Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 4


Ignoring the blue light in CHOICE #8 leads to a different but still positive ending.  Dagma's too hasty in this path and takes me down a wrong turn.  Gagnon hasn't been paying enough attention to the map either.  Gagnon attempts to guide us back before dew makes the mountains impassable.  We soon make a strange discovery.


"At first you can't quite tell what you're seeing.  Then as your eyes adjust to the light, you realize you're seeing the back half of a spaceship.  The front must be embedded in the rock, or missing altogether.  The ship's skin is covered in metallic scales that remind you of pango feathers.  A series of portholes run down the ship's side.  Near the rear, just in front of a large thruster, is an open portal.  You've seen drawings of ships like this in the story books your family used to read you when you were a child.  But you always thought that the tales of the first Petronians arriving in spaceships were just myths.  This could be a great historical discovery.


'Grab me that cable launcher', you say to the nearest cadet.  'We need to investigate this.'  It doesn't take long before you've rigged up a sling so you can safely make your way across the cable to the ship.  The ship is much larger than it looks from the small portion sticking out of the rock.  Rows of cryogenic sleep chambers line the walls and stretch off into the gloom.  You hear a scraping on the metal floor behind you.  It's a wide-eyed Gagnon looking around.  'Wow this thing is amazing', he says.


You nod in agreement.  'We'll make camp here tonight.  Let's get the troop to tether the sledges and come across to the ship.'  Gagnon looks around at all the empty sleep chambers.  'Good idea.  There's certainly no shortage of beds.'


Once everyone is safely across, some of the cadets set up a burner and heat broth.  Others wander around the ship gawking at all the controls and pipes and wires and other equipment.  'Geebus', Piver says.  'So, all the stories are true.  Petronians did come from another planet.'  you look at the funny little miner and smile.  'It certainly looks that way.'


Piver scratches his head and wanders over to a row of symbols on the wall.  He stares at a moment and then turns to you.  'I wonder what this says and why they came all this way?
 

You walk over and trace the unfamiliar symbols with your finger.  Victoria LIFERAFT ELEVEN-PLANET EARTH 2108.  'Yeah I wonder".


Is this a retcon, or is Between the Stars the retcon?  The Victoria didn't send most of its passengers to Petron, and it seems odd that the ship itself would be here.  (It says Liferaft, but it seems too big for that.)  And whatever happened to Eva the intelligent plant?


I wonder how writing developed on Petron.  They clearly speak a form of English as indicated by the letters in the Tow-Bases.  But Petronians had no writing for a while according to the Between the Stars ending, so the characters don't know the Roman alphabet. 


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 5


Going for the faster route to the Pillars of Haramon in CHOICE #4 means Dagma slurps down "stringy hydro".  "You turn your head in disgust".  Everyone is eating like "hungry morph rats".


The instructor interrupts Piver's jokes and squealing to point out that Lowlanders are about to invade.  Piver then says "Geebus!" like everyone else in this book. 


But the fast route means we lose one of the sledges and its supplies, but not its crew.  CHOICE #9 is to either make safety precautions or "make best speed", which leads to CHOICE #7.


"Dagma stays silent, but by the scowl on her face you can tell she has a poor opinion of your leadership.  Not that you can blame her".


When we reach Zigzag Drop, the narration has this description:  "On a plateau far below, a jumble of sharp ridges and crevasses, the results of a backwash of superheated black glass when the mountains were first formed, look dangerous enough to weaken the knees of even the most experienced Highland slider".



Dagma and Gagnon make a compromise to link sledges together to avoid having to use too many brakemen.  I tell Dagma to capture the Lowlanders if there are only a couple, but not to risk it if there are more.  Her response to my lame "Let's not make any more mistakes, okay?" is a "Have I made any mistakes today?"


A widening stream prevents us from going further, but Dagma proposes the dangerous option of going into a tunnel with the risk of morph rats and earthquakes.  The CHOICE #10 alternative is to wait for the slopes to dry.


The more cautious option generates an ending.  We stay the night in what seems to be a moon moth cave, but they're not numerous enough to fly us around.


"The braided river delta far below sparkles like a diamond necklace.  The ocean and horizon beyond seem closer somehow.  Twenty miles further down Long Gully, you can just see the tops of the Pillars of Haramon poking above the surrounding terrain.  Gagnon pushes off and leads the group on a swooping path that takes you up one side of the valley and then across to the other.


You smile as you slide, the wind in your face, whipping at your hair.  This is what you like best about being a Highland slider.  It's the feeling you get as you race down a mountainside, the whole world spread out before you.  It's being part of a group that will do anything to keep you safe and knowing you will do the same in return.  It's the way a slider can use gravity to move with grace and speed with so little effort.  It's the closest thing to soaring you've ever felt.


Before you know it, your troop is screeching to a stop outside the main portal of the northernmost pillar.  An officer is there to greet you.  'Well done, cadets', he says.  'Welcome to the pillars of Haramon".


This one is less positive than the other Good Endings because I lose a sledge due to hastiness.  But we still deliver some necessary supplies to the Slider authorities.


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 6


Dagma is an even worse leader than I am if I follow her advice in CHOICE #10 to go to the tunnel.


"Moon moths light your way down the tunnel for the first mile or so, but as you and your troop get further into the tunnel, the moon moths become less frequent.  Before long you are forced to strap on headlamps so you can see where you're going.  Slender veins of tyranium crystals streak through the black rock and make patterns along the walls as you slide.


Gagnon is back in the lead, with Dagma and her scouts close behind.  The rest of your troop is sliding in formation behind them.  In parts of the tunnel the slope is steep, requiring the dragging of hooks.  Screeches fill your ears as they echo down the tunnel.  At first, you don't notice the trickle of water as it creeps down the tunnel behind you.


With every drop the rock you are sliding on becomes slicker.  You need to put in an anchor bolt, and quickly.  Bu to do that, you need to be stopped.  All you can do at the moment is lean down on your hook and hope the ground levels out.  The rear sledges, caught by the water, are sliding faster than those in front.  You hear a yell behind you.  With moisture underfoot, nobody can slow down.  You hear the sound of sledges colliding.  Another cadet yells as she is knocked from her feet.


Will Gagnon and Dagma realize what is going on in time and be able to put in an anchor to stop the rest of you from sliding uncontrolled to the bottom of the tunnel in a jumble of bodies and equipment? 


'Emergency anchors!'  you yell at the top of your voice.  But it is too late.  Water is rushing down the tunnel.  The sledge behind you smacks into your back and knocks you off your feet.  You've made a huge mistake.  Now your entire troop is heading towards the bottom of the tunnel in an uncontrolled slide".


The epilogue text hints that some cadets may survive, but I won't.  So this is the first Death.  There's no subtlety in CHOICE #10's clues either, so it's entirely the players' fault if they go to the tunnel.


It's also the finale for the Slider portion of the book.  All posts from here on out will feature a mining career.



Results So Far


5 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 7


"Besides, miners get to play with all the best equipment".


Let's be a miner instead of a Slider!  "You've always felt mining technology has been responsible for keeping the Highlands free. . .Were it not for miners, the only inhabitants of the Black Slopes would be colonies of red-beaked pangos, cave-dwelling moon moths, and feral packs of egg-eating morph rats".


My education is varied, and includes how to use diamond bores, cable launchers, mathematics, and geology.  Although he was barely present in the Slider storyline, Piver will be much more important in this route.  He's the only other mining student besides me who came from a Slider family.  He loves to tell terrible jokes too.  "Where do you find a morph rat with no legs?  Exactly where you left it".


We go with a party of Sliders because they're needed as guides and transportation.  But it seems Dagma and Gagnon aren't around.  Instead, we get a girl named Shoola.  I'm appointed as the miner leader because I guess there's no competition this time.  We are warned of rain and possible Lowland attacks.  I wonder if I'll succeed, or be forced to grow hydro when I run out of money.


"Miners often capture moon moths and put them in little cages to use as a light source when their battery supplies run low.  But you hate the idea of caging these beautiful creatures.  It seems cruel somehow".


Piver's excited about our next climb.  "I was talking to one of the sliders.  He reckoned it's the longest tow in all of Petron.  One thousand nine hundred vertical feet gained in less than fifteen minutes.  Nearly a one in one gradient, no platforms, just straight up!"


But before we can ascend, Lowlanders "carrying a white flag come into view".  The Sliders are preparing an attack formation.  But Piver notices the white flag and asks me to say something, because I'm the head miner. 


Why do Petronians have the same gesture for surrender?  Sure, they're Earth colonists, but they've forgotten their original culture, so it seems odd that they'd use the white flag.


CHOICE #11 is to instruct the Sliders to either attack or not to attack.


"You've heard stories about Lowland treachery all your life.  You've never actually met a Lowlander, but you believe what your family says".  The Lowlanders are trying to retreat from the Slider V-formation.  Then the Lowlanders enter the machine which may or may not be the one from the other timeline. 


"With a twang, a series of spring-loaded catapults, mounted on top of the machine, fling nets towards the now motionless sliders and because of their tight formation, the nets entangle many at once".  Now that our guides are imprisoned, we risk free-sliding after we hear a voice saying "Surrender now and you will be spared.  This is your one and only warning".


"After just over an hour of high-speed and at time crazy, on-the-edge sledging, you see two towering black columns rising from the valley floor.  A distance that would have taken you and your slider escort a whole day to cover has been completed in hardly any time at all".


Luckily, we ended up at the Pillars of Haramon.  We explain why we don't have a Slider escort to the commander.  Moon moth colonies are used to light the passageways.  They discuss tactics with me, and CHOICE #12 is to either offer peace to the Lowlanders, or go with some Sliders to attack their machine.


Piver and I are the only miners who go on this mission, because our families taught us some basic Slider techniques.  I learn that official guide sticks are "a lot more sensitive than the cheap commercial models".


We slide using a secret defensive tunnel that was built by getting rid of excess rock at the Pillars of Haramon.  Piver has this to say about it:  "Geebus that was fun!  Forget this mining lark.  I want to be a slider!"


One danger in this area is the morph rat.  "They eat everything in their path and they leave burrows in the most unexpected places.  You also hate the sticky slime that covers their hairless bodies, and the sucking sound their feet make as they move around the slopes".  They may be edible, but it's not worth the trouble.


With a cable launcher and a scope, I notice the Lowlander camp.  CHOICE #13 is to attack from below using the machine tracks, or from above like the usual Slider tactics.


The officer thinks I'm insane for wanting to attack from below, but this gives us the advantage of being able to fight at night, which normally never happens.  Winching the machine off the mountain will be possible once its anchors are removed, and the Sliders will be the distraction.


"May our ancestors have mercy on us', the officer says.  'If this fails, we'll go down in history as the sliders who attacked from below.  I hope you're prepared to become a laughing stock".  So Highlanders venerate or worship their ancestors?  That's the first clue we have about their religion unless you count them shouting "Geebus!" all the time.


The plan seems to go well.


"I don't know if it's going to be strong enough', Piver says as the winch groans in protest.  Then you hear yelling from up the mountainside.  Lowlanders are shouting warnings to their comrades.  All their gear is on the machine.  They'll be stranded if they lose it.  Suddenly the cable goes slack and you hear a scraping noise from above.  'It's off', you yell.  'Cut the cable!'


Piver grabs a pair of cutters from his belt and bears down on the cable.  With a ping it separates from the drum.  The scraping is getting louder.  'Geebus, I hope it doesn't take us out on its way past', Piver squeaks, nervously.  So do you, but there is nothing you can do about that now.  Whoosh!  The machine slides by before you even see it coming.


'Whoa that was close', Piver says.  Piver's teeth sparkle in the dark.  'Well done, miners.  I'm proud of you', the officer says.  'That's one machine that won't be roaming the Highlands any time soon.'  You must admit you're a little proud of yourself too.  Sliders will sing songs of this encounter for many years to come.  You and Piver have etched a place in slider history, even though you're only miners.


'Okay troops, the sun will be up in less than an hour.  Let's get out of here.'  'What will happen to the Lowlanders?' you ask.  'We'll send some sliders for them in a day or two.  They'll be very happy to surrender after a couple of cold nights on the slopes.  The climb back down is easier.  With a series of belays, you and the sliders make your way down to the Pillars.  By the time you are standing outside the main portal, the sun is climbing over the ridge.


It's another beautiful day on the Black Slopes.  'Hey', Piver says.  'Where do you find a group of Lowlanders when they've lost one of their fancy machines?'  It's a bit early in the morning for jokes, but you're in a good mood.  'I don't know.  Where?'  'Exactly where you left them!"


This incident where we (probably) murder a group of Lowlander refugees thanks to miscommunication and questionable tactics will become the national epic of the Highlands.  It will be named "The Song of Piver".  "Lowlanders are wrong:  Sliders are right indeed".


EDIT:  I forgot to mention the epilogue texts.  Piver and I get the Highland Medal of Bravery, and are now honorary Sliders.  "The sliders even let you keep your guide sticks".


Sure, some of the Lowlanders got out, but as we saw in the other Lowlander machine ending, many can fit in one of those.  Chances are some died at least.



Results So Far


6 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 8


Whether or not we killed Lowlander refugees in the previous ending, we'll probably know more when we go with the Sliders to attack from above in CHOICE #13.  This time, I keep my mouth shut and let them plan the assault.


But then I suggest a similar plan anyway.  Piver's worried about the enemies throwing rocks, and I comment that the dew-covered rocks are "slipperier than the slime on a morph rat's back".  Piver cuts the cable once the machine is sure to fall.


"The fighting rages on for another ten minutes or so, but without their machine the Lowlanders are no match for the Highland Slider Corps.  A couple of times you hear someone yell as they plummet down the slope past you in the darkness.  You can't tell if they are Highlanders or Lowlanders.  Regardless, mothers will weep and families will grieve.  Suddenly, it's like someone's turned off a switch and everything goes silent.


'I wonder who won?'  Piver says.  It doesn't take long for you to find out.  'Hey, you miners still alive down there?' a familiar voice calls out.  'Yes', Piver replies.  The two of you climb up the path to the small plateau where the sliders have the Lowlanders sitting in a group with their hands tied together.  This is the first time you've seen Lowlanders up close.  They look remarkably like members of your own family.


'Well done, you two', the officer says.  'As soon as their machine was off, they gave up reasonably easily.'  'So what now?'  you ask.  'We'll wait until morning and then take them down to the Pillars.  They'll get to go home again once their relatives have paid the ransom.'  You're pleased that the Lowlanders won't be locked up forever.  They don't look much older than you.


'Oh and by the way', the officer says to you and Piver.  'I'm going to recommend that you and funny boy here are made honorary sliders.'  'Geebus!'  Piver says.  'Real sliders?'


'Yes', the officer says, 'real Highland sliders.  Assuming you don't trip and go to the bottom on the way home that is.'  For once, your grin is as wide as Piver's.  Your family will be so pleased.  Now you can follow your dream to be a miner, while being a slider too".


Does the writer not know what "honorary" means?  Piver and I aren't receiving formal Slider training, but are being recognized for our efforts to fight the Lowlanders.


Results So Far


7 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 9


"Look', you say to the slider officer, 'I don't know how to disable the Lowlanders' machine.  What if my ideas fail?  Surely talking peace is a better option is a better option, especially when the opposition has a technological advantage.'  The officer sneers at you like you're a pango dropping he needs to scrape off his boot.  'If you won't help, I'm sure one of the other miners will come up with a plan".


This is the result when I propose an armistice with the Lowlanders in CHOICE #12.  Trying to protest the officer's rash behavior makes him say "Sliders do not surrender.  We attack!  I should have known better than to ask a miner for help."  No wonder the Lowlanders keep attacking.  Did the Sliders start this war in the first place?


I propose the possibility of abandoning the mining equipment and going home with the help of "tows and the safe routes".  But navigating the Black Slopes without much Slider experience will be difficult, and perhaps it might be safer to stay with the bloodthirsty commander.


"You put your hands on your hips and look at the other miners.  'Well I don't know about you lot, but I'm not going to get involved in a war without at least trying to find a peaceful solution.  If you want to follow some blood-crazed slider, be my guest!"


And with that, Piver and I leave the other miners and tell them to stay put because they'd slow us down.  Besides, they're not sure they want to go home with us anyway.  We ascend using our cables and zippers and get a good view of the Pillars of Haramon.  "The Borderlands are disappearing into the mist, which make the Black Slopes look like an island set in a violent sea of purple foam and crashing waves."


To clear out an abandoned mine, Piver throws a screecher into the entrance.  Many morph rats scurry out, and they smell terrible.  I talk with Piver about our hopes to communicate with the Lowlanders once we get home, but soon the Slider officer greets us:  "Hello traitors!'  a gruff voice says.  'We thought you might stay here for the night.'  After a short conversation, he says "You didn't think Slider Command was going to let you walk away did you?  Stupid miners!'  Another Slider threatens us:  "Time you had an accident and went for a slide".


To escape from them, we slide. . .down the morph rat slime trail.  Piver is disgusted with this, but our clothes are waterproof and easily cleaned.  We make it past the Pillars of Haramon before they could train their solar death ray on us.


"As you stretch, you look around.  It seems strange to see so much flat land in front of you.  'It's so lush', you say.  Piver studies the scene.  'Yeah. . .weird isn't it.  But it's pretty in a funny sort of way.'  You can't help but agree.  You adjust your pack and look towards the Lowlanders' camp.  'I suppose we'd better go talk to them.' 



'Can I do the greeting?'  Piver asks.  'I've got a phrase in mind that I've always wanted the opportunity to use.'  'Oh yeah?  And what's that?'  'Take me to your leader', Piver says with a chuckle.


You shake your head.  'You really are nuts you know.'  'For once I'm pleased to say I'm not the only one.'  As the two of you walk towards the Lowland camp, you wonder if you'll be okay.  Will the Lowlanders be friendly?  Your apprehension doesn't last long.  Before you get to the cluster of Lowland huts a group of children run out to greet you.  As they crowd around, one holds out a crackle berry, the legendary fruit of the Lowlands.


You've heard stories about this celebrated fruit.  You've even seen a picture of it in one of your school books.  But no one from the Highlands has seen one up close, let alone tasted one, for over 300 years since the fighting began.  While you're thinking about this offering, Piver snatches the crackle berry and sinks his teeth into its succulent blue flesh.


You watch and wait, wondering if he'll like it.  As Piver chews, and without even realizing it, he rises up over his toes and does a little jiggle with his hips.  Then he sinks back down, wipes his lips with the back of his hand and says, 'Geebus!  That was the best thing I've ever tasted!"


The epilogue text hints that our talks may bring peace.


But what makes this ending interesting is the possible connection with another You Say Which Way book.  Both Secrets of Glass Mountain and Secrets of the Singing Cave have planets with multiple moons, one of them pink.  Crackleberries exist in the books, though they have different colors.  (Crackleberry color is inconsistent even within Secrets of the Singing Cave.) 


One other detail makes a link possible.  One ending of Secrets of the Singing Cave has this to say:  "Far to the north, a mountain range glistens in the morning sun.  Towering peaks of napstone, shiny, black, and formidable, make you wonder what tribes might live on those heights".



Results So Far


8 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Alternate Endings Part 10


Only 2 endings left!  Agreeing to fight with the Slider officer who calls you a "traitor" moves you to CHOICE #13.


Talking to the Lowlanders in CHOICE #11 gives us an ultimatum.  A Lowlander man holding a "small tablet" says "I come as a representative of the Lowland Council.  My council wishes to meet with your Highland leaders to see if we can find a way to end the bloodshed that has plagued our two peoples for so many years.  In exchange for peace, all the Lowland Council requires is a small act of good faith on behalf of the Highlanders."


This "act of faith" is a 10% of minerals from the Black Slopes in exchange for education, health care, and administrative costs.  The Lowlander emissary says "You pay nearly that much to the border traders already in commission, not to mention what it must cost you to defend the Highlands".


If we refuse, the messenger tells us the Sliders cannot hope to defeat new Lowlander technology.  Piver suggests that the Highland Council should decide instead of us.  The Slider commander grudgingly goes along with our decision because we miners are paying for the trip.


CHOICE #15 is to attack the Lowlanders, which leads to CHOICE #12, or bring the Lowlander message to the Pillars of Haramon.


We take a faster route down the mountain towards the Pillars of Haramon, which frightens Piver.  After the trip, I have to pee and go near a rocky outcrop to relieve myself.  But there are morph rats nearby! 


"As they get closer, the clattering of their teeth gets louder.  These teeth can strip a full-grown pango to nothing but bone in less than a minute.  Feral packs eat anything in their path.  Thankfully, their sense of smell and eyesight are really bad.  You can fight them or hide from them".


The final decision, CHOICE #16, is to either climb on the outcrop to hide from the morph rats, or return to the group and try to fight them off.


"You're not sure you have time to get to the others before the morph rats are upon you, so you start climbing up the rock.  With a bit of luck, the pack of morph rats will stream around you and continue blindly on down the slope.  Their slurping footsteps are getting closer, their teeth chattering like pebbles tumbling down the mountainside.


'Sliders!  Uphill V formation now!  Miners, get in behind!'  you hear a slider yell.  From your vantage point on the rock, you see the sliders bunch together, each has turned their pack around to the front to protect their chest.  Their guide sticks, with diamond hooks to the front, are tucked firmly under their armpits, while both hands hold firmly onto the shaft.  The miners are behind the sliders' formation, hand picks up and at the ready.


The pack of morph rats move like a writhing wave of teeth and slime down the hillside.  When the wave hits, those at the point of the V-formation will sweep the rats to the side using their sticks.  'Try to flip the rats onto their backs so they lose their grip on the slope', the head slider says.  'That way, by the time they regain their feet they'll be too far down the mountain to be of any danger'.  The clicking and slurping sends a chill down your spine.  One slip and everyone is rat foot.


You don't have your pick with you.  You left it leaning against your sledge when you headed for the rock.  That was a big mistake.  Without your pick, all you can do is hope the rats go around the pack rather than over it.  If any rats do decide to climb towards your position you just hope you'll be able to kick them away.  You watch with a morbid fascination as the wave of slimy flesh and pointed teeth surges towards your rock.  Anyone that ends up in this seething mass of animals won't last long.


The sliders stand with sticks at the ready.  All you can do is watch and wait.  When the mass of rat flesh reaches your position, the sheer weight of rats behind the front of the wave, pushes rats up the rock you are standing on.  The first few you manage to kick off, but before long your boots are covered in slime and standing on the rock is becoming more difficult.


You chance a quick glance at the others and see that the sliders' technique is working.  The wave of rats is parting around the sliders and miners on the slope.  You feel teeth dig into your shin and try to kick the rats at your feet away, but slime is all over your neck now.  You try another kick, but lose your balance.  You are falling into the swarm".


What ever happened to screechers?  Sure, my character wouldn't have one, but none of the other miners or Sliders have them?  They were an effective way of getting rid of morph rats in other paths.


Results So Far


8 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of Glass Mountain Finale


The fight with the morph rats in CHOICE #16's other path is successful, and fairly short.  But the rest of the ending is too long to quote in full.  The first flight of stairs in the Pillars of Haramon has 39 steps.  A reference to the old thriller novel, perhaps?


I fail to recognize the chief of the Highland Council at first, and assume he's just another Slider officer.  His rank is indicated by 3 diamonds on his chest.  The chief says Highlander spies have found out about the machines, but doesn't think the other council members would approve the deal or ultimatum.  I ask about the health care, education, and other programs, but the chief says "We have education".  I respond with "Not a very good education it seems".  Earlier, the chief said "Don't they teach that at mining school these days?" when I didn't know who he was.


"He stomps his foot and snarls like he's about to bite his tongue off and spit it at you.  'How dare you!'  You take a step back as spittle flies in your direction.  The man is grinding his teeth and growling like a wild animal.  'Sliders never surrender!'  'And in my family we never enter a fight unless we know we can win!"


I emphasize how even victory in a war could come at too high a cost.  The chief then smiles and admires my bravery.  Shoola, the barely-mentioned Slider, tells about her cousin who fell in love with a Lowlander and went to live with them.  He tried to convince the Highlanders that the Lowlanders weren't so bad, but nobody listened.


"When the two of you reach the command pod there are twelve people sitting around a large table.  The chief waves you to a seat near one end.  'Please sit.'  You wonder what is going on.  Everyone is looking at you.  The chief clears his throat.  'This is the young miner I told you about.'  Eleven faces swivel towards you.  The chief looks in your direction.  'We've sent a delegation to talk peace with the Lowlanders.  They left at first light this morning.'  You can't help but think they've done the right thing.


An older woman stands up and walks towards your seat.  She places her withered hands on your shoulders.  'I am an old woman, but I know a clever mind and a good heart when I see one.'  You look up into her clear green eyes.  'I want you to take my seat on the council young miner.  We need new blood.  Blood untarnished by years of conflict.'


Is she talking about you joining the council?  Surely not.  What experience do you have?  'But. . .'  'Quite', the old woman says.  'It's time the council heard the truth.  And you, young as you are, are the first person to give it to them.'  'If the Highlands are to prosper, we need to stop putting so many of our resources into fighting the Lowlanders.  Joining The Federation of Lowland States might just be the opportunity we are looking for.'


Heads around the table are nodding in agreement.  'So do you accept the appointment?' the chief says to you.  'I. . .I'm a bit. . .'  'Surprised?' the chief says.  'Geebus!' you say, using Piver's favorite exclamation.  'Now there's the understatement of the century.'  A light chuckle runs around the table.


'So what do you say?' the old woman asks.  'Will you help us steer the Highlands towards peace?'  You think for a moment and search the faces before you.  'Well?' the chief says.  'Are you up to the job?'  You think about your family and how proud they would be if you were to become a member of the council.  How their disappointment at you deciding to become a miner rather than a slider would wash away like pango droppings in a heavy rain.  'Of course I'm up for it.  I come from good slider stock remember?"


And with one final pango simile, Secrets of Glass Mountain ends.  Or is it Sliders of Glass Mountain?  This book goes by another title on Goodreads.


While the idea of science fiction mountain climbing is fun, I have to admit that this book has some significant flaws compared to Secrets of the Singing Cave or Deadline Delivery.  This is mostly in the way the CHOICEs are written.  Being a miner seems pointless, as no ending on that path involves mining at all.  It's like being an inferior version of a Slider rather than a separate career path.  Those who want to indulge their Minecraft fantasies will be disappointed.


If you do become a Slider, both the race at the beginning and the selection of second-in-command are irrelevant to the story's outcome apart from some minor scene changes immediately after the decision.


Which CYOA will be next?  I'm not sure!  One way to go would be to get another You Say Which Way collection featuring Pirate Island, In the Magician's House, Lost in Lion Country, and Once Upon an Island.


An alternative option is to try a new series.  "Can You Survive. . ." sounds promising.  These books include many potentially deadly scenarios, such as Global Blackout, The Titanic, Virus Outbreak, Asteroid Strike, and more.


EDIT:  According to Goodreads, there are several series with "Can You Survive. . ." as their title.  The Asteroid Strike, Dystopia, and Supervolcano Eruption, for example, fall under the "Interactive Doomsday Adventure" banner.  "Interactive Survival Adventure" includes entries like The Desert, Earthquake, and Storm Chasing.


EDIT THE SECOND:  Blair Polly's page on Goodreads confirms that Secrets/Sliders of Glass Mountain takes place in the Andromeda Galaxy.


Final Results


9 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Before I begin the next Choose Your Own Adventure, I'll make a mini-post.  There's a sequel to Secrets of Glass Mountain called Volcano of Fire.  Not only that, but it seems to star the same player character!  According to the free Kindle sample, you play as the newest member of the Highland Council, and your efforts made peace with the Lowlanders.  So it's a follow-up to the final ending I posted.


The quest is to find a new source of tyranium crystals, which are necessary to move around the Black Slopes.  And Eva the intelligent plant or her descendants may be hostile. . .


But I won't cover Volcano of Fire for a little while.  There will be a different book instead. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive in a Dystopia? Part 1


"THWIP!  Your arrow whizzes through the air before striking a tree.  Pinned to the tree is a large squirrel-the first animal you've caught in weeks". 


Did this book just rip off directly from the hunting scenes at the beginning of The Hunger Games?  Whatever the case, I will have something more than just canned beans to eat.  But I only have 2 arrows left.  (My character must not be a fletcher.)


More good news comes when I find rabbits in my traps.  I head back to my cabin because it's sunset, and it seems to be to the east because I'm keeping the sun behind me.  I didn't build the cabin; I found it after traveling over 50 miles.  Bad news follows when I notice 3 "rugged-looking men" in the entrance.  Their names are Raven, Wolf, and Bulldog, and they're a gang known as the Stalkers.  They're stealing all my canned food, and they have hatchet and a gun.


Bulldog must be going for a kind of Cockney accent or something.  "Whatta find!' the short man exclaims, digging his head into one of the sacks.  'This is the bigges' haul we've come 'cross since that group we robbed las' month".


There's no way I can take them on in a direct fight, especially with only 2 arrows.  CHOICE #1 is to "follow the Stalkers", or "stay hidden until the stalkers leave".  
 

I wait until the Stalkers leave, and then go in the opposite direction from them.  When I try to make a fire before sunset, I hear the scream of a woman being attacked by a "tough-looking man".  He's grabbing her shirt, and he seems to want a "rusty shopping cart full of supplies" nearby. 


CHOICE #2 is to sneak and try to subdue him, or talk to him.  Chances are shooting arrows doesn't count as "subdue" in this context.


I yell "Hey!  Let her go!" while waving my hands.  The man reveals he has a knife and "sneers" before saying "I don't take kindly to strangers".  I try to bluff him by saying that a blue house nearby has supplies, and he can help fortify the location.  He doesn't believe me at first, but is then convinced.  The woman takes the opportunity to hit him in the stomach with her elbow and grab the knife once he drops it.


Her name is Andi and says "When it comes to survival, people are animals".  She knows the blue house has nothing, and instead takes me to the back door of another house.  She uses her secret knock, and tells Jason I saved her life.  Jason accepts me because of this, and offers CHOICE #3.  I can either stay at this brick house to rest, or forage for supplies with Jason and some other people.


Jason says the local supermarket has a "fully supplied stockroom", even though this should be the first place people would loot in a post-apocalypse story like this.  There's a vending machine in front of the stockroom to prevent others from ransacking the area first.  Jason warns me about "Echoes", which he doesn't bother to identify.  Curt, Hanne, and Andrew will gather supplies while Jason and I act as guards.  The situation becomes dangerous when the Stalkers come out from behind a car.  Raven points a gun at Jason, while Wolf is grappling me.


Raven taunts "What are you doing out so late at night?" before presenting CHOICE #4:  stay quiet, or tell them about the supermarket supplies.


Telling the Stalkers about the supplies gives me the CANONICAL ENDING.


"We just showed up to get food and supplies', you say quickly.  'If you let us live, we'll show you where we're hiding the goods.'  Jason glares at you angrily as Raven chuckles.  'We've searched this place before and haven't found anything', he scoffs.  'But by all means, lead the way.'  Wolf jabs a gun into your back, and you march through the broken window with Raven, Bulldog, and Jason close behind.  As you near the middle of the store, you purposely slip on a smashed bag of potato chips.  You hit the ground hard and let out a painful yell.


'Geez, kid, watch where yer goin'!'  says Bulldog.  'On yer feet!'  You use the empty shelf to haul yourself up and continue toward the stockroom.  You feel a stab of dread when you see the soda machine pushed aside, exposing the stockroom.  You hope your yell gave the others enough time to hide.  'In there', you say, pointing to the stockroom door.  'Bulldog, check it out', commands Raven.


Bulldog kicks in the stockroom door with his shotgun raised.  The gun falls to his side when he sees the massive amount of food, water, and supplies.  'Raven, we hit the jackpot!'  he squeals happily.  'Too bad you won't get any of it', says Curt as he points his gun at Raven.  Hanne disarms Wolf, and Andrew walks toward Bulldog, aiming down the sight of his gun.  Bulldog drops his weapon disgustedly.


'Thanks for the heads up, kid', says Ramon.  'You gave us enough time to flank you guys.  Jason, I think we have a valuable addition to our group.'  You smile as Jason nods in agreement."


I've earned my place in a small group of heavily armed looters and defeated the designated antagonist looters.  Not bad for a lawless post-apocalyptic world.  The book insists on calling it a "dystopia", even if the term doesn't fit .  Dystopias are the evil equivalent of utopias, and don't necessarily require a technological collapse!


1 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings