The first Choose Your Own Adventure in space
This was number four in the series and the first Choose Your Own Adventure that is set in space (at least when it came to the first series because I believe at a later date they renumbered the books). I do remember having this one but it was such a long time since I disposed of my collection that I can remember very little of it. In a way it seems to be pure science-fiction, set in a distant future where you visit multiple habited planets across numerous galaxies. From what I gather from reading the various commentaries is that these books don't generally have a single story arc, nor do they have a single ending in which you can say that you have completed the book. This is unlike some others that I have read where there is one true path, or at least one particular ending to say that you have completed it. In a way it is like they are attempting to bring multiple stories together, and the choices that you make will determine the particular story that you become involved in. This can be confusing though because it thus makes it even more difficult to know whether you are going the right way (if there actually is a right way).
However, I do not think that the Choose Your Own Adventure books were ever meant to be anything more than just a little bit of fun. They were immensely popular, mostly among children, and many of us who experienced these books back when we were children find ourselves drawn back to books like this, even if only for an experience. I have been reading through the Fighting Fantasy series (though I have not been going as far as rolling dice or creating a character) recently. These differ from the Fighting Fantasy books as with the Choose Your Own Adventure books you are simply constructing a story through various choices.
I remember that they even experimented with the concept on television once in a show called 'Let the Blood Run Free'. The first and only season of this show was immensely popular, simply because at the end of every episode, you could ring through and tell the producers which way you wanted the series to go, though I suspect that they already had the episode worked out beforehand (and maybe even filmed) and the choices that the majority would pick probably had little effect upon how the next episode panned out. Obviously this could only be run once, and when they showed it as a repeat, the choice was taken out, and the show flopped. It was an experiment, and fun while it lasted, but it really only had a limited lifespan. Obviously now, with the development of pay-per-view, and internet television, people watch what they want when they want, and the old style of television is slowly becoming obsolete. Further, with the rise of computer games and home computers, the choice can now be made in the same fashion, when you want. Boot up the game, and play from where you last saved – you are the hero in this fantasy world, and the choice that you make will either spell salvation or damnation.
