REVIEW: Crystal of Storms by Rhianna Pratchett

When news broke that the latest installment in the legendary Fighting Fantasy series was going to be written by Rhianna Pratchett, there was quite a buzz. The prospective author was known to have a slew of writing credits including Tomb Raider, Heavenly Sword, Overlord and Mirror's Edge, and her name alone carries the air of creative accomplishment. When the cover for Crystal of Storms was made public, however, that buzz transmuted into something more akin to a collective cry of outrage from old-school Fighting Fantasy fans. It was difficult not to be sympathetic, for the cover art was cute beyond belief, featuring some sort of doe-eyed flying cat, an anxious cloud and a distant levitating island set against a benevolent purple sky. It seemed that Scholastic was bidding a firm farewell to the time-honoured Fighting Fantasy tradition of presenting creatures that look capable of ripping off your face and replacing them with denizens that might just about (if you're very naughty) tickle you to death. But a cover is just a cover, so let's get into the writing itself…