The Book of Living Magic

A spiritual successor of sorts to the author's earlier The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge, the two games share much as whimsical explorations through detailed and childishly-illustrated fantasy environments. The somewhat sinister aspects of the earlier game are pushed much further into the background here, the game instead primarily concerning itself with protagonist Raven Locks Smith and her pursuit of the titular Book of Living Magic, a wondrous tome of Jorge Luis Borges or Michael Ende potential. Why quest for this book? Why, to escape the creeping mundanity having already subsumed Raven Locks' parents, growing slightly more status quo every day as the village of Dull's pre-eminent motivational speakers to the footwear industry.

Leaving Dull behind, the player will direct Raven Locks' journeys through the hamlet of Oddness Standing, where she will learn from its bottled mayor Stanfred Gembottom the gnarf (half gnome, half dwarf) that the book she is seeking can be found in the Temple of Gloop, supposing she can make her way through the forest of eyeballs, the lake of blood, the Wood of the Monsterbeast, and the lair of the evil Dr. McSelfish. But not all things are as they seem, even seemingly unfriendly obstacles, and with some to-ing and fro-ing (and much conversation) the goal is handily within reach.