Avenger! (Knight Books)

Essentially a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' book with some basic RPG elements (Dungeons and Dragons -type mechanics) made this an accessible book when I read it years ago. The descriptions - of ninja monks and terrible creatures, barbarian warriors, blizzard covered mountains, and shifty political figures - led me to read and re-read the book cover to cover to learn how all the different story branches could turn out. I only read the first in the series (this one) and for a number of years after would poke around in bookstores or Scholastic catalogs (this was pre-'net) hoping to find the next. Lots of fun. Parents might want to skim these before giving to their pre-teen (the intended market I think) to make sure some of the more graphic descriptions are okay at that age.

This is a good book with a great story line and mechanics. It is so short that my son finished it in a couple hours.

"My magic is training.. My strength is adaptability.. My enemy is carelessness.. My strategy is one foot in front of the other.." This is part of the Ninja litany, etched into your mind if you are lucky enough to defeat the opening character, who sets the scene for these Way of the Tiger books. They have the usual ingredients: magic, monsters, Ninja tricks and the most horrific and engaging death scenes, that will have you flicking to the 'eye' illustrations, which mark an unfortunate end (of which, thankfully, there are many) whenever you make a wrong turn in this exciting, engaging "magical world of Orb". But more than that, these books have heart and depth. You can see that the author's have spent countless hours pouring over the plot and creating an imaginary land that stays with me still. A fond reminder of a moment in my childhood, when I'd disappear into these books and take on the adventures of the orphan, a highly trained assassin on a quest for revenge. As if the text wasn't enough, you have it set against the amazing artwork of Bob Harvey, who became on of my favourite illustrators, even though I have never seen his work outside these books.

I still remember reading this book back when I was a kid. I must have read it a dozen times and each time it was a different experience. I have never read anything like it. Truely a classic for young adults and for fans of the art of Ninjitsu.

I read "The Way of the Tiger" series as a kid... it was one of the most exciting, unbelievably inspiring and moving (!) reading experiences I have had, then or now... and I'm comparing to stuff such as the works of Victor Hugo, Ayn Rand etc.