Consider the Consequences! explained
Consider the Consequences! (published 1930) is a romantic novel in the form of an interactive novel or gamebook by the American writing partnership of (1885–1967[1]) and Mary Alden Hopkins (1876–1960[2]).[3] It is the earliest known gamebook, and has 43 different endings.[4]
Publication
The 146-page hardback was published by The Century Company in the United States, priced $1.50.[5]
The book's central characters are Helen Rogers and her two male suitors, Jed Harringdale and Saunders Mead. The reader's first decision is which of the three characters' viewpoints to adopt.
The book was favorably reviewed, among others, in The Tampa Times,[6] the Santa Ana Register (who called it "a freak book"),[7] the Detroit Free Press,[8] The San Francisco Examiner,[9] and The Salt Lake Tribune.[10]
Legacy
On July 6, 2018 the book was read on air on KZSC radio in Santa Cruz, USA, by James Ryan, who has researched the book and its authors, and his wife Nina, with choices made by the station's listeners.[11]
A copy was made available on the Internet Archive in August 2023.[12] [13]
In October 2023, the game was ported to TWINE and made available for online play at itch.io[14]
References
Further reading
Notes and References
- Web site: Uncle James' Shoes . . 4 September 2021.
- Web site: 13329101 . viaf.org . 3 September 2021.
- Web site: Rubenstein Library. . September 22, 2017.
- Web site: Katz . Demian . Item - Consider the Consequences - Demian's Gamebook Web Page . gamebooks.org . 3 September 2021.
- dustjacket.
- News: Consider the Consequences. . The Tampa Times . October 10, 1930 . 2 . subscription.
- News: Consider the Consequences . . November 28, 1930 . 41 . subscription.
- News: Interesting books . Detroit Free Press . October 3, 1930 . 15 . subscription.
- News: Tale Can End as Reader Wants It . The San Francisco Examiner . September 21, 1930 . 54 . subscription.
- News: Webster-Hopkins Combine Takes Prize for Originality . . October 19, 1930 . 58 . subscription.
- Bennett Williamson, James Ryan and Nina Ryan . July 6, 2018 . Audience Adventure Radio Hour - Consider the Consequences (2018.7.6) . radio . https://web.archive.org/web/20210903123532/http://streaming.kzsc.org/ . September 3, 2021 . . September 3, 2021 . bot: unknown .
- Web site: jjsonick . 1930's Consider the Consequences!, the First Book to Offer a Choice-Based Branching Narrative . The Interactive Fiction Community Forum . 4 September 2023 . en . 28 August 2023.
- Web site: Consider The Consequences 1930 . . 4 September 2023 . 1930.
- Web site: Consider the Consequences by geetheriot . 2023-10-12 . itch.io . en.
