I just read this book for the first time, and this felt so much like a Casefile, not a regular book in the series. Can anyone explain? This felt so much like Dead on Target, but not at the same time.
https://www.hardyboyscasefiles.com/forums/index.php?topic=3018.msg78010#msg78010
You might want to check this out. However the Stratemeyer Syndicate has been slowly changing the type of story told in the Mystery Stories in the late-70's/early-80's. #74 "Tic-Tac-Terror" had the Hardy's yellow convertible blown up by terrorists, something that would reappear in the Casefiles.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on September 23, 2024, 04:18:58 PMhttps://www.hardyboyscasefiles.com/forums/index.php?topic=3018.msg78010#msg78010
You might want to check this out. However the Stratemeyer Syndicate has been slowly changing the type of story told in the Mystery Stories in the late-70's/early-80's. #74 "Tic-Tac-Terror" had the Hardy's yellow convertible blown up by terrorists, something that would reappear in the Casefiles.
#86 The Mystery of the Silver Star is another one, right? Were those all written by the same person?
Quote from: MysteryFan89 on September 23, 2024, 04:39:57 PM#86 The Mystery of the Silver Star is another one, right? Were those all written by the same person?
No.
The Mystery of the Silver Star is a completely different book from the #86 in S&S's warehouse.
As for the authors, both authors for Desert Phantom and Silver Star are unknown. Neal Barret, Jr wrote "The Skyfire Puzzle" and "The Swamp Monster". He might have written "Sky Sabotage" because "Skyfire Puzzle" uses characters and locations from that book, however the author of "Sky Sabotage" is unknown.
Barret also wrote "Ark Two" and "The Invisible Force" in the Wanderer Tom Swift series.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on September 24, 2024, 03:01:54 PMNo. The Mystery of the Silver Star is a completely different book from the #86 in S&S's warehouse.
As for the authors, both authors for Desert Phantom and Silver Star are unknown. Neal Barret, Jr wrote "The Skyfire Puzzle" and "The Swamp Monster". He might have written "Sky Sabotage" because "Skyfire Puzzle" uses characters and locations from that book, however the author of "Sky Sabotage" is unknown.
Barret also wrote "Ark Two" and "The Invisible Force" in the Wanderer Tom Swift series.
Those books seem very much like the Casefiles, but they didn't actually make into the Casefile series?
Quote from: MysteryFan89 on September 24, 2024, 03:09:22 PMThose books seem very much like the Casefiles, but they didn't actually make into the Casefile series?
Desert Phantom and Skyfire appeared two years before Dead On Target appeared. Just before Simon & Schuster bought the Stratemeyer Syndicate was already making plans for the Nancy Drew Files. But even in the Nancy Drew line Simon & Schuster released two pilot books before the Nancy Drew Files debuted (The Eskimo's Secret & The Phantom of Venice both have more romance in them), because with both series the plan was to make them more teen oriented than they had been. But even back when Harriet Stratemeyer Adams was alive, they had been testing the waters with other pilots. However with the four 1985 pilots, they all feature inconsistencies with the Files & Casefiles. One example is the Hardy's van. In Desert Phantom Chief Collig give the Hardy's an old police van for solving the case. In the Casefiles, the van doesn't debut until #3 Cult of Crime where it is mentioned that the Bayport Mall Association bought the van for the Hardy's because of the destruction of their second yellow sedan. Also in Desert Phantom and Skyfire Iola is alive, whereas she's killed in Dead On Target.
Skyfire Puzzle is quite different from the casefiles in the way that Chet takes a very active role (I don't remember this ever being the situation in the casefiles, even in the chop shop one where he's a central character (can't remember name)), and it kinda seems like all three boys (young men) are active partners in Fenton's practice.
Chet has a larger role in some Casefiles but yeah- probably not to the extent he does in this book. (The Casefiles title you were thinking of is Running on Empty, by the way.)
Quote from: MacGyver on September 29, 2024, 04:12:10 PMChet has a larger role in some Casefiles but yeah- probably not to the extent he does in this book. (The Casefiles title you were thinking of is Running on Empty, by the way.)
It's funny, but shortly after I made that statement about Chet in the casefiles, I read
The Last Laugh, which has him playing an important role, basically as a third Hardy brother.
Quote from: CalvinKnox on October 02, 2024, 10:48:29 PMIt's funny, but shortly after I made that statement about Chet in the casefiles, I read The Last Laugh, which has him playing an important role, basically as a third Hardy brother.
Yeah- that's a great example. As a comic book fan, I love that book!
Quote from: CalvinKnox on September 28, 2024, 06:54:32 PMSkyfire Puzzle is quite different from the casefiles in the way that Chet takes a very active role (I don't remember this ever being the situation in the casefiles, even in the chop shop one where he's a central character (can't remember name)), and it kinda seems like all three boys (young men) are active partners in Fenton's practice.
Are you thinking of Highway Robbery or was there another chop shop one?
Quote from: tomswift2002 on September 24, 2024, 06:49:48 PM(The Eskimo's Secret & The Phantom of Venice both have more romance in them)
Mild correction: the two pilot books were The Bluebeard Room and Phantom of Venice, the Eskimo's Secret does have some fileish elements (and is even a Files book in the French series), and it could be one of the pilot books, but the other two were way more romance focused.
Quote from: Bigfootman on November 08, 2024, 06:30:22 PMMild correction: the two pilot books were The Bluebeard Room and Phantom of Venice, the Eskimo's Secret does have some fileish elements (and is even a Files book in the French series), and it could be one of the pilot books, but the other two were way more romance focused.
Both of those as PC Games were so much better.
Quote from: MysteryFan89 on March 21, 2025, 01:51:43 PMBoth of those as PC Games were so much better.
The Bluebeard Room was one of the worst Nancy Drew books I read, ("I'm not your groupie, Lance!") I did enjoy the Curse of Blackmoor Manor a lot more, though I never finished it.
Quote from: Bigfootman on March 21, 2025, 02:54:02 PMThe Bluebeard Room was one of the worst Nancy Drew books I read, ("I'm not your groupie, Lance!") I did enjoy the Curse of Blackmoor Manor a lot more, though I never finished it.
That book is based off of that game. Never knew, it's so different, and way better.
Quote from: MysteryFan89 on March 21, 2025, 10:11:06 PMThat book is based off of that game. Never knew, it's so different, and way better.
It's other way around, the game is based off the book.
I'm kind of surprised that with the games they never released physical versions where the book was included in the packaging.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on March 22, 2025, 07:37:18 PMI'm kind of surprised that with the games they never released physical versions where the book was included in the packaging.
I have seen at least one Nancy Drew PC game packaged with a physical copy of one of the Nancy Drew books. (I don't remember which one right now.) But I do know it was a thing.
Quote from: Bigfootman on March 22, 2025, 04:47:06 PMIt's other way around, the game is based off the book.
Written way before the game. And Nancy and Ned (mentioned anyway) were together in both games, but not in the books.
Quote from: MacGyver on March 22, 2025, 07:39:00 PMI have seen at least one Nancy Drew PC game packaged with a physical copy of one of the Nancy Drew books. (I don't remember which one right now.) But I do know it was a thing.
Unfortunately, when the game series launched, a lot of the titles adapted were "Nancy Drew Files", which had been cancelled a year before. So the stock on those books might've been non-existent. But still it's funny how the games used stories that had been discontinued.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on March 23, 2025, 09:18:44 AMUnfortunately, when the game series launched, a lot of the titles adapted were "Nancy Drew Files", which had been cancelled a year before. So the stock on those books might've been non-existent. But still it's funny how the games used stories that had been discontinued.
I sadly have no proof, and it might be a case of the Mandala effect, but I remember seeing a bundle for The Final Scene that came with a new version of the book. It had a digest like cover (resembling the Digest cover style from #129-159) that Nancy spying on some people in fancy costumes. I saw it once on Amazon or Google images then never again.
The bundle MacGyver saw I believe came with "The Case of the lost Song" (despite it not inspiring any games)
Quote from: tomswift2002 on March 23, 2025, 09:18:44 AMUnfortunately, when the game series launched, a lot of the titles adapted were "Nancy Drew Files", which had been cancelled a year before. So the stock on those books might've been non-existent. But still it's funny how the games used stories that had been discontinued.
What stories have been discontinued that are in the games?
Quote from: Bigfootman on March 23, 2025, 06:58:50 PMI sadly have no proof, and it might be a case of the Mandala effect, but I remember seeing a bundle for The Final Scene that came with a new version of the book. It had a digest like cover (resembling the Digest cover style from #129-159) that Nancy spying on some people in fancy costumes. I saw it once on Amazon or Google images then never again.
The bundle MacGyver saw I believe came with "The Case of the lost Song" (despite it not inspiring any games)
That may be right. It was definitely one of the Digests- not the Files.
https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2021/08/The-3D-Adventures-of-Nancy-Drew-Secret-of-the-Scarlet-Hand-1-300x237.jpg
I was wrong, did a quick Google search and found the bundle MacGyver was talking about.
Edit:
https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Final-Bundle-Mystery-Windows/dp/B00005NECH
I spoke too soon, there was two bundles
Quote from: MysteryFan89 on March 23, 2025, 07:48:58 PMWhat stories have been discontinued that are in the games?
"The Final Scene" from 2001 was based on 1989 Files #38 "The Final Scene" (so the box set that was released with "The Case of the Lost Song" is odd, and make zero sense to include).
"Secrets Can Kill" (both the 1998 and 2010 version) are based on the first Files book from 1986.
"Mystery of the Seven Keys" (2024) is based on the 1993 Files #83 "Diamond Deceit"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nancy_Drew_video_games
You can see every book that inspired a game here. Pretty much every Files and Supermystery book was discontinued by the time their game came out. Most of the digests under 100 were as well.
Interestingly, both of the Pilot books for the Files got made into games.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on March 24, 2025, 12:47:30 PM"The Final Scene" from 2001 was based on 1989 Files #38 "The Final Scene" (so the box set that was released with "The Case of the Lost Song" is odd, and make zero sense to include).
It's possible that if I wasn't mistaken that they were planning on putting the Final Scene book with the game. (I can tell you that what I saw looked nothing like the book they ended up including) But S&S wanted to promote the digests instead of a series that already ended. It's probably the same with the Secret of the Scarlet Hand bundle.
It is funny the Final Scene bundle mentions the book included being First Edition, like any kid buying the game would actually care.
Edit:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nZMAAOSwsH1m8cEl/s-l1600.jpg
And here's another bundle with a book not connected to the game.
Quote from: Bigfootman on March 24, 2025, 12:57:09 PMhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nancy_Drew_video_games
You can see every book that inspired a game here. Pretty much every Files and Supermystery book was discontinued by the time their game came out. Most of the digests under 100 were as well.
Interestingly, both of the Pilot books for the Files got made into games.
It's possible that if I wasn't mistaken that they were planning on putting the Final Scene book with the game. (I can tell you that what I saw looked nothing like the book they ended up including) But S&S wanted to promote the digests instead of a series that already ended. It's probably the same with the Secret of the Scarlet Hand bundle.
It is funny the Final Scene bundle mentions the book included being First Edition, like any kid buying the game would actually care.
Edit:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nZMAAOSwsH1m8cEl/s-l1600.jpg
And here's another bundle with a book not connected to the game.
I found a box set for Nancy's 75th anniversary (2005?) that bundled the first 5 games together and came with a "Girl Detective" book that, as far as I could tell, did not tie into anything in the games!
Of course it's funny how "The Secret of Red Gate Farm" and "The Secret of the Old Clock", from what I've seen, never got bundled with any of the first five books even though those were in print, and I believe the games were released when Applewood still had the original texts still in print.
Quotehttps://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2021/08/The-3D-Adventures-of-Nancy-Drew-Secret-of-the-Scarlet-Hand-1-300x237.jpg
I was wrong, did a quick Google search and found the bundle MacGyver was talking about.
Yep- that's the one I found some time ago.