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Joe DeverBritish fantasy writer, game designer
Date of Birth: 12.02.1956
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Joe Dever
Early Life and CareerJoe Dever is a British fantasy writer and game designer. He started his career as a musician and in 1982, became the first British person to win the 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Championship in the United States. He created the world of 'Magnamund' specifically for the role-playing game campaigns of 'Dungeons & Dragons'. In 1984, Dever published his first book in the 'Lone Wolf' series, a series of gamebooks for teenagers and young adults, which sold over 10.2 million copies.
Difficulties and Resurgence
From 1995, Dever faced difficulties in publishing as the market for gamebooks was rapidly declining, and the publication of his books came to a halt before the release of the last four books in the series. However, starting from 2003, there was a renewed interest in these books in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, leading to the reissuing of the entire series in these countries. Since 1996, Dever has successfully ventured into developing computer and console games. He also participated in the development of a role-playing game based on the 'Lone Wolf' series in the style of 'Dungeons & Dragons'.
Personal Life and Health
Dever attended Buckhurst Hill County High School and developed a passion for comic books and science fiction through the series 'The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire' published in the magazine 'Look and Learn'. He drew inspiration from English classical and medieval literature, such as Walter Scott's 'Ivanhoe', Beowulf, and the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Dever was also a fan of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, and Mervyn Peake, as well as military history and Norse mythology, which influenced the creation of 'Lone Wolf'.
Dever has two children, Ben and Sophie. In June-August 2005, he underwent an extensive course of treatment for kidney cancer. His left kidney was completely removed, and surgery was performed on the right kidney, which retained 70% of its function. The operation was successful, and Dever quickly recovered, leading a full life without medical procedures and medications.
Works
The central character in Dever's stories is a character named Lone Wolf, a new recruit of the monastic warrior order called 'Kai', who protects his homeland from the forces of evil. The entire series revolves around Lone Wolf's attempts to avenge the Darklords and prevent the god Naar from seizing the world. In addition to the 'Lone Wolf' series, Dever created two other gamebook series - 'Freeway Warrior' and 'Combat Heroes', and participated in the development of several successful computer and video games. The 'Freeway Warrior' series is set in a post-apocalyptic world reminiscent of the 'Mad Max' films. The books in the 'Combat Heroes' series are illustrated adventures, where each page shows what the player should see - in two versions. In the 'single-player' version, the goal is to escape from the labyrinth, while in the 'multiplayer' version, two players compete against each other in the same labyrinth. Each player has their own book, and on certain pages, they can see their opponent, prompting them to flip the page to see their subsequent movements in the corridor.
