Joe Dever

A few weeks ago, I read the sad news that Joe Dever passed away on November 29. Since his books accompanied my childhood and still fascinate me today, I want to take this sad occasion to introduce his outstanding and very special books. I’m sure not all of my readers are familiar with gamebooks, and in this post I want to show what can be found within the pages of a book. I also have a very special one-of-a-kind edition on my shelf that I’d like to share with you.

I think I was about eleven or twelve years old when I first came across a book by Joe Dever. My father found them somewhere in a bargain bin, thought the concept was interesting, and brought them home. It’s actually quite obvious that such a gamebook is just perfect for children.

What are gamebooks?

Unlike a normal book, you don’t read it straight from front to back. Instead, these books are divided into numbered sections. The reader takes on the role of the protagonist, is addressed as “you” in the text, and begins with the first section. At the end of each section, the player has several options and can choose different paths. Depending on the choice, the reader continues at a different section. There, too, another decision awaits, and the story branches again. In this way, the story diverges, and each reader takes a different route through the book, experiencing a unique adventure shaped by their own decisions.

In addition, there are rules. Compared to Pen & Paper role-playing games, they’re fairly simple but greatly enhance the gameplay and sense of freedom. You have a backpack in which you collect items, can wield weapons and armor, have special skills, and can fight. At the end of the book there’s a random number table that functions as dice. In this way, an adventure unfolds that resembles a computer game, but one that is played with a book in your hand (and the best graphics card in the world: your imagination ;)).

Of course, Joe Dever was neither the first nor the only author of gamebooks. Also very well-known was the Fighting Fantasy series by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, as well as a very old AD&D series. There were even solo adventures for the The Dark Eye system that worked the same way. I have a whole shelf full of books, most from the 1980s. But my absolute favorite then and now is Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf series. What made these books so captivating for me as a child was their rich and coherent world. Unlike Fighting Fantasy adventures, which typically tell a single self-contained story (with the exception of the Analand Saga), Joe Dever created his own realm: Magnamund — complete with its own races, nations, and cultures.

As the player, you are the last Kai monk, who must stand against the Darklords and save his homeland, Sommerlund. A classic plot, but for me back then it was something truly new — and of course, as a nerd, I was immediately fascinated. To fight your way as a hero through dungeons, dark caverns, deserts, the far north, and every imaginable fantasy setting is pure reading pleasure. I also found the rule system very pleasant, balanced, and well thought out. Twelve books were translated into German and published back in the 1980s. At first, I only had the first seven volumes and was thrilled when I later discovered the remaining ones. I don’t know how many times I played through the books — countless, I’d say.

The new edition

In 2010, a passionate gamebook collector founded a new publishing house, acquired the rights to Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf, and reissued the entire series. Nicolai Bonczyk, a passionate role-player himself, had amassed so many books that he eventually decided to sell some. From that, a small online shop emerged, and apparently demand was so great that he decided to start his own publishing company. The market proved him right — and from all those children and teenagers who once read the books, a large community of fans has since grown, people who, like me, love these stories.

Since the first volume was newly translated and redesigned in October 2010, not only the first twelve books (previously translated into German) have been published, but also twenty volumes and several special editions. The complete series consists of thirty-two books, and the remaining ones are planned for translation and reissue over the next few years. I’ve collected all of them so far, and Nic simply sends me each new book as soon as it’s released. I love the idea, the world, and of course the wave of nostalgia it brings back every time.

My unique edition

In my bookshelf, there are some books that exist only once. Some I wrote myself, others I compiled and had printed, or modified. One such book is a unique edition in which I digitized and printed all twelve volumes of the first 1980s edition into one thick bound book.

I always wanted a truly beautiful, high-quality, and elegant edition that collects the whole story in one large format where it can really shine. I admit it’s very, very nerdy — which makes it even more wonderful.

The book is bound in a subtle black linen cover. For years, I’ve wanted to design a beautiful dust jacket for it but never did — maybe someday I will. The pages are laid out in a large, two-column format. It’s not particularly practical for playing or reading, but that wasn’t the point. It’s simply too precious for that.

A very important element of these books are the atmospheric illustrations, originally drawn by artist Gary Chalk. They added tremendous value to the books, and of course, I included them in my collected edition. Nowadays, we’re used to stunning fantasy artwork — in video games, online, and as teasers in online shops — everywhere you find beautifully atmospheric art that makes you want more. Back then (oh man, I sound really old — which, of course, I’m not!), that wasn’t so common, and these simple yet expressive drawings powerfully conveyed the mood and atmosphere of the stories. They still do today.

RPC

In 2010, the annual RPC (Role Play Convention) took place in Cologne, where Mantikore Verlag had a booth. Joe Dever himself was scheduled to attend and promote the new German edition of his books. For me, it was the perfect opportunity to browse, meet Joe, and get my special edition signed. That weekend in Cologne is something I’ll never forget (if only because of all the cosplay!) — I had never before been surrounded by so many fantasy enthusiasts.

It was a real pleasure to wander through the halls, and it made me want to dive into all those games. Of course, the highlight was the Mantikore Verlag booth and the enthusiastic Joe Dever, who had never seen his books presented in such a format before.

The world of Lone Wolf

I’m clearly not the only one captivated by the series — with over 10 million copies sold worldwide, the success speaks for itself. There are also many projects and fan sites that have expanded and continued Joe Dever’s world.

One of them is a map of Magnamund, drawn by Italian artist Francesco Mattioli, which looks stunning in A1 format. Naturally, I got the limited signed edition — a wonderful complement to my special book.

All books in the series have been released in English as free ebooks on Project Aon and can be downloaded or read online. So anyone who wants to read them on an ebook reader can do so at least for the English editions. The books are available in various formats, including EPUB. However, in my opinion, nothing can compare to the experience of holding the printed books.

For those who enjoy Pen & Paper role-playing, Lone Wolf is also available as a tabletop RPG. There were several multiplayer books published, which of course I had to own — if only for collecting purposes. I never actually played them. Similarly, there’s the Lone Wolf Adventure Game, funded through Kickstarter and developed in collaboration with Joe Dever. I didn’t buy that one — the artwork and gameplay stray too far from the original for my taste.

Another Kickstarter project is the Lone Wolf Board Game, a board game set in the world of Lone Wolf. It looks quite nice, but at 85 euros, it’s too expensive for me — and honestly, I doubt I’d actually play it. Although it features Gary Chalk’s beautiful original illustrations and was supported by the artist himself, it still doesn’t quite capture the same magic for me as the books.

Finally, several computer games and mobile versions have been released. A few years ago, I tested an app that made the books playable on the iPad. There’s also a version on Steam featuring turn-based combat, but I didn’t really feel the charm or aesthetic of the books there. I haven’t fully tested those games, though.

Joe Dever

If you’ve read this post up to this point, I hope I’ve managed to spark your interest in these wonderful books. Neither I nor the many others who grew up with Joe Dever’s amazing works will forget him and his legacy anytime soon — and we’ll continue to enjoy his fantastic world for years to come. I also hope that more fantasy enthusiasts will create new formats in the future (back in the ’80s I always dreamed of those beautiful tabletop figures that apparently existed briefly — that would be something).

The stories and their creative author, Joe, will always stay in my memory. Rest in peace, Joe.