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Lone Wolf #23
Mydnight's Hero : Lone Wolf # 23
The King of Siyen has been assassinated. Prince Karvas is the sole heir of this rich and powerful realm but he lives in exile in distant Sheasu - ‘the Isle of Lost Heroes’. In his absence, evil Baron Sadanzo and his army of robber knights have staked their claim to the vacant throne.
In Mydnight’s Hero, your quest is to voyage to Sheasu and track down Price Karvas in the fabled city of Mydnight. Once found you must persuade him to return with you to Siyen without delay. You have only 50 days in which to complete this challenging quest or Siyen will be enslaved by the tyrannical Sadanzo and his brutal followers.
In Mydnight’s Hero, your quest is to voyage to Sheasu and track down Price Karvas in the fabled city of Mydnight. Once found you must persuade him to return with you to Siyen without delay. You have only 50 days in which to complete this challenging quest or Siyen will be enslaved by the tyrannical Sadanzo and his brutal followers.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
119 people want to read
About the author
Joe Dever
226 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
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 23: Mydnight's Hero
(published 1995, first read 1995)
Story: 4/5
Game: 2/5
Replayability: 1/5
Book 23: Mydnight's Hero
(published 1995, first read 1995)
Story: 4/5
Game: 2/5
Replayability: 1/5
January 7, 2020
A very pleasant storyline, it had the feeling of Kingdoms of Terror and Cauldron of Fear, though it was different in that the book version of me had to accompany an exiled prince back home to claim his crown before an evil baron claimed it instead. The pace of the book is enjoyable, and never feels rushed, even though it's a dash to the finish line kind of story. The areas visited are new to the series yet there is a general Stornlands feel that's somewhat reminiscent of how pre-renaissance Europe is depicted in films and TV. There's a couple of captures that don't feel forced, though they do add up to an odd statistical unlikelihood all the same. Still there's no drama without conflict and there's some interesting conflicts with almost every trope from the fantasy genre getting some use.
April 20, 2019
I found this installment of the Lone Wolf series to be a refreshing change of pace. This book provides something that most Lone Wolf books lack: a feeling of companionship with another character in the world that lasts the entire length of the book. It departs from the series in another important way: combat encounters are not as prominent (at least in the path that I took), which makes your other decisions more impactful. The story also provides an interesting study in how Sommerlund fits into the larger political environment of Magnamund, which adds some much appreciated depth and breadth to the role of the Kai. I highly recommend it!
January 9, 2022
It's not a very challenging (game-wise) but enjoyable read.
The book constantly reminds you that the deadline of the escort mission is approaching fairly fast, but since no such mechanism seems to be present, no extra scheduling is required. The big bad, the baron, appears only in the very end and is easily snuffed out, and the non-optional fights are all manageable with a relatively weak build. But this adventure still feels intense and gives a sense of accomplishment upon completion, for the exotic places, cultures and people to get to interact with.
The book constantly reminds you that the deadline of the escort mission is approaching fairly fast, but since no such mechanism seems to be present, no extra scheduling is required. The big bad, the baron, appears only in the very end and is easily snuffed out, and the non-optional fights are all manageable with a relatively weak build. But this adventure still feels intense and gives a sense of accomplishment upon completion, for the exotic places, cultures and people to get to interact with.
June 27, 2020
The biggest problem with this book is just that nothing stands out about it at all. It's bland and forgettable. There are no memorable characters, events or encounters, and the major antagonist doesn't even show up until the end. The last book may have made an impression for the wrong reasons, but at least it made an impression. This one is just dull.
I did really enjoy the fact that, right near the end, but that doesn't make up for the lack of anything interesting or the absurd linearity of it. There's about one meaningful decision in the entire book. No side quests, no diversions, alternative paths, it's a straight line the whole way. So, as boring as it is the first time, it's even worse the second because it plays out exactly the same way every time. I'm not going to say it's the worst book in the series, but it's probably the one I'm least likely to ever re-read.
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The collector's edition bonus adventure, Lost in the Kelderwastes by Florent Haro and Vincent Lazzari, is about as uninspiring as the main story. There are some extremely long sections with no decisions to make, and the authors were clearly very pleased with their villain (although there's really nothing special or memorable about him) so they gave him way too much time to monologue. But the biggest issue, for me, was the protagonist's lack of agency. Even when you do get to make decisions, mostly they don't feel important because the character you're playing as doesn't really have much choice about what to do anyway.
I did really enjoy the fact that, right near the end, but that doesn't make up for the lack of anything interesting or the absurd linearity of it. There's about one meaningful decision in the entire book. No side quests, no diversions, alternative paths, it's a straight line the whole way. So, as boring as it is the first time, it's even worse the second because it plays out exactly the same way every time. I'm not going to say it's the worst book in the series, but it's probably the one I'm least likely to ever re-read.
---
The collector's edition bonus adventure, Lost in the Kelderwastes by Florent Haro and Vincent Lazzari, is about as uninspiring as the main story. There are some extremely long sections with no decisions to make, and the authors were clearly very pleased with their villain (although there's really nothing special or memorable about him) so they gave him way too much time to monologue. But the biggest issue, for me, was the protagonist's lack of agency. Even when you do get to make decisions, mostly they don't feel important because the character you're playing as doesn't really have much choice about what to do anyway.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews