The Prisoners of Time

Lone Wolf #11

by Joe Dever

You are Lone Wolf - the last Kai Master of Sommerlund. Tricked by your arch-enemy Darklord Gnaag, you have fallen into a portal of total darkness, a shadow gate, that leads to the twilight world of Daziarn.

Somewhere in the supernatural void are the two remaining Lorestones you must find in order to restore the Kai to their former glory. Wil you find them or will you remain forever a prisoner of the void? Your doom or your destiny await you in this exciting penultimate episode of the Magnakai quest.

Genres: Fantasy, Gamebooks, Fiction, Role Playing Games, Choose Your Own Adventure, Gaming, High Fantasy

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 10, 1987

About the author

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

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

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

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo scontro contro il Signore del Caos lo ricordavo molto più famigerato e punitivo.
Invece, complice una serie di tiri fortunati, ho trionfato alla grande al secondo tentativo; la prima volta sono morto a causa di un risultato sfortunato della Tabella del Destino che mi ha fatto schiantare insieme ad un carro fuori controllo.
Molto più impegnativo invece il doppio scontro finale contro Vonatar e gli altri criminali esuli di Sommerlund: dopo che i suoi compari mi hanno ammorbidito per bene, per sconfiggere il mago traditore ho dovuto prima scolarmi tutte le pozioni guaritrici che avevo accumulato nello zaino durante le avventure precedenti.

Ed ora entriamo nel Cancello dell'Ombra e torniamo a casa, il volume finale del Ramastan ci aspetta!

Buon Natale.

[Krell75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sei stato ingannato, Gnagg uno dei Signori delle Tenebre ti ha fatto precipitare attraverso il Cancello dell'Ombra, nel misterioso mondo del Daziarn, una dimensione alternativa che nasconde le ultime due Pietre della Sapienza. Riuscirai nella ricerca e troverai un modo per fuggire da questo mondo alieno?

[Chris Gousopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the worldbuilding but the sequence of fights starting with the Chaos Master is insanely unbalanced and difficult

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Shadowlands
8 June 2022

In this book you find yourself falling into a gate that takes you to a shadow dimension. In fact it begins pretty much where the previous book left off, though I’ve noticed that it seems to be getting to the business end of the series. Mind you, I originally thought that there were only twelve books in the series, but have since discovered that there are quite a few more, which makes me wonder what happens after Lone Wolf completes this quest, and Lone Wolf becomes grandmaster (I actually found out by checking out Wikipedia, but that’s sort of cheating).

Anyway, this book turned out to pretty much be like all the other books at this end, namely that there are a couple of choices, but the end of most of the paragraphs is either turning to another one, or asking whether you have a specific skill at a specific level. The thing is that if you have been through all of the books up until here, that answer is pretty much going to be yes (unless you did something silly like taking Weaponmastery – multiple times).

Mind you, at the beginning of the book they do drop a hint that it is probably not a good idea to start the game at this book because, well, there are a lot of times where you have to be at a certain level to use a skill specifically. Oh, and I suspect the combats are a lot tougher as well (not that I can attest to that because, well, I’m not actually rolling any dice, namely because I’m either reading it on the train, or at the local pub).

However, it is still a nice read, and it means that you can get through it without actually taking a wrong turn, which I do like. However, it feels more like a novel (as I have said numerous times) that makes you feel like you are part of the action. Actually, the story is quite interesting, especially since there are a couple of twists and turns in it. Also, taking you to another realm, which is actually a transitory realm, is interesting as well. Actually, if you remember back from the earlier books you might suddenly realise that this actually isn’t the type of place that you would willingly go to spend a summer holiday.

Yeah, I liked it, but only because it puts you in the action rather than simply being a typical fantasy novel. If that was the case, then I probably wouldn’t have been all that interested in reading it. Oh, and it is a pretty short read as well, which is something that I also appreciate, especially in between some rather heavier books.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more linear than previous installments in the series and very unbalanced in difficulty. Using the Hardcore settings on the gamebook player at http://www.projectaon.org/staff/eric/, this book is virtually impossible. I cannot make it through without dying. Had I known what was needed before getting to this book I MIGHT have made it a little easier. I had to revert to the By-the-book rules to complete it without cheating. 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
Book 9: Died 12 times
Book 10: Died 11 times
Book 11: Died 30+ times

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des hauts et des bas. Beaucoup de textes, peut très bien devenir pénible pour un jeune lecteur. Relativement plus long que les autres livres de la série également. De plus les combats se font très rare dans les deux premeirs tiers du livre. La où ce livre ce démarque positivement, un univers légèrement différent de ce à quoi on est habitué, des combats et des ennemis épiques vers la fin (dernier tier) et une grande finale.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather linear and super tough, but probably the weirdest of the Lone Wolf gamebooks.

[Mathew Walls · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept of this book, the journey across an alien world is cool and I like meeting gods, but the game balance is just completely thrown out the window here. Technically this book is winnable if you've been lucky and made good decisions in the previous books, but it's still bullshit-hard. There are also some really long sections of dull exposition and world-building, which isn't great. But the main thing dragging it down is just the fact that you're almost certainly going to have to cheat to win, and that sucks.

[Roger]

this 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.

[Rachel Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most unique and intriguing storyline so far, thrown out of our universe onto another plane of existence the search to find a way home is both rich and rewarding. An old storyline is even revisited and wrapped up, before a shock reveal at the end raises the stakes to a new high...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great penultimate gamebook for the original 12-book Lone Wolf adventure series. The story's pace is good and there's enough action and suspense in it despite being a gamebook.

[Horrorsage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting going to another realm, but if you have the Sommersword you really can't win. I feel like the Sommersword is the weapon of the Lone Wolf, and it punishes you for having it

[Alessandro Casaburo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Con "I prigionieri del tempo", Dever aveva tutte le carte in regola, se non proprio il dovere, di proporre qualcosa di diverso e sperimentare. tutto ciò non succede: la storia è una classica avventura di Lupo Solitario, con tutte le sue caratteristiche (ben note, essendo arrivati all'undicesimo volume). Non è una brutta avventura, anzi, dopo una prima metà lenta la storia prende ritmo e propone anche dei combattimenti e delle situazioni interessanti, ma laddove si poteva sfruttare l'ambientazione alternativa per proporre dinamiche diverse, Dever cade nel "business as usual", e forse anche peggio. La storia è fortemente lineare. Nonostante alcune situazioni si possano affrontare in modo diverso, non ci sono bivi significativi e tutte le strade portano allo stesso esito. Inoltre, sembra quasi che Dever non sapesse come riempire i canonici 350 paragrafi: ci sono sfilze di paragrafi consecutivi senza bivi che potevano essere riuniti in un solo paragrafo, oltre ai classici paragrafi che si ripetono uguali più volte. Una gestione più saggia avrebbe giovato alla variabilità delle situazioni e a qualche bivio più importante, o alla longevità stessa dell'avventura (che forse è leggermente maggiore a quelle precedenti).
In conclusione, "I prigionieri del tempo" lascia l'amaro in bocca, perché sa di occasione sprecata: Dever poteva fare tantissimo per rendere l'avventura più memorabile e invece sembra che, nonostante il materiale che aveva per le mani, proprio questa volta abbia lavorato pigramente, al risparmio.

[Andrea Ambroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, arrivare alla fine senza morire è stata durissima. Le ultime fight, a partire dal dominatore del caos, le ho trovate molto difficili rispetto a quelle incontrate in precedenza. Tutto però è compensato da una LORE e WORLD BUILDING pazzeschi: Joe Dever ha alzato l'asticella delle aspettative, e se già pensavo che le gesta di LS fossero epiche, dopo questo volume sono diventate leggendarie. Come? Includendo la lotta del Magnamund in uno schema ben più grande: si parla di altri pianeti e universi dove la dicotomia BENE e MALE continua ad esistere ma con altri personaggi a combatterla.
Curioso di sapere come finirà questa lunga saga con il prossimo libro.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Dhana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 11: The Prisoners of Time
(published 1987, first read 1989)

Story: 5/5
Game: 3/5
Replayability: 3/5

[Mark Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed each Lone Wolf book and the art is excellent. You are Lone Wolf, last Kai Master, you are searching for treasure while trying to escape. You choose your skills, equipment and weapons and make choices as you go. It’s like Choose Your Own Adventure books with fantasy except the added skills and items you get to choose.

[Sammy Tiranno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of the previous books. The main flaw was that the BBEG (aka - the Chaos-master) was impossible to defeat, even with all of the buffs. It should’ve been challenging, of course, but it was so imbalanced that the chances of success were abysmal. (CS: 47 / EP: 68 vs. CS: 34 / EP: 35) I would’ve had to roll only 9s and 10s, and 10s mostly!

[Casandra Ruiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otro bastante sencillo, me falta el último de este arco pero ya me desanimé.

[Cyril Corbaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love that gamebook despite all its flaws. Sure, the Chaos master fight is very hard to win unless you prepare for it properly (and are a bit lucky), and so is the psychic fight, but this book is such a pleasure to delve into for its characters (the story behind the two major leaders you first encounter was quite moving) and it's unique world. The stakes are high, as finding your way back to your dimension seems an impossible task at first, and being able to kick Vonotar's butt at the end is an opportunity I wouldn't like to pass on. One of Lone Wolf's most epic journeys.

[Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combattimenti praticamente impossibili ma storia molto interessante e belle le descrizioni dell'universo parallelo.