Lone Wolf (gamebooks): Difference between revisions
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==Adaptations== |
==Adaptations== |
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In [[2004]] the license was adapted as a [[Tabletop role-playing game|role-playing game]] by [[Mongoose Publishing]] under the [[open gaming|Open Game License]] using Mongoose's [[OGL System]]. |
In [[2004]] the license was adapted as a [[Tabletop role-playing game|role-playing game]] by [[Mongoose Publishing]] under the [[open gaming|Open Game License]] using Mongoose's [[OGL System]]. Three computer games were released during the late 1980's using the Lone Wolf license. The first two, published by Hutchinson, were adapted from the first two gamebooks, while the third entitled 'Mirror of Death' from Audiogenic Software, featured an original storyline. An online [[MMORPG]] was developed by fans throughout 2005<ref>{{cite web | last = Cat| first = Black| title =The end of the LW MMORPG? | work = Lone Wolf MMORPG | date = [[2005-12-23]] | url = http://www.towerofthesun.com/lonewolf/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=8| accessdate = 2006-07-03}}</ref>, but development stopped when it was announced that an RPG video game is being developed by Singapore-based Ksatria Gameworks, and is scheduled for release in Summer 2007.<ref name="news">{{cite web | last = Dever| first = Joe| title = Joe Dever letter | work = lobo-solitario.com | publisher = Heirloom Publishing| date = [[2005-12-21]] | url = http://lobo-solitario.com/informacion/viejas/2005/200512.htm| accessdate = 2006-07-03}}</ref> The ''Eclipse of the Kai'' was abridged as an audio book read by Edward da Souza. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 18:05, 8 July 2006
Lone Wolf is the protagonist in a collection of 28 gamebooks, created by Joe Dever and initially illustrated by Gary Chalk.
Synopsis
The world of Magnamund is a planet in the universe of Aon. This world is the focus of a battle between the powers of Good, among them Kai (God of the Sun) and Ishir (Goddess of the Moon), and Naar, the evil God of Darkness, and his allies.
In the north-east of Magnamund's northern continent lies the realm of Sommerlund. Its people, the Sommlending, are devoted followers of Kai. There are those among them, known as Kai Lords or simply 'the Kai', who possess extraordinary innate abilities. Trained from childhood at the monastery of Kai, the Kai Lords are Sommerlund's greatest defence against Naar's agents.
Naar's champions upon Magnamund are the Darklords, who dwell in the scorched wastes of the Darklands, west of Sommerlund. This realm, inhospitable to most life, enables the Darklords to survive on Magnamund - though powerful, they are greatly weakened by the natural atmosphere of the world. Forced to enact their will at a distance, the Darklords wage war with armies of Drakkarim (humans devoted to Naar), Giaks (goblin-like creatures spawned in vast numbers), and other creatures, and are served by agents such as Vordaks (undead with psychic powers) and Helghasts (shapechanging undead).
Template:Spoiler At the Kai Monastery is a young initiate, given the name Silent Wolf. On the feastday of Fehmarn, when all the Kai Lords gather at the monastery, Silent Wolf is sent to cut wood from the surrounding forest as a punishment for his inattention in class. While he is gone, a surprise attack is launched from the Darklands at several places across Sommerlund. The Monastery is assaulted and the gathered Kai Lords massacred. Rushing back from the woods, Silent Wolf is knocked out by a low-lying tree branch. When he comes to, he finds himself the only survivor, renames himself Lone Wolf and sets out for the capital to inform the King of the loss of the Kai.
The Kai series follows Lone Wolf as he rallies the armies of Sommerlund and her ally, Durenor, to repel the invasion, pursues and captures the traitor who brought about the invasion, and survives plots to complete the destruction of the Kai. At the end of the series, Lone Wolf recovers the Book of the Magnakai, the ancient text which contained the higher lore of the Kai Lords. With the massacre of the Kai, and Lone Wolf only an initiate, these teachings were thought to be lost.
The Magnakai series takes up the tale, with Lone Wolf now a Kai Master striving to understand the Magnakai teachings. The Book, however, is ancient and incomplete. To perfect his understanding and train a new order of Kai Lords, Lone Wolf must follow the path of Sun Eagle, the first Kai Lord and author of the Book of the Magnakai. Sun Eagle quested for the wisdom encapsulated in the Lorestones of Nyxator, seven orbs scattered across Northern Magnamund. As Lone Wolf begins the same quest, however, war breaks out again. The Darklords have again rallied behind a single leader and now hasten their invasion to defeat the Magnakai quest. Lone Wolf pursues the quest through the war-torn realms and even beyond the plane of Magnamund. Ultimately, he enters the Darkland capital of Helgedad and brings about the destruction of the Darklords.
The Grand Master series continues the story of Grand Master Lone Wolf and introduces the restored order of Kai Lords. With the destruction of the Darklords, Naar and his agents abandon open warfare and seek new paths to dominance, often focused directly on Lone Wolf as the keystone of the forces of Light.
The New Order series features a new protagonist, a Grand Master in the Second Order of the Kai and a student of Lone Wolf, who is now Supreme Master. Much of the series focuses on attempts by Naar's minions to use remnants of the power of Agarash the Damned, Naar's greatest champion and predecessor to the Darklords. As such, the settings explore Southern Magnamund, where Agarash's empire was centred and which was ignored in the earlier series. Template:Endspoiler
Books
Writing
Joe Dever was seven years old when he became a fan of a comic strip known as "The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire", which appeared in a magazine called Look and Learn. He would build armies of Airfix Roman soldiers and convert their spears to laser rifles, long before he was introduced to fantasy.[1] Dever was introduced to "science fantasy" by his high school english tutor.[2] He was the first and perhaps only British person to compete in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Championship of America, which he won in 1982.[3]
Dever originally created Lone Wolf as a setting for his Advanced Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Originally called "Chinaraux", the world consisted of only northern Magnamund.[2] Dever developed the world of Magnamund from 1975 to 1983.
Publication
The first book in the series was published in 1984; the last in 1998. A series of expanded retellings of the main series was written during the 1990's: the Legends of Lone Wolf novels.
Dever was originally contracted by London-based publisher Hutchinsons for four books, but had planned out at least twenty for the series. Three scripts were later developed of Lone Wolf for a potential film release but did not proceed beyond the pre-production phase.[4] Publisher Red Fox ceased publishing the Lone Wolf series after book 28, The Hunger of Sejanoz, citing lack of interest in the interactive gaming genre, despite hundreds of requests for the reprinting of several Lone Wolf books that had gone out of print.[2] Dever plans on releasing the last four books of the New Order series in some form after completing his collaboration on the new Lone Wolf RPG.[5]
The character Greystar the Wizard was originally created by Dever, though it was Ian Page who developed the four book sub-series.[2]
In 1999, Dever gave permission for his Lone Wolf book to be published for free on the internet by the non-profit organization Project Aon. As of July 2006, 17 of his Lone Wolf books, the World of Lone Wolf series, the Magnamund Companion and several other Lone Wolf related written works are available for download.[6]
With the help of Joe Dever, Paul Barnett, whose pen name is John Grant, wrote twelve novelizations of the Lone Wolf books known as the Legends of Lone Wolf, several of which were heavily edited before publication.[7] Barnett has been in discussions with an Italian publisher about reprinting the books unedited.[8] Random House stopped publishing the novelizations because "the books weren't selling".[9] Dever has stated that as the game books precede the novelization, they are the "authoritative" versions.[2]
In 1982, Joe Dever won the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons World Championships in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Only the first four volumes of the Lengends of Lone Wolf were made available in the United States (though Sword of the Sun was divided into two separate volumes, The Tides of Treachery and Sword of the Sun), and only the first 20 of the core Lone Wolf gamebook series were made available in the United States; the last 8 books were never printed in the US. It should be noted that the American editions of books 13-20 were abridged versions and thus are shorter than the UK editions. The UK versions also have color maps. In The Magnamund Companion, all countries of the Lone Wolf world are described in some detail; the Darklords, the Giak language, a Ragadorn Tavern Board game, and even a little solo adventure where you play Banedon are also features of this book.
Publication history
The Lone Wolf gamebooks, set in the fantasy world of Magnamund, have been published in over 30 countries, translated into 18 languages, and have sold in excess of 9 million copies worldwide since 1984. All 28 gamebooks are being made available as Project Aon Internet editions, as well as some of the supporting books.
Influences
Dever stated that his earliest inspirations for Lone Wolf were medieval classical texts such as Beowulf, Ivanhoe, King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In his teenage years Tolkien, Moorcock and Mervyn Peake along with military history and Norse mythology all contributed to the creation of the Kai. The Kai lords are like "psionic rangers with special powers bestowed upon them by their gods."[3]
Critical Response
Adaptations
In 2004 the license was adapted as a role-playing game by Mongoose Publishing under the Open Game License using Mongoose's OGL System. Three computer games were released during the late 1980's using the Lone Wolf license. The first two, published by Hutchinson, were adapted from the first two gamebooks, while the third entitled 'Mirror of Death' from Audiogenic Software, featured an original storyline. An online MMORPG was developed by fans throughout 2005[10], but development stopped when it was announced that an RPG video game is being developed by Singapore-based Ksatria Gameworks, and is scheduled for release in Summer 2007.[11] The Eclipse of the Kai was abridged as an audio book read by Edward da Souza.
See also
References
- ^ "Dicing With Death". Warlock Magazine. 1986-07-01. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Blake, Jonathan (1998-01-01). "Joe Dever". The Kai Monastery. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Baylis, Chris (1993-01-01). "Interview with Joe Dever conducted by Chris Bayliss" (PDF). Role-Player Independent Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dever, Joe (2004-07-01). "Joe Dever Interview". lobo-solitario.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dever, Joe (2005-12-21). "Joe Dever letter". lobo-solitario.com. Heirloom Publishing. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dever, Joe (1999-01-01). "Joe Dever Permission Grant". Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dannenfelser, Randy M. (2006-01-01). "UNDER HOT LIGHTS AND A FALLING SKY WELCOME TO THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PAUL BARNETT". John Grant Paul Barnett.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Anders, Lou (2002-01-01). "Interview With John Grant/Paul Barnett by Lou Anders". BeWrite Books.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Egelstaff, Julian (1997-09-01). "Paul Barnett". Kai Monastery. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Cat, Black (2005-12-23). "The end of the LW MMORPG?". Lone Wolf MMORPG. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dever, Joe (2005-12-21). "Joe Dever letter". lobo-solitario.com. Heirloom Publishing. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- Project Aon - Free downloadable Internet editions of the Lone Wolf gamebooks.
- Official website of the Lone Wolf RPG
- The Tower of the Sun - Lone Wolf fan site
- Lone Wolf webring - The World of Magnamund
- Lone Wolf book list
- Description of the Lone Wolf gamebooks
- Description of the World of Lone Wolf gamebooks