I, Strahd Ravenloft

True to Fashion, Strahd is the most detestable villain everyone loves. This book recounts the tales of Strahd, following closely to the D&D module "Curse of Strahd" through the villain's perspective. And despite this book being in the Ravenloft series, there is no particular order one must read the books. This one in particular stands alone. Definitely a great read.

For a while, I have been DMing the D&D Fifth edition module, "Curse of Strahd". Within the adventure, they had a handful of quotes from "I, Strahd", primarily to fill space and provide flavor. On a whim one night, I decided to purchase "I, Strahd" here after reading through those excerpts, thinking it could give me better insight running Strahd von Zarovich. I was honestly expecting a basic easy read that would just be a fun cover to have on my shelf next to my other D&D books, a collectors piece at best. Oh was I wrong. I went into this with all the baggage of knowing Strahd's lore regarding how he became a vampire, in that he is essentially an incel who was just upset the woman he obsessed over didn't love him back, but it was another to see what he was like before the vampire. I'm used to seeing him as an unrepentant villain, yet more than once I would stop to text my players the fact I could actually find myself sympathizing with him, even in relation to his romantic life. Elrod does a wonderful job tricking me into forgetting the terrible stuff Strahd does later in his life(and unlife) to paint the picture of a dutiful, brutal lord of his land. As a DM alone running a Ravenloft campaign, this is helpful to provide some background history to some of the names that show up repeatedly, and that alone gained this book five stars. While it is a bit pricy and difficult to track down copies of this book, I hope someday they decide to reprint it because I know it would be great for ANYBODY interested in Ravenloft lore to experience this, at least once.

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.

This was the first book that I read in the Ravenloft series: the pretense was so intriguing that I had to read it and see what it was all about, though I abhor horror and was not much for fantasy, either. The Memoirs of a Vampire? Spanning centuries, no doubt. One who had managed to be in power instead of hiding so no one figured out his true age? These questions and more are what led me to buy this book. At the beginning it does kind of seem to last forever, with a slow start hitherto noted as necessary for the development of the characters. But once that was accomplished, Elrod and Strahd just whirled me away to another land, another conception of reality so completely that I wish the book lasted forever! And that superior writing style and plot is what made me buy another Ravenloft, and another... All in all, this is a truly beauxdacious story!

When I was younger I had read some books that were based off of a game and was very disappointed in them, so I was very weary when I decided to start reading the Ravenloft set. I started out with this one because I had always had an interest in Strahd, and it was also recommended by some of my friends.I had always had this image of Strahd being this evil vampire that had no care for anything, but yet had some tragedy in his past that haunted him. After reading this book, I am still convinced that Strahd is evil (no doubt about that). But I now understand what his motivation is, and what his tragedy is.The plot started off a little slow, but was necessary for the development of the character (especially Strahd). But after he makes his pact with "Death" the plot picks up and is full of twist and turns.It was able to catch my attention from the very beginning and I found it hard to put the book down when I got past the intro. Very well developed book.

"I, Strahd" shows the infamous vampire lord of Barovia in a much different manner then "Vampire of the Mists". He is still a tragic figure but still unreedmable with his demonic pact with "Death" and of the severing of Barovia, but his humanity is revealed in this book. Elrod shows us that Strahd was a man without purpose and only through his evil pact did he regain himself...at a horrible price that will endure through all of eternity. Make no mistake about it, Strahd is evil to the core with no hope of redeemption whatsoever. The famed scholar of the supernatural, Rudolph VanRichten, makes an appearence as one of the few mortals to enter Castle Ravenloft and go through Strahd's personal journal. All in all, an excellent book on the nature of one of the most famous denizens of Ravenloft.

With any vampire novel the great danger is that of imitation: no matter what the protagonist, when the era, where the setting is, there will always be a question of how well it stands up next to the 'classics'. Well, move over Bram Stoker! Dracula, with all its nineteenth-century patriotism, stake-wielding self-righteousness, and gun-slinging 'technology' is gone: Strahd von Zarovich has arrived. Although not the very first of its kind, 'I, Strahd' is easily one of the best see-it-through-the-Vampire's-eyes gothic novels I have ever read. P N Elrod's style is fast without being rushed, passionate without being sentimental, and her anti-hero Count Strahd is immediately memorable to any reader. His story, too, is similar to that of the Transylvanian Count, but the first-hand view of Strahd's life (unlife?) and the atrocities he is driven to commit strikes a rapport with the reader. Here is a vampire who is evil, who kills without remorse, who has no feelings for life except his own (imperfect) facsimile...sometimes. Yet he is repentant, pining for a lost love, and loyal to his people's safety, willing to give his life to their protection and unification...sometimes. It is this double-nature of the protagonist which makes 'I, Strahd' a compelling read and stands comparison with 'Dracula' and 'Interview with the Vampire'. Enter if you dare...you will be smitten!