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Item - Flight from the Dark

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(British (Beaver) edition, revised cover)
(British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th])
(British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th])
(British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th])
(Original American (Pacer) edition)
(American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing)
(American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price)
(American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing)
(Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, paperback)
(Book Club Associates edition - cover)
(Hardback omnibus edition - cover)
(Paperback omnibus edition)
To see more images, switch to Edition View.

Combined Summary

Online Full Text: Project Aon (Project Aon edition)
Series: Lone Wolf (1984-1998) — no. 1
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition — no. 1
Platform: Web Browser (Project Aon edition)
Contained In: Flight from the Dark: Software Pack (Collection)
Translated Into: Astrapes sto skotadi [Αστραπές στο σκοτάδι] (Greek)
Bekstvo iz tame (Serbo-Croatian)
Flucht aus dem Dunkel (German)
Flykt undan mörkret (Swedish)
Fuga da escuridão (Portuguese)
O fugitivo das trevas (Portuguese)
Huida de la oscuridad (Spanish)
Kurayami kara no dasshutsu [暗闇からの脱出] (Japanese)
Lari dari kegelapan (Malay)
Les Maîtres des ténèbres (French)
Menekülés a sötétségből (Hungarian)
Polet ot mraka [Полет от мрака] (Bulgarian)
Den sidste kai-ridder (Danish)
I signori delle tenebre (Italian)
Útok ze tmy (Czech)
Adapted Into: The Dark Door Opens (Novel)
Eclipse of the Kai (Novel)
Flight from the Dark (Video Game)
Flight from the Dark (Solitaire Adventure)
Flight from the Dark [expanded version] (Gamebook)
Author: Dever, Joe
Illustrators: Chalk, Gary (interior)
Jones, Peter Andrew (British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th] - cover; British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th] - cover; British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th] - cover)
Maitz, Don (Original American (Pacer) edition - cover; American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price - cover; American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing - cover; American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing - cover)
Salmon, Brian (British (Beaver) edition, revised cover - cover)
Dates: 1984 (Book Club Associates edition)
1984 (British (Beaver) edition, original cover)
1984 (Hardback omnibus edition)
1984 (Original British (Sparrow) edition, second printing)
June, 1984 (Original British (Sparrow) edition, first printing)
January, 1985 (Original American (Pacer) edition)
1988 (British (Beaver) edition, revised cover)
1990 (British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th])
1991 (British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th])
1992 (Paperback omnibus edition)
2000 (Project Aon edition)
2022 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, paperback)
ISBNs: 0099358905 / 9780099358909 (Original British (Sparrow) edition, first printing, British (Beaver) edition, original cover, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover, British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th], Original British (Sparrow) edition, second printing, British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th])
0399212175 / 9780399212178 (Original American (Pacer) edition)
0425084361 / 9780425084366 (American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing)
1915586003 / 9781915586001 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, paperback)
Length: 350 sections (Original British (Sparrow) edition, first printing, Original British (Sparrow) edition, second printing, British (Beaver) edition, original cover, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover, British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th], British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th], British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th], Original American (Pacer) edition, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing, Project Aon edition)
Number of Endings: 17 (not including failure by loss of points) (Original British (Sparrow) edition, first printing, Original British (Sparrow) edition, second printing, British (Beaver) edition, original cover, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover, British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th], British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th], British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th], Original American (Pacer) edition, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price, American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing, Project Aon edition)
Cover Price: US$2.25 (Original American (Pacer) edition)
US$3.50 (American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price)
US$3.99 (American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing)
US$2.50 (American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing)
Special Thanks: British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th]:
Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the front cover, back cover, spine and title page verso images and Luke Sheridan for the spread scan.
British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th]:
Thanks to Luke Sheridan for the spread cover and title page version images.
User Summary: You are Silent Wolf, a young man studying with the Kai monks. When the Dark Lords attack and wipe out the Kai monastery, you rename yourself Lone Wolf and set off to warn the king of the approaching evil.
Demian's Thoughts:

It's practically impossible to write objectively about this book. I've probably read and re-read it more times than any other book that I own. Although the writing is a bit more dry than I remember it being (I guess childhood imagination does make a difference), this remains a satisfying start to a grand adventure. The challenge level is neither too hard nor too easy, with numerous ways to reach a successful conclusion and choices that are always in some way meaningful. It was a great pleasure to revisit the adventure, and if you somehow haven't played it yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Since it's now available for free online play at Project Aon, there's really no excuse not to.

More reviews by Demian

firaya's Thoughts:

This is the first gamebook I have ever received, and it holds good memories. You are almost immediately thrust into the thick of the action, following the invasion of the Darklords. Realizing that the invasion is a full-scale assault, you decided that the king of Sommerlund must be warned, so that enough preparations can be made to counter the impending wave of destruction.

One nice thing that I have discovered about this book, with the right skills and decisions, is that it is actually possible to win the book without fighting ANY battles at all. Even with the weakest starting abilities, you can win without any fear. It would be a good challenge to find that path, whether you are a veteran or a new player.

More reviews by firaya

Kveto's Thoughts:

Well, after 30 or so years, I've finally revisited Lone Wolf, thanks to Project Aon. I found that I had remembered very little of the book, aside from the warrior monk aspect and the weapon specializations.

The story is quite basic: after a Conanesque scene where your monestary is destroyed, you go on a quest to warn the king. The choices feel quite open-ended as you are often choosing pathways, based on little info. It very much feels like it is feeling its way, which is fine for a first book. They story doesn't feel quite as developed as the Grey Star books.

Like Grey Star, it has probably my favourite combat system. With a chart in which each combatant can lose large amounts of endurance points, the fights feel short and brutal, unlike the long drawn out battles in Fighting Fantasy.

The only thing I don't quite get is that all the weapons appear equal, with no combat difference between using a dagger, a quarterstaff or a broadsword. The only difference is whether or not you have a specialization in said weapon.

The short sections were no bother, playing it on my Kindle, as you could instantly skip to that section. My only difficulty was the combat section and action chart, which I solved by printing out copies to have on hand for reference.

I agree with Demian that it would involve more strategy if you didn't roll for skill and endurance, but I found that after several deaths, I was able to win with a character who had 13 combat skill and 24 endurance (a weak character) as the combats aren't very tough. I was much more likely to get instant kills.

The real strategy comes in choosing your Kai disciplines, such as hunting, camouflage, mindblast, and so on. As most of the adventure takes place in the wilderness, I found the outdoor rangerish skills the most practical. I quickly dumped weapon specialization (a +2 to combat but only with your randomly selected special weapon) for more useful stuff.

Overall, a bit of good fun and I'm looking forward to more. But Grey Star is still my favourite.

More reviews by Kveto

Shadeheart's Thoughts:

[Rating: 7/10]
[Recommended? YES]

The "Lone Wolf" series is one which is generally held in high esteem by essentially all gamebook lovers, and despite my own lack of overall familiarity with it before heading into the debut title, I'll admit I hadn't known what exactly could be expected. "Flight from the Dark" kicks off the series with style to spare, an intelligently crafted system (which is rightfully ranked among the best ever developed in interactive fiction), and an attentively attuned atmosphere that exceeded my expectations. The storytelling plays out exactly as a gamebook should; it shifts between atmospheric tones and dialectic dictation with such natural ease that one could easily see Joe Dever's talent for world design and interactivity. Similarly, the pace of the story - for all it's worth - feels very natural for the world and the system itself.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is its openness and startling variety of passages/narrative options. Outstandingly, the story is incredibly interactive (and arguably quite replayable), with a real moral weight taken into consideration for many choices as the opportunities allow. It IS possible to avoid conflict in many cases; during my initial run I only encountered a single enemy (saving the soon-to-be-deceased prince) which I could have avoided (but chose not to). A similar weakness is the questionable difficulty level; maybe this was done so as to invoke common sense in readers to prepare for more challenging quests ahead. Of course, the good outweighs the bad with this classic. And of course, it's the kind of thing that has to be experienced for oneself for the first time... and few words can really sum it up.

The sheer scope of the series is understandably a little daunting to many gamebook seekers, but the reputation garnered by Lone Wolf is well-deserved. Even though I'm still not entirely sure it's my cup of tea, the amount of praise deserved by this book is too enormous to overlook. "Flight from the Dark" is meaningful enough to deserve a legacy, and I do hope that others will continue to give it the shot it deserves - a classic of interactive literature that will hopefully be remembered and praised for its many highlights and offerings. ^^

(Mysteriously disappears into the shadows.)

More reviews by Shadeheart

Special Thanks:Thanks to Guy Fullerton for the early Beaver cover scan and to Tan Hong Kiat for the low-resolution second Beaver edition cover scan that were previously used here. Thanks to Ryan Lynch for images of the first two Sparrow printings, both Beaver editions, both Red Fox printings, and the seventh American printing.
Users Who Own This Item: aden (Red Fox edition), aehalpin, Alarion, Alatar001, aldinozz (Sparrow edition), AlHazred (Pacer), andyr, angriestmonster, anhartleyuk, Aniline, Arcohnz, Ardennes, auximenes, B0N0V0X, Barker1952, Belgarath, BobaGabe, bookwormjeff (Sparrow, Red Fox, Berkley), brujeria!, casperthegoth, cayh_dilg, Citanul, crazydave, Crazyscotsman, CSquared, CWCprime, Cyan, c_wickham (for Kindle), dArtagnan, dave2002a, dblizzard72, DeKoovenWolf (Beaver edition), Demian (American twenty-first printing), demon of the deep lt, desdichado66, devilsboy, Dirk Omnivore, domj29 (Beaver), Dronak (US Berkley Pacer), drystan (Sparrow Edition), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, edwebb, EegahInc, egokun, Erikwinslow (US, UK (Beaver)), Ffghtermedic, firaya, firefoxpdm, Fullerton (UK), Gamebook, Gamehorder, Garrick Muttley, Gartax (American edition), Gibraltar (Red Fox edition), gnomeza (Red Fox), Greeneuva, greyarea13, Grifter (Berkley Pacer), Haoie, Himynameistony, hoops4ever, Hugues, Ian2405, Icedlake (Sparrow), jdreller (US), jeff3333, jeffreylee, Joe_TC (UK revised cover ), Johnny Jones (Pacer Edition), JoshW, jr (Berkley), Jubal, juski, katzcollection (Sparrow, Pacer, Berkley Pacer and Red Fox editions), KenJenningsJeopardy74, killagarilla, kinderstef, knginatl (Sparrow, Pacer, Berkley Pacer), Kojiro, le maudit, LordJR, Luke, Maginomicon, Malthus Dire, marginal_space, marksmith, marnaudo, mattender, matthaeus (Sparrow Edition), mir1812, mlvoss, Morthynmir, mvstang, mymgoth, Naniyue, Narananas (Omnibus), nelsondesign, NEMO (Berkley Pacer edition), nerelax, nicolau (Spanish eds., Alfaguara & Timun Mas), nilhilius (Berkley Pacer), Nomad, ntar (Berkley Pacer ed), Oberonbombadil (Sparrow (3 copies, both 1984 - one is my childhood copy), Beaver original 1986 and Beaver revised), odo_ital, ooklathemokk, Osirian08, outspaced, Pessimeister (1st beaver edition), peterm2, Pirrakas, plowboy (Red Fox), plutonick ((Beaver edition)), Pseudo_Intellectual, punga, rectagonal (Pacer), redeyeball, rpatel1976 (beaver), ryderark (Sparrow), Ryuran333 (Sparrow, Red Fox, Beaver), Sabreman (Sparrow), Salpynx (Sparrow), sebastian, Sir Olli (UK & US), sireeyore (Sparrow), smdiabla, snakefire77 (beaver edition), SonicBlaze (Berkely Pacer Edition), SorceressSword, spragmatic (Pacer), StagQuests (Sparrow), Superfro, Tamerlane1396, ThaRid (2 copies), TheMotleyGeek, ThePaperCrow (Berkley), ThisIslandEarth, Threepwud, Treguard, Tremendez, truce57, twar, TWolf, UncleMac, Virtua Sinner, waktool (Berkley Pacer), wonderfly, Yalius, zat
Users Who Want This Item: bookwormjeff (Beaver), Braldt, janh, Lambchop, MasterChief, Mr ?, mrwalker, NEMO (sparrow,beaver,pacer,redfox editions), nordik, Rozo, Sharebear, Surcal (Beaver & Redfox), Tazvader (British Beaver), Trompe-l Oeil (1st Print), yermither
Users with Extra Copies: Alarion
andyr - US Berkeley
bookwormjeff - 2 Berkley
DeKoovenWolf - Pacer edition
iceman
JamesMulgrue
mvstang
ntar - Berkley Pacer edition
peterm2
Pirrakas - Berkley
Sir Olli - Sparrow & Red Fox
Threepwud
twar

Known Editions

Original British (Sparrow) edition, first printing
Original British (Sparrow) edition, second printing
British (Beaver) edition, original cover
British (Beaver) edition, revised cover
British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [6th]
British (Red Fox), UK 1991 1st printing [7th]
British (Red Fox), UK 1992 1st printing [8th]
Original American (Pacer) edition
American (Berkley Pacer) edition, seventh printing
American (Berkley Pacer) edition, $3.50 cover price
American (Berkley Pacer) edition, twenty-first printing
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, paperback
Project Aon edition
Book Club Associates edition (in The Lone Wolf Adventures)
Hardback omnibus edition (in The Lone Wolf Adventures)
Paperback omnibus edition (in Lone Wolf Game Book Omnibus)

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Related Documents

Play Aid

Lone Wolf # 1 Character Sheet

Structure Diagram

Lone Wolf # 1 Map
This file includes a map of the structure of the original version of Lone Wolf #1: Flight from the Dark, courtesy of Nils.

Bibliography of Items About "Flight from the Dark"

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