Book Description
Revisit a classic D&D adventure, now expanded and updated!
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a 224-page D&D adventure that harkens back to classic 1st-edition adventure, Ravenloft. This adventure expands on the original adventure, introduces some never-before-seen threats. It also features a new encounter format designed to make running the adventure easier for the Dungeon Master. This new layout includes such details as more graphics and readily available stat blocks, both of which can shorten prep time and gameplay.
Customer Reviews:
A HUGE time saver!.......2007-08-19
First off, I must give WTOC a big round of applause for this module format. I typically run home-grown stuff, but with a demanding career I haven't had the time to prepare much in the way of a good game. As a result, we haven't gamed as much as I would like.
With the addition of this adventure to my library I have been able to read this while on a plane, and be prepared to run it when I land. The encounter pages are laid out BEAUTIFULLY, I love the stat blocks, and the maps/visuals are to die for.
I HIGHLY recommend this module for anyone having difficulty finding the time to prepare!
Great Book.......2007-05-20
This is an incredible adventure. Normally I am a little hesitant to buy a pre-made adventure, but this one is worth every cent. The new format in this book is a very handy feature, providing everything you need to know about the encounter in two pages. Wonderful formatting and maps. This is such a customizable adventure that it fits anywhere. It is reccomended that you buy Three Dragon Ante (Dungeon & Dragons) as well, because there is one part that these could be used. If you don't want to buy this, ordinary playing cards work just as well.
From the story aspect, this has an interesting plot. The adventure can be played multiple times with PCs finding out more things every time.
I look forward to more Expedition books!
Not as much atmosphere as the original adventure but a nice 3.5 adaptation.......2007-05-19
This is a very good adventure. It does not rival the original in terms of atmosphere but is a really nice 3.5 adaptation, with lots of new material also.
It is a much better work than the first revision of the original Ravenloft (House of Strahd for the 2nd Edition).
My only complain with this book is that it does not contain a full map of the Castle as in the original and the earlier version. Since this book even mentions that one of the groundbreaking features in the original Ravenloft was the classic Castle Ravenloft map, I would expect that it would contain a full two-page map of the Castle. It does not, though. It only contains small maps of each level, so you never get to see the Castle in all its glory. For me, it does not present a great problem since I own both the original Ravenloft and House of Strahd, but I would expect that it detracts from the adventure for people who only have this book.
Other than that, it is really surprisingly good.
It won't get 5 stars, in my opinion, because of the map issue.
Good story, poor layout.......2007-05-18
The overall story and possibilities of game play are tremendous in this book, however actually using the encounters is extremely difficult. First, there are monsters from various sources. It would have been nice if the book told you which books they came from. This also includes feats and prestige classes. Next, the encounters are hard to follow. You have to flip back and forth between the area description and the encounter descriptions which could be 20 pages apart. Also, the maps do not flow well. It is often hard to figure out where a character ends up when they go up or down a stairwell. The maps are not clear. A large poster map would have been much better. For running the adventure, the book is rather mediocre, but for future or outside stories and the feel of the original, it does a pretty decent job. There should have been a better description of taint and depravity, as it would be a great addition and players and DMs may not have access to or familiarity with the Heroes of Horror supplement.
Awesome.......2007-04-18
An amazing book. I'm a beginning DM and it lays everything out for you in the new encounter format pretty much as straightforward as possible. Here are the stat blocks for the monsters, here are their places in the encounter, here is how they act. Also very handy that they provide useful information about how to adapt the game to span any desirable length between a one-shot Halloween adventure to an entire full-blown campaign. If you like horror movies or halloween you will love this adventure. It's got everything you want in terms of zombies, witches, werewolves and of course, vampires.
Book Description
Alone in a strange world and torn by grief, a vampire accepts the hospitality of the local lord. But can the vampire trust him once he discovers the land’s dark connection to his own quest for revenge?
Customer Reviews:
Oh please, no more clichés!.......2007-07-19
I do like vampire books. A lot. But this one was ridiculous!
This books is so full of clichés that it's not even funny. You have a vampire - Strahd - who lives in a dark and misty country, he lives in a ruinous castle but he still wears luxious clothing, he plays the organ and has heaps and heaps of female vampire slaves who blindly follow his orders (if it was written by a man, I would say that the author is trying to stress his masculinity and heterosexuality). But all he does is pine after his lost love Tatyana and murder the villagers.
And take a vampire golden elf - Jander Sunstar - who falls in love with a mad woman *snorts* called Anna and after she dies, he falls through a mist into the country where said vampire lives. And oops, it takes him more than fifty years to figure out that Anna and Tatyana are the same woman and that it was Strahd who caused Anna's madness.
And the names - Maruschka, Petya, Katya... Maybe because I'm Slavic myself it really bothers me that so many authors overuse our names. It's becoming a similar problem like all the apostrophes in fantasy names some years ago.
What is the order of the Ravenloft Series???.......2007-02-24
I am reading I, Strahd right now, and I adore this book! It is truly WONDERFUL. One thing is though, I am not sure what order the Ravenloft books go in? Can anyone help me? I know I, Strahd is not the first book...do they go in any particular order?
Thanks for your help!!!
Amy
Very well written.......2007-01-11
This story was enticing and kept you hooked all the way to the end.
Suprised!.......2007-01-10
I went into this book loving the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realm offerings from TSR/WoTC. I have known about the Ravenloft novels for sometime but thought it was a completely different setting and world and while enjoying vampire stories I wasn't ready to plunge into another shared world...I had no idea that it tied into Forgotten Realms (FR)!
Wow! How awesome is that for a setting? All that goes bump in the night in the world of Forgotten Realms takes place here amongst the Dwarven warriors and wizardly elves and others? Yep! That surprised me and thrilled me beyond belief...what a great idea. Grant it there is this mysterious place called Barovia but its still part, somehow, of the world we know and love in FR.
Simply put: this book is outstanding and all the range of emotions were invoked. I felt fear, sadness, relief, disgust, sorrow, happiness, and regret...oh man what a roller coaster of a good time! The ending was not what I expected and was a little let down but then again its not my story but Christie Golden's. The book ends setting up for further stories so I am off to get my hands on them...that is until the sun comes up =)
wonderful.......2007-01-07
this story is vivid and touching as good as the first, it suduces you into continueing the seris.
Book Description
Death of a Darklord focuses on a young woman who finds that she has a talent for magic in a land and a family unforgiving of such abilities, and her tragic attempts to redeem herself in the eyes of her family by aiding them on their quest to end the dark magic that has destroyed a neighboring town.
Customer Reviews:
Definitely not par de course.......2007-09-27
I just finished reading this book, and I have to say, it doesn't read like an LKH book at all. I realize that this novel is supposed to be part of a larger picture, but I didn't get the picture at all.
This story is about a young woman who is just starting to learn about the magic that she wields, and how this affects the people around her. But the book also has a cover plot about two guys who want to body swap. Personally, the book could have been far better if the cover plot were actually integrated into the story, and not just show up at the very beginning and at the very end of the story. This novel should have been two completely separate, and better developed books.
If I had to describe this book, I would say, take the story structure of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", coat the outside of it with Anne Rice's "Tale of the Body Snatcher", fill the inside with any generic "beginner witch" story you like, and throw "Night of the Living Dead" on top for good measure. That about sums it up.
If you had to read a novel by Laurell K Hamilton, I would highly recommend that you read her own series, Merry Gentry or Anita Blake.
what a waste of time.......2007-09-03
not even close to the standards set by the first of the Anita Blake series. A one-trick pony of a plot, lots of gore for no reason and shallow character development. It started in the middle of a story, never went anywhere, and didn't do much on the way. Dull, depressing and not entertaining.
Terrible.......2007-08-07
First of all, I love Ravenloft. I love the gothic horror feel of the "universe" that is Ravenloft. I've read Vampire of the Mists at least 5 times. (I highly recommend you buy that book.) I love "I, Strahd" - I am actually re-reading that book right now. (Go buy it as well, you won't be sorry.) I loved Knight of the Black Rose (again - go buy it.)
I have read every book in the Ravenloft series (except for Tower of Doom because I don't have it.) I liked Ravenloft so much that I even bought some of the RPG books just so I could read more about the Ravenloft universe even though I never planned on being a "Dungeon Master."
Now, having said all that ... Death of a Darklord, in my humble opinion is, BY FAR, the worst book in the series.
I found this book painfully boring to read, which is why it took me more than a month to finish a book which, based on the length, should only have taken an evening or two.
Each time I would think about picking up the book to read a few chapters, it felt more like a chore than an enjoyable reading experience. Most people would probably just quit reading a book that they didn't find themselves getting into. But I don't like doing that. If I start a book, I always finish it, no matter how long it takes.
The writing quality of this book was extremely poor in my opinion. You just never care about any of the characters. They could all have died off and no one would care. And the parts of the book that were supposed to be important didn't feel important due to the lack of descriptive detail.
It was one of those books where nothing between the first couple of chapters and the last chapter even mattered. Normally an author will spend all of the book building up character development and making the reader interested in the characters and the situations. But in this book, you simply don't care.
When the final chapters finally come around you are just left with a feeling of "what was the point"?
By far THEE worst book in the RavenLoft series.
Booo!.......2007-07-12
I was so disappointed in the conclusion of this book. After reading the Anita Blake series where this regular girl gets out of every unlikely and devastating situation it just seemed wrong. I expected the girl to come into her magic and do lots of things. It's almost pointless that she had magic in the first place cause she didn't do anything significant with it and yet the story revolves mostly around her. What a waste of a good idea.
Not What I Expected.......2007-04-16
I thought this book was one of the most depressing books I've ever read and I'm an avid reader. If this was the first Hamilton book I picked up I'd never read another. However I do know this is not the norm for her. I was left unsatistied and very sad about the fate of the characters that you had come to care about by the end (charachters were well written, just not the plot). Please don't waste your time with this one.
Book Description
Eight years have passed since the popular Van Richten's Guide series debuted and redefined the way Dungeon Masters and players view monsters of the horror genre. Since then, creatures of the night have displayed unexpected and devastating powers in AD&D games, giving player characters new reasons to be very afraid. This compilation of Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts, the Lich, and the Ancient Dead is the second of three volumes that will introduce the famous monster hunter and his methods to a new generation of roleplayers. Updated and annotated by the heirs to Van Richten's legacy, this series imitates the physical format of the AD&D Wizard's and Priest's Spell Compendiums, as this information is useful to any AD&D campaign, in any setting.
Customer Reviews:
consolidation of old books.......2001-07-14
Essentially this book is a collection of 3 Van Richten's guides, his guide to ghost, ancient dead (mummies) and the Lich. If you already own those books definately skip over this one. But if you don't its definately worth picking up. Included in each section is detailed information about the creature to which the section belongs, everything from game statistics, special abilities (more then what you'll find in the monstrous manual), variations, stories of noteable examples plaguing the Ravenloft world. The thing I liked most about the guides was they can be read by player and DM alike (although certain parts should be reserved for the DM). Personally I photocopied a large section appropriate to the adventure, (taking care not to copy the sections I didnt want my players to see) and in the adventure previous to the one I wanted it used it the players stumbled across a copy of one of Van Richtens many works. It gave the players many ideas on how to combat the undead, short of just running in and batteling away.
Nothing new.......2000-03-26
k.. If you don't posses the Van Richten's Guide books this is it! , but, if you are one of the freaks who mannage to get their hands on the original books, don't bother!
Customer Reviews:
Ideal supplement for dramatic role-playing.......2000-05-02
Here's the most comprehensive, engaging view of Ravenloft ever created. The set includes 288 pages (!) of roleplaying materials, with rules for horror and madness, curses, magic, treasures, characters, settings, and much more; a beautiful poster, enormous world maps, and best of all, the beautifully crafted tarot deck (complete!) that becomes invaluable for atmospheric storytelling. A tour de force of dramatic roleplaying!
A Collecter's Item.......2000-02-25
The Ravenloft Campaine Setting is one of the first to have come to the AD&D world. The 2nd Edition Box Set is a rare collecter's item and should be in any Ravenloft lover's hands.
Average customer rating:
- about being non canon product.
- A tragic campaign...
|
Bleak House: The Death of Rudolph Van Richten (AD&D Ravenloft Boxed Adventure)
William W. Connors , and
David Gross
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
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Binding: Hardcover
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Customer Reviews:
about being non canon product........2004-02-19
Beware, since white wolf licensed ravenloft from Wizard of the Coast, this product may be considered not canon, since the time line of the Ravenloft 3.5 ed doesn't include a topic with "death of van richten", only that he has disapeared.
5 stars since it is a great adventure.
A tragic campaign..........2000-07-20
This is a module with 3 books that guides to 3 adventures with Van Richten, the famous monster hunter of Ravenloft. But, at these adventures this great hero dies and leave the Domains of Dread (Ravenloft) with very much fear, ... fear of what they expect now from the shadows and a question: Who will now fight the darkness?
Book Description
On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying.
Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahn Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror.
Knight of the Black Rose is the second in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the
Ravenloft dark fantasy setting.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST Ravenloft story.......2006-03-07
What is most amazing about this story is that we finally get to see the inner working of Lord Soth's world. It is a scary place compared to his overwhelming presence of evil incarnate in Dragonlance. In Ravenloft, he is a force that even Strahd would cower before, as his vengeance and hate are all consuming.
If you love Dragonlance, read this book for nothing more than the background information on Soth.
If given another chance to stop the cataclysm, would he? What dark temptations do the Lords of Ravenloft have to offer? Read, and you will find the answer.
Lord Soth as only he could be..........2005-08-19
Knight of the Black Rose follows one of Dragonlace's best known villians as he finds himself int he Ravenloft world trying to get out. Those of you familiar with the Dragonlance Chronicles will undoubtedly know the name of Lord Soth the Death Knight. The scene stealer of the Chronicles books.
In this book, Soth has been given a new voice by James Lowder. Lowder proves that he has a knack for darkf antasy with his first Ravenloft novel. Lowder proves he is the perfect writer to write this dark fantasy novel.
There is nothing cliche about this book, in fact it breaks the rules of good vs evil. After all, there is no 'good' guys in the Ravenloft world. There is the bad guys, the the worse guys. It's a very interesting take on the fantasy genre.
Lowder has proved over the past couple years that he is a voice to be listened too. I believe right now he is one of the best kept secrets to the writing world. Once his name gets out his popularity will surely explode. Treat yourself to agripping tale and read this book.
Best ravenloft book I have read.......2004-12-31
I really enjoyed this book. Lord Soth is one of my favorite characters, and this story is well told. All of the other characters are also very good. And the setting is great. If you like Soth and or ravenloft you must read this book.
It was kinda a nice book...........2004-11-23
This book was pretty interesting. It involved a Death Knight (one of the best Villan if you ask me) who is trying to get back to Krynn,the place he is from. He was one of the original Villans of the War, and is looking for the soul of the Dark Knight woman, whose name I forget, and ends up in Baronita. You will love this book if you are just in it for the killing and evil of this guy!
One of the best books in this series!.......2004-02-18
What can I say, the book made me want to keep reading!
Customer Reviews:
Nothing here to warrant a full length novel.......2007-04-11
To Sleep with Evil by Andria Cardarelle is the fourth book in the recently re-released Ravenloft line. This book was first published in September, 1996 and now has a new cover design as Wizards of the Coast seeks to get the Ravenloft line back where it was. The Ravenloft setting has been described as a gothic horror setting that is much darker than either the Forgotten Realms or the Dragonlance setting. I believe, when this book was written, it was the first published book my Ms. Cardalle which is the pen name of author Andria Hayday.
The plot of this book is rather simplistic and linear. It's about a young woman who is betrothed to a man. He desperately wants an heir to his name and holdings. However, as the story progresses more and more is revealed about who he is and who he surrounds himself with. As the young woman discovers these things she seeks a way to keep herself safe. I would like to go more in-depth about this plot, but quite honestly, that's really all there is to the plot. At best the plot is mildly interesting; at its worst it is a slow ponderous foray into a cure for insomnia. It's just not that interesting of a book. It almost seems to me that the author had enough material for a short story and stretched it to fill 308 pages to make a novel.
The characters in this book are mildly interesting at times. However, those times are few and far between. The character Zosia, is the cliché character that supplies information and is all knowing. The character, Lord Donskoy, is the evil leader of a band of ruthless killers. The character Marguerrite, is the clichéd maiden that does her best to survive in challenging circumstances and somehow develops extraordinary skills to discover things and survive where countless others have not. The most interesting character is Ramus, yet he only appears in about 30-40 pages of this book, leaving the rest of the book to flounder through until the next point he surfaces. Simply put the characters in this book are bland and uninteresting. Attentive readers can guess major, and minor, plot points within the first 20 pages and know how the book will end.
After finishing this book, I am still trying to figure out the reason behind Wizards of the Coast re-releasing this book when it so obviously falls short of the mystique of the Ravenloft world. This entire novel seems amateurish in scope and what it accomplishes. Ms. Cardarelle obviously has some talent, her descriptions of scenes were well done, yet in the end the story and characters were just not enough to warrant a full length novel or a place in the halls of Ravenloft. Fans of the Ravenloft world, and for that matter fantasy in general may be best served by skipping this book all together.
Nothing here to warrant a full length novel.......2007-04-11
To Sleep with Evil by Andria Cardarelle is the fourth book in the recently re-released Ravenloft line. This book was first published in September, 1996 and now has a new cover design as Wizards of the Coast seeks to get the Ravenloft line back where it was. The Ravenloft setting has been described as a gothic horror setting that is much darker than either the Forgotten Realms or the Dragonlance setting. I believe, when this book was written, it was the first published book my Ms. Cardalle which is the pen name of author Andria Hayday.
The plot of this book is rather simplistic and linear. It's about a young woman who is betrothed to a man. He desperately wants an heir to his name and holdings. However, as the story progresses more and more is revealed about who he is and who he surrounds himself with. As the young woman discovers these things she seeks a way to keep herself safe. I would like to go more in-depth about this plot, but quite honestly, that's really all there is to the plot. At best the plot is mildly interesting; at its worst it is a slow ponderous foray into a cure for insomnia. It's just not that interesting of a book. It almost seems to me that the author had enough material for a short story and stretched it to fill 308 pages to make a novel.
The characters in this book are mildly interesting at times. However, those times are few and far between. The character Zosia, is the cliché character that supplies information and is all knowing. The character, Lord Donskoy, is the evil leader of a band of ruthless killers. The character Marguerrite, is the clichéd maiden that does her best to survive in challenging circumstances and somehow develops extraordinary skills to discover things and survive where countless others have not. The most interesting character is Ramus, yet he only appears in about 30-40 pages of this book, leaving the rest of the book to flounder through until the next point he surfaces. Simply put the characters in this book are bland and uninteresting. Attentive readers can guess major, and minor, plot points within the first 20 pages and know how the book will end.
After finishing this book, I am still trying to figure out the reason behind Wizards of the Coast re-releasing this book when it so obviously falls short of the mystique of the Ravenloft world. This entire novel seems amateurish in scope and what it accomplishes. Ms. Cardarelle obviously has some talent, her descriptions of scenes were well done, yet in the end the story and characters were just not enough to warrant a full length novel or a place in the halls of Ravenloft. Fans of the Ravenloft world, and for that matter fantasy in general may be best served by skipping this book all together.
A seemingly random and pointless story .......2007-03-16
Marguerite is a young woman escaping the land of her birth, Darkon, after being attacked by a vicious vampire who has become obsessed with her and murdered the man she loved. Her parents, in an effort to save her from her stalker-vampire, broker a deal to betroth her to a total stranger; a somewhat wealthy lord in a far away land. The Vistani, a.k.a. gypsies, drug her and take her through the mysterious mists to the land that will be her new home. The gypsies drop her off on an abandoned looking road in the middle of a dark forest since they refuse to take her any further. With the foreboding cryptic comments of the gypsies hanging in her ears, she is picked up by two servants of her betrothed, Lord Donskoy. The crusty and creepy servants take her to the decrepit decaying castle that is her new home. She meets her betrothed who, while twice her age, appears to be nice if somewhat moody. Once settled into her new home, Marguerite befriends Zosia the cook who is an old Vistani witch and Yelena the mute girl who is her personal servant. She also befriends a strange gypsy man, Ramus, who lives in the surrounding forest and helps her home one day when she is lost.
The day after she arrives Lord Donskoy declares the marriage will take place the day after tomorrow. Meanwhile, Marguerite discovers the presence of her betrothed's mistress, Jacqueline Montarri, on the eve of her wedding in the castle, and also at the wedding and reception. She assumes that her new husband will set aside his mistress once the marriage takes place. But he does not. After the ceremony and the consummation of their marriage, Donskoy insists on strange bizarre rituals to discover if Marguerite is pregnant or not. He is determined to have a son, no matter what the cost. When the tests continually reveal she is not pregnant, Donskoy grows furious and strikes her. He vows that if she does not conceive soon, he will put her aside and sell her off to other lords he knows in favor of a more fertile wife; hinting that he might even kill her to be rid of her. Fearing for her marriage and her life, Marguerite is jealous of the attraction she senses between her husband and Jacqueline.
Consumed by unease and jealousy, Marguerite comes to depend on her friendship with Zosia. After several disturbing events, such as the apparition of her husbands deceased first wife, and signs of a gypsy curse, Marguerite begins to suspect something is very wrong with Donskoy and his strange household. One night she follows Donskoy, his mistress, and his deformed 'acquaintances', into the dark forest. She witnesses them slaughter inoccent stranded travelers, reveling in the bloodshed. Horrified, she unintentionally reveals her presence and her husbands hounds hunt her down. Now on the run, she knows she can't go home, believing Donskoy will kill her for what she has seen. She decides to leave, but finds she cannot. When she enters the mists and comes out the other side she finds herself even closer to the very castle she is trying to flee from. It is then she finally believes what others have implied, that the mists are magical and prevent anyone except the Vistani (and those of powerful magic) from leaving. In order to leave she must have a gypsy guide so she seeks out Ramus, who instead of helping her escape as she thought, bespells her so that she agrees to lay with him and conceives a son. He tells her that her husband is cursed, and as such cannot ever sire a child, in order to help her and spare her life of her husbands rage, he begets a child on her that will be passed off as her husbands. He tells her she must return to Donskoy, who won't kill her now that she bears his child. Then Ramus disappears leaving her no choice but to return when Donskoy's servants find her.
She soon falls seriously ill. Her pregnancy is far from normal and her belly swells more rapidly than it should. Only five months along she births the child, who has monstrous claws and black scarred hands. Then, this is where the book is a bit confusing, the baby turns into a shadow monster that takes on the form of a serpent and kills Donskoy. With the evil Lord Donskoy dead Zosia sends a now insane Marguerite off with a caravan of gypsies to return her to her home land of Darkon, where all her memories of her former life are erased and replaced with an entirely new identity.
And thats where the story ends, just as it was getting interesting. We're never told what happens to the baby/monster/shadow serpent that Marguerite bore. We don't know what happens to Ramus, the child's true father, or if the curse he is under is broken too. We don't know what happens to Zosia, Yelena, or the others left behind at the castle. The evil Jacqueline Montarri, presumably, is left now completely in charge and free to wreak evil wherever she wants without Donskoy to restrain her.
I don't mind a book with an unhappy ending, in fact I find it quite refreshing. But the one thing I can't stand, especially in this book; are all the loose ends and the complete lack of any form of closure or resolution. The story just seems so unfinished, perhaps because the author intends a sequel? But whatever the cause, once I finished reading this book I was left with a distinct feeling of disappointment, dissatisfaction, and frustration. I wanted to know what happened to all the other characters! Especially, Ramus who seems to be a damned and lost soul looking for redemption. Overall, the story just seemed so pointless to me. At the end of the novel Marguerite is in a worse position than when she first started. She is returned to the same land she fled in fear of her life (I presume with the same stalker-vampire waiting to pounce on her since the author never clarifies this), and the only reason she's not insane is because her memories were erased and replaced with happier ones. She ends up a far cry from the young, inoccent, and beautiful girl she first starts as; and not in a positive way. All the other characters, with the exception of Donskoy, are pretty much the same as when the novel began (at least I assume so since the ending never says otherwise). The characters, with the exception of Marguerite, fail to undergo any development, and Marguerite's changes were all for the worse. The author's writing and descriptions are excellent but the total lack of closure at the end makes the whole novel meaningless in my opinion. Afterwards I was left wondering what point was the author trying to convey, but (at least in my case) failed to do so? Why did she feel compelled to write this seemingly random and pointless story that has no real ending? And most importantly, why did I waste my time reading this? Therefore, my overall recommendation is to avoid this book. Maybe a sequel would make this book more bearable, tying up all the loose ends, but I doubt it.
Too long to get into.......1999-06-25
This book takes way too long to grab a reader into it. The characters are kind of interesting, but sometimes it seemed the author was having problems trying to figure out what the character was doing,which could of been better, without trying to give away too much. The ending was fairly well written, although predictable, but again it just takes too much time to get here. This is one book in the series that I would not take the time to go back and re-read it.
boring..........1998-10-05
Sorry, but I cannot agree to the other review posted here. I found this novel rather boring and lacking the constant atmosphere of dread that each good horror story should have. I think it is the worst book of the series I read so far, but it does have a nice cover though. But should one judge a book by it's cover ? And another thing, all the other Ravenloft-novels were blue in color, why is this one...ahm...reddish brown ?
Book Description
...Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for three hundred years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.
He turned to the first page and read:
I, Strahd, Lord of Barovia, well aware certain events of my reign have been desperately misunderstood by those who are better at garbling history than recording it, hereby set down an exact record of those events, that the truth may at last be known . . . .
He caught his breath. By all the good gods, a personal journal?
Customer Reviews:
Good Fluff. Not zomg! best book evar!!.......2007-05-10
I liked I, Strahd for what it was. A solid piece of fiction based on a D&D adventure. The book was what my mother used to call a "beach read" - a book you can take anywhere and read, because it requires no thought. Calling it one of the best pieces of fiction is an insult to beach reads everywhere. This was an excelent, short little book, and great for putting you into the mindset of the Vampire Lord for your next Ravenloft game. But it is hardly a new take on Dracula. One might even call this a prequal to Dracula (as The Historian, an infinately better book, could be it's sequal). Anyone with half a whit of sense in their head knows that the character Strahd is a direct theft of Brahm Stoker's classic vampire lord.
Go ahead and rent the book from your local library, or buy it if you feel the need to collect Ravenloft books. It was worth my time to read it, I just felt that the book doesnt deserve all these 5-star reviews.
Ravenloft at it's best - fantastic read........2007-01-02
I Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P.N. Elrod is the third book in the recently re-released Ravenloft series. Wizards of the Coast is calling this the Ravenloft Covenant and going back and re-releasing the books that many of us loved. The Ravenloft line was discontinued several years ago, but with the rise in Dark Fantasy novels WotC appears to be giving it another shot, and I for one, am very glad they are. The two books to be released prior to this one are; Death of a Darklord and Vampire of the Mist.
This book is written in somewhat of a first person perspective and follows Strahd Von Zarovich as he begins his rule over Barovia. Ms. Elrod does a very good job of allowing the reader to begin to understand Strahd. No longer is he the heartless, evil, devil that we read about in Vampire of the Mist (and other Ravenloft books). Now, he has substance and meaning behind some of the choices he made in his life. It all culminates with a pact he makes, for better or worse, and how that pact changes his life forever. In some fantasy books, character development takes a back seat to hack-n-slash kill the monster type scenes. Yet, in this book Ms. Elrod devotes a great deal of time to Strahd the character and how he became who he is.
The plot of this book is wonderfully constructed. If you have read Vampire of the Mist you know how this book will end. Yet, that does nothing to diminish the journey of this book. The Pact with Death that Strahd makes is the pinnacle of this book, but by no means is it the only event of importance within the pages. Elrod does a wonderful job of allowing the reader to not only see inside the life of Strahd before his pact, but to allow the reader to, at times, root for Strahd. This book is basically comprised of events in Strahd's life that made him who he is. He is a very calculating person, but the pact he made was impulsive and made for love and beauty. I don't want to say too much and spoiler this for anyone, if you have even a remote interest in this book, do yourself a favor and read it. You won't be disappointed.
This is a very easy book to read, and goes by insanely fast. It quickly became hard for me to put down. Ms. Elrod has a knack for telling you just enough information that you can make your own conclusions about some events. Later in the book she allows you to really feel the angst that Strahd is going through. I would without a doubt recommend this book to many many people. If you are a fan of fantasy books and have yet to read any Ravenloft this book and Vampire of the Mist should be read right away. If you are not a fan of fantasy, but are considering reading this vampire book, give it a shot. It is a very fun and enjoyable read.
Let me tell you..........2004-11-29
When I was in 9th grade, I got to pick a book out of our "school library" to read for an entire 3 weeks in my english class (just to give the jocks time to catch up). I picked this one and wound up reading it twice in that 3 week period. I don't read books twice besides Treasure Island and that's my favorite so me reading this one twice SPEAKS VOLUMES. Get this book. Thanks be to Amazon for pooling all the used copies to make the price sometimes as low as a dollar.
an unfortunate disapointment.......2003-10-08
after all the hearings from the readers around me, I got the book and read. But from the beginning I was out of the world of the book, and the way the story was told confused me totally... The characters are not really established and they were like being observed by total strangers...
it could be written better.. something is missing..
Amazing book. A *must* read........2002-12-07
Strahd, you got to love him. He was the "bad guy" in the first Ravenloft book, "Vampire of the Mists", but comes accross in a much different light this time around. I absolutely recommend this book. I've read 10 Ravenloft books so far and this is easily one of the very best, if not thee best. If you read "Vampire of the Mists" or "Knight of the Black Rose" and liked either of those, you will love this one as much or more.
Average customer rating:
- Birth of a Darklord
- very good buy
- One of the better Ravenloft books.
- A contrived, rushed ending nearly ruins finely-crafted tale
- Ilsabet is one of the most evil caracters I have ever seen!
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Baroness of Blood (Ravenloft)
Elaine Bergstrom
Manufacturer: TSR
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ASIN: 0786901462 |
Customer Reviews:
Birth of a Darklord.......2003-09-30
There are two ways a reader is likely to approach this novel: as a Ravenloft fan reading that line of novels; or as an Elaine Bergstrom fan starved for the latest Austra novel. Neither should be disappointed.
As a D&D novel, this book presents us with much more than we would normally expect and consequently should be more readily accessible to one not familiar with the game or the Ravenloft setting, while at the same time satisfying fans of both.
This book is well-suited to the genre. It would be easy to imagine this as one of those 1960's black and white classic movies or TV shows. 'Baroness' tells the tale of a young noble girl who witnesses the execution of her tyrannical father after his failed conquest of a neighbouring feudal state. Baroness Ilsabet then begins a slippery descent into evil in her pursuit of revenge.
The characters are well rounded protagonists acting within a well-paced (abeit linear) plot that steadily gathers momentum towards its tragicly epic, darkly cinematic, and sadly inevitable conclusion (Ravenloft fans have the added satisfaction of seeing the birth of not only a new Darklord but an entire domain).
A definite time-honoured, easy-to-read 'page-turner' with its concise chapters and spiralling pace that should come highly recommended to all readers, including those approaching from yet a third route: fans of the good gothic-fantasy-horror novel.
Other Ravenloft books by Elaine Bergstrom include:
Tapestry of Dark Souls (and the short story 'The Weaver's Pride which serves as a prologue from the anthology 'Tales of Ravenloft')
The Dracula 'sequels':
Mina
Blood to Blood
The Austra series:
Shattered Glass
Daughter of the Night
Blood Alone
Blood Rites
Nocturne
And the stand alone novels:
Madeline
After the Fall of Usher, Leanna
Possession of a Woman
The Door Through Washington Square
very good buy.......1999-11-04
this is the best book i have ever read in my life. it captures the true spirit of the untamable, and shows us all once we taste blood how can we stop ourselves.
One of the better Ravenloft books........1999-06-26
Many of the books in this series are not up to the task of creating horror in such a specified area such as Ravenloft, but this one is. I liked it a lot.
A contrived, rushed ending nearly ruins finely-crafted tale.......1998-09-05
I started BoB with the same timidity I did HoM, as the reviews I had read were not all that flattering. However, unlike HoM, this book almost deserved all the flak it got. Almost.
BoB is a fine novel, with a compelling storyline and a protagonist/villain you have to feel sorry for... for about half the book. Ilsabet Janosk is a great villain, and I finished the book with the question: what is she now? Kislova is also an intriguing domain, with interesting customs, perhaps once located in the Forgotten Realms (a reference to the Shaar being my only basis for that theory), and even though it takes 99% of the book to finally enter the world for which the book bears its logo, the means justify the end: this tale could not have been told any faster without maiking the book horrible.
My only complaint? It seemed to me that the author really wanted to make Kislova a domain and not a province, and got tired of waiting near the end, when a flurry of useless deaths and a contrived ending were all we received after 300 pages of well-crafted storyline to move the tale to its conclusion.
This in itself nearly ruins the entire flavor of the book, but it couldn't have gone on much longer without growing stale. In all, BoB is a good read, but one has to take the ending with a fine grain of salt to truly appreciate it.
Ilsabet is one of the most evil caracters I have ever seen!.......1998-03-18
Elaine Bergstrom knows how to describe evil! As I read this book I really could not wait for Ilsabet to die or that something bad happens to her. Fortunatly, she gets the punishment she deserves. The only thing I found a setback about the book was that the pace was somewhat slow during all the killings. The story is about a girl whose evil father, a baron, is killed when his castle is invaded. She swears revenge and plans to kill all people involved by poisoning them until she is the only one left to rule both her kingdom and that of the invader. If she ever will...
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