The Trumpet of Terror (Choose Your Own Adventure) [Mass Market Paperback]

The Trumpet of Terror (Choose Your Own Adventure #55) by Deborah Lerme Goodman follows a young Danish boy in 938 A.D. as he gets ready to set sail on a voyage. His great-grandfather was given the Trumpet of Terror from the Norse god Odin himself. I thought this book was a lot of fun and the author has done a good amount of research on the topic of Norse mythology. There's even a name glossary and brief history given at the book's beginning, which I found helpful and interesting. Early on a decision either keeps you on your sea-bound journey or has you helping the Norse gods get rid of a witch who has invaded their kingdom with the bulk of the book being dedicated to the latter path. Along the way you may encounter a war boat made out of fingernail clippings from the dead, a dungeon with walls of slithering snakes, and cloud rivers full of icy knives. The author doesn't skimp on exciting scenarios.

There's one non-ending in the book where you complete a side-quest but don't get a chance to finish the main one. I wish the author had just looped this path back into the main quest (which she does for another path). I hate when I reach THE END and my character hasn't finished his/her adventure. There's also one selfish ending you can take that actually ends up being pretty positive, which is something unusual for these books (though The Antimatter Formula had one too).

The art in the book is by Ted Enik. His art is very precise and well-done. But his drawings are cartoonish and definitely at odds with the straight-forward writing. At one point you encounter a giant wolf with a blood stain on its chest but the drawing makes it look like a chubby dog from a Looney Tunes cartoon. The ridiculous cover is another good example. Doesn't exactly scream 'The Trumpet of Terror', does it? I found this mismatch disappointing, especially considering that the artist IS talented, but some kids will get a kick out of the funny drawings. Others probably won't.

Overall this is a fun read with lots of well-done and surprising twists. Despite its ridiculous cover.