A new choose your own adventure ebook by Rudolf Kerkhoven & Daniel Pitts.
Scroll down for cheats…
33% Sample Available at Smashwords
Mr. Leroy Sturlubok—a high-strung, loose cannon, take-no-prisoners kind of guy—has recently risen to the lofty echelons of society. He’s become a public elementary school vice principal. But when it seems that someone has broken through the defenses of his beloved workplace, a single decision leads to a labyrinthine world of possibilities.
Will he solve the mystery of his predecessor’s sudden (although beneficial) demise? Will he foil a terrorist plot from the afterlife? Will he team up with a telepathic elderly Japanese man who looks strangely similar to Sulu from the original Star Trek? Will he allow Tony Danza to film his new reality television show in his school? Will he find out just who the hell is taking all the damn photocopy paper? Will he return to his native Norway and lead a life fit for the mighty Norse god Odin, himself? Will he start a new life among those rude and wretched Canadians? Or will he learn the insidious secret about his ex-wife’s French fiancé, Andre Cartier? The choice, as always, is up to you: the reader.
With more than 100 choices, 46 different endings, as well as dozens of hyperlinked footnotes, The Redemption of Mr. Sturlubok contains enough twists and surprises to keep even the most hyperactive adult entertained. You won’t be able to help yourself from smiling—like a Kindergarten class during flu season, The Redemption of Mr. Sturlubok is infectious.
A note from the authors:
Rudolf Kerkhoven and Daniel Pitts have more than 20 years of teaching experience between the two of them. The Redemption of Mr. Sturlubok does not in any way reflect anything they have learned or witnessed.
REVIEWS:
Coming across this book was a bit of a blast from the past, I haven’t read a Choose Your Own Ending book since I was in my tweens. Not adverse to a bit of nostalgia I thought I’d give it a go.
Leroy Sturlubok is the (acting) Vice Principal at a public elementary school. He has very lofty opinions of himself, not necessarily shared by other members of staff or his acquaintances. The blurb says the book offers 100 different choices and 46 possible endings to his story. I went through the book about 5 times and found him working on a reality TV show with Tony Danza (another blast from the past), teaming up with a telepathic elderly Japanese man to foil a crime, and destroying the life of a beautiful young woman, among other plots and subplots. The choices allowed me to basically make him a real pain in the proverbial or make him slightly less so, he really isn’t much of a sympathetic character.
The navigation was easy and I have to say the best way to describe it was fun. I stumbled across hints of other plots more than once and can see myself going back to it in future to see where different choices take me.
The downside to this book was that the narrative in between each choice was pretty short, and it felt a bit too fast paced with little opportunity to set the scenes. Even completing 4 or 5 stories didn’t take me very long, the work of an evening. I appreciate that to fully develop each plot with so many going on would result in an enormous tome but a little more in the way of description would have been nice.
I don’t think I’ll make choose your own ending books a regular event but I did have fun with this book.
The Redemption of Mr. Sturlubok is the second choose your own adventure ebook by Kerkhoven and Pitts; I previously reviewed their other title and found it fun, but a bit on the farcical side. This new entry is more of the same, but the farce is a little more credible this time. Mr. Sturlobok is a school principal, and his position of authority relative to the janitor of the previous book is more credible a comic hero-slash-villain. I also work in a school myself, so I found some of the school-related details resonating with me more than they might have otherwise.
A book like this is not read for its literary merit. The authors are witty and the book is a lot of fun, but this is definitely a book-toy, and if you understand that going in, you’ll definitely enjoy it more. It’s like those people who panned the live-action Scooby Do movies because they tried to evaluate them as serious films instead of the screen candy they were intended to be. If you want a serious film, don’t watch Scooby Do. If you want a serious book, look elsewhere.
An interactive story like this must be a huge amount of work to put together. The authors were careful, and I caught no mistakes. To be careful and to make it fun to boot is no small feat. If you are in the mood for some light, comic book-play, this is the title for you. One complaint: I had to double-check the spelling on the title several times int he process of downloading, reviewing and bookmarking this title. A small complaint, but even so 
4 out of 5 stars.
– E-Finds: Books, Music & Video (9/05/2011)
CHEATS:
Each week, I’ll update a new cheat leading you swiftly towards one of my favourite sections. That is until I’ve exhausted all of my favourite sections and all that remains are mundane deaths in cornfields.
#1: Leroy realizes his true calling in prison
-discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-ignore the problem altogether and move along with daily business
-admit what happened
-ignore the comment and let it go
-play it cool like you’re truly innocent and visit Raj in the hospital
-get the hell out of the hospital as quickly as possible
-fire Latisha and represent himself at the trial
-choose the Morman gang
#2: Leroy competes on a rip-off of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
-discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-ignore the problem altogether
-create a distraction — pull the fire alarm
-forget about this and return to your office
-leave the tire iron and go for an invigorating jog
-call up Andre to arrange a meeting…
From there, you can probably figure out the correct answers…
#3: Leroy discovers the true nature of those damn Canadians
-Break into the office to see if anyone is out of sight
-Dress up and go to the bar…
-Ignore your crotch and call a cab
-Treat this as a holiday and ask someone what tourist attractions should be visited
-Call Lily after all
#4: Leroy becomes a ghost
-Walk into the office to see if anyone is out of sight
-Dress up and go to the bar
-Drive anyhow
-Attempt to overdose on stolen medication
-Click The End…
#5: Leroy meets Whatley Tupper
-Discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-Call the union
-Tell the producers you want to participate
-Encourage Tony Danza to drink more in hopes of sabotaging his first day…
From here, there are a few options with my old friend, Whatley.
#6: Leroy goes to London to become Sturlock Holmes
-Walk into the office to see if anyone is out of sight
-Dress up and go out to a bar in hopes of meeting the next Mrs. Sturlubok
-Drive home anyhow, seeing as you haven’t gotten into an accident before
-Attempt to escape the building and jump off the overpass
-Return to the school to face the staff
-(this next choice doesn’t matter)
From here, you’re on your way. There are numerous choices here, including a chance to meet Julian Assange, as well.
#7: Leroy meets Odin, King of the Gods:
-Discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-Ignore the problem altogether and get on with your daily business
-Pull the fire alarm
-Look inside the boiler room
-(this next choice doesn’t matter)
-Give in to Susan’s advances…
-Heed Asmund’s advice and visit Oslo
-Let it go and eat some pastries
-(this last choice doesn’t matter)
This is the ‘ending’ when Leroy meets all the characters in the book. But he’s an asshole so he doesn’t deserve the happiest of endings.
#8: Leroy realizes his true calling as a bus driver
- Walk into the office to see if anyone is out of sight
-Be sensible, BBQ a steak, and go to bed early
-(the next choice doesn’t matter)
-Wait for the bus
#9: Leroy allows Tony Danza to start filming his new reality television show at the school
-Discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-Call the union to seek only slightly biased advice
-Tell the school you want to participate
#10: Black light is defeated thanks to a scalding Hot Pocket
-Discover the cause of the lockdown on your own
-Ignore the problem and carry on with your daily business
-Pull the fire alarm
-Forget about the incident and return to the office
-Leave the tire iron in your car and instead go for a jog
-Break into Andre and Cindy’s house in hope of learning more
-Escape through the back patio door
-Accept the invitation and stay for dinner
-Rutger should give the gun to Andre
#11: Leroy realizes his true calling as the principal of Dr. Louis Feiser Elementary School
-Walk into the office to see if anyone is out of sight
-BBQ that steak and go to bed early
-(the next choice doesn’t matter)
-Wheel George across town on your own
-Swallow your pride and apologize to Richard’s ghost
From here, it doesn’t matter.
<- click!
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<– click!
That is a frickin’ hilarious trailer!
Tara Maya
The Unfinished Song: Initiate
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I’ve played through most, if not all, of the endings in this book. Odin has restarted things back to the beginning. Is there actually any hope for Sturlubok?
Not really much hope. He’s an asshole. He usually gets what he deserves. He does find happiness a few times, in Canada, when he becomes principal. And he wins $1 000 000 dollars–that’s a pretty happy ending.
I guess overall, it is pretty dark. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’m a dark person. Or maybe it’s Daniel? I’ll blame him.