Endless Quest


The Endless Quest books were three series of gamebooks. The first one was released in the eighties by TSR, while the following two were released by Wizards of the Coast. Originally, these books were the result of an Educational department established by TSR to develop curriculum programs for reading, math, history, and problem solving.
The first series of 36 books was released from 1982 to 1987, the second series of 13 from 1994 to 1996.
These were respectively the first and last gamebooks released by TSR. A short spin-off series of 4 Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures books were also released during 1985. There were also several series of similar books that did not bear the Endless Quest name.
The mechanics of these books involved simple choices in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books, rather than the game-like randomized elements of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. However, the stories and characters in an Endless Quest book, while not necessarily more complex than in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, are often more fully developed because the Endless Quest books are much longer. For example, the character referred to as "you" in the text almost always has a name, gender, and backstory. The result is that the books in the Endless Quest series resemble miniature novels with many different endings.
The majority of the books in the series were based on Dungeons & Dragons, but some were based on other TSR games or even licensed properties.
Mirrorstone, a division of Wizards of the Coast that publishes fantasy fiction for children and teens, began republishing the Endless Quest series in January 2008. The first book in the series is a revision of Claw of the Dragon. They have updated the book, including making it gender neutral so it can be enjoyed by both boys and girls, and plan to update and publish more of the D&D books pending the success of this first title.

Endless Quest: Series One

Collectors' sets

  1. contains Books 1–4,
  2. contains Books 5–8,
  3. contains Books 9–12,
  4. contains Books 13–16,

    Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures

TSR also released a spin-off series of four Endless Quest: Crimson Crystal Adventures books during 1985. These books add a small twist in the form of a clear sheet of red plastic that comes stapled to the inside. This plastic piece is removed and then overlaid on top of certain portions of the book to reveal hidden images.
#TitleSettingAuthorPublishedCover artInterior artISBN
1Riddle of the GriffonD&DSusan Lawson March, 1985Keith ParkinsonMario D. Macari, Jr.
Gary Williams
2Search for the PegasusD&DRoger E. MooreMarch, 1985Clyde CaldwellMario D. Macari, Jr.
Gary Williams
3Renegades of LuntarGeneric Sci-FiRoger E. MooreJune, 1985Keith ParkinsonMario D. Macari, Jr.
4Stop that Witch!D&DMary ClarkSeptember, 1985Larry ElmoreMario D. Macari, Jr.

Endless Quest: Series Two

The second series differed from the first in several ways: they were printed in smaller type, the section numbers were independent of the page numbers, they were based on different original games, and they were not officially numbered.
#TitleSettingAuthorPublishedCover artInterior artISBN
37Dungeon of FearDragon StrikeMichael Andrews1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
38Castle of the UndeadAD&D RavenloftNick Baron1994Clyde CaldwellTerry Dykstra
39Secret of the DjinnAD&D Al-QadimJean Rabe1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
40The Siege of the TowerAD&D GreyhawkKem Antillies1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
41A Wild RideWildspaceLouis Anderson1994Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
42Forest of DarknessDragon StrikeMichael Andrews Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
43American KnightsGamma WorldNick Pollotta1995Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
44Night of the TigerAD&D RavenloftJean Rabe1995Roger LovelessTerry Dykstra
45Galactic ChallengeAmazing EngineAllen Varney1995Dennis KauthTerry Dykstra
46Bigby's CurseAD&D GreyhawkAnne K. Brown1995Jeff EasleyTerry Dykstra
47The 24-Hour WarGamma WorldNick Pollotta1995Keith ParkinsonTerry Dykstra
48The Test*AD&D GreyhawkWes Nicholson1996
49Sands of Deception*AD&D Al-QadimJean Rabe1996

* These were never released. The Test was written, turned in, and ready to print, but dropped at the last minute. Sands of Deception was written, but dropped as well.

Endless Quest (2018-9)

These books were all written by Matt Forbeck. Each one is loosely based on a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign.
TitleModulePublishedISBN
Escape the UnderdarkOut of the Abyss2018
Big TroubleStorm King's Thunder2018
Into the JungleTomb of Annihilation2018
To Catch a Thief2018
Escape from Castle RavenloftCurse of Strahd2019
The Mad Mage's Academy2019

Related series

The related Super Endless Quest series changed its name to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks starting with the fourth book; these books added a more complex game system to stories that otherwise share the same style with the Endless Quest books. A bookmark-style insert was provided with simple Dungeons & Dragons statistics for the book's main character, and a dice-rolling mechanic was added for determining the character's fate within the story.
The Fantasy Forest series of gamebooks is quite similar to the Endless Quest books, but it is aimed at a somewhat younger audience.
Other similar series from TSR included HeartQuest, Catacombs Solo Quest, and 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks that were each a pair of books for two players/readers.
TSR also used the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks format for books tied into their Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game, published as single-character Adventure Gamebooks, and later as 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks, and featuring licensed Marvel Comics characters.

Reception

The first four Endless Quest books were reviewed by Marcus Rowland in White Dwarf #39. Rowland rated Pillars of Pentegarn as 5 out of 10, Mountain of Mirrors as 4 out of 10, Dungeon of Dread as 6 out of 10, and Return to Brookmere as 7 out of 10. Rowland also reviewed the next two books in the series, giving both Revolt of the Dwarves and Revenge of the Rainbow Dragons 5 out of 10.