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Item - Shadow on the Sand

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(Original British (Beaver) edition)
(Original British (Beaver) edition)
(Original British (Beaver) edition)
(British (Beaver) edition, second printing)
(British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing)
(British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing)
(British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing)
(British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th])
(British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th])
(American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th])
(American edition)
(Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
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Combined Summary

Online Full Text: Project Aon (Project Aon edition)
Series: Lone Wolf (1984-1998) — no. 5
Lone Wolf, Collector's Edition (2007-) no. 5
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition — no. 5
Platform: Web Browser (Project Aon edition)
Translated Into: Bayangan gurun (Malay)
Das Buch der Magnakai (German)
El desierto de las sombras (Spanish)
Ombre sulla sabbia (Italian)
Sajou no kage [砂上の影] (Japanese)
Senka na pesku (Serbo-Croatian)
Skies stin ammo [Σκίες στην άμμο] (Greek)
Skuggor i sanden (Swedish)
Skuggor i sanden (Swedish)
Stín na písku (Czech)
Le Tyran du désert (French)
Adapted Into: The Birthplace (Novel)
The Book of the Magnakai (Novel)
Author: Dever, Joe
Illustrators: Chalk, Gary (Original British (Beaver) edition; American edition - interior; American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th] - interior; British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th] - interior; British (Beaver) edition, second printing; Project Aon edition; British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing; British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th] - interior; Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Corben, Richard (American edition - cover; American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th] - cover)
dal Lago, Alberto (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - cover)
Jones, Peter Andrew (British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th] - cover; British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th] - cover)
Sampson, Richard (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Mattioli, Francesco (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Dates: November 14, 1985 (Original British (Beaver) edition)
February, 1986 (American edition)
1987 (British (Beaver) edition, second printing)
1988 (British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing)
1990 (British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th])
1993 (British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th])
September 28, 2000 (Project Aon edition)
2008 (Lone Wolf (2007-) edition)
2022 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
ISBNs: 0099424908 / 9780099424901 (Original British (Beaver) edition, British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th], British (Beaver) edition, second printing, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing)
042508440X / 9780425084403 (American edition, American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th])
1916268099 / 9781916268098 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
Length: 400 sections (Original British (Beaver) edition, British (Beaver) edition, second printing, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing, British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th], British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th], American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th], American edition, Project Aon edition)
Number of Endings: 13 (3 in part one, 10 in part two; not including failure by loss of points) (Original British (Beaver) edition, British (Beaver) edition, second printing, British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing, British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th], British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th], American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th], American edition, Project Aon edition)
Cover Price: US$3.50 (American edition)
US$3.99 (American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th])
Special Thanks: American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th]:
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 1990 1st printing [4th]:
Thanks to Luke Sheridan for the spread cover and title page version images.
User Summary: You are sent on a peace mission to the desert empire of Vassagonia. Unfortunately, things don't remain peaceful for long....
Braxus's Thoughts:

The final part of the Kai series, and if it isn't the best!

As Demian points out, the book is split into 2 sections which basically has no point at all, but then I think that the Caverns of the Snow Witch needed something like that... it's not fun to kill the "final" boss then slog around for another half a book.

The first half of the book, anyway, is amazing. As usual with Lone Wolf, the speed of the adventure is high and my course involved a high-paced escape through a town, running through sewers, buildings and the sort. The Middle-Eastern/North African theme is really well captured (Barrakeesh - Marrakesh, anyone?)

The second part of the adventure, however, is where the book really shines through. The escape continues, and a reunion with someone who you met in book #1 was a great idea. I won't spoil it anymore!

Obviously one of my favourite gamebooks, and you can play it online at Project Aon, so you don't even need to buy a printed copy.

More reviews by Braxus

Demian's Thoughts:

This book seems to be something of an experiment; rather than having the usual 350 sections, it is instead divided into two 200-section parts. There doesn't really seem to be much point to this; although the American edition claims the book is a "super edition including two adventures," the two parts really aren't distinct adventures. Although both parts are the same length, the first part just feels like a comparatively trivial (but highly replayable) prologue to the action-packed second part. In any case, since this format was never used again, it can be assumed that the experiment was not a great success. The book itself, though, is a great success. As I said, the second half is genuinely exciting, with aerial battles, the return of an old friend and a final battle that could have been a little more detailed but which is nonetheless a genuinely satisfying close to the Kai portion of the series.

More reviews by Demian

Special Thanks:Thanks to Tan Hong Kiat for the Beaver reissue cover scan and Ben Nelson for the Red Fox cover scan previoulsy used here (until replaced by a higher resolution version). Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the first printing, Beaver revised cover printing, and current Red Fox images.
Users Who Own This Item: aden (British Beaver edition, revised cover), aehalpin, Alarion, Alatar001, AlHazred (Berkley/Pacer), andyr, angriestmonster, Aniline, Ardennes, auximenes, Avenger (Berkley), B0N0V0X, Barker1952, Belgarath, BobaGabe, bookwormjeff (Beaver reissue, Red Fox, Berkley), Braldt, brujeria!, bunnyhero (top right corner of cover cut off/missing), casperthegoth (American), cayh_dilg, Citanul, crazydave, Crazyscotsman, CSquared, CWCprime, Cyan, c_wickham (physical Beaver reissue + for Kindle), dArtagnan, dave2002a, dblizzard72, DeKoovenWolf (Beaver reissue), Demian (American twelfth printing), demon of the deep lt, DerNichtIre (Beaver reissue - third cover), desdichado66, devilsboy, Dirk Omnivore, Dronak (US), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, edwebb, EegahInc, egokun, Erikwinslow (US, UK (Sparrow)), Ffghtermedic, firaya, firefoxpdm, Gamebook, Gamebook Collector, Gamehorder, Gartax, Gibraltar, gnomeza (Red Fox), Greeneuva, greyarea13, Haoie, Himynameistony, hoops4ever, Ian2405, jdreller, jeff3333, jeffreylee, Joe_TC, JoshW, Jubal, juski, katzcollection (Beaver editions plus American edition), killagarilla, kinderstef, knginatl (US, Beaver reissue), Kojiro, le maudit, lek, LordJR, Luke, Malthus Dire, marginal_space, marksmith, marnaudo, mattender, matthaeus, mir1812, mlvoss, mvstang, mymgoth, nelsondesign, NEMO (American edition), nerelax, nicolau (Spanish eds., Alfaguara & Timun Mas), nilhilius (American), Nomad, ntar (American), Oberonbombadil (Beaver (original w/ black spine) and revised (2 copies, one from 1988 and another from 1989 [my childhood copy]), Berkley-Pacer ed.), outspaced, Pessimeister (red fox edition), peterm2, Pirrakas, plowboy (Red Fox), plutonick (Red Fox edition), Pseudo_Intellectual, redeyeball, rpatel1976 (beaver), ryderark (Beaver & Spanish Altea Version), Ryuran333 (Red Fox x2 (must compare)), Sabreman (Beaver), Salpynx (Beaver reissue), sebastian, Seizure, Sheridan77, Sir Olli (UK & US), sireeyore (Beaver), smdiabla, spragmatic (US,Beaver), StagQuests (Beaver-1st), Superfro, Surcal (Beaver), Tamerlane1396, ThaRid (2 copies), ThePaperCrow (Berkley), Threepwud, Treguard, Tremendez, truce57, twar (Beaver reissue), TWolf, wonderfly, Yalius, zat
Users Who Want This Item: bookwormjeff (Beaver original), domj29, Grifter, Hugues, Lambchop, MasterChief, Morthynmir, Mr ?, mrwalker, NEMO (beaver,beaver reissue, red fox,), nordik, odo_ital, plutonick, snakefire77, Surcal (Beaver & Redfox), Trompe-l Oeil (1st Print), yermither
Users with Extra Copies: DeKoovenWolf - Beaver edition
mvstang
Pirrakas - Berkley
Sir Olli - Beaver
Surcal - Beaver
ThisGuy - Beaver edition + Beaver reissue + American edition, all 3
Threepwud
twar

Known Editions

Original British (Beaver) edition
British (Beaver) edition, second printing
British (Beaver) edition, revised cover printing
British (Red Fox), UK 1990 1st printing [4th]
British (Red Fox), UK 1993 1st printing [6th]
American (Berkeley/Pacer), US 12th printing [12th]
American edition
Project Aon edition
Lone Wolf (2007-) edition (in Shadow on the Sand (collector's edition))
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing

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Related Documents

Play Aid

Lone Wolf # 3 / #4 / # 5 Character Sheet (back)

Lone Wolf # 5 Character Sheet (front)