The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #17: Books That Influenced The Thirteenth Hour

Originally published December 7, 2015

This episode talks about literary influences to The Thirteenth Hour, partly based on a post which can be found here:

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/influences-behind-the-thirteenth-hour-part-1-books/

I also refer to the TSR Endless Quest series of gamebooks, similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books of the time.

Image courtesy of Elfsteaks and Halfling Bacon

Here is a link on Goodreads to the historical gothic romance adventure books written by Madeline Brent, pseudonym for author and comic book written Peter O'Donnell.  He was creating great independent female characters before it was as trendy to do so as it is now.

“When You don't know what to do, just do whatever comes next and go from there.”
― Madeleine Brent, Moonraker's Bride

Although not mentioned in the podcast, another book that I remember enjoying in grade school that is somewhat similar to books like The Neverending Story (but written for a somewhat younger audience) is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Episode 18 will talk more about comic books and illustrations.

Thanks for listening!

More about The Thirteenth Hour⁠

An impossible quest to the ends of the world. An unlikely hero. And ... a little magic.

If an optimist sees opportunity even in disaster, then Logan, the sole surviving member of an ill-fated military expedition to the ends of the world, is most definitely an optimist. You’d have to be to continue on without supplies, ship, or crew. But to someone who’s daydreamed of seeing the world since childhood, perhaps disaster actually hides freedom. And, besides, who ever said adventures were supposed to be easy?

Of course, every hero on a “desperate quest against incredible odds” can use a little help. Enter Aurora, Logan’s best friend from childhood, whose fate collides serendipitously with his, a magic collapsible hover board, three bumbling wizards, and the elemental forces from the lands of wind, water, fire, earth, and dreams.

These characters and many more collide in an illustrated fairy tale fantasy inspired by enough 1980s fantasy, scifi, and teen movies that an original retro 80s synthesizer soundtrack, Long Ago Not So Far Away, was created to accompany the novel.

Enter a whimsical world of what reviewers called “creative, fast paced adventure” best “described as a fairy tale for anyone who grew up on old school fantasy movies in the 80s.”

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• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY