I received a copy of the Hungarian edition of Assassins of Allansia from Chameleon Comix for review a few months ago. It is a very neatly designed book, with the look and feel of the classic softcover Fighting Fantasy series, using the same artwork that’s visible on the hardcover edition. It immediately triggered a wave of nostalgia in me.
But why did it took me so long to write this review? Reading Fighting Fantasy books was one of my treasured childhood memories and I got paralyzed, and started wondering if I still enjoy them as much as I used to. Are they still as good as I remember they used to be? Does this book meet the standards that I expect, or is it just exploiting nostalgia? Luckily, I had no reason to worry: twentyfive years have passed since I last read an FF book and this was just as immersive and gripping as I remembered.
Was it just the nostalgia factor? I strongly doubt it. Decades ago, Fighting Fantasy books were my first steps in the realm of fantasy games, and even after playing countless hours of RPG and computer games, the book still does it’s magic. The story was exciting and complex. It was not too easy either; it took me multiple attempts to finish it. There were several areas to explore and many decisions to make, and I had never felt railroaded. If you are considering to return to Allansia, this is the book for you.
I have come across several reviews about either the English or the Hungarian editions, but I have not found any comparisons about them, so I decided to write one myself.
The overall appearance of the Hungarian book is nice: the size matches the 90’s Hungarian issues of Fighting Fantasy (“Kaland, Játék, Kockázat”) perfectly, and it fits your collection without any problem. Unlike the softcover English version, this book has the cover illustration of the collectors’ edition, created by Karl Kopinski! Last, but not at least, it has the classic green spine, which is a nice touch.
Talking about the illustrations… Robert Ball’s artworks that were used in the English version might be a pain point for many veteran fans. The coloured version of these illustrations might be nice but they don’t work well in greyscale, they lack detail and don’t measure up to the artwork of the classic FF books.
Chameleon Comix worked with Krisztián Balla, who delivered the illustrations this book truly deserves! Ian McCaig’s barbarian from the Deathtrap Dungeon has been one of my favourites for a long time, but Krisztián’s barbarian can be a worthy challenger.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of me writing about his work, check it out yourself:
The Chameleon Comix edition has a little easter egg as well: you can see a cameo of Ian Livingstone himself, with a copy of Warlock. The English original has sadly missed this opportunity.
Luckily, they translated the text with the same attention to detail. I was pleased to see that the names on the map were consistent with the ones published in the Hungarian edition of Titan, and they also corrected an old mistranslation. They did an amazing job with the character names: Tall Tom became “Termetes Tom”, Blackthorn of Chalice became “Kelyhesdi Feketetövis”, Ironface became “Vaspofa”, etc – they’re creative, flow well in Hungarian, yet nothing is lost in translation. The Hungarian translation was true to the English text and has the same vibe. I was looking for typos or mistranslations – let’s admit: the old “Kaland, Játék, Kockázat” books had some annoying ones -, but I haven’t found any.
So, is it worth to buy it? Absolutely! If you speak Hungarian and liked the old Fighting Fantasy books or just want to give them a try, this book is for you. You’re going to have hours of fun with it and – unless you’re extremely lucky – you’re going to replay it several times. The book will either fit your existing collection or can be the first item in a new one. If you don’t speak Hungarian, but collect the local editions, it’s also a must-have. If you’re not a collector, but would like a copy of Assassins of Allansia with the collectors’ edition cover art, with decent illustrations, the Chameleon Comix edition is also ideal for you.
It was easy to achieve success with the Hungarian version in the nineties, when the original was impossible to get hold of and when not too many people spoke English. People have more options today and there must be a reason for buying the translated version when you can order the original one without any issues. Coming up with an acceptable translation may not be enough, and local publishers need to provide added value to make the books attractive enough for the audience. The team of Chameleon Comix has done just that and I’m looking forward to seeing their next project.