The Adventurer's Companion - pre-order now open

[Erland Hakon]

My condolences to the family, friends and acquaintances of Mr. Dever!

[Rich H]

This is all too real and too painful. Personally, Joe meant more to me than Tolkien and Middle-earth; losing him feels...

I beg you indulge me as I simply quote Mr Dever; his first entry in the first Lone Wolf book Flight from the Dark:

You must make haste for you sense it is not safe to linger by the smoking remains of the ruined monastery. The black-winged beasts could return at any moment. You must set out for the Sommerlund capital of Holmgard and tell the King the terrible news of the massacre: that the whole élite of Kai warriors, save yourself, have been slaughtered. Without the Kai Lords to lead her armies, Sommerlund will be at the mercy of their ancient enemy, the Darklords.

Fighting back tears, you bid farewell to your dead kinsmen. Silently, you promise that their deaths will be avenged. You turn away from the ruins and carefully descend the steep track.

At the foot of the hill, the path splits into two directions, both leading into a large wood.

If you wish to take the right path into the wood, turn to 85.
If you wish to follow the left track, turn to 275.
If you wish to use your Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, turn to 141.

And the final entry of Lone Wolf's epic struggle against the forces of darkness in The Curse of Naar, the 20th of his awesome series:

As you tumble into the dark vortex of this newly-created Shadow Gate, you see the glow of the Moonstone illuminating the silhouette of Alyss in the middle distance. Behind and above, the mouth of the gate by which you entered the abyss is rapidly shrinking. Alyss is using the power of the Moonstone once more, this time to seal the gate in Naar’s inner sanctum to prevent his fell minions from following you home to Toran.

The deeper you fall into the spiralling darkness so it seems the stronger Alyss becomes. Gripping the precious Moonstone with both hands, she extends her arms and glides easily through the whirling funnel towards you. As she draws level, you hear her speaking softly in your mind:

Thank you, Grand Master. I shall never forget what you have done for me. Had you not returned when you did I would have forfeited my freedom to the Dark God. And freedom, to me, is the most precious of things. For without freedom I would cease to be.

For a moment, the whirling frigid darkness of the Shadow Gate is illuminated brightly by the flaring rays of the Moonstone. Alyss passes the sacred artefact into your safekeeping, kisses you fondly on the cheek, and with the parting words—Farewell, Lone Wolf. Kai and Ishir should be proud. You are indeed their most worthy champion—she flashes you an impudent smile and in the blink of an eye she is gone.

Congratulations, Grand Master, for you have braved the many terrors of the Plane of Darkness and emerged triumphant, your quest fulfilled. By denying the Dark God the power of the Moonstone you have won a great and lasting victory which will help keep your world secure. Your achievement will live forever in the legends of Sommerlund, and the tales that will be told of your valiant deeds will inspire future generations of Sommlending to follow the ways of the Kai.

Your triumph over Naar paves the way for your accedence to the rank of Kai Supreme Master. It also heralds the dawning of a new age, when new challenges will arise to test the courage and bravery of your New Order Kai. Under your paternal stewardship, the first of the New Order adventures is about to begin with the return of the fabled Moonstone to the remote and mysterious Isle of Lorn. If you wish to accept the challenge of the new era, the first exciting quest awaits you in the next Lone Wolf adventure which is entitled:

Voyage of the Moonstone

My heart goes out to his family and friends and all of us touched by this great gentleman, his wonderful imagination and the world and stories he crafted.

Rest in peace, grandest of Grandmasters; I will adventure with you in my dreams tonight.

[Jussi Marttila]

My condolences to friends, family and colleagues too.

[Jon Hodgson]

Thanks everyone, it's been lovely to read such kind thoughts. I'll pass them on as appropriate.