Fantasy Forest

Fantasy Forest is the name of a series of ten Choose Your Own Adventure style gamebooks, published by TSR Inc. from 1983 to 1984. They are aimed at younger redaers and mostly take place in the fantasy world of the popular Dungeons and Dragons role playing game.

Books

1. The Ring, the Sword, and the Unicorn

  Written by James M. Ward
  Illustrated by Mario Macari, Jr.
  Cover Art by Jeff Easley

This book starts in a contemporary setting, and the only book in the series to do so. The main character, or You, tries to prove that there is a magical world in the forest behind your backyard. Gives added meaning to the cartoonish illustration on the back of the first six books, which pictures a child (presumably a boy) jubilantly stepping into a forest, his house in the background.

2. Ruins of Rangar

  Written by Michael Carr
  Illustrated by Michael Fishel 
  Cover Art by Jeff Easley
 

This book introduces the good knight Gregor and his struggle with the evil skeleton sking, Nightshade. You are his brother, Erik, a younger boy accompanying him. In addition elves, dwarves, magic users, and zombies, this book includes lesser known creatures that are featured in the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manuel, such as stirges and an umberhulk. Well-respected TSR artist Jeff Easley's cover painting features a boy on a brown, winged horse being chased by the mosquito/bird-like stirges.

3. Shadowcastle

  Written by Michael Gray
  Illustrated by Mario Macari, Jr.
  Cover Art by Clyde Caldwell 

Once again, this book features Nightshade and Sir Gregor, the Good Knight of the Golden Dragon, as he is referred to in this book. You are a girl, Molly, who is out picking berries when a halfling stumbles across her and asks for her help in rescuing his brother from the evil Nightshade. Includes creatures like bullywogs, an umberhulk, and various elementals (water,rock) magically summoned to aid the forces of good. Well-respected TSR artist Clyde Caldwell's cover painting features Molly, Thistle (the halfling), and a dragon that appears to be entirely made out of fire. While there is no such creature in the book, there are elemenentals and there is a red dragon (actually a good wizard in disguise). In the painting, Molly is also holding the bowl use to summon the water elemental. However, this painting was not necessarily done for this book, since the book could be based on the painting. The girl and the halfling in the painting could be see as stealing a piece of the dragon's treasure (the bejeweled bowl), hence the dragon's threatening posture. (Halflings are often portrayed as thieves in Dungeons and Dragons literature). In the interior illustrations of the book, Macari Jr.'s slightly more cutesy characters present a mild contrast to Michael Fishel's work in the previous book.

4. Keep of the Ancient King

5. Dungeon of Darkness

6. Star Rangers and the Spy

7. Castle in the Clouds

8. Star Rangers Meet the Solar Robot

9. Jason's First Quest

10. The Lost Wizard