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Lone Wolf #7
Castle Death
The reader becomes Lone Wolf, a Kai Master who has pledged to restore the Kai to their former glory, and must complete the quest first undertaken by Sun Eagle--to retrieve the key to the wisdom of his ancestors from Castle Death.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 1986
4 people are currently reading
207 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 31 reviews
August 22, 2024
La seconda Pietra della Sapienza sembra essere celata in un'antica fortezza in mezzo ad un lago nel regno dei maghi di Dessi. Protetta da potenti incantesimi per evitare che il male ne esca tu dovrai entrare.
November 26, 2025
Sarà che sto rigiocando la serie sulla app gratuita per android "Lone Wolf Saga" e non è possibile barare, ma questo settimo volume di Lupo Solitario se la gioca con Traversata Infernale per mortalità...
Sono morto in combattimento tipo quattro-cinque volte, ho scelto la terza opzione al penultimo paragrafo e sono schiattato ignominiosamente ad un passo dalla meta tuffandomi in acqua, e quel 50% secco di possibilità di restarci secchi se salite sulla trave senza affrontare il nemico invisibile mi è sembrato oltremodo punitivo, ma dopo tre giorni di svariati tentativi, improperi ed altro, ho finalmente trionfato e posso addentrarmi nuovamente ne La Giungla degli Orrori.
E se anche per voi, come me, la matematica è un'opinione e vi trovate in difficoltà arrivati all'enigma della statua su quanti siano i figli e le figlie dello Zakhan, sappiate che la risposta è 34.
Vi risparmierete rabbia, ulcere, ed imprecazioni contro la divinità e i santi assortite.
E nonostante tutto ciò mi sono divertito un mondo a rigiocarlo come la prima volta quasi quarant'anni fa.
'Nuff said!
Sono morto in combattimento tipo quattro-cinque volte, ho scelto la terza opzione al penultimo paragrafo e sono schiattato ignominiosamente ad un passo dalla meta tuffandomi in acqua, e quel 50% secco di possibilità di restarci secchi se salite sulla trave senza affrontare il nemico invisibile mi è sembrato oltremodo punitivo, ma dopo tre giorni di svariati tentativi, improperi ed altro, ho finalmente trionfato e posso addentrarmi nuovamente ne La Giungla degli Orrori.
E se anche per voi, come me, la matematica è un'opinione e vi trovate in difficoltà arrivati all'enigma della statua su quanti siano i figli e le figlie dello Zakhan, sappiate che la risposta è 34.
Vi risparmierete rabbia, ulcere, ed imprecazioni contro la divinità e i santi assortite.
E nonostante tutto ciò mi sono divertito un mondo a rigiocarlo come la prima volta quasi quarant'anni fa.
'Nuff said!
May 31, 2023
Questo volume prende decisamente una svolta più macabra rispetto ai precedenti: è un horror duro e puro, con trappole dietro ogni angolo e creature mostruose ad atterrirci. Non il mio genere, ma devo ammettere che le atmosfere sono molto suggestive.
La difficoltà è alta, ma non al punto da diventare frustrante, mentre le dinamiche di gioco si confermano efficaci.
La difficoltà è alta, ma non al punto da diventare frustrante, mentre le dinamiche di gioco si confermano efficaci.
April 13, 2022
McGuffin Time
11 April 2022
I have to admit that these books are starting to feel a little lame or at least the title of this book came across as rather lame. The other thing is that the books from here are starting to feel like just going out and grabbing McGuffins as opposed to actually having any real narrative substance to it. Sure, you might argue that this is a gamebook, and as such, we should simply expect the player to either be grabbing some McGuffin, or killing some bad guy (or both), but honestly, when I discovered it at the beginning of the book that Lone Wolf is out to grab six lore stones, and that each of the books has him grab a different lore stone, my eyes sort of rolled.
Yeah, it just started to feel as if Denver was running out of ideas because, well, he had pretty much set up the plots for the next so many books, when in reality there could be so much more that he could be doing. Honestly, why couldn’t have he simply had us either taking out Dark Lords, or have some other event that at the end of the book you ascend another level, meaning that you gained another power. Yeah, it sort of didn’t give me any real desire to continue the quest beyond this one, even though I do plan on doing so.
Anyway, this book takes place in a single location, which is a castle that happens to be sitting in the middle of a lake. The thing with the castle is that it happens to be the seat of this rather nasty being, however he has been sealed inside the castle by a magical dome, which you must first enter. Once you are in there, you explore the castle and attempt to locate him because once you do, you pretty much get the Lorestone.
Like the other books, if you ignore the combats then this book turns out to be rather simple. You honestly don’t need to find specific items, and it appears that there is no specific route you need to take to get to the end. Actually, it also felt as if it doesn’t matter which route you take, you can basically get there, it just depends on how hard the encounters are. More so, most of the items seem to be pretty useless, and this is the case when you get captured because you lose everything. Mind you, if you ignore one door, you pretty much lose all of your items, which can be pretty bad, especially if you have the Somersword.
Oh, there is a rather tricky riddle here, but the thing is that in the days of the internet you can discover the answer on the internet quite easily. This would have been vastly different back in the days when this book was released, especially since there isn’t much clue as to which is the correct paragraph (if I got stuck back then I would go through most of the paragraphs, or at least the ones that corresponded with the riddle – these days if I get too stuck I just resort to the internet – sure, that may sound a little lazy, but unfortunately I don’t have too much time to spend on these books, especially since I want to get them back to my friend).
Yeah, as I mentioned, I felt that it could have been better if it hadn’t degenerated into simply chasing after a mcguffin.
11 April 2022
I have to admit that these books are starting to feel a little lame or at least the title of this book came across as rather lame. The other thing is that the books from here are starting to feel like just going out and grabbing McGuffins as opposed to actually having any real narrative substance to it. Sure, you might argue that this is a gamebook, and as such, we should simply expect the player to either be grabbing some McGuffin, or killing some bad guy (or both), but honestly, when I discovered it at the beginning of the book that Lone Wolf is out to grab six lore stones, and that each of the books has him grab a different lore stone, my eyes sort of rolled.
Yeah, it just started to feel as if Denver was running out of ideas because, well, he had pretty much set up the plots for the next so many books, when in reality there could be so much more that he could be doing. Honestly, why couldn’t have he simply had us either taking out Dark Lords, or have some other event that at the end of the book you ascend another level, meaning that you gained another power. Yeah, it sort of didn’t give me any real desire to continue the quest beyond this one, even though I do plan on doing so.
Anyway, this book takes place in a single location, which is a castle that happens to be sitting in the middle of a lake. The thing with the castle is that it happens to be the seat of this rather nasty being, however he has been sealed inside the castle by a magical dome, which you must first enter. Once you are in there, you explore the castle and attempt to locate him because once you do, you pretty much get the Lorestone.
Like the other books, if you ignore the combats then this book turns out to be rather simple. You honestly don’t need to find specific items, and it appears that there is no specific route you need to take to get to the end. Actually, it also felt as if it doesn’t matter which route you take, you can basically get there, it just depends on how hard the encounters are. More so, most of the items seem to be pretty useless, and this is the case when you get captured because you lose everything. Mind you, if you ignore one door, you pretty much lose all of your items, which can be pretty bad, especially if you have the Somersword.
Oh, there is a rather tricky riddle here, but the thing is that in the days of the internet you can discover the answer on the internet quite easily. This would have been vastly different back in the days when this book was released, especially since there isn’t much clue as to which is the correct paragraph (if I got stuck back then I would go through most of the paragraphs, or at least the ones that corresponded with the riddle – these days if I get too stuck I just resort to the internet – sure, that may sound a little lazy, but unfortunately I don’t have too much time to spend on these books, especially since I want to get them back to my friend).
Yeah, as I mentioned, I felt that it could have been better if it hadn’t degenerated into simply chasing after a mcguffin.
April 8, 2021
This is the first Lone Wolf book I ever read and it's still my favourite. It's a castle full of weird monsters. What's not to love? Probably the best one is the giant hand that reaches out of a corridor, implying that there's actually a whole giant sort of walled into the castle, buried within the island. You never see any more of it than its hand, but it's in there somewhere!
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The collector's edition bonus adventure, The All Seeing One, is tragically, undeniably awful. It starts out really well. There are meaningful decisions that lead to different outcomes. There are multiple paths. There are tricks and traps and treasures. And then it seems like the author, Nick Robinson, must have run out of time and given up on all that because it becomes a straight path through a gauntlet of unbeatable enemies. And I mean unbeatable. If you got the highest possible rolls for your stats and picked the best abilities, there's one fight there that you'd have less than a 50% chance of winning. Add that to the sequence of unavoidable fights that follow and I don't think there's any way, short of miraculously rolling all tens forever, that you could possibly beat this one.
---
The collector's edition bonus adventure, The All Seeing One, is tragically, undeniably awful. It starts out really well. There are meaningful decisions that lead to different outcomes. There are multiple paths. There are tricks and traps and treasures. And then it seems like the author, Nick Robinson, must have run out of time and given up on all that because it becomes a straight path through a gauntlet of unbeatable enemies. And I mean unbeatable. If you got the highest possible rolls for your stats and picked the best abilities, there's one fight there that you'd have less than a 50% chance of winning. Add that to the sequence of unavoidable fights that follow and I don't think there's any way, short of miraculously rolling all tens forever, that you could possibly beat this one.
January 18, 2021
This one was brutal but fun! Since being kitted out with all of the goodies from the initial books in the series, its been a while since I've found subsequent adventures in this series challenging, but I found it here. Unlike some of the previous adventures where your character dies to a random die roll (though there are still places you will find that here), success is more linked to a good selection of powers and equipment, narrative choices and definitely help from the dice. There were many tense moments fighting my way through this one and I enjoyed the mixture of encounters- combat, puzzles and the narrative choices. Additionally, the part where your character is zeroed out in a sense helps offset some of the advantages of playing in past adventures.
December 6, 2017
Verdetto unanime
Se l'accoglienza sulla spiaggia - tra topi famelici e cervelli volanti dalle dubbie intenzioni - non è delle migliori, la successiva cattura nel castello, con verdetto di tribunale annesso, fa rimpiangere il frizzante esordio sull'isola.
La discesa nella pletora di orrori di Kazan-oud è un gradito ritorno alle lugubri atmosfere ottantiane: prima s'ammazza qualunque cosa respiri e dopo, al massimo, si fanno le domande.
Se l'accoglienza sulla spiaggia - tra topi famelici e cervelli volanti dalle dubbie intenzioni - non è delle migliori, la successiva cattura nel castello, con verdetto di tribunale annesso, fa rimpiangere il frizzante esordio sull'isola.
La discesa nella pletora di orrori di Kazan-oud è un gradito ritorno alle lugubri atmosfere ottantiane: prima s'ammazza qualunque cosa respiri e dopo, al massimo, si fanno le domande.
October 16, 2015
bello, avvincente, tenebroso, misterioso, ottima l'ambientazione e la fantasia della location. una delle avventure più belle di Lupo Solitario ricca di personaggi ben descritti, tante alternative e un bel finale.
January 13, 2015
Beaucoup d'action et de combats épiques. L'histoires ne fait pas partie des meilleurs, mais elle est tout de même intéressante. Assez difficile!
October 3, 2009
This part of the Lone Wolf gamebook series deals with a dungeon setting - sneaking into a place of evil and then getting back out. There are quite a few interesting foes in this book and the story is lined with a few challenging puzzles. Overall, a well-written story with a good sense of pace and progress.
May 29, 2012
Dungeon setting. The book seemed short, or I somehow went the short path through. The setting was less epic than previous books. All books in the series free and online in a game-book player here: http://www.projectaon.org/staff/eric/
Death Count:
Book 1: Died 9 times
Book 2: Died 11 times
Book 3: Died once
Book 4: Died once
Book 5: No deaths
Book 6: Died 4 times
Book 7: Died 3 times
Death Count:
Book 1: Died 9 times
Book 2: Died 11 times
Book 3: Died once
Book 4: Died once
Book 5: No deaths
Book 6: Died 4 times
Book 7: Died 3 times
September 6, 2021
El primer libro que me leo de la saga de Lobo Solitario y el segundo dentro del universo de los librojuegos.
Mis impresiones mejoran bastante con este libro, donde la lectura te absorbe de manera atrapante gracias a su visceral y cruda literatura. El título de la obra le hace justicia en todo su recorrido de lectura, la dificultad es elevada y las deciciones a tomar en más de una ocasión me tuvieron en un gran interrogante. Como he comentado al principio, soy un ignorante en este género de relatos, mas podría atreverme a afirmar que si el survival horror se pudiera metastatizar en formato de papel, "Muerte en el castillo" es lo que más podría acercarse a ese concepto de vulnerabilidad, muerte y terror a lo desconocido.
Sufres mucho nada más empieza la aventura, en las páginas iniciales ya se te hace ver que te adentras en un mundo que te viene grande, donde grandes héroes han encontrado su fin y tú no eres sino otro más que se sumerge en un destino parecido. Estás solo, te sientes inválido por tus escasos recursos y por lo difícil que se hace avanzar aunque solo sea un paso más. Todo debe ser elegido con extremo cuidado, desde tus poderes del Magnakai hasta los primeros objetos que se te ofrecen nada más empezar.
Por otra parte, la primera parte del libro te la pasas creando las fichas del personaje, leyendo un montón de normas, reglamento y poderes que te puede llegar a abrumar. Solo se trata de un apunte personal, pero las casi 20 primeras páginas del libro son solo para enseñarte a jugar. Es un poco largo pero bueno, tampoco para quejarse.
Me quedo esencialmente con el tono tan adulto y crudo que transmite la historia, es lo que buscaba y este libro me lo ha dado.
Mis impresiones mejoran bastante con este libro, donde la lectura te absorbe de manera atrapante gracias a su visceral y cruda literatura. El título de la obra le hace justicia en todo su recorrido de lectura, la dificultad es elevada y las deciciones a tomar en más de una ocasión me tuvieron en un gran interrogante. Como he comentado al principio, soy un ignorante en este género de relatos, mas podría atreverme a afirmar que si el survival horror se pudiera metastatizar en formato de papel, "Muerte en el castillo" es lo que más podría acercarse a ese concepto de vulnerabilidad, muerte y terror a lo desconocido.
Sufres mucho nada más empieza la aventura, en las páginas iniciales ya se te hace ver que te adentras en un mundo que te viene grande, donde grandes héroes han encontrado su fin y tú no eres sino otro más que se sumerge en un destino parecido. Estás solo, te sientes inválido por tus escasos recursos y por lo difícil que se hace avanzar aunque solo sea un paso más. Todo debe ser elegido con extremo cuidado, desde tus poderes del Magnakai hasta los primeros objetos que se te ofrecen nada más empezar.
Por otra parte, la primera parte del libro te la pasas creando las fichas del personaje, leyendo un montón de normas, reglamento y poderes que te puede llegar a abrumar. Solo se trata de un apunte personal, pero las casi 20 primeras páginas del libro son solo para enseñarte a jugar. Es un poco largo pero bueno, tampoco para quejarse.
Me quedo esencialmente con el tono tan adulto y crudo que transmite la historia, es lo que buscaba y este libro me lo ha dado.
January 25, 2023
La settima avventura di Lupo Solitario si distacca notevolmente dalla precedente: dal viaggio in un mondo di ambientazione prettamente medievale e con pochi elementi fantasy, il monaco guerriero questa volta approda all'esplorazione del castello di Kazan-Oud alla ricerca della Pietra di Herdos. La trama è divisa nettamente in tre parti (arrivo, esplorazione del castello, labirinto), presenta episodi meno slegati tra loro rispetto al capitolo precedente e si sviluppa come l'esplorazione di un dungeon di un tipico gioco dungeon crawler. Le situazioni affrontate sono diverse ma presentano prevalentemente combattimenti. Il lato negativo di questo capitolo è la longevità: i bivi si sviluppano maggiormente in parallelo, non c'è esplorazione libera. Inoltre, molti paragrafi sono quasi uguali tra loro e cambiano lievemente a seconda della provenienza. Forse, alcuni di questi potevano essere agglomerati in meno paragrafi e usare quelli rimanenti (perché Dever scrive sempre 35o paragrafi) per allungare un po' la run. In conclusione, "Il castello della morte" è un passo in avanti rispetto al capitolo precedente sotto certi aspetti (omogeneità della narrazione, coinvolgimento, rigiocabilità) ma un passo indietro per altri (longevità, prevalentemente).
October 25, 2021
The castle lived up to its name - I met my end a couple of times before a successful completion. At first I felt a little overpowered, but then I was stripped of my weapons before entering a maze that contained some powerful enemies. Luckily I was able to reacquire my belongings before the boss-fight, which would’ve been very difficult without significant buffers. Lots of opportunity for battle in this one, and I always love when they include logic problems that must be solved in order to discover the correct section to proceed to.
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
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 7: Castle Death
(published 1986, first read 1989)
Story: 2/5
Game: 4/5
Replayability: 1/5
Book 7: Castle Death
(published 1986, first read 1989)
Story: 2/5
Game: 4/5
Replayability: 1/5
January 2, 2020
Something of a curio, it's essentially a stand alone book, and yet so many connections are formed in this book that continue on through the Magnakai era of the books. The storyline could be a little tighter but on the whole things are challenging in this adventure
June 27, 2021
My first Lone Wolf book. Brother bought it on one of our frequent trips to the bookstore. He judged the book by the cover (and title) and thought #1 looked lame. We were hooked. I have read 1-10 several times & this marks my millionth read of Castle Death
December 13, 2021
You are Lone Wolf, Kai Master. You are attempting to restore the Kai to its former glory. Sorcerers agree to help but require a key from Castle Death. Another great book in the Lone Wolf series. You pick your skills and equipment and try to survive Castle Death.
August 3, 2018
Pretty cool/hard/frustrating maze scenario after you explore the castle. Died SO often & finally achieved optimal (Sommerswerd!) ending.
March 20, 2019
Otra buena historia de aventuras ^_^
March 26, 2019
One of my faves of the series, it gets so hard in a fun way! If you like mazes this is it
October 3, 2019
This book was ok. I liked that the Summerword burned off the monster's hand
December 16, 2019
Difícil y tenso, aunque un poco atropellado, pero con buenas ideas. En mi opinión pierde mucho al rejugarlo porque se ven muchos patrones. Además la historia se siente repetitiva.
April 8, 2024
Engaging, dark and mysterious. Very good dynamics of play alternating investigations through Castle Death filled with traps, a gloomy maze and lots of monsters. Cool ending.
July 23, 2024
One of the first books I ever loved.
Read
October 27, 20241
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2025
I really enjoyed the dungeon delve this book offers, which provides a nice change from the classic (but generic) overland travel from issues #4, #6, or #8. The iconic villain, as well as the gauntlet part and the final escape all really contribute to make Castle Death a memorable experience.
January 8, 2018
As they accompany you from the council chamber to equip you for the dangerous mission that lies ahead, you ask the meaning of the words 'Kazan-Oud'. An uneasy silence descends on the dignified company and all eyes turn to Rimoah.
"In the language of the Sommlending," he says, his voice wavering, "Castle Death."
Ah, the sweet melodrama of high fantasy.
As Lone Wolf continues his search for the seven Lorestones of Nyxator, he must now find his way into the foreboding castle of Kazan-Oud, known in the region as Castle Death, in order to obtain the Lorestone of Herdos.
This was probably the most challenging of the books thus far, with consistent battles that left little time to recover (woe betide those who venture without healing). In addition, inventory items were ravaged several times, leaving me scampering through dangerous sections with little equipment, and low endurance. The result was a rather tension-filled search that left little room for respite. The few moments of respite that came were the several riddles I encountered, all of which were interesting and well executed.
I appreciated the intensity, mixed with the mind-puzzles, though it almost felt too frantic. A decent adventure for the series, but not as enjoyable as I remembered from years ago, and certainly not a stand out when compared to some of the previous books.
2018: 6 deaths (all to Lord Zahda in combat)
"In the language of the Sommlending," he says, his voice wavering, "Castle Death."
Ah, the sweet melodrama of high fantasy.
As Lone Wolf continues his search for the seven Lorestones of Nyxator, he must now find his way into the foreboding castle of Kazan-Oud, known in the region as Castle Death, in order to obtain the Lorestone of Herdos.
This was probably the most challenging of the books thus far, with consistent battles that left little time to recover (woe betide those who venture without healing). In addition, inventory items were ravaged several times, leaving me scampering through dangerous sections with little equipment, and low endurance. The result was a rather tension-filled search that left little room for respite. The few moments of respite that came were the several riddles I encountered, all of which were interesting and well executed.
I appreciated the intensity, mixed with the mind-puzzles, though it almost felt too frantic. A decent adventure for the series, but not as enjoyable as I remembered from years ago, and certainly not a stand out when compared to some of the previous books.
2018: 6 deaths (all to Lord Zahda in combat)
December 27, 2023
Of the books so far in this series, this one has got to be the hardest to complete. I know that the fan community often says that this is the book that they die the most trying to finish. In this definitive edition, I was lucky that I had done this book before in the original format. If I had not, then I probably would have died numerous times. Still, even with my slight advantage, I died once. One of the things that really set this book apart is the nightmarish creatures that you only encounter here because of Zahda's experimentation.
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