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Lone Wolf #1
Flight from the Dark
You are Lone Wolf. In a devastating attack the Darklords have destroyed the monastery where you were learning the skills of the Kai Lords. You are the sole survivor. You swear revenge. But first you must reach Holmgard to warn the King of the gathering evil. The servants of darkness relentlessly hunt you across your country and every turn of the page presents a new challenge. Choose your skills and your weapons carefully - for they can help you succeed in the most fantastic and terrifying journey of your life. The LONE WOLF adventures are a unique interactive fantasy series - each episode can be played separately or you can combine them all to create a fantastic role-playing epic.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1984
60 people are currently reading
1355 people want to read
About the author
Joe Dever
215 books168 followersJoe 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
November 12, 2025
Se oggi sono un amante del Fantasy (tra i tanti generi letterari che prediligo) lo devo a Dungeons & Dragons (il mio primo gioco di ruolo) e soprattutto ai librigame di Joe Dever, retaggio di un tempo che fu, quando ancora non c'erano consolle e videogames di nuova generazione, e bambini e adolescenti ancora si divertivano con poco, scatenando la loro fantasia.
I libri-gioco di Lupo Solitario, introdotti in Italia dalla mitica casa editrice EL di Trieste erano una meraviglia: storie fantasy in cui il protagonista eri tu e attraverso meccaniche di storia a bivi, numeri casuali e punteggi, vivevi fantastiche avventure nel Magnamund, mondo nato inizialmente dall'immaginazione di Joe Dever come ambientazione di D&D, che nulla ha da invidiare a piú famose Terre di Mezzo e affini.
Dopo aver letto della scomparsa dell'autore pochi giorni fa, grazie ad una app per Android (i miei vecchi libri stanno sepolti da qualche parte in soffitta), mi sono rituffato per l'ennesima volta nel mondo fantastico di Lupo Solitario, dei Cavalieri Ramas e dei Signori delle Tenebre, sono rimasto nuovamente rapito dalla storia, affascinato dagli splendidi disegni di Gary Chalk e dopo trentanni ho provato ancora un brivido quando il Ragno Talpa mi é saltato addosso dal buio di una grotta... Schiattando ben 6 volte prima di finire il libro! XD
Ciao Joe.
Che gli Dei Ramas e Ishir risplendano su di te.
Grazie per tutta la magia e per avermi cambiato la vita.
I libri-gioco di Lupo Solitario, introdotti in Italia dalla mitica casa editrice EL di Trieste erano una meraviglia: storie fantasy in cui il protagonista eri tu e attraverso meccaniche di storia a bivi, numeri casuali e punteggi, vivevi fantastiche avventure nel Magnamund, mondo nato inizialmente dall'immaginazione di Joe Dever come ambientazione di D&D, che nulla ha da invidiare a piú famose Terre di Mezzo e affini.
Dopo aver letto della scomparsa dell'autore pochi giorni fa, grazie ad una app per Android (i miei vecchi libri stanno sepolti da qualche parte in soffitta), mi sono rituffato per l'ennesima volta nel mondo fantastico di Lupo Solitario, dei Cavalieri Ramas e dei Signori delle Tenebre, sono rimasto nuovamente rapito dalla storia, affascinato dagli splendidi disegni di Gary Chalk e dopo trentanni ho provato ancora un brivido quando il Ragno Talpa mi é saltato addosso dal buio di una grotta... Schiattando ben 6 volte prima di finire il libro! XD
Ciao Joe.
Che gli Dei Ramas e Ishir risplendano su di te.
Grazie per tutta la magia e per avermi cambiato la vita.
November 28, 2016
Game books... Rađene kao samostalno izdanje moje prijateljice Ljiljane i mene... Omiljeni serijal njenog sina... I moje prvo samoizdavačko iskustvo... :)
August 22, 2024
Ricordate i libri-game degli anni 80-90? Ecco, la serie di Lupo Solitario ne è stata la capostipite e la più famosa, capace di farmi avvicinare, decenni fa, ai giochi di ruolo cartacei (Dungeons & Dragons) e per questo gli sarò sempre riconoscente.
Ogni volume è un'avventura dove il protagonista sei te. Non ci sono capitoli ma paragrafi a scelte multiple che ti permettono di avanzare nella storia fino a giungere in fondo alla missione.
Ogni storia è avvincente, ogni scelta può condurti un passo avanti o anche al suo termine tra combattimenti o svolte nella trama.
Supportato da un semplice sistema regolistico con resistenza fisica e combattività, un equipaggiamento e una serie di poteri, affronterai le più belle sfide che il geniale Joe Dever ha creato per te.
L'ambientazione dark medievale del Magnamund è a mio parere tra le migliori che ho visitato in tutti questi anni di fantasy, ogni avventura ti porta in un luogo diverso del continente permettedo di viaggiare ed esplorare questa magnifica ambientazione in lungo e in largo. Da provare assolutamente.
---------------------------
Do you remember the game books of the 80s and 90s? Well, the Lone Wolf series was the progenitor and the most famous, capable of introducing me, decades ago, to paper role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons) and for this I will always be grateful.
Each volume is an adventure where the protagonist is you. There are no chapters but multiple choice paragraphs that allow you to advance through the story until you reach the end of the mission.
Each story is compelling, each choice can take you one step forward or even to its end between fights or twists in the plot.
Supported by a simple rules system with physical resistance and combativeness, equipment and a series of powers, you will face the most beautiful challenges that the brilliant Joe Dever has created for you.
The dark medieval setting of Magnamund is in my opinion among the best I have visited in all these years of fantasy, each adventure takes you to a different place on the continent allowing you to travel and explore this magnificent setting far and wide. Absolutely worth trying.
Ogni volume è un'avventura dove il protagonista sei te. Non ci sono capitoli ma paragrafi a scelte multiple che ti permettono di avanzare nella storia fino a giungere in fondo alla missione.
Ogni storia è avvincente, ogni scelta può condurti un passo avanti o anche al suo termine tra combattimenti o svolte nella trama.
Supportato da un semplice sistema regolistico con resistenza fisica e combattività, un equipaggiamento e una serie di poteri, affronterai le più belle sfide che il geniale Joe Dever ha creato per te.
L'ambientazione dark medievale del Magnamund è a mio parere tra le migliori che ho visitato in tutti questi anni di fantasy, ogni avventura ti porta in un luogo diverso del continente permettedo di viaggiare ed esplorare questa magnifica ambientazione in lungo e in largo. Da provare assolutamente.
---------------------------
Do you remember the game books of the 80s and 90s? Well, the Lone Wolf series was the progenitor and the most famous, capable of introducing me, decades ago, to paper role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons) and for this I will always be grateful.
Each volume is an adventure where the protagonist is you. There are no chapters but multiple choice paragraphs that allow you to advance through the story until you reach the end of the mission.
Each story is compelling, each choice can take you one step forward or even to its end between fights or twists in the plot.
Supported by a simple rules system with physical resistance and combativeness, equipment and a series of powers, you will face the most beautiful challenges that the brilliant Joe Dever has created for you.
The dark medieval setting of Magnamund is in my opinion among the best I have visited in all these years of fantasy, each adventure takes you to a different place on the continent allowing you to travel and explore this magnificent setting far and wide. Absolutely worth trying.
August 21, 2011
"You are Lone Wolf, last of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund..."
This is the book that changed my life. I was a child before I read it; I was something more than a man after I finished it.
This is the book that changed my life. I was a child before I read it; I was something more than a man after I finished it.
June 15, 2010
I had the first two Lone Wolf books as a child and read and re-read them many times.
Now through Project Aon, where you can read nearly the whole series legally for free on-line I've just discovered them again. In fact I've spent a lot of my free time this week, reading through the first five that make up the "Kai" series.
One really good feature of these online editions of this the first series is the "seventh sense" program that keeps all your statistics for you, and to a certain extent cuts out cheating, although you can set the program up in various ways to enable cheating. Only the first "Kai" series is available for use with this program so far, the rest I believe I'll have to keep the records manually using the online built in action chart.
This first book, sets up the story as you chose your paths in an attempt to deliver a message to the king there are many ways to go and in this first one the paths don't converge as often as in many of the latter books, so it is possible to read this one with only the first and last sections the same, providing you are successful in your quest!
It's a shame these type of books have fallen out of favour they were wildly popular for a time in the 1980's, I suppose the rise of computer games put pay to them, but no matter how good computer graphics get they can never be a good as those you create in your mind!
Now through Project Aon, where you can read nearly the whole series legally for free on-line I've just discovered them again. In fact I've spent a lot of my free time this week, reading through the first five that make up the "Kai" series.
One really good feature of these online editions of this the first series is the "seventh sense" program that keeps all your statistics for you, and to a certain extent cuts out cheating, although you can set the program up in various ways to enable cheating. Only the first "Kai" series is available for use with this program so far, the rest I believe I'll have to keep the records manually using the online built in action chart.
This first book, sets up the story as you chose your paths in an attempt to deliver a message to the king there are many ways to go and in this first one the paths don't converge as often as in many of the latter books, so it is possible to read this one with only the first and last sections the same, providing you are successful in your quest!
It's a shame these type of books have fallen out of favour they were wildly popular for a time in the 1980's, I suppose the rise of computer games put pay to them, but no matter how good computer graphics get they can never be a good as those you create in your mind!
December 27, 2023
Questo Natale mi sono fatta un regalo: ho recuperato il primo volume di una saga che mi ha introdotto ai libri game e ai giochi di ruolo.
In ogni volume il lettore è il protagonista: il guerriero Ramas/Kai in grado di rovesciare le sorti del regno.
Il sistema di gioco è semplice ed intuitivo, spesso bisogna concentrarsi per non commettere errori fatali, ma allo stesso tempo non bisogna tralasciare questioni importanti che permettono di ottenere oggetti speciali utili nei volumi successivi. Un ulteriore consiglio è quello di scegliere bene le arti in cui si è maestri per evitare di fare una brutta fine.
Consigliato a tutti.
In ogni volume il lettore è il protagonista: il guerriero Ramas/Kai in grado di rovesciare le sorti del regno.
Il sistema di gioco è semplice ed intuitivo, spesso bisogna concentrarsi per non commettere errori fatali, ma allo stesso tempo non bisogna tralasciare questioni importanti che permettono di ottenere oggetti speciali utili nei volumi successivi. Un ulteriore consiglio è quello di scegliere bene le arti in cui si è maestri per evitare di fare una brutta fine.
Consigliato a tutti.
April 2, 2022
Alla mia prima esperienza con i libri game mi sono divertita tantissimo! Ovviamente è un libro immersivo perché il protagonista del libro sei tu (!) ed è quindi molto coinvolgente. La trama, o le trame (in realtà io sono riuscita a concludere l'avventura al primo tentativo), non è eccessivamente complicata ma abbastanza ricca da delineare un universo interessante che non annoia mai e non delude. Penso che sia una tipologia di libro perfetto per gli amanti del fantasy e ovviamente per i ragazzi, perché leggerlo da giovani deve essere ancora tutt'altra magia. Non posso fare paragoni con altri libri del genere, essendo stato il primo che ho letto, ma sono più che soddisfatta della mia avventura e per questo do il massimo delle stelline (e alla mia prossima tappa in libreria prenoterò il secondo della serie ^^).
May 5, 2023
Primo libro di una serie che ha fatto la storia dei librigame e quindi della cultura nerd anni '80 e '90.
Come volume introduttivo è buono e getta le basi per una saga potenzialmente infinita, anche se la trama è un po' scarna e lo svolgimento fin troppo lineare. Il sistema di gioco è semplice e funzionale, non rischia di seppellire il giocatore in un mare di regole complicate.
Come volume introduttivo è buono e getta le basi per una saga potenzialmente infinita, anche se la trama è un po' scarna e lo svolgimento fin troppo lineare. Il sistema di gioco è semplice e funzionale, non rischia di seppellire il giocatore in un mare di regole complicate.
July 2, 2018
After hearing that Project Aon was generously granted permission by the late Joe Dever to make available the majority of his Lone Wolf series for free, I had to journey back to my somnolent days of youth by downloading this first instalment.
As far as "Choose Your Own Adventure" books go, I spent almost as much time printing the Action Chart, the accompanying full colour map and creating my character (which was an adventure in itself) as I did navigating the story itself. Some four combat encounters later and one death due to randomly taking a right turn, instead of left, and I completed the first instalment with not too much fuss.
Not the most auspicious of beginnings, but I am definitely going to continue my adventure with Fire on the Water.
As far as "Choose Your Own Adventure" books go, I spent almost as much time printing the Action Chart, the accompanying full colour map and creating my character (which was an adventure in itself) as I did navigating the story itself. Some four combat encounters later and one death due to randomly taking a right turn, instead of left, and I completed the first instalment with not too much fuss.
Not the most auspicious of beginnings, but I am definitely going to continue my adventure with Fire on the Water.
April 17, 2022
I have been a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure game books (mainly Fighting Fantasy) ever since I was a kid and when I discovered that there exists a long running series that is just like that but with a bit more complex mechanics, better narrative and an overarching story where you can carry over your character across the entire series while you grow in power I was instantly sold. There's just something so epic about experiencing a story like that. Testing all the different routes and drawing up a map is incredibly fun and the book takes a while to get through (esp. as you die multiple times and have to restart.) Great time and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
June 29, 2018
Top-notch solo RPG experience in the form of a choose-your-own-adventure book plus a character sheet. You play the part of Lone Wolf, survivor of the massacre of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund, and your goal is to make it to the capital of Holmgard to warn the King that the Darklords of Helgedad are invading.
Check out projectaon.org to play/read all of the books for free. There are also a couple of free apps for iOS and Android that use the Project Aon data.
Check out projectaon.org to play/read all of the books for free. There are also a couple of free apps for iOS and Android that use the Project Aon data.
August 1, 2019
I finished the adventure in 40 min! pf
I honest to god thought i would die a few times and start over before finishing the adventure but.. i might have done some things wrong anyways since it was my first time playing.
I ended the adventure with 17 endurance points, 10 damage.. one meal, an axe, short sword and a crystal pendant. 12 gold.
❤️
Can't wait to find the second book so I can continue my adventure!
I honest to god thought i would die a few times and start over before finishing the adventure but.. i might have done some things wrong anyways since it was my first time playing.
I ended the adventure with 17 endurance points, 10 damage.. one meal, an axe, short sword and a crystal pendant. 12 gold.
❤️
Can't wait to find the second book so I can continue my adventure!
January 31, 2022
To Warn the King
26 January 2022 – Hay
This book really surprised me – it was really, really easy to finish. Then again, my suspicion is that it might have something to do with it being the first book in the series, and making the first book easy means that the punters are going to come back for more. On the other hand, the fact that I went through so quickly made me feel that I didn’t really get my value for money.
The story goes that you are a Kai Warrior, and while you are out collecting wood, because you are being punished for being inattentive in class, the monastery is attacked and everybody is killed. As such, being the last surviving Kai Warrior, you must make your way to the capital to speak to the King. That part is also rather easy because it simply involves going south and east. Then, when you reach the city, you just follow some guy, and bang, you have finished the book.
The rules use a combat matrix, which involves you calculating the difference between your combat skill, and that of the enemies, and then picking a random number. That is a little annoying, because it is between 0 and 9, though I remember when I was playing these books I simply used a 10 sided dice, though I suspect only avid Dungeons and Dragons players would have had them at the time.
You also get to chose a collection of skills, and it seems that Sixth Sense and Tracking are the two most useful ones. Having a weapon skill is also useful, but you don’t get to pick your weapon, and it only adds to your skill, you aren’t penalised if you don’t have it (though you are penalised if you don’t have a weapon).
Still, despite it being short, and rather easy, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the book involves making your way to the capital by avoiding getting killed, and it seems that charging into combat isn’t the main thing in this book. In fact, slinking in the shadows seems to be a more logical course, though I suspect that probably has to do with you being a warrior monk. Yeah, I didn’t mind it, and I guess it comes down to what the next in the series are like. Oh, and you do get to port your character across to the other books. In fact, they suggest that items picked up in one book might not be used until another book down the track, which will make these series particularly tricky.
26 January 2022 – Hay
This book really surprised me – it was really, really easy to finish. Then again, my suspicion is that it might have something to do with it being the first book in the series, and making the first book easy means that the punters are going to come back for more. On the other hand, the fact that I went through so quickly made me feel that I didn’t really get my value for money.
The story goes that you are a Kai Warrior, and while you are out collecting wood, because you are being punished for being inattentive in class, the monastery is attacked and everybody is killed. As such, being the last surviving Kai Warrior, you must make your way to the capital to speak to the King. That part is also rather easy because it simply involves going south and east. Then, when you reach the city, you just follow some guy, and bang, you have finished the book.
The rules use a combat matrix, which involves you calculating the difference between your combat skill, and that of the enemies, and then picking a random number. That is a little annoying, because it is between 0 and 9, though I remember when I was playing these books I simply used a 10 sided dice, though I suspect only avid Dungeons and Dragons players would have had them at the time.
You also get to chose a collection of skills, and it seems that Sixth Sense and Tracking are the two most useful ones. Having a weapon skill is also useful, but you don’t get to pick your weapon, and it only adds to your skill, you aren’t penalised if you don’t have it (though you are penalised if you don’t have a weapon).
Still, despite it being short, and rather easy, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the book involves making your way to the capital by avoiding getting killed, and it seems that charging into combat isn’t the main thing in this book. In fact, slinking in the shadows seems to be a more logical course, though I suspect that probably has to do with you being a warrior monk. Yeah, I didn’t mind it, and I guess it comes down to what the next in the series are like. Oh, and you do get to port your character across to the other books. In fact, they suggest that items picked up in one book might not be used until another book down the track, which will make these series particularly tricky.
July 26, 2014
I remember those books were a huge thing when I was in elementary school, I used to borrow them from the library and spend afternoons dying in gruesome ways. Now Project Aon has all the books online and even provides an action chart to keep track of your stats and items -- in short it's perfect and takes away all the tedium of endlessly rolling dice. Obviously I had to attempt to play through all 28 books.
The plot is cheesy 80s fantasy at its best, but it's got that nostalgia factor that makes it still highly replayable. Though I am side-eyeing 10yo me for dying so often: through a combination of dumb luck and picking the right skills I finished the book on my first attempt without even one fight. Obviously, after that I replayed the book because I missed the Crystal Star Pendant, and since I didn't remember where it was I ended up dying a lot. Good times.
The plot is cheesy 80s fantasy at its best, but it's got that nostalgia factor that makes it still highly replayable. Though I am side-eyeing 10yo me for dying so often: through a combination of dumb luck and picking the right skills I finished the book on my first attempt without even one fight. Obviously, after that I replayed the book because I missed the Crystal Star Pendant, and since I didn't remember where it was I ended up dying a lot. Good times.
March 21, 2018
Τι υπέροχο σοκ ήταν αυτά τα βιβλία όταν τα πρωτοείδα στη βιβλιοθήκη του σχολείου πριν από 20-τόσα χρόνια! Η ιστορία ξεκινάει με τον θάνατο όλων όσων γνώριζε μέχρι τότε ο χαρακτήρας, που ξαφνικά είσαι εσύ, διότι αυτό είναι το νόημα αυτών των "choose your own adventure" βιβλίων. Έπειτα ακολουθεί ένα ανελέητο κυνηγητό για να προειδοποιήσεις τον Βασιλιά και κυρίως για να σώσεις τη ζωή σου. Η πρώτη σκέψη δεν είναι η μάχη, αλλά η επιβίωση.
Στον εκπληκτικό, φανταστικό κόσμο του συγχωρεμένου του Joe Dever, η γραφή ήταν τέτοια που απέδιδε έναν πολύ ρεαλιστικό φόβο από την πρώτη στιγμή. Συνοδευόμενα, δε, από τις κορυφαίες εικονογραφήσεις του Gary Chalk (εικονογράφου των καρτών του Hero Quest, μεταξύ άλλων), ήταν πραγματικά ένα αχτύπητο δέλεαρ για τον εκκολαπτόμενο Roleplayer.
Στον εκπληκτικό, φανταστικό κόσμο του συγχωρεμένου του Joe Dever, η γραφή ήταν τέτοια που απέδιδε έναν πολύ ρεαλιστικό φόβο από την πρώτη στιγμή. Συνοδευόμενα, δε, από τις κορυφαίες εικονογραφήσεις του Gary Chalk (εικονογράφου των καρτών του Hero Quest, μεταξύ άλλων), ήταν πραγματικά ένα αχτύπητο δέλεαρ για τον εκκολαπτόμενο Roleplayer.
January 2, 2017
The Lone Wolf series is great series! I remember the joy I felt reading these while I was a kid. These were the ultimate Choose Your Own Adventure-style books and, more than that, they were like playing a one person role-playing game that your character could continue on adventures in future books with the equipment he gained in previous books.
I never played/read all the books, but as part of the year 2017 I'm going to give it a go starting with the 1st book and continuing on (using the magnificent Project Aon to get the books I don't have). It took my forth attempt to finally succeed this adventure and now Fire on the Water awaits...
I never played/read all the books, but as part of the year 2017 I'm going to give it a go starting with the 1st book and continuing on (using the magnificent Project Aon to get the books I don't have). It took my forth attempt to finally succeed this adventure and now Fire on the Water awaits...
June 27, 2022
Lettura n. 16 - 2022 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Dopo una morte non troppo traumatica e un secondo inizio un tantino incerto (perdita dello zaino ... di nuovo!, del cibo, delle armi e senza soldi), una serie di fortunate decisioni hanno portato il mio personaggio al cospetto del re piuttosto velocemente.
Sfogliando le pagine, però, mi rendo conto di aver saltato molte scene.
Avrei dovuto prendere la strada panoramica.
In poche parole, mi aspetta una rilettura nei prossimi giorni 🤟😶
Dopo una morte non troppo traumatica e un secondo inizio un tantino incerto (perdita dello zaino ... di nuovo!, del cibo, delle armi e senza soldi), una serie di fortunate decisioni hanno portato il mio personaggio al cospetto del re piuttosto velocemente.
Sfogliando le pagine, però, mi rendo conto di aver saltato molte scene.
Avrei dovuto prendere la strada panoramica.
In poche parole, mi aspetta una rilettura nei prossimi giorni 🤟😶
August 27, 2019
I recently saw a link that the Lone Wolf adventure/book/games were online and free to download. There are also platforms developed that are available on the website that take care of all the manual game recording for you. http://www.projectaon.org/staff/eric/.
I remember this adventure/game/book being super-hard when I read it back in 1980-something, and dying almost from the start - a lot. I decided to check it out again. Nothing has changed. This adventure is damn hard to complete. I was finally successful after 10 tries. Now I remember why I didn't buy the second one. It's too hard. I'll carry my character over to the second book and see if they improved on the game mechanics. It was fun trying to make it through the entire book without dying though. That's my new challenge. Try to make it through at least one without dying at all so I can get recorded in the Halls of Fame of the book player on this website. http://www.projectaon.org/staff/david/ ha! Never mind, it seems you gotta get through all five in a series without dying.
UPDATE: Aug 2019
My computer crashed with all my data so I decided to start over instead of starting from book 13. I'm playing with the Seventh Sense gamebook player from the website mentioned above. I'm playing on Hardcore settings, which are Base Combat Score 17 and Endurance 23, same as my prior playthrough.
Book 1: Died 3 times before completing with no deaths
I remember this adventure/game/book being super-hard when I read it back in 1980-something, and dying almost from the start - a lot. I decided to check it out again. Nothing has changed. This adventure is damn hard to complete. I was finally successful after 10 tries. Now I remember why I didn't buy the second one. It's too hard. I'll carry my character over to the second book and see if they improved on the game mechanics. It was fun trying to make it through the entire book without dying though. That's my new challenge. Try to make it through at least one without dying at all so I can get recorded in the Halls of Fame of the book player on this website. http://www.projectaon.org/staff/david/ ha! Never mind, it seems you gotta get through all five in a series without dying.
UPDATE: Aug 2019
My computer crashed with all my data so I decided to start over instead of starting from book 13. I'm playing with the Seventh Sense gamebook player from the website mentioned above. I'm playing on Hardcore settings, which are Base Combat Score 17 and Endurance 23, same as my prior playthrough.
Book 1: Died 3 times before completing with no deaths
November 11, 2021
devo ammetterlo.. dopo aver ucciso astolfo il codardo (che ne aveva passate di tutti i colori e poi è morto come uno scemo cadendo da un balcone e spezzandosi la spina dorsale..) e lurch il serio (ucciso, per essere stato tropo cauto, da uno stupidissimo vordak.. - la sua morte è COMUNQUE più degna di quella di astolfo.. che babbeo, quello), anche absalom l'allegro è stato ucciso da me e dal mio fedele compagno.. PERO', con dopo aver disegnato un cerchio alchemico di dubbia rotondità e precisione, abbiamo resuscitato con successo il nostro caro lupo solitario e siamo giunti, fidandoci, per una volta, delle persone, alla stanza del Re. Insomma, è stato un viaggio lungo e disperato, soprattutto in alcuni punti, ma ce l'abbiamo fatta! e adesso non vedo l'ora di continuare il nostro viaggio con absalom.. sperando che non ci rimanga secco AHAHAHA
November 15, 2013
I read at least fifteen of these when I was younger (I owned them all). Now that they're available for free from Project AON, I decided to run through the first one again. It has lost none of its charm.
I died four times, but I think that that's a lot fewer than when I played it as a child. The first adventure is a little short (perhaps shorter than I remember it), but maybe that's just because I made better decisions this time (not withstanding dying four times).
Will definitely replay the second one as well!
I died four times, but I think that that's a lot fewer than when I played it as a child. The first adventure is a little short (perhaps shorter than I remember it), but maybe that's just because I made better decisions this time (not withstanding dying four times).
Will definitely replay the second one as well!
May 26, 2015
Da qua è nato tutto. Dopo aver recuperato questi libri bellissimi dalla mia vecchia casa, mi sono rimesso a leggerli tutti. Questo è davvero difficilissimo. Col senno di poi, da tredicenne a trentasettenne, c'è rimasta tutta la magia dell'epoca e la bellezza delle ambientazioni. Una volta non c'erano i giochi di ruolo, c'era questo. Li rileggerò tutti e recupererò i mancanti su ebay, anche se ho sentito che sono rarissimi e costosissimi...
January 25, 2013
Read this book when I was about ten or eleven I think and I loved it then. Finding them again was a wonderful thing and I zipped through the first two tonight with my 8 year old little brother. Still fun and wonderful.
March 27, 2017
In a devastating attack the Darklords have destroyed the monastery where you were learning the skills of the Kai Lords. You are the sole survivor.
You must set off on a perilous journey to the capital city to warn the King of the terrible threat that now faces his people. For you are now the last of the Kai—you are now the Lone Wolf.
Flight from the Dark is a book that I read multiple times as a child and which helped shaped my early appreciation for reading, fantasy, and adventure stories. This, along with the great number of Choose Your Own Adventure books of the same era, quickly became an exciting and preferred option because they offered my young and curious mind something which a traditional book did not: the option of choice. It created a narrative of exploration on my part, and became an interactive experience that I was able to lay some ownership over due to my own agency.
What set the Lone Wolf series apart from many of the other options were that it asked its readers to assume the role of the protagonist over a series of books, rather than just a single entry. Each book contained a few pages that allowed the tracking of equipment, health, special items, enemies fought, and achievements gained, and which could then be transferred from book to book, creating an overarching story of which the reader could say that they had successfully 'played' through. As some may already know, I have a difficult time investing in fantasy, though I've always enjoyed this series. There may be something to be said for nostalgia in this instance, but I think that fantasy is easier for me to enjoy when it's an active and participatory experience, rather than a passive one.
Having just completed The Worm Ouroboros, and having been inspired to revisit the fantasy genre based on a few essays by C. S. Lewis in Of This and Other Worlds, I decided to visit the Project Aon website where all twenty-eight of the books are free to read and play through. It's a great resource for those who enjoyed these books previously, who want to read through them now, or who want to share them with the next generation of possible fans.
As for Flight from the Dark, my experience with it has stayed consistent with each reading; I've enjoyed it every time. It's a strong opening to the series, and provides the player with a very simple goal. Having survived an attack on the monastery where you were a disciple of the Kai disciplines, you must journey to the capital city of Holmgard where you must report the attack to the King. The Tolkien influences are very strong early in this series, the setting filled with evil creatures that are stand-ins for orcs, goblins, wolf-riders, and ring-wraiths. There is a certain blending of genres, however, as the player may encounter creatures with a very Lovecraftian feel. I'd qualify it as a generic mixture of Dungeons and Dragons (which is something the author was heavily involved in himself), Tolkien, and 1970's era fantasy/horror influences. There is enough distinctness in the later books that it does feel like it's own world, though it cannot escape its generally derivative nature until much later in the series.
Flight from the Dark includes challenges primarily in the way of navigating to Holmgard while avoiding roving bands of war parties scavenging the countryside as they begin their invasion against the people of Sommerland. There are a few instant death results, which are often annoying, especially when they cannot be deduced, though the reader can just return to the previous entry and select again. Some decisions are relatively obvious though they are of an appropriate level of challenge for young readers. The adventure was enjoyable to revisit, some twenty odd years since my last read through. I recommend this book and the series to those who enjoy a good and quick fantasy story (it took me around an hour to complete) and for young readers who want to experience 1980's fantasy through the medium of a game book. Quick and enjoyable - I look forward to reading through the rest of the series.
Statistics
2017: 2 deaths (1 instant, 1 to Doomwolf battle)
You must set off on a perilous journey to the capital city to warn the King of the terrible threat that now faces his people. For you are now the last of the Kai—you are now the Lone Wolf.
Flight from the Dark is a book that I read multiple times as a child and which helped shaped my early appreciation for reading, fantasy, and adventure stories. This, along with the great number of Choose Your Own Adventure books of the same era, quickly became an exciting and preferred option because they offered my young and curious mind something which a traditional book did not: the option of choice. It created a narrative of exploration on my part, and became an interactive experience that I was able to lay some ownership over due to my own agency.
What set the Lone Wolf series apart from many of the other options were that it asked its readers to assume the role of the protagonist over a series of books, rather than just a single entry. Each book contained a few pages that allowed the tracking of equipment, health, special items, enemies fought, and achievements gained, and which could then be transferred from book to book, creating an overarching story of which the reader could say that they had successfully 'played' through. As some may already know, I have a difficult time investing in fantasy, though I've always enjoyed this series. There may be something to be said for nostalgia in this instance, but I think that fantasy is easier for me to enjoy when it's an active and participatory experience, rather than a passive one.
Having just completed The Worm Ouroboros, and having been inspired to revisit the fantasy genre based on a few essays by C. S. Lewis in Of This and Other Worlds, I decided to visit the Project Aon website where all twenty-eight of the books are free to read and play through. It's a great resource for those who enjoyed these books previously, who want to read through them now, or who want to share them with the next generation of possible fans.
As for Flight from the Dark, my experience with it has stayed consistent with each reading; I've enjoyed it every time. It's a strong opening to the series, and provides the player with a very simple goal. Having survived an attack on the monastery where you were a disciple of the Kai disciplines, you must journey to the capital city of Holmgard where you must report the attack to the King. The Tolkien influences are very strong early in this series, the setting filled with evil creatures that are stand-ins for orcs, goblins, wolf-riders, and ring-wraiths. There is a certain blending of genres, however, as the player may encounter creatures with a very Lovecraftian feel. I'd qualify it as a generic mixture of Dungeons and Dragons (which is something the author was heavily involved in himself), Tolkien, and 1970's era fantasy/horror influences. There is enough distinctness in the later books that it does feel like it's own world, though it cannot escape its generally derivative nature until much later in the series.
Flight from the Dark includes challenges primarily in the way of navigating to Holmgard while avoiding roving bands of war parties scavenging the countryside as they begin their invasion against the people of Sommerland. There are a few instant death results, which are often annoying, especially when they cannot be deduced, though the reader can just return to the previous entry and select again. Some decisions are relatively obvious though they are of an appropriate level of challenge for young readers. The adventure was enjoyable to revisit, some twenty odd years since my last read through. I recommend this book and the series to those who enjoy a good and quick fantasy story (it took me around an hour to complete) and for young readers who want to experience 1980's fantasy through the medium of a game book. Quick and enjoyable - I look forward to reading through the rest of the series.
Statistics
2017: 2 deaths (1 instant, 1 to Doomwolf battle)
June 22, 2017
Do you want to play D&D but have no DM? Lone Wolf can be your DM!
The Lone Wolf series are solo adventures within an RPG framework; you make choices based on either your own whimsy, or upon the roll of the die. You collect items, maintain your inventory, and inevitably go into combat. In terms of RPG, the rules are simplified (your only two stats are combat ability and endurane/health) but for a solo game that's really all you need.
The books aren't perfect; there are some encounters that you get drawn into that don't bother letting you roll for the outcome, and sometimes you'll reach a point where there would be an *obvious* advantage in using a special ability but the book fails to give you that option. However, considering that it is a pre-written work and can only have a finite number of possible paths, so it's understandable. As long as you keep track of pages and are willing to turn back to restart from a safe "spawn" point, the exploration outweighs any loss of free will.
Flight From the Dark is the first of the first; it's the pioneer of its genre, and it's staggering to realise just how many options you have. The game is a blast. I played twice, with two different characters, and had a wildly different experience each playthrough.
Possibly even better is its combat system. Instead of requiring you to roll twice (once for yourself, once for your enemy), it uses a combat ratio to calculate damage from just one d10 roll. It's an efficient system that makes combat a lot faster and more emotionally intense than any other solo system I've experienced so far.
The book provides a "random number table" in the back pages so you don't actually need a 10-sided die to play. While I appreciate the attempt to be self-contained, I don't find the table to be unpredictable or precise enough. On the other hand, rolling dice when I'm playing these books is not often convenient, either; I heartily recommend the Pocket Dice Roller emulator: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/195037/...
This book is succeed by Fire on the Water, in the same series, which is just as amazing.
I can't recommend this series highly enough.
The Lone Wolf series are solo adventures within an RPG framework; you make choices based on either your own whimsy, or upon the roll of the die. You collect items, maintain your inventory, and inevitably go into combat. In terms of RPG, the rules are simplified (your only two stats are combat ability and endurane/health) but for a solo game that's really all you need.
The books aren't perfect; there are some encounters that you get drawn into that don't bother letting you roll for the outcome, and sometimes you'll reach a point where there would be an *obvious* advantage in using a special ability but the book fails to give you that option. However, considering that it is a pre-written work and can only have a finite number of possible paths, so it's understandable. As long as you keep track of pages and are willing to turn back to restart from a safe "spawn" point, the exploration outweighs any loss of free will.
Flight From the Dark is the first of the first; it's the pioneer of its genre, and it's staggering to realise just how many options you have. The game is a blast. I played twice, with two different characters, and had a wildly different experience each playthrough.
Possibly even better is its combat system. Instead of requiring you to roll twice (once for yourself, once for your enemy), it uses a combat ratio to calculate damage from just one d10 roll. It's an efficient system that makes combat a lot faster and more emotionally intense than any other solo system I've experienced so far.
The book provides a "random number table" in the back pages so you don't actually need a 10-sided die to play. While I appreciate the attempt to be self-contained, I don't find the table to be unpredictable or precise enough. On the other hand, rolling dice when I'm playing these books is not often convenient, either; I heartily recommend the Pocket Dice Roller emulator: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/195037/...
This book is succeed by Fire on the Water, in the same series, which is just as amazing.
I can't recommend this series highly enough.
May 1, 2017
I started reading the Lone Wolf books nearly thirty one years ago when I bought Flight from the Dark from a book club run by my school library (this makes me feel pretty old). I collected the whole series, up until the point that the Grand Master series started getting difficult to find and I still have every single book up to that point, although some of them are pretty fragile now.
Needless to say I was pretty chuffed to find the whole series on the Google Play Store, for free no less, although they do take donations. So far I've only managed to get as far as the super hard Kingdoms of Terror (book six).
Flight from the Dark is not a long book, but it is a good example of a balanced, well put together gamebook. It's certainly helpful if you've read it a hundred times before, but with a bit of luck and common sense anybody can make it to the end.
Without giving away too much of the story you're the last survivor of a devastating attack on the Kai Monastery, the Kai are a kind of cool warrior monk and you have to get to the capital city to warn the King of the coming war.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, particularly if you're looking for something a bit different.
Needless to say I was pretty chuffed to find the whole series on the Google Play Store, for free no less, although they do take donations. So far I've only managed to get as far as the super hard Kingdoms of Terror (book six).
Flight from the Dark is not a long book, but it is a good example of a balanced, well put together gamebook. It's certainly helpful if you've read it a hundred times before, but with a bit of luck and common sense anybody can make it to the end.
Without giving away too much of the story you're the last survivor of a devastating attack on the Kai Monastery, the Kai are a kind of cool warrior monk and you have to get to the capital city to warn the King of the coming war.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, particularly if you're looking for something a bit different.
February 6, 2024
Lone Wolf is an exhilarating gamebook adventure that captivates with its unique approach to interactive storytelling. From the first page, it immerses readers in a thrilling and immersive journey where every decision shapes the unfolding narrative. The blend of compelling choices and a richly imagined world makes for an amazing adventure. Lone Wolf stands out not only for its gripping storyline but also for the way it engages readers in decision-making, offering a truly unique and memorable gaming experience.
Can't wait to read more.
Can't wait to read more.
April 10, 2020
Da piccolo avevo giocato a un paio di Libri-Game ma non mi avevano entusiasmato perché o erano troppo semplici o erano troppo complessi.
Questo invece è il giusto mix di semplicità e complessità, unito ad una trama interessante.
Questo invece è il giusto mix di semplicità e complessità, unito ad una trama interessante.
March 23, 2009
Oh Lone Wolf, how I love thee...
May 5, 2018
A lot shorter than I remember it being from when I was a kid. Nostalgia definitely raises the rating for me, but a good beginning for a series that was my gateway into RPGs.
March 17, 2019
В първата книга от "Самотния вълк" главният герой има една основна мисия - да оцелее след внезапнаното нападение на войските на Мрачните властелини и да се добере до Холмгард.
Литературното ниво на книгата би било под средното за любител, но с умопомрачителния превод на Симеон Николов, може да се каже, че е дори под всякакъв санитарен минимум за произведение, което се публикува в тираж на хартия.
Играта също е под съвременните стандарти, изборите са предимно слепи и тук по-скоро се залага на разучаване - да преиграеш 1-2 пъти книгата, да видиш къде какво има и най-сетне да стигнеш до добрия край.
Въпреки всичко, Джо Дивър е успял да създаде приятна атмосфера, достатъчно интересен свят и игра, която макар да не блести, не дразни и човек може да изкара 2-3 приятни часа с книгата. По-линейна е от битки безброй, но благодарение на тази линейност изгражда цялостна история, което за мен е плюс. Бих я препоръчал на хората, които се кефят на битките със заровете и този тип героично фентъзи.
Литературното ниво на книгата би било под средното за любител, но с умопомрачителния превод на Симеон Николов, може да се каже, че е дори под всякакъв санитарен минимум за произведение, което се публикува в тираж на хартия.
Играта също е под съвременните стандарти, изборите са предимно слепи и тук по-скоро се залага на разучаване - да преиграеш 1-2 пъти книгата, да видиш къде какво има и най-сетне да стигнеш до добрия край.
Въпреки всичко, Джо Дивър е успял да създаде приятна атмосфера, достатъчно интересен свят и игра, която макар да не блести, не дразни и човек може да изкара 2-3 приятни часа с книгата. По-линейна е от битки безброй, но благодарение на тази линейност изгражда цялостна история, което за мен е плюс. Бих я препоръчал на хората, които се кефят на битките със заровете и този тип героично фентъзи.
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