Touch it! Just touch it! I Dare you!
Night of the Necromancer is the 64th installment of the Fighting Fantasy series of Gamebooks, written by Jonathan Green, coming right after his massively successful previous book Howl of the Werewolf.
Following Green’s usual style of writing, Night of the Necromancer is applauded by readers for its unique take on the typical conventions of gamebooks, in this case with the player assuming the role of a vengeful spirit and ghost trying to discover the true circumstances behind his death, and uncovering a far greater plot that threatens the safety of his kingdom.
You are the Lord of Valsinore Castle, a warrior and knight away on a three-year crusade against the forces of darkness in the Mauristatian principality of Bathoria. But on your return journey, an ambush from a mysterious dark acolyte kills you. But Death is not the end — making a deal with the Watcher of the Gate, you are allowed a chance to return to your castle, as a spirit, to seek the truth behind your demise.
Much like Howl of the Werewolf, besides given a wide range of options for exploration and plenty of stuff to explore, you can also pick up multiple unique skills as a spirit, which can help or hinder you during your journey.
As you venture deep into your castle, you may find out the true enemy of your adventure, may be someone closer to you than you can imagine...
Night of the Necromancer provides examples of:
- 1-Up: Basically, the effects of having your STAMINA reduced to Zero; since you're already a ghost, if you are killed in battle, you can continue your adventure in the Land of the Dead, where the Keeper of the Gate will allow you to return, as a ghost.
- Big Brother Instinct: You become even more determined and dedicated to stop the forces of evil plaguing your castle the moment your younger sister Oriana gets dragged into the mess.
- Black Knight: The Dread Knights, whom are clad entirely in black armour and uses sinister-looking black swords in combat.
- Black Swords Are Better: For the villains, anyways. The aforementioned Dread Knights and the Big Bad, the Shadow King, uses black swords against you.
- Continuity Nod: Quite a few:
- The Moon Dogs, not seen ever since City of Thieves, are back. It's implied that they are part of a Mook Carryover ever since Zanbar Bone's demise.
- Madam Zelda, previously seen in Howl of the Werewolf, makes a comeback. Additionally, you might encounter Josef Van Richten, the brother of Van Richten from the same book.
- Tenebraes from the same book can be encountered during this adventure.
- As with Coldclaws from Trial of Champions.
- The reign of Lord Belgaroth, previously documented in Knights of Doom, is mentioned. Implied that the events of this story take place shortly after Belgaroth's defeat, and in fact one of your available pre-generated characters, Evrain Peredur, is stated to be the very same hero from Knights.
- The fact that your trusted advisor and long-time ally turns out to be in league with the ultimate evil threatening your kingdom, which you have to uncover in order to win the book, seems reminiscent of Ifor Tynin from Masks of Mayhem or Lord Taris Varen from Knights of Doom.
- Hellhorns from Legend of Zagor are also enemies you can encounter in this quest.
- Cool Sword: Your sword, aptly named the Nightslayer. It does 3 STAMINA points worth of damage for undead, but only works if you have a physical body (since you are a ghost for most of the adventure, you need to seek a body to use it).
- Dem Bones: Some of your enemies are skeletonized animals brought back from the dead, such as the Bonebeast, Carrion Bird (a bird-skeleton), skeletal serpent and skeletal rats.
- Elemental Embodiment: The Grave Golem, who is a monstrosity made from earth and gravestones, who traps the souls of the dead underneath its body.
- Evil Chancellor: Chancellor Unthank, the titular Necromancer who is pulling the strings behind the infestation of evil on your kingdom, manipulating you to leave your domain in his hands, and have you murdered on your way home.
- Extremely Short Timespan: Barring the backstory detailing how your character left Valsinore on a three-year crusade, the main events of the story take place entirely in one night. One Night of the Necromancer, if you prefer.
- Fate Worse than Death: Given your character is Dead to Begin With, all of the ways to "die" are this, but some highlights include:
- Failing to stop the Shadow King's awakening and forced to spend the rest of your life as a wandering ghost as your kingdom crumbles.
- Getting captured by Josef the ghost hunter, and imprisoned in a glass bottle which you can never escape.
- Being paralyzed by the Stench Ghoul, as per usual Fighting Fantasy fashion.
- The book's intro said it all:
Caught between the living world and the Lands of the Dead, your ghostly form must battle to uncover the most malignant evil of all that has taken root in the heart of Valsinore. Before the night is out you must have your revenge or face a fate even worse than death itself. - Flying Face: The Screaming Skull is... a ghostly screaming skull.
- Golem: Some enemies you'll face include the Grave Golem and the Hellfire Golem.
- Good Shepherd: The priests keeping your castle from harm, Father Ewlin and Father Umberto. Unfortunately, because you are a ghost in this adventure, you risk getting destroyed by them, your former allies.
- The Grim Reaper: The Watcher of the Gate, a death-like skeletal entity wearing black robes, wields a scythe and observes the souls entering and exiting the realm of death. But he is also the Big Good of the story, the Lord of the Underworld who allows the spirits of heroes to return from the dead to seek their revenge.
- Hellhound: The Moon Dogs, previously seen in City of Thieves, are back, this time in regular and mutated forms. You can also encounter a Phantom Hound.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: Despite the adventure being full of demons, ghouls, zombies and all kinds of undead monsters, the worst scum of the story is still your advisor Unthank, who ordered for the massacre of his entire home village in exchange for immortality, and unleashed the forces of evil upon Valsinore.
- I Have Your Wife: I Have Your Sister. Your younger sister, Oriana, is captured by Chancellor Unthank and is to be sacrificed to the Shadow King, and your adventure is a race against time to save her.
- It's Personal with the Dragon: The Dragon being Chancellor Unthank, who ordered your assassination, use your castle as a headquarters for his demonic rituals, attempts to sacrifice your sister Oriana to the forces of evil, and tried to destroy you when you come back from the dead to stop him.
- The Man Behind the Man: The powerful Shadow King may be hyped as the ultimate Big Bad of the adventure, but it's the titular necromancer — your kingdom's chancellor, Unthank — who is behind the chaos and horrors plaguing Valsinore and the penultimate villain of your encounter.
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: You die right at the start of your adventure, and plays as a ghost for the rest of your quest.
- Our Gargoyles Rock: You can encounter a pack of Gargoyles during this adventure, but they're mindless and attacks you on sight.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Given the setting, you can encounter quite a variety of spirits, including Ice Ghosts, the Ghostly Knight, Headless Noble, a pack of Specters, the Nightshade, Phantasmagoria... heck, you probably count under this as well, since you’re a spirit seeking revenge against the Necromancer who ordered your death.
- Our Ghouls Are Creepier: In typical Fighting Fantasy fashion, this time you have to face a Stench Ghoul whose odour is so bad you’ll fight him with your SKILL reduced.
- Paranormal Investigation: You may run into a group of Spirit Hunters who seeks to trap spirits in their enchanted bottles, led by their leader Josef. Unfortunately, you are a spirit yourself...
- Playing with Fire:
- The Hellfire Golem, a massive automaton-like monster who breaths fire as it attacks you.
- Chancellor Unthank, the titular Necromancer, can fire fiery Hand Blast attacks at you if you try charging at him heads-first in the final battle.
- Raising the Steaks: The skeletal animals resurrected from the dead which attacks you probably counts. As does the Phantom Steed and Undead Moon Dogs.
- Reflective Eyes: Used in one of the book's in-text illustrations, where the close-up of an eye (presumably yours) reflects the Watcher coming to claim some lost souls.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: You are the Lord of Valsinore, who is actively fighting in a faraway crusade for your land and then trying to stop the titular necromancer from destroying your kingdom.
- Spell Book: One titled the Codex Mortis, written by none other than Unthank, the titular Necromancer. You can find and use this book to your advantage in the final battle against the Shadow King.
- Unfinished Business: Your character, the Lord of Valsinore, who is assassinated on your way home from a lengthy crusade and have to uncover the truth behind your death and prevent a greater evil that is threatening your kingdom.
- Vengeful Ghost: Your character is a Revenant seeking vengeance after your untimely death.
