Sagan greinir frá uppruna einnar af þekktari vampíru fantasíubókmenntanna. Miskunnarlaus og grimmur en um leið fangi eigin lands þar sem umbreyting hans í vampíru flutti Strahd og þegna hans í aflukt landrými sem ekki er hægt að flýja. Ágætis saga en nokkuð stirðbusaleg. ( )

This novel is the prequel to the Ravenloft series and TSR campaign. I loved reading the background of how Ravenloft's most notorious Darklord came to being. If you are a fan of Ravenloft campaign this is a must read. ( )

This was a really interestingly done gothic horror novel - I'll have a full review of this later. ( )

I wish all of the trashy books I've read were as well-written as this. ( )

I've read this book twice through, several years ago, and leafed through it again before typing this. I was reading a lot of Dungeons and Dragons shared world fantasy at the time, and this was a new approach. Ravenloft was an adventure and is now a Gothic campaign setting but knowledge of role playing worlds is not necessary. It's more an Easter Egg for people who want to know the story behind the main villain.

The book is written in the fist person, with a brief prologue and epilogue in third. It's Gothic in the stereotypical sense, with vampires, dark atmospheres, gloomy castles and the like. And of course, the ever-present Ravenloft mist, a supernatural entity into itself.

I don't read may vampire books so I can't really compare this to any, save that what I like about the book most is Strahd's character. He is a shared character, and I've read three authors' version of him and Elrod's I like best. He is of the 'noble count' vein, and in Elrod's writing comes off as more understated and a thinker rather than pompous or savage. It's an entertaining and lighter read. ( )