Flight from the Dark

Gameplay

The reader is allowed to choose five Kai Disciplines from a list of ten, and is given meagre equipment. Because the reader has no equipment from previous books, some disciplines, most notably Weapon Skill, may not be useful at the start of the adventure. This makes initial discipline choices and careful movement through the book more important than in some later books. It is however possible to get through the adventure with little to no combat, allowing an astute reader to succeed even with weak Combat Skill and Endurance.

Reception

According to sales figures, this first book sold over 100,000 copies in its first month of publication alone, but the book itself is considered to be among the least exciting of the series. Conversely, the 2007 extended version (Mongoose Publishing) has benefited from a thorough re-working of the story and has been lauded enthusiastically by critics and readers alike.

Re-Release

Mongoose Publishing republished this gamebook in the summer of 2007, featuring new internal artwork by Richard Longmore, and an extended director's cut version of the story, extensively rewritten by Joe Dever. Among the changes made, the start of the adventure is different than in the original version of the book. Instead of being knocked out by a branch, Silent Wolf is present at the Monastery at the time of the attack of the Darklords. He fights his way to the top of Tower of the Sun to activate a beacon that will alert all of Sommerlund of the attack.

It was shortlisted for the 2008 Origins Fiction Award (Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design).