Tell me: what are the most non-linear LW books?

[crimsonstain]

For me, the thing that makes FFTD the best LW book is that it is so non-linear.  There are countless ways to get through that book, and once you get close to the end (within sight of Holmgard), it then give you three very different paths to the finish!  I think it'll always be my favorite for this reason...there's so much novelty every time you play.

Which books would you guys say are the most non-linear?

And which books would you say are the most linear?  Right at the top of that list for me is Prisoners of Time.  I think that book was a missed opportunity by Joe Dever to make something like Book 1, since LW literally falls into an alternate world, lands in the middle of nowhere, and has to find out where a lorestone landed.  He could have written that book with so many different paths for LW to take to get to Vonatar and the lore stone, but there's really only one path to take and not much novelty.

I have only completed the first 12 books, so I'm especially interested if any of the subsequent books fit into this category of being extremely non-linear.

[ntatler76]

Shadow on the Sand Part 1 has loads of options not least of all being captured and exploring the Palace or evading capture and exploring the city. There's more stuff to do in the city.
Part 2 is very linear though

The Jungle of Horrors gives you two completely different ways to get to Tharro. The barge is way more fun.

The Dungeons of Torgar again has two different routes at the beginning, a battle or a manhunt. Again, the manhunt is probably more fun. The worst bit is Torgar itself which involves very little dungeon exploration.

The Captives of Kaag is the most non-linear dungeon crawl, there's a huge amount of exploration involved.

Dawn of the Dragons has some interesting variations.

I couldn't get over how linear The Darke Crusade is. Once you get out of the tomb, it's basically a novel.

[Black Cat]

IMO, book 29 is the most linear: link

Less linear among the regular books is probably book 10 because of the three paths that lead to Torgar (Pirsi, Cetza and the Isle of Ghosts): link

However, book 31 is not written by Joe but it is probably even less linear than book 10 is (outspaced: are you ever going to update the list of flowcharts on your website with the ones from the more recent books? I find them really interesting! ). The extended version of book 1 is also not very linear but since it has 550 sections instead of 350, Joe had more room to create different paths.

[Ofecks]

I'll try my hand at rating them, at least the ones I'm familiar with. Lots of spoilers below. Scale of 1-5, 1 being near-open-world, 5 being a complete railroad:

Book 1 - 1. As OP said, the original did it best. The flowchart is highly girthy.
Book 2 - 5. Whiplash! The quest for the 'Swerd is extremely linear. There are a couple of notable branches (Ragadorn, pre-Port-Bax, Tarnalin), but each read is generally the same.
Book 3 - 2. Ah, that's better. Lots of things to do before getting to the fortress, and a few different paths within. I'd give it a 1 if not for the elaborate walking-dead path at the end: missed potential.
Book 4 - 4. There are a few ways through the mines, but that's about it.
Book 5 - 3. The main fork in part 1 is very interesting, and there's even a couple ways to do them both! The first part of part 2 has some choices, but the rest is extremely linear.
Book 6 - 4. What I wouldn't give for another 200 sections in this one. Having to choose only one side-quest on the way to Varetta, being forced to go to Soren, and having to enter the sewers to win are all sore points.
Book 7 - 2. Lots of ways through the first half. The maze and the ending shrink your choices considerably.
Book 8 - 3. Road versus barge. You can also completely skip Tharro with some non-intuitive actions. There's a few choices in the swamp.
Book 9 - 4. You can explore a bit before you reach the city, but not a whole lot. There are also a few choices within (namely, escaping prison if you end up there), but I'm not sure the senate vote branch counts because it's RNG and not a choice. The cauldron and ensuing battle are really linear.
Book 10 - 3. A really varied adventure, at least before you get to Torgar, which holds it back significantly.
Book 11 - 5. A very long, thin flowchart. Boo!
Book 12 - 5. And another one! The only choices here are how to get to Argazad and how to navigate Helgedad.
Book 13 - 3. Forest vs Mountains, there's a couple ways through Morgaruith, and a couple ways to escape. Not bad for a GM adventure. The abridged NA edition gets a 5, though. Actually, all the NA GM books get a 5... no, a friggin 6 because they're significantly worse than the originals in terms of linearity.
Book 14 - 4. The first half has lots of choices, but once you reach Banedon, it's railroad time.
Book 15 - 5. I can't think of any meaningful choices in this one.
Book 16 - 4. I really like this book, but aside from some small side-paths in Helgor and how to traverse Lake Varndarol, it's very linear.
Book 17 - 5. I don't think there are any major branches here, either. Just a brutal series of combats.

And that's where I'll stop since Seventh Sense ends at 17. I want to say 18-20 are all 4s or 5s as well. Yes, even 18. 18 is probably the only 4 of those 3.

[andyc]

The New Order books up to and including 29 are probably even more linear than the GM books. Arguably Trail of the Wolf has the most choice in approach but even then only for short sections.

Fortunately book 31 and especially 30 have some very different paths, making replays that much more interesting. Let's hope Light of the Kai continues this trend.

[ntatler76]

The later GM books are very reliant on RNT picks and 'do you have X discipline and have reached the rank of Y' which reduces the scope for other decision making in a 350 section book.