There was a little trend in the 80s to produce companion books to long-running fantasy and science fiction series. Roger Zelazny’s Amber books got a companion and a sourcebook, Xanth got one, I feel like there were a million for Dragonriders of Pern. Books about books, filled with art and lore, a little extra for the fans. I love this sort of thing in theory, but I’m usually disappointed in the execution. Summaries, stale facts, recycled art, low page counts are the norm. Not so for The Magnamund Companion (1988), friends. This isn’t just the best companion book I’ve ever encountered, it is right up there as one of the best things to come out of the entire Lone Wolf franchise.

It is just absolutely full of awesomeness. Country by country info on the world, history, character profiles, maps, weird monsters, piles of info on the darklords. There is a bar brawl game, schematics for crafting buildings and ships for miniature play. And so much art! Lots of it in garish colors and cartoonish lines from Gary Chalk, giving everything an extremely appealing Warhammer feel. If you’re a Lone Wolf fan and don’t have this on your shelf, I highly recommend you correct that mistake!