My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this book that is both a tale of horror, and an interactive game that one can play, making decisions that can lead to victory for your characters, or insanity and fates worst than death.

Growing up I loved Choose Your Own Adventure stories. The idea that I could read a book and make decisions that could affect the story was something that just blew my mind. I felt like a God, or an author, or even a film director, getting my character through alive, and sometimes allowing death to come for them, just to see what happened. TSR followed these up with books that were almost like Dungeons & Dragons, but for only one person, perfect for car rides and to swap with others for fresh tales. I'm glad to see these ideas have not faded away in the world of minigames on phones, though I wish I could remember the last 12 hours, time lost while playing/reading/enjoying this eldritch tale of horror, secrets, treasure, and foulness. The Tides of Innsmouth: An Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook is written by Jonathan Green, and is both a story set in the world of the Arkham Horror game, and a solid adventure needing pencils, paper, dice and a very strong stomach to deal with the sights, sounds and smells of the decaying seaside town on the New England Shore.

The book begins with a brief rundown of the rules. One can take on character of three different investigators, a sailor, a folklorist, and a sea trawler captain. The choice of character brings with it a series of abilities, and strengths, and a few weaknesses that might effect gameplay. One can also import a character as this is the second book of a series, though again they have their plus and minuses. Game play is the standard six-sided die, with rolls for combat, figuring clues, and more importantly in the Arkham area, keeping one's sanity. The rules are pretty simple, and after no time the reader can set out on the adventure, finding success, escaping with their sanity, or being let in on the dark secrets of Innsmouth, secrets that the town does not fear sharing, for dead people tell no tales.

The story is a quest for treasure in the town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, a seaside town that has seen better days. The smell of rot, mold, and other things fill the air. The inhabitant all have a big eyed almost froglike appearance, and dislike visitors. The character has pursued a job helping a professor find an ancient shipwreck, but from the first moments in town things go wrong. The professor is missing, and no one wants to help in anyway. The character must make decisions, fight off dark forces, and more importantly keep their brains in a town that is decaying in more ways than one.

I enjoyed this alot, playing first the sailor, followed by the folklorist. My deaths were many, but diverse. The rules are easy to pick up, and a lot of fun. In addition the story is a blast, one that I would like to read more about. The book hits all the right notes, the smells, the rot, the people, the darkness. This is the third Gamebook I have read by Jonathan Green, and I really enjoy how he sets up both the adventures, and has the writing chops to back it up. Highly recommended both for the tale, and the gameplay.