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Lone Wolf #6

The Kingdoms of Terror

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You are Kai Master Lone Wolf—last of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund, sole survivor of a massacre by the Darklords of Helgedad. You discovered the lost Sommlending treasure, The Book of the Magnakai, containing the wisdom and Disciplines of the Kai lords recorded in the time of Sun Eagle, the first Kai Grand Master. With Magnakai Disciplines, you have sworn to restore the Kai to their former glory and so ensure the security of your land against the Darklords. And so, guided by the words of your ancient mentor, Sun Eagle, and with the shadow of the Darklords ever present, you set out on the quest for the Lorestone of Varetta, unaware of the wonders and the horrors that await you in the Stornlands.

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 1985

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About the author

Joe Dever

215 books168 followers
Joe Dever was an award-winning British fantasist and game designer. Originally a musician, Dever became the first British winner of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Championship of America in 1982.

He created the fictional world of Magnamund as a setting for his Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. In 1984 he released the first book of the Lone Wolf series of young-adult gamebooks, and the series has since sold over 10.2 million copies worldwide. He experienced difficulty with his publishers as the game books market began to contract in 1995, until publication ceased in 1998 before the final four books (numbers 29-32) were released. Since 2003, however, the series has enjoyed a strong revival of interest in France, Italy, and Spain following the re-release of the gamebook series in these countries.

From 1996 onwards, Dever was involved in the production of several successful computer and console games. He also contributed to a Dungeons & Dragons-style role playing game for Lone Wolf published by Mongoose Publishing (UK) in 2004. Currently he is Lead Designer of a Lone Wolf computer game, and he is writing the final books in the Lone Wolf series. No official publication schedule exists for these works.

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5 stars
183 (28%)
4 stars
253 (39%)
3 stars
168 (26%)
2 stars
36 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Carmine R..
631 reviews94 followers
December 7, 2017
Brandelli d'infanzia

"Dakomyd, vieni avanti che non ti temo!"

Non è vero, da piccolo mi feci la caccona addosso quando arrivai al cospetto del tremendo Dakomyd, improbabile guardiano nelle reti fognarie che fa la muffa nel proteggere la Pietra della Sapienza.
Ma poi, effettivamente, perché una creatura così ancestrale e potente dovrebbe stare lì a grattarsi lo scroto?
Non ha importanza: epica battaglia con gli scarsissimi PV (Punti Vita), sano culo per uscirne indenni e tornammo tutti a riveder le stelle.
Joe Dever ha rappresentato per me - e penso per molti altri - una felice parentesi nel mondo della lettura.
Il suddetto volume, sesto all'interno della saga, preferisce un'ambientazione cittadina immersa negli intrighi politici, meno frizzante a livello dell'infernale bestiario già adeguatamente sviscerato e che sarà in grande spolvero nei due capitoli successivi.
Certo, i tempi passano ed ora non si sente più la necessità di vetusti librigame, facilmente soppiantati dalla miriade di videogame che ne fanno benissimo le veci; quello che rimane è una fortissima nostalgia e un sorriso verso le tante avventure vissute.
Profile Image for Tazio Bettin.
Author 66 books18 followers
December 2, 2015
This is the first book my father bought for me when I was 6. I still have it. Since 2007, it sports the author Joe Dever's autograph.
I can't really give a review, it's just too important an item of my life. I owe the birth my love for reading to this book.
Profile Image for Krell75.
433 reviews85 followers
August 22, 2024
Dopo aver trovato il perduto Libro del Ramastan preparati ad entrare nelle Terre del Sud, oltre la Voragine della Morte, nell'antica città di Varetta alla ricerca della Pietra della Sapienza capace di accrescere le tue abilità.
Profile Image for David.
881 reviews52 followers
June 10, 2013
One of the better ones of the entire series. This is the turning point of the series from the Kai to the Magnakai - or in other words, you're levelling up! The basic abilities from the first 5 books are now getting upgraded powers.

It's not just the mechanics are getting an upgrade, but also the lore. Lone Wolf is finally taking the battle to them as the hunt for the lorestones truly begins. You're thrust into civil unrest among the darklords, hence lots of flavour material, making for a really great read.
Profile Image for Lilirose.
583 reviews76 followers
May 21, 2023
Primo capitolo di un nuovo ciclo: inizia la ricerca delle sette pietre per diventare Maestro Ramastan.
La trama è interessante e ricca di possibilità di scelta, e l'ambientazione è molto dinamica; il grande difetto però è che è veramente troppo facile morire, basta scegliere a invece di b (la maggiorparte delle volte senza indizi per capire cosa sia meglio fare) e si torna alla partenza senza scampo.
Peccato perchè senza questo accanimento contro il giocatore avrei potuto facilmente considerarlo il migliore finora.
Profile Image for Mathew Walls.
398 reviews16 followers
March 4, 2021
I really like this book. I feel like it's a nice change of pace from the rest of the series. No one's specifically trying to kill you, you're not on any particular deadline, you haven't been sent by anyone. You're seeking out something that you want, on your own initiative, and no one's trying to stop you or beat you to it.

The closest there is to a primary antagonist is Roark, and he hasn't been sent by the forces of darkness to hunt you down, he's just an arsehole. It's not clear he even knows (or cares) who you are. Sure, he's clearly into some pretty dark stuff with the zombies and all, but he's not working for the Darklords or anyone else. He's just an arsehole.

My only real criticism is that one section where you have to choose between (A) getting the silver bow of Duadon, (B) getting the bronin warhammer and (C) getting a bit more characterisation for Roark. I guess it's there so you can make different decisions when you replay the book, but it's pretty much the only section like that in this one. That would be another criticism, I suppose - the lack of meaningful decisions - but it doesn't bother me as much in this one as it does in others. I don't really know why.

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I don't like the Collector's Edition bonus adventure for this one.

I hate the reveal that Roark was there specifically to kill Cyrilus and stop Lone Wolf. That retroactively makes him a much worse character. The fact that he's just some arsehole who happens to cross paths with Lone Wolf and then holds a grudge, while coincidentally also being involved with some evil stuff, is what makes him the best character in the series. It's the way you keep encountering this dude even though he's not trying to get your attention and not doing anything you're actually setting out specifically to stop that makes it fun to run into him. It's why Archdruid Cadak is a less memorable villain despite appearing in more books. He's trying too hard. With Roark, you never expect him so you're always pleased to see him.

And the rest of The Key to the Future is a bit too closely tied to the main story. There are all these premonitions and prophecies of stuff that happens to Lone Wolf, and the whole nature of your quest makes it clear that you're very much playing as a minor character in someone else's story.

Another issue (which is not necessarily apparent in a single playthrough but would be on a second) is that there are almost no meaningful choices, and those there are have obviously correct answers. There aren't really any tradeoffs or alternate paths, it's just a matter of avoiding certain negative outcomes. Most of the other choices in the game are just there to provide hints about Ferrel. There are actually a huge number of hints you can get, depending on your abilities, choices and luck - probably to make sure that players are likely to encounter at least a couple of hints no matter what - but not getting them doesn't actually make any difference to how the story plays out or give you any penalties or anything.
Profile Image for Taddow.
670 reviews7 followers
June 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this adventure, it felt more like a true adventure than the past books because you were wandering the countryside, exploring, having encounters and seeking out inns to rest for the night. I was really sad I did not win the archery competition, bad rolls offset my proficiency with the bow (the man you go against has some great stats).
Profile Image for David Sarkies.
1,933 reviews383 followers
April 8, 2022
The Next Stage Begins
7 Apr 2022

It looks like that the Darklord that you dispatched in the previous book was actually the chief of the Darklords, which means that there is now a power struggle over who is going to replace him. This is fortunate because it has given you a bit of a respite in which you can study the book that you acquired in the previous adventure. It also means that you have now ascended to the level of the Magnakai, which opens up a whole heap of new skills. Then again, if you have played the previous books, you would pretty much have all of the skills by now anyway. However, you now start off with three superior skills, and it feels not so much like you are starting again, but rather you and at a new level.

Basically, you have reached the end of your training, and now you have to go on a quest to locate a stone that will allow you to progress further, and since the Darklords are currently in disarray, you are able to go on this quest. The thing is that it takes you far to the south, beyond the chasm that you travelled to in book 4, to a group of kingdoms which while you know a bit about them, considering that this is a medieval world (which seems to be the case with a lot of these books) you don’t have much information.

Most of the book is basically travelling and getting information as to the location of the stone. Well, you know where it is, but when you get there you discover that it has been stolen, so you need to find out who stole it, and where it is located. Like the other books, there are multiple ways of completing the mission, though I did discover that you can take some wrong turns and end up dying, which is the case in these books. However, it seems that if you aren’t playing them with dice, and assuming that you win all the combats, then the books seem to be rather easy to complete.

Still, this book was enjoyable, in the same way that the others were enjoyable. I do vaguely remember playing through some of these books when I was younger, but it seems that I might not have managed to get through all 12 of them. Mind you, I have since discovered that there are a lot more than the 12 that I thought were written, especially when you go to the website where they have all been put up for free.
Profile Image for Alessandro Concas.
90 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2015
sicuramente interessante il nuovo personaggio di Lupo Solitario con i poteri aumentati. La storia non è niente di che, un tranquillo viaggio in cui facciamo la conoscenza del simpaticissimo mago Cirillo, ma nessuna emozione degna di nota. C'è persino l'assenza di un nemico finale come voleva la tradizione dei precedenti libri. in compenso lupo solitario in questo libro avrà molto a che fare con soldi e compravendite varie.
Profile Image for Marco Cerulli.
33 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2024
First book of the Magnakai season. As usual easy playing dynamic characterising the game books of this series. This book presents more exploration rather than fights, however I found that there were too many opportunities of sudden death depending on the player choices. I would have liked the last dungeon where you find the lorestone to be more developed as it felt a bit rushed
Profile Image for Mattia Lugli.
359 reviews6 followers
August 17, 2023
Inizia il secondo ciclo di lupo solitario e le avventure da magnakai. Interessante l'incipit e tantissime le strade percorribili durante questa lettura. A mio avviso non il più riuscito della serie. Se si punta al giocarlo cercando di finire velocemente quella che è la missione principale della storia non riesce ad essere troppo coinvolgente, soprattutto sul finale.
Profile Image for Amy.
113 reviews14 followers
June 25, 2009
I didn't know this was a role-playing "Choose Your Own Adventure"-type before I picked it up for 50 cents. I had to calculate combat points, choose weapons, and play with random number tables and action charts. I only read until I came out victor at the end because I kept cheating in order to survive and then the fun was lost on me. But for those interested in this sort of thing (you know who you are), it would be fun to re-read.
Profile Image for Mloy.
723 reviews
August 25, 2014
Okay this may be one of the most kick-ass books in the series because in this book the reader/player get to learn a new skill: your Magnakai abilities! Woo-whoo!!! On the plus side, that means more ways to defeat the enemy; but on the down side, it means the enemies will be harder to defeat. But no matter what, there's amazing adventure waiting to be had, villains to vanquish and tasks to overcome. Let the fun commence!
7,013 reviews83 followers
January 6, 2015
Très bien encore une fois. Deux petits défauts: il manque un peu d'action au début, mais il se reprend bien vers la fin ; on ne ressent pas totalement la puissance de notre nouveau rang, on se retrouve même parfois défavorisé par le manque de nos nouvelles compétences, un peu comme si nos anciennes ne comptaient plus, ou très peu.
162 reviews
January 23, 2023
Nella sesta installazione della serie di Lupo Solitario, il monaco guerriero deve affrontare un viaggio per ritrovare la Pietra di Varetta, manufatto dal grandissimo potere che potrà aiutarlo ad apprendere l'intero corpus di conoscenze di un Maestro Magnakai.
"Nel Regno del Terrore", dunque si sviluppa come un viaggio alla ricerca della pietra. Probabilmente, questo è il difetto più grande del sesto capitolo di Lupo Solitario, perché la storia è un susseguirsi di mini-avventure che si verificano durante il viaggio, dando l'impressione di avere a che fare con una storia composta da episodi un po' slegati. D'altro canto, a giocare a vantaggio del libro ci sono la varietà e la numerosità dei bivi.
Purtroppo la costruzione stessa dei bivi non è perfetta, alcuni a volte sono inutili poiché non cambiano assolutamente l'incedere degli eventi, altri non tengono presente di quanto fatto prima, altri paragrafi sembrano riciclati più volte, come se dovessero adattarsi a varie evenienze, ma la lettura non è scorrevole. Altre volte è richiesto di ricordarsi se si è partecipato ad un evento in libri precedenti, facendo ricorso alla memoria del lettore e non considerando che tra la lettura di un libro e l'altro potrebbe passare molto tempo.
Tutti questi difetti sono dovuti alla struttura del librogioco, rigida, degli anni Ottanta, e potrebbero essere risolti con piccole accortezze, come indicatori per ricordare se qualcosa è stato fatto o meno, attenersi meno rigidamente ai 350 paragrafi per libro (dato che a volte alcuni sembrano essere puri riempitivi) e altri ancora.
Nonostante tutto, il libro è godibile; meno fantasy degli altri, più medioevale nelle atmosfere, a tratti grimdark nel succedersi guerre intestine, furfanti di strada, malviventi: nessuno è al sicuro, neanche un Maestro Magnakai.
Profile Image for Книжни Криле.
3,610 reviews202 followers
August 17, 2025
Ако като хлапета или тийнейджъри сте попадали във вълшебния и мрачен свят на Джо Дивър, то сигурно и вие като мен сте били увлечени от интерактивните приключения на мистичния войн, познат като Самотния вълк. Уви, със замирането на книгите-игри у нас в края на 90-те, изд. „Хермес“ прекъсна поредицата и родните читатели така и не стигнаха до окончателна победа над тъмните сили. Изминаха над две десетилетия и едва ли някой от нас бе таил надежди, че някога продължението ще види бял свят на български език, но… Ето, че Новата вълна на книгите-игри у нас ни донесе тази приятна изненада! „Самотния вълк 5: Сянка върху пясъка” бе сбъдната мечта, която през 2020 се появи под формата на фенско издание – резултат от всеотдаен труд отстрана на шепа ентусиасти, решени да довършат някогашното дело и да зарадват (и върнат в детството) цял куп хора. Нещата обаче съвсем не спират дотам! Книгата на Магнакай вече е в ръцете ти, но от пълното възстановяване на Ордена на Кай те дели дълъг път. Древните страници са избелели и едвам се четат, но успяваш да попаднеш на следа към следващия могъщ артефакт, който ще ти помогне в твоята битка – Камъка на знанието на Варета чака да бъде открит! Какви ли опасности ти предстоят? Ще разбереш в „Самотния вълк 6: Царствата на терора“. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
Profile Image for J.R. Handley.
Author 54 books261 followers
November 27, 2018
I dusted this series of books off to read with my sons, unsure what to expect. I had many fond childhood memories of reading these as a kid, but would they stand up? The answer is yes, they aged well. The stories were pretty straight forward, but my imagination has evolved enough to cover the gaps that this story had. Bear in mind, it was written for children... and isn't that why we read them, to immerse ourselves into the story? So yes, it was a lot of fun and I only cheated a little bit
Profile Image for Carlos Santiago.
Author 27 books29 followers
November 18, 2019
Es por ahora el peorcito de la saga. Tiene todo lo malo del segundo (hasta ahora el mas irregular e injusto) y además es profundamente aburrido de principio a fin. Tiene ideas super chulas como la rivalidad con el noble capullo, las tierras en perpetua guerra (mención especial a la genial Tekaro) o el combate final, pero ninguna de estas ideas se desarrolla bien. Además, el anterior era tan bueno que es dificil no comparar. Ya veremos el siguiente.
Profile Image for Dhana.
51 reviews3 followers
June 29, 2021
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf gamebooks were a consistent presence during my formative years and have had a big influence on my reading and gaming interests. I first started reading them in 1989 and continued to do so until 1999. With the resurgence of new Lone Wolf material in recent years, I've decided to revisit these nostalgic gems of my youth.

Book 5: The Kingdoms of Terror
(published 1985, first read 1989)

Story: 5/5
Game: 4/5
Replayability: 4/5
Profile Image for Adrian.
23 reviews
September 19, 2024
Not as exciting and adventurous as the engaging 'Fire on the Water ' or 'Shadow on the Sand' (my two favourites so far in the series), this one feels more like a collection of mini-quests and was a bit of a drag to go through. Generic monsters and encounters to keep the action going, but unfortunately no real memorable moments or places like in the previous ones ... Still, plenty of inns and bars to visit on this quest! (If you like your beer to be strong and foamy)
Profile Image for Aily.
380 reviews2 followers
February 15, 2022
dopo due settimane (un po' tanto ma vabbè), abbiamo finito questa lunghissima nuova avventura e siamo riusciti a recuperare ciò che ci serviva! sono veramente contenta di questo e non vedo l'ora di giocare al prossimo capitolo (anche perchè hanno accennato ad un certo signore oscuro che si sta preparando a combattere, quindi non dobbiamo assolutamente farlo aspettare eheh).. e quindi LESSGO.
Profile Image for Casandra Ruiz.
282 reviews4 followers
March 20, 2019
De acuerdo, el final no es de lo más emocionante, pero la aventura me devolvió a esos primeros libros que se me hacían muy interesantes, morí como siete veces además, entonces creo que tiene buen nivel de dificultad.
Profile Image for Sammy Tiranno.
367 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2021
I was a little overpowered in combat with all the carry-over and additional buffers picked up along the way. Otherwise, this one was a difficult adventure - very easy to meet your demise unknowingly, especially toward the end. (My quest and life ended at least 3 times. Heh.)
Profile Image for Mark Hartman.
508 reviews2 followers
December 12, 2021
You, Lone Wolf, are now a Kai Master. With this novel you set out on the quest for the Lorestone of Varetta, with plans to restore the Kai to their former glory. Another great novel that brings in new and expanded skills.
521 reviews
July 29, 2018
It feels great to level up to Magnakai, and although the archery mechanic is a little obviously highlighted, this is still a fun book, if short.
Profile Image for Horrorsage.
78 reviews5 followers
October 2, 2019
The great Kai Warrior finally learned to use a bow and arrow. Good for him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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