, but one book at a time. It was thankfully corrected in the 20th Anniversary reprint [[spoiler:wherein you have ALL your items reset to the beginning specifications, money included, but you get to keep the ability scores ''at their new maximum''.]]

* NintendoHard: Certainly not a pushover. This series was meant for an older audience than the regular ''Fighting Fantasy'' readers[[note]]and hence was published by Penguin Books' main imprint rather than their Puffin imprint for children, which the main FF series was published by.[[/note]]. The fourth book pushes this trope up to eleven. As [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3462028 a group LP]] demonstrates, even a cautious player will likely rack up more deaths in that alone than in the rest of the series combined.

** If you renounce your goddess Libra in ''The Seven Serpents''[[note]]there's also a possibility to do so in Kharé, but that is a penalty for failing to solve a puzzle that makes that book unwinnable anyway[[/note]], then ''The Crown of Kings'' is unwinnable right from section 1, although you'll only find out right at the end.

** As noted above, the spellbook was originally printed separately from the gamebook itself[[note]]The spell book was originally part of a boxed set with ''The Shamutanti Hills'', but this went out of print because of retailer resistance to boxed sets at the time[[/note]]. Ultimately the books were reprinted with the spellbook included in the back.
** The Sun Serpent, being TheUnfought (it's already captured by Fenestra prior to the story's events) is the only serpent whose stats isn't revealed at any point of the book. Supplementary materials would reveal that it's quite a dangerous opponent if faced directly, with SKILL 13 (a score shared with its direct counterpart, the Moon Serpent) and STAMINA 18. And if slain in battle, the Sun Serpent will turn into a Sun Jewel.

''Sorcery!'' is a {{Gamebook}} series that is a spin-off of ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', intended as a DarkerAndEdgier companion series aimed at adults. It comprises four volumes, which form one large over-arcing adventure[[note]]''The Sorcery Spell Book'', an illustrated version of the spellbook eventually provided as part in the other volumes, was also published[[/note]]:

* DraggedOffToHell: In the third book, this is the ''worst'' ending you might suffer if you run afoul of the Seven Serpents' spirits. They will claim themselves to be your ally, offering you an incantation for your protection (that the book repeatedly asks, "accept their offer or move on?"). Repeat their incantation and you'll unintentionally disown your {{Patron God}}dess, Libra, leaving yourself helpless as the Spirits reveal themselves merge into a giant face in the sky and drags you into their mouth with their tongue, effectively banishing you from your dimension to theirs.

* DyingAlone: The she-satyrs from ''The Crown of Kings'' embraces this tradition; if a member of their race catches any sort of disease, they will choose to venture away into the mountains to die by themself. You can come across a lone satyr in a cave who died of an infection called the Trembling Diesease early in the adventure.

* DraggedOffToHell: In the third book, this is the ''worst'' ending you might suffer if you run afoul of the Seven Serpents' spirits. They will claim themselves to be your ally, offering you an incantation for your protection (that the book repeatedly asks, "accept their offer or move on?"). Repeat their incantation and you'll unintentionally disown your PatronGoddess, Libra, leaving yourself helpless as the Spirits reveal themselves merge into a giant face in the sky and drags you into their mouth with their tongue, effectively banishing you from your dimension to theirs.

** The Sun Serpent, being TheUnfought (it's already captured by Fenestra prior to the story's events) is the only serpent whose stats isn't revealed at any point of the book. Supplementary materials would reveal that it's quite a dangerous opponent if faced directly, with SKILL 13 (a score shared with it's direct counterpart, the Moon Serpent) and STAMINA 18. And if slain in battle, the Sun Serpent will turn into a Sun Jewel.

* BodyToJewel: The Moon Serpent, owing to it's magical nature, turns into a CrystalBall you can collect and use after it's defeat. It's counterpart, the Sun Serpent, supposedly turns into a Sun Jewel if slain too, although [[AllThereInTheManual you wouldn't know that since you don't get to battle or slay it in the book]].

* BoringButPractical: The HUF spell, which creates a gust of wind. It costs a single stamina point and the item you need to cast it can be easily obtained if you [[spoiler:follow the directions to Shadrack's house at the beginning of the third book.]] While it's not the most dramatically satisfying or flashy solution, you can use it to [[spoiler:one-shot two of the Seven Serpents and weaken a third.]]

** The Sleepless Ram is a marbled statue that is absolutely indestructible, and trying to fight it directly will have you being trampled to death. You can obtain a vial of liquid from Dintainta or cast a quicksand spell to slow it down, but your best bet is to flee from it's assault and make your way to the next exit,

* BoringButPractical: The HUF spell, which creates a gust of wind. It costs a single stamina point and the item you need to cast it can be easily obtained if you [[spoiler: follow the directions to Shadrack's house at the beginning of the third book.]] While it's not the most dramatically satisfying or flashy solution, you can use it to [[spoiler: one-shot two of the Seven Serpents and weaken a third.]]

* CastingAShadow: One of the spells will render the surrounding in total darkness, as long as its cast in an enclosed environment.

* EliteMooks: The Seven Serpents again. Their task is to spy on you and inform the Archmage of your arrival.

The series has twice been adapted into a multiplayer adventure for TabletopRPG campaigning, once for use with the d20 system and more recently for the ''Advanced Fighting Fantasy'' system itself.

[[http://www.inklestudios.com/sorcery All four books have now been released by Inkle]] as [=iOS=], Android Applications and PC compatible games as of 2016. The video game versions start out as relatively straightforward adaptations but gradually diverge, adding much new content and changing characters or locations. See the ''VideoGame/{{Sorcery}}'' video-game page.

[[http://www.inklestudios.com/sorcery All four books have now been released by Inkle]] as [=iOS=], Android Applications and PC compatible games as of 2016. The video game versions start out as relatively straightforward adaptations but gradually diverge, adding much new content and changing characters or locations. See the ''[[Videogame/Sorcery2013 Sorcery!]]'' video-game page.

!!''Sorcery!'' provides examples of:

* ExcitedShowTitle: Yes, it's ''Sorcery'''!''''' with an exclamation mark, not just plain ''Sorcery''.

[[http://www.inklestudios.com/sorcery All four books have now been released by Inkle]] as [=iOS=], Android Applications and PC compatible games as of 2016. The video game versions start out as relatively straightforward adaptations but gradually diverge, adding much new content and changing characters or locations. See the ''VideoGame/{{Sorcery}}'' video-game page.

* AdvertisedExtra: A Slime Eater appears on the cover of multiple editions of Book 2, but only appears as an optional battle in the book itself. Furthermore, it's a type of enemy rather than a specific monster and you can fight more than one of them if you get lost in the sewers. Compare that with the Manticore from Book 1, who also appears on multiple versions of the cover but functions much more like a traditional DiscOneFinalBoss.

* LuckyTranslation: While the Hebrew translations of most ''Fighting Fantasy'' books were bad to the point of sometimes rendering them unplayable, the ''Sorcery!'' series made the transition ''incredibly'' well (perhaps not incidentally, the Hebrew title of the entire series is "Sorcery!", with the other FF books being presented as sequels of the "first" four). Of particular note is the Grimoire of Analand: in English, the three-letter codewords which stand for each spell often sound goofy or awkward. Hebrew, however, has its entire grammar based around three-letter root words which can be read in a number of ways, many of them with connotations to the bible and Kabbalah mysticism. The Hebrew version of the spellbook, therefore, is an absolute treat: ZAP, for example, became ברק ("Barak" – "Lightning"), FOF became מגן ("Magen" – "Shield"), RAZ became חוד ("Hod" – "Edge") and the ominous, godlike ZED spell became סוד ("Sod" – "Divine Mystery"). As a bonus, whereas the English language doesn't have the right letters to accurately transcribe the names of several of the creatures, persons and locations of the exotic Kakhabad (inspired by Nepalese and Tibetan), Hebrew just so happens to do!

** Incorrect use of the ZED spell in ''The Crown of Kings'' [[spoiler:can send you as far back as the beginning of ''The Shamutanti Hills''... with all your inventory, including several spell-casting items that you shouldn't be able to acquire for several books, intact.]] This problem was caused by the series not written as a whole, but one book at a time. It was thankfully corrected in the 20th Anniversary reprint [[spoiler:Wherein you have ALL your items reset to the beginning specifications, money included, but you get to keep the ability scores ''at their new maximum''.]]

* TheUnfought: You can never fight the Sun Serpent, which the sorceress Fenestra magically captures. Its stats and abilities were never revealed until the ''Beyond The Pit'' sourcebook was published in 2013.

* AdvertisedExtra: The Slime Eater in Book 2 appears on the cover of multiple editions, but is an optional battle that can happen more than once if you get lost in the sewers. Compare that with the Manticore from Book 1, who also appears on multiple versions of the cover but functions as a DiscOneFinalBoss.

* AdvertisedExtra: The Slime Eater in Book 2 appears on the cover of multiple editions, but is an optional battle that can happen more than once if you get lost in the sewers. Compare that with the Manticore from Book 1, who also appears on multiple versions of the cover but functions as a Disc1FinalBoss.

* EyeScream: No less than three instances shows up throughout the four books.
** The murderer Vanghorn will loose an arrow at you before fighting you, and on an unlucky die roll of 1, his arrow ends up in your eye -- which [[OneHitKill kills you on the spot]] regardless of your STAMINA level.
** While in the Baklands, you may get attacked by a massive beetle with acidic pus for blood, which it discharges on you every time you inflict a hit on the monster. Again, on an unlucky die roll of 1, the blood hits you in the face, blinding your right eye permanently and taking away a huge chunk of your life.

** The Birdmen who stole the crown, kicking off your entire quest in the first place.