Consider the Consequences!
{{Short description|1930 American interactive romantic novel}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Consider the Consequences!
| image = File:Consider_the_Consequences!_-1930_-_book_jacket.png
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| alt = Features a drawing of a woman standing on a giant chessboard; the five playing pieces depict two different men (one standing, one kneeling to propose marriage), children, a house and a bag of money.
| caption = dust jacket of the original hardback edition
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| country = United States
| subject =
| genre = Romance
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| publisher = The Century Company
| pub_date = {{Start date|1930}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
Consider the Consequences!{{efn|The title page has Consider the Consequences!, with an exclamation mark, but its original dust jacket (pictured) has none.}} (published 1930) is a romantic novel in the form of an interactive novel or gamebook{{efn|A gamebook, or "choose your own adventure", is a story in which readers choose which of various alternate paths the plot should follow.}} by the American writing partnership{{efn|For a list of their collaborative works see {{Section link|Mary Alden Hopkins|With Doris Webster}}.}} of {{ill|Doris Webster|qid=Q108394009}} (1885–1967{{cite web |title=Uncle James' Shoes |url=https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchType=7&searchId=3699&maxResultsPerPage=25&recCount=25&recPointer=0&resultPointer=1&headingId=33204493 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=4 September 2021}}) and Mary Alden Hopkins (1876–1960{{cite web |title=13329101 |url=https://viaf.org/viaf/13329101/ |website=viaf.org |access-date=3 September 2021}}).{{Cite web|url=https://rubensteinlibrary.tumblr.com/post/165617259862/consider-the-consequences-by-doris-webster-and|title=Rubenstein Library| publisher=Duke University |date=September 22, 2017}} It is the earliest known gamebook, and has 43 different endings.{{cite web |last1=Katz |first1=Demian |title=Item - Consider the Consequences - Demian's Gamebook Web Page |url=https://gamebooks.org/Item/11406/Show |website=gamebooks.org |access-date=3 September 2021}}
Publication
The 146-page hardback was published by The Century Company in the United States, priced $1.50.{{cite q|Q108393767 |page=dustjacket}}
The book's central characters are Helen Rogers and her two male suitors, Jed Harringdale and Saunders Mead. The reader's first decision is which of the three characters' viewpoints to adopt.
The book was favorably reviewed, among others, in The Tampa Times,{{cite news |title=Consider the Consequences. |work=The Tampa Times |date=October 10, 1930 |page=2 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/333514843/ |url-access=subscription}} the Santa Ana Register (who called it "a freak book"),{{cite news |title=Consider the Consequences |work=Santa Ana Register |date=November 28, 1930 |page=41 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/72388277/ |url-access=subscription}} the Detroit Free Press,{{cite news |title=Interesting books |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/98278045/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=October 3, 1930 |page=15 |url-access=subscription}} The San Francisco Examiner,{{cite news |title=Tale Can End as Reader Wants It |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/457837458/ |work=The San Francisco Examiner |date=September 21, 1930 |page=54 |url-access=subscription}} and The Salt Lake Tribune.{{cite news |title=Webster-Hopkins Combine Takes Prize for Originality |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/598665673/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=October 19, 1930 |page=58 |url-access=subscription}}
Legacy
On July 6, 2018 the book was read on air on KZSC radio in Santa Cruz, USA, by James Ryan, who has researched the book and its authors, and his wife Nina, with choices made by the station's listeners.{{cite AV media
| people = Bennett Williamson, James Ryan and Nina Ryan
| date = July 6, 2018
| title = Audience Adventure Radio Hour - Consider the Consequences (2018.7.6)
| medium = radio
| url = http://streaming.kzsc.org/
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210903123532/http://streaming.kzsc.org/
| archive-date = September 3, 2021
| format =
| time =
| location =
| publisher = KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1FM
| access-date = September 3, 2021
| url-status = bot: unknown
A copy was made available on the Internet Archive in August 2023.{{cite web |author=jjsonick |title=1930's Consider the Consequences!, the First Book to Offer a Choice-Based Branching Narrative |url=https://intfiction.org/t/1930-s-consider-the-consequences-the-first-book-to-offer-a-choice-based-branching-narrative/64048 |website=The Interactive Fiction Community Forum |access-date=4 September 2023 |language=en |date=28 August 2023}}{{cite web |title=Consider The Consequences 1930 |url=https://archive.org/details/consider-the-consequences-1930/ |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=4 September 2023 |date=1930}}
In October 2023, the game was ported to TWINE and made available for online play at itch.io{{Cite web |title=Consider the Consequences by geetheriot |url=https://geetheriot.itch.io/consider-the-consequences |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=itch.io |language=en}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
= Further reading =
- {{cite web |last1=Zackwehdex |first1=Siderite |title=Consider the Consequences!, by Doris Webster and Mary Alden Hopkins |url=https://siderite.dev/blog/consider-consequences-by-doris-webster-and-mary-al/ |website=siderite.dev |date=January 2, 2021}}
External links
- {{Internet Archive|consider-the-consequences-1930|Consider the Consequences!}}
- {{YouTube|SWCu6PnK5ls|James and Nina Ryan's reading}}