Customer Reviews

Castle Death

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The second book of the Magnakai and the seventh in the incredible international bestselling roleplaying series, Castle Death takes you to the forbidden Isle of Khor, upon which Kazan-Oud, Castle Death, stands. For many centuries this terrible fortress has been the abode of a powerful sorcerer called Zahda, and the Magicians of Dessi, a realm of exotic creatures and sprawling jungles, can only hope to contain Zahda's growing power. This would hold no real importance to your quest for the seven Lorestones except for one fact: the Lorestone of Herdos was captured by the forces of evil upon the defeat of its creator and carried to Kazan-Oud, where Zahda coupled it with its foul twin, the Doomstone of Naaros. From this accursed gem Zahda draws all of his power, and as long as the Doomstone exists you will be unable to take the Lorestone without great physical harm.

The Elder Magi have granted you safe passage to Castle Death, but after you have passed through the great doors of the citadel they can do no more...for a hundred of the greatest warriors of Dessi and beyond have entered Kazan-Oud-and none of them have returned..

I started this series probably 15 years ago, maybe more. I remember being so wrapped up in this interactive adventure that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next installment. Well, while cleaning off my shelves a few days ago I stumbled across these gems and I tell you, I got overwhelmed with the same feelings.

You are Lone Wolf, the last of the Kai Warriors in the land of Sommerlund. Throughout your adventures (the are 28 books and 4 "World of Lone Wolf" books) you will face monsters big and small, wizards, magicians, puzzles, riddles, and everything else your imagination can think of.

This book is just like your standard "Choose Your Own Adventure" book except that it is more interactive. Not only do you choose your path, but you also choose your skills, equipment, and whether or not you want to battle enemies. This book employs an interesting combat system in which you pick a number from the "Random Number Table" at the end of the book by closing your eyes and poking the page with your eraser. I highly recommend getting ahold of a 10-sided die to use instead, because after a few books one can learn where the higher number areas are.

"Castle Death" is a rather disappointing addition to the series. This book is unoriginal. It is your basic dungeon crawl on a quest that feels like it could have been left out of the overarching series. Additionally, the title, "Castle Death," is incredibly uninspired and unoriginal. However, it is still a fun adventure and necessary to play if you are going through the series. Just don't expect too much in terms of plot and setting development.

I had the first 15 books of the series when I was younger and now that I've reread them, I am scrounging ebay and used Amazon books to locate the next ones. Unfortunately all of these books are out of print. If you are looking for these books, I highly recommend getting the UK editions of books 12-20 because the US editions are abridged and are missing huge sections. Additionally, there are many "broken links" since they were edited so when it says to turn to page XX it takes you to the wrong place. Also, good luck finding books 21-28 as they were ONLY printed in the UK. They are very rare and if you have them, hold on to them!

Finally, Joe Dever has authorized the free distribution and licensing of his Lone Wolf series which are available online. This resource has the unabridged editions which makes it great. I will not give out the URL as part of the reviewers agreement but with a little searching you should be able to find it. However, I still prefer to read the paperback versions instead of an online version.

Castle Death is a race to obtain one of the greatest artifacts in the World of Lone Wolf-a lorestone, particularly the Lorestone Of Herdos, which is held by the vile Zahda. Within the adventure, YOU are Lone Wolf and journey into the Kazan-Oud, or Castle Death, and are opposition to many bizzarr and dangerous creatures, and end up being imprisoned yourself! Upon escape from evil's tight clutches, you find the lorestone and Zahda himself-to find out what happens, get the book!

I first read this book when I was eight, and, given that I liked fantasy at the time, it became my favorite book. I read it until my faithful copy fell apart, but by then, I had been able to beat it several times. If you like either fantasy or role-playing games, I strongly recommend that you read this book, for you will appriciate fantasy a lot more.