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Lone Wolf #8
The Jungle of Horrors
You are Lone Wolf - the last Kai Master of Sommerlund - and you have sworn to avenge your forefathers, the Kai Lords. You now seek the Lorestone of Ohrido which is said to be hidden in the jungle swamps of the Danarg. Guided by Lord Paido, warrior-magician of the Dessi, you set off across the war-torn lands of Talestria on your secret mission. But your quest is endangered when your identity is discovered - by agents of the terrible Dark Lords no less!
Can you survive the assassins of Gnaag, the armies of Warlord Zagron and chaos-creatures of Agarash the Damned? Will you fall foul of their evil schemes or will you defeat them and fulfil your destiny?
Can you survive the assassins of Gnaag, the armies of Warlord Zagron and chaos-creatures of Agarash the Damned? Will you fall foul of their evil schemes or will you defeat them and fulfil your destiny?
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
6 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Joe Dever
216 books170 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 19, 2023
Stavolta la trama non è molto articolata, ma c'è una bella atmosfera di desolazione e corsa contro il tempo che lo rende comunque avvincente.
Dal punto di vista delle meccaniche tutto funziona bene come al solito, ma cresce la sensazione che senza aver completato i precedenti sia impossibile arrivare alla fine (e per un combattimento in particolare neanche basta averli giocati tutti ma serve solo fortuna a palate).
Dal punto di vista delle meccaniche tutto funziona bene come al solito, ma cresce la sensazione che senza aver completato i precedenti sia impossibile arrivare alla fine (e per un combattimento in particolare neanche basta averli giocati tutti ma serve solo fortuna a palate).
April 18, 2022
In to the Darkest of the Dark
18 April 2022 - Albury
It seems that there is more going on now than just you going out and finding a bunch of McGuffins, namely because there are things going on in the background that are starting to affect your quest. This is probably one of the things that I do like about this series, namely that not only are they interlinked, but there is a whole world and events in the world that are being played out in the background, which is something that I haven’t seen in any of the other gamebooks that I have read.
Mind you, you don’t find out what is going on until about halfway through the adventure, namely that the civil war being fought in Helgedad is over, and another Darklord has ascended to the throne. Now that the fighting is over, and because of that the focus is now upon the Darklord’s real threat, and that is the protagonist of the adventure, namely you.
The interesting this is that this comes into play during a stay at a monastery, and that is that things do not turn out as they seem. Mind you, the book seems to railroad you into the monastery, but that is one of the major problems with gamebooks like these, and that is your choices are going to be rather limited. Unfortunately, it really isn’t physically possible to deal with all the possible choices, so there will end up being quite a bit of railroading.
Mind you, in many cases it seems to run like a story, though there are a few rather important choices that you need to make, and if you don’t have the appropriate skills, then you will find that the choice will lead you to a literal dead end. Fortunately, you can get through with certain skills, and I have generally gone for Pathmanship, Invisibility, Divination, and Huntsmanship. Mind you, having Curing is really helpful as well because it means that you can escape some of these dead ends.
Another interesting thing is that you land up with a companion in the book – Paido (though for some reason I kept on reading it as Pedro, though at times I felt he might have been more like Sancho Panza, even though the last thing this story is trying to replicate is Don Quixote). The thing with companions in these types of books is that they usually don’t last all that long – they are sort of like cannon fodder to allow you to last longer than you normally would have. In fact, some of the earlier books have you head off you a large troop of soldiers, only for them to progressively get killed off (sometimes all at once). Yet, it is surprising that Paido makes it right through to the end.
This book has you descend into a jungle where there is located the ruined fortress of the High Magi. Apparently, it was once a lovely forest but has since become incredibly toxic. It sort of reminded me of Africa before the 19th century – basically, nobody travelled into the interior because travelling into the interior was basically a death sentence. However, that changed once we managed to understand diseases, particularly Malaria, which was one of the main reasons that Europeans were dying en-mass. Mind you, being the hero that you are, you manage to get through and survive (if you make the right choices of course). However, what I did notice was that once you start to get to the end of the book, the choices suddenly disappear, and you are basically railroaded again.
Still, it is better than some of the other books I’ve read, namely because there is a lot going on in the background. Even though the books seem to take you to a different region, that is not too surprising considering that staying in the same place would be rather boring. However, while the locations seem to get further and further out, a part of me still feels that there should be some return to places that have been visited in previous books. Mind you, that will probably occur, considering there is something like thirty books in the series.
18 April 2022 - Albury
It seems that there is more going on now than just you going out and finding a bunch of McGuffins, namely because there are things going on in the background that are starting to affect your quest. This is probably one of the things that I do like about this series, namely that not only are they interlinked, but there is a whole world and events in the world that are being played out in the background, which is something that I haven’t seen in any of the other gamebooks that I have read.
Mind you, you don’t find out what is going on until about halfway through the adventure, namely that the civil war being fought in Helgedad is over, and another Darklord has ascended to the throne. Now that the fighting is over, and because of that the focus is now upon the Darklord’s real threat, and that is the protagonist of the adventure, namely you.
The interesting this is that this comes into play during a stay at a monastery, and that is that things do not turn out as they seem. Mind you, the book seems to railroad you into the monastery, but that is one of the major problems with gamebooks like these, and that is your choices are going to be rather limited. Unfortunately, it really isn’t physically possible to deal with all the possible choices, so there will end up being quite a bit of railroading.
Mind you, in many cases it seems to run like a story, though there are a few rather important choices that you need to make, and if you don’t have the appropriate skills, then you will find that the choice will lead you to a literal dead end. Fortunately, you can get through with certain skills, and I have generally gone for Pathmanship, Invisibility, Divination, and Huntsmanship. Mind you, having Curing is really helpful as well because it means that you can escape some of these dead ends.
Another interesting thing is that you land up with a companion in the book – Paido (though for some reason I kept on reading it as Pedro, though at times I felt he might have been more like Sancho Panza, even though the last thing this story is trying to replicate is Don Quixote). The thing with companions in these types of books is that they usually don’t last all that long – they are sort of like cannon fodder to allow you to last longer than you normally would have. In fact, some of the earlier books have you head off you a large troop of soldiers, only for them to progressively get killed off (sometimes all at once). Yet, it is surprising that Paido makes it right through to the end.
This book has you descend into a jungle where there is located the ruined fortress of the High Magi. Apparently, it was once a lovely forest but has since become incredibly toxic. It sort of reminded me of Africa before the 19th century – basically, nobody travelled into the interior because travelling into the interior was basically a death sentence. However, that changed once we managed to understand diseases, particularly Malaria, which was one of the main reasons that Europeans were dying en-mass. Mind you, being the hero that you are, you manage to get through and survive (if you make the right choices of course). However, what I did notice was that once you start to get to the end of the book, the choices suddenly disappear, and you are basically railroaded again.
Still, it is better than some of the other books I’ve read, namely because there is a lot going on in the background. Even though the books seem to take you to a different region, that is not too surprising considering that staying in the same place would be rather boring. However, while the locations seem to get further and further out, a part of me still feels that there should be some return to places that have been visited in previous books. Mind you, that will probably occur, considering there is something like thirty books in the series.
April 9, 2018
Avere il pollice verde
La domanda da porsi è la seguente: come mai il grande e irreprensibile Lord Paido, tuo compagno di ventura, è utile quanto il dolore alla milza mentre si corre?
Comunque la destinazione finale, il tempio di Ohrido, non è troppo ohrido se confrontato con la valanga di bestie che tentano di farti fuori, non ultimi il gruppo di monaci che capisci che ti tradiranno prima ancora che appaiano, prima ancora che tu sappia della loro effettiva esistenza.
Il viaggetto è divertente; se poi avviene sulla chiatta sgangherata, ancora meglio.
La domanda da porsi è la seguente: come mai il grande e irreprensibile Lord Paido, tuo compagno di ventura, è utile quanto il dolore alla milza mentre si corre?
Comunque la destinazione finale, il tempio di Ohrido, non è troppo ohrido se confrontato con la valanga di bestie che tentano di farti fuori, non ultimi il gruppo di monaci che capisci che ti tradiranno prima ancora che appaiano, prima ancora che tu sappia della loro effettiva esistenza.
Il viaggetto è divertente; se poi avviene sulla chiatta sgangherata, ancora meglio.
June 8, 2012
This one was near impossible on the Hardcore settings of the gamebook player at http://www.projectaon.org/staff/eric/. I thought I was going to have to give it up, but I finally found a way around. Wow! All books in the series free and online in a game-book player here: www.projectaon.org
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
Book 8: Died 21 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
Book 8: Died 21 times
August 22, 2024
Il Danarg inesplorato, cratere di un antico vulcano ora una putrida palude. Viaggia ad ovest, entra nella giungla degli orrori e raggiungi il tempio di Ohrido, qui si cela la terza Pietra.
May 17, 2021
This one mostly feels like a rehash of book six to me, but with a less fun travelling companion and no major antagonist. To be honest, I often get confused about which stuff happens in this one and which happens in book six, but when I take the time to think it through, all the best stuff is from book six and this just feels like stuff that didn't make the cut. Also, you spend hardly any time at all in the titular jungle-swamp, which is a bit of a letdown.
---
The Collector's Edition bonus adventure, Masquerade in Hikas, is an insult to anyone who paid money for it. It was clearly published before it was ready and, as written, is completely impossible to finish. Close to the end of the book, no matter what choices you've made up to that point, you'll be directed to section 151. Section 151 doesn't exist. You're literally told to turn to a page that isn't there, and the only way to continue from that point is to go through the book section by section till you find one that seems like it must be the next bit of the story. In case anyone has the book and wants to save themself that trouble, it's section 85.
But you might not even make it that far, because that's not even the only missing section. There's an earlier place where you're directed to section 152, which also doesn't exist. Again, I figured out what should be there so I'll save you some trouble: write "Talisman" on your list of Backpack items and turn to 115.
There's also a section (149) that can't be reached but was clearly supposed to go between sections 80 and 60, and there's probably another missing section (153?) before it to explain why everything is suddenly exploding. Because everything is suddenly exploding and it makes no sense. You'll find out why later, but in a way that makes it clear you should already have that information and it just got left out by mistake.
Character creation in this one is crazy. The list of abilities you get to choose from is absurdly long, and many of them are obviously terrible. Some are less good versions of others, some are just mediocre, and there are a few that are so clearly better options that every player is always going to pick them. To save you some time: you're going to want Prophecy, Evocation, Sorcery and Baffle. If you pick those skills, the game balance is actually pretty good and you've got a decent chance of making it through.
As for the more minor issues: there are a lot of red herrings and time wasters, the ending is bad, and there are several places where you just have a 50/50 chance of dying (although you can avoid those spots if you're lucky or have played before). This could all have been improved with some playtesting and editing, which this book obviously didn't get. If anyone had read through it even once to make sure it worked then there wouldn't be a missing section on the critical path.
And the real tragedy of it is that it's actually got a lot of potential. It could have been really good. The author obviously put a lot of thought into it. It's just that no one else involved in publishing it gave even the tiniest hint of a shit.
---
The Collector's Edition bonus adventure, Masquerade in Hikas, is an insult to anyone who paid money for it. It was clearly published before it was ready and, as written, is completely impossible to finish. Close to the end of the book, no matter what choices you've made up to that point, you'll be directed to section 151. Section 151 doesn't exist. You're literally told to turn to a page that isn't there, and the only way to continue from that point is to go through the book section by section till you find one that seems like it must be the next bit of the story. In case anyone has the book and wants to save themself that trouble, it's section 85.
But you might not even make it that far, because that's not even the only missing section. There's an earlier place where you're directed to section 152, which also doesn't exist. Again, I figured out what should be there so I'll save you some trouble: write "Talisman" on your list of Backpack items and turn to 115.
There's also a section (149) that can't be reached but was clearly supposed to go between sections 80 and 60, and there's probably another missing section (153?) before it to explain why everything is suddenly exploding. Because everything is suddenly exploding and it makes no sense. You'll find out why later, but in a way that makes it clear you should already have that information and it just got left out by mistake.
Character creation in this one is crazy. The list of abilities you get to choose from is absurdly long, and many of them are obviously terrible. Some are less good versions of others, some are just mediocre, and there are a few that are so clearly better options that every player is always going to pick them. To save you some time: you're going to want Prophecy, Evocation, Sorcery and Baffle. If you pick those skills, the game balance is actually pretty good and you've got a decent chance of making it through.
As for the more minor issues: there are a lot of red herrings and time wasters, the ending is bad, and there are several places where you just have a 50/50 chance of dying (although you can avoid those spots if you're lucky or have played before). This could all have been improved with some playtesting and editing, which this book obviously didn't get. If anyone had read through it even once to make sure it worked then there wouldn't be a missing section on the critical path.
And the real tragedy of it is that it's actually got a lot of potential. It could have been really good. The author obviously put a lot of thought into it. It's just that no one else involved in publishing it gave even the tiniest hint of a shit.
April 7, 2016
I remember this being one of my favorite books from the series and I confirm that I loved it. The Danarg, a swamp in the middle of a volcanic crater, is an unique setting with a rather cool atmosphere. I wish it lasted longer but alas it was a very quick read. Typical of the Lone Wolf book series unfortunately.
Some cool and memorable characters, like Paido the Vakeros warrior and Tadia the seer. And I liked the part before the Danarg, too. Reminded me of the city state of issue 6, which I loved.
Enjoyable read!
Some cool and memorable characters, like Paido the Vakeros warrior and Tadia the seer. And I liked the part before the Danarg, too. Reminded me of the city state of issue 6, which I loved.
Enjoyable read!
October 19, 2015
avvincente avventura di lupo solitario, che affronta il suo viaggio stavolta, insieme ad un mago di nome Paido. il fatto che lupo solitario non sia più solitario in quest' avventura, aggiungere freschezza ai vari libri precedenti. Il viaggio si rivela ricco di insidie, trappole, personaggi interessanti, e tantissime nuove creature di cui non si era mai sentito parlare prima. L'assenza di un importante nemico finale delude un po', ma è bello che la storia finisce con un'interessante cliffhanger
October 8, 2009
A good continuation of the Lone Wolf story. I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I like the early part that deals with traversing the swamp and wished it had been longer. The latter parts in the dungeons, there wasn't exactly anything that I would say interesting, although there were a few nice surprises.
will-probably-never-read
October 13, 2008this is interesting. a RPG style novella. part of the Lone Wolf series?
looks like Choose your Own Adventure combined with Dungeons and Dragons
checking Wikipedia, it looks like there's a whole series of gamebooks. cool.
looks like Choose your Own Adventure combined with Dungeons and Dragons
checking Wikipedia, it looks like there's a whole series of gamebooks. cool.
January 2, 2020
The quest for the lorestones has opened up the world a lot more to the reader, we're seeing much of Northern Magnamund now and this adventure takes us to one of the nastiest, the Danarg swamp, a place corrupted by evil magics
July 20, 2010
This was my least favorite of the series. It is also the one that took the least amount of time to finish.
December 26, 2014
I finished it and didn't die!!!!!
January 20, 2015
Une bonne histoire, de l'action, une fin originale, mais il manque un petit quelque chose pour rendre cette aventure vraiment spectaculaire.
August 17, 2025
„Джунглата на ужасите“ е осмата книга от легендарната поредица за Самотния вълк на Джо Дивър и едно дългоочаквано попълнение, което за пръв път излиза на български благодарение на неуморния труд и ентусиазъм на фенския екип. Това е истински празник за читателите, които още в края на 90-те години започнаха приключението си със Самотния вълк, когато издателство „Хермес“ представи първите томове. Сега тази традиция получава нов живот и показва колко устойчива и сплотена е българската общност около поредицата. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
January 14, 2022
Ho ricominciato a leggere Lupo Solitario dopo una pausa di un anno: sono un po' arrugginito ma alla fine sono morto una volta sola. La storia la immaginavo più coinvolgente, magari con nemici più memorabili. L'unico punto positivo è il compagno che si aggrega all'avventura, Paido che alla fine fa ben poco...
Ma l'indovinello del mattone?!? Mi ha sbloccato i ricordi di matematica delle superiori e il fatto che a distanza di anni riesca ancora a ricordare come impostare un'equazione mi fa commuovere! XD
Ma l'indovinello del mattone?!? Mi ha sbloccato i ricordi di matematica delle superiori e il fatto che a distanza di anni riesca ancora a ricordare come impostare un'equazione mi fa commuovere! XD
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 8: The Jungle of Horrors
(published 1987, first read 1989)
Story: 3/5
Game: 4/5
Replayability: 4/5
Book 8: The Jungle of Horrors
(published 1987, first read 1989)
Story: 3/5
Game: 4/5
Replayability: 4/5
October 4, 2021
Just didn't click with the story (maybe because I jumped into the series here) The first major battle is nearly impossible without an item from a previous story too.
Might be better if I worked my way up more.
Might be better if I worked my way up more.
December 13, 2021
You are Lone Wolf, the last Kai Master. You are trying to restore the Kai Lords to their former glory. You are searching the Jungle for the Lorestone of Ohrido. The dark lords are aware of your true identity and are sending assassins. Another great novel in the series.
August 3, 2018
2.5 stars
Really fun (short) river scenario, but the actual jungle scenario is weirdly straightforward, simple, and anticlimactic.
Really fun (short) river scenario, but the actual jungle scenario is weirdly straightforward, simple, and anticlimactic.
March 20, 2019
Bueno, la historia se me hizo interesante pero este libro es demasiado sencillo.
July 23, 2024
The weakest entry in the series imho
December 14, 2023
Ottava avventura per Lupo Solitario: la ricerca della saggezza Magnakai spinge lupo Solitario nelle paludi di Danarg, accompagnato da un alleato questa volta, Paido.
Il libro presenta i tipici pregi e difetti delle narrazioni di Joe Dever, ma è stato piacevole notare una leggera inclinazione verso una componente narrativa e descrittiva più sviluppata. La presenza dell'alleato, d'altro canto, poteva essere un'occasione per testare nuove meccaniche da libro gioco che è andata totalmente sprecata.
Il libro presenta i tipici pregi e difetti delle narrazioni di Joe Dever, ma è stato piacevole notare una leggera inclinazione verso una componente narrativa e descrittiva più sviluppata. La presenza dell'alleato, d'altro canto, poteva essere un'occasione per testare nuove meccaniche da libro gioco che è andata totalmente sprecata.
October 21, 2019
One of the least memorable of the series.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews