From Beyond by H.P. Lovecraft?

Yes, which in fact is one of my favorite Lovecraft stories, your turn

okie dokie.

"You've heard of him, of course. A servant of Evil and Chaos, a mage of no mean skill, and possessed of a fiendish cunning. To defeat his purpose, we need your skill and courage. If you will accept the task I offer . . .' Now he stops pacing the room, sits down, and his voice has a keener edge to it."

Anybody have any idea about this ?

Heart of darkness?

The Witcher? :-)

Would you please reply if any of the guesses so far are true?

Nope.
Nope.

If nobody gets it soon, I'll give a generous hint to keep things moving.

A hint would be appreciated, or maybe another longer or more meaty passage?

Hint: Puffin Gamebook.

Still no right answer ?

OK, Another hint: Fighting Fantasy.

Could we have another paragraph, please?

No problem.


"'Two weeks ago, agents of Mordraneth kidnapped a wizard here, Alsander, who was occupied in magical research into Mordraneth's schemings. I last saw Alsander a few days before he disappeared, and he was excited and worried then. He warned me that Mordraneth was using magical energies to draw power in some way from the realms of the dead, and he urged me to consult with him again when he had had a little more time to study the problem. Alas, when I called upon him he was gone, with all his notes.But by magical scrying, we have found where Alsander is, and he is still alive. Your task is not as desperate as you may have thought when I spoke Mordraneth's name. We do not require you to slay him; we need you to bring Alsander back to us.' He pauses to offer you more wine, and he sees that you are a little disappointed - what a scalp Mordraneth's would be to boast about! Vanestin is quick to counter that."

No idea. But I don't know many gamebooks. Perhaps you could resolve the riddle and post some example from regular literature? Than might increase the chance that someone else knows the book as well.