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I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire (Ravenloft #7)
by
P.N. Elrod
Ever since a vampire slew his son, Dr. Rudolph Van Richten has waged a personal war against these monstrosities of night. Knowledge is his greatest weapon, and now he has discovered the font of knowledge, and the most powerful vampire of them all.
Strahd.
The very heart of evil in Barovia, Strahd Von Zarovich has ruled his land with an iron fist for nearly four centuries. At...more
Strahd.
The very heart of evil in Barovia, Strahd Von Zarovich has ruled his land with an iron fist for nearly four centuries. At...more
Hardcover, 311 pages
Published
October 1993
by TSR, Inc.
(first published April 16th 1993)
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I have to say, I had really low expectations going into this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This book was reminiscent of the “old school” vampires. No sparkling in the sunshine, just the good stuff like bats, and wolfs.. and sleeping in coffins.
This is the memoirs of Count Stradh who has spent most of his life as a solider, fine tuned to the act of bloodshed and betrayal. The beginning is mostly about his struggles, keeping his new lands and people of Barovia in line with his regime. Then...more
This is the memoirs of Count Stradh who has spent most of his life as a solider, fine tuned to the act of bloodshed and betrayal. The beginning is mostly about his struggles, keeping his new lands and people of Barovia in line with his regime. Then...more
Sep 30, 2007
Rachel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
role playing gamers who like vampire novels
Shelves:
supernatural
This was an oddly enjoyable book! I played the Ravenloft D&D modules in high school, and I like P. N. Elrod's writing, so I figured I'd indulge in nostalgia and read this. The plot covers Strahd's background, his choice to become a vampire, and his path from that choice to his weird existence surrounded by zombies in a trashed castle. Overall, the first half was excellent, with a powerful feel of realism (maybe more so because I was reading it on a quiet, thundery day), but when it got to th...more
Great Vampire Memoir. PN Elrod really knows how to capture the desolate life a vampire. It pulls you back and forth not knowing whether to sympathize with him or to laugh at him for the stupid mistakes he made.
A little bit dark, but so true to the old beliefs of vampires that it was refreshing. He wasn't someone to be envied with eternal good looks & forever to be in love, this vampire was a man who had made a pact with the devil & was paying for his mistakes each & every day of his eternal life. You kind of pity him &, at the same time, think he really got what was coming to him. It was beautifully descriptive & extrememly well-written. I would definitely read on in the series.
I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P. N. Elrod- This is the seventh novel that was released for the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first I, Strahd novel with the second novel called I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin. P. N. Elrod has written over 24 full-length novels and numerous short stories. Most of her stories focus on vampire mysteries. Her works include; The Vampire Files series (Bloodlist, Lifeblood, Bloodcircle, Art in the Blood, Fire in the Bloo...more
This book should be called, What if Dracula won and was a Total Badass!
What I learned from this book? If you really want to be left alone, you should buy a castle and employ cut throat, Romanian Gypsy guards.
What I learned from this book? If you really want to be left alone, you should buy a castle and employ cut throat, Romanian Gypsy guards.
Great book. Strahd is basically Dracula for D&D. Fortunately, the author differentiates him enough from Dracula that he is definitely his own character. I remember playing the Ravenloft module years ago, which featured Strahd as the big villain of the adventure. Here, the novel really develops what is only hinted at in the original adventure. It is great to see a character presented who is clearly evil, but in some ways you can't help but feel sorry for him. It was also a nice touch that Elr...more
I read this book in high school and reread it later in college. It was originally recommended by some friends and became a favorite. This is Dracula completely rewritten yet it somehow it works. The plot was shamelessly hacked, taken & reworked. I loved it. Fun book.
This was an excellent read. Highly recommended. Especially if you are a fan of villainy, of vampires, or of any other words that start with v.
As far as DnD fiction goes, it's pretty good. And really, if it wasn't packaged as a DnD novel, you'd probably never realize it from reading it. What I found most amusing about the book though were the illustrations throughout. To look at them, you'd think Strahd is actually Count Dracula, what with the high collared cloak and over elaborated clothing. However, the actually description of Strahd's manner of dress (when it's actually given) comes nowhere near this.
I had low expectations the first time I picked this book up, I was around 7 and found it in a bargain bin at a truck stop on a family vacation road trip for $2.00. Boy was I surprised by what I found inside, this book really goes back to the heart of the old school vampire mythology. It's dark with a hint of romantic drama. This story would have made Dracula himself proud.
I remember I was hitting that period of time when I was trying be interested in the whole role-playing fantasy game culture and I was really into vampires (before vampires became popular), so I thought that I'd give this a shot. But I found the story to be really complicated and I didn't know what was going on, so I got bored of it. Put me off RPGs forever.
This has to be one of the better vampire mythologies that I have read in a long time. It is darker than the current genre of vampire novels and even though it was written by a lady author seems to have a very masculine point of view. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the battles and triumphs of lord Strahd, as well as his ill fated romance as the story progresses. I would read this one again.
Whoa...fascinating! So far the most believable & human beginning to the Dracula tale. Nice job of blending history in with our own world and the paranormal. I like how Elrod pulled the original Dracul into the story.
The first third was apprehensive reading but once past that section, I could not stop.
The first third was apprehensive reading but once past that section, I could not stop.
An engrossing foray into the life of a sadly-missed "traditional" vampire. Something you don't see too often in the face of stylized "angst-pires". Yes, he had a hard, sad life...but he brought a fair amount of it on himself, and he acknowledges that.
I stopped reading this book after 100 pages but finally got around to finishing it just now. Not a bad book actually, though a little slow. I want to read more later Strahd now as a result so there is that. Like I said not a bad book but nothing that really stands out in the genre.
I read this back in the waning days of my Ravenloft obsession, and it was definitely one of the better novels of the bunch. An excellent fleshing out of a two-dimensional bad guy, but the world itself remains lackluster in its hopeless dreariness.
This story is told from the perspective of Strahd, an evil vampire who is the mysterious and sinister lord of the district, terrorizing and feeding off of the locals. He is a tragic figure, who spreads misery and death in his path.
Lovely Vampire lord origin story. Plays all the right nods to the mythos while still being original and satisfyingly familiar.
I'd recommend this to anyone wanted a sad story about vampires that shows a more "human" side to them.
I'd recommend this to anyone wanted a sad story about vampires that shows a more "human" side to them.
I picked this book to read as research for my upcoming D&D campaign, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this novel. Talk about a guilty pleasure. I heartily recommend this book to one and all.
Okay. Not great. I feel like it took too long to tell a pretty simple story. All those pages, and the vampire's beginings weren't really interesting.
Anothet vampire masterpiece from the "Ravenloft" saga. After the enchanting "Vampire of the Mists", I though that I'd never again read such good vampire novel, but "I, Strahd", which is from the same series is also absolutely amazing, even if very different. Where Jander was melancholic and heroic, Strahd is cynical and villainous, but Mrs. Elrod describes him and his thoughts so well that in the end he is just as tragic as Jander was, even if he never loses the aura of a menacing dark lord. The...more
I am Strahd von Zarovic, I am land, I am Bavoria, I am law!
It's my first Ravenloft book and a good book for starting Ravenloft I think.
It's my first Ravenloft book and a good book for starting Ravenloft I think.
I read it twice in high school I loved it so much. Even wrote the author a letter and was sent an autograph :)
Awesome read, puts you into the mind of an aging warlord that experiments with dark magic and suffers the consequences.
Sep 11, 2012
Charles
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
horror-and-crossovers
A really great vampire book. A really great AD&D novel. A sad love story. Any Questions?
I had this book since I was a teenager and to this day I still love it.
amazing story...brilliant in its intelligence....strahd will be a character alive to me for quite some time.....amazing.
One of the best vampire stories ever, great book.
Ravenloft AND P. N. Elrod = unbeatable.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| The official title is I, Strahd | 1 | 16 | Sep 19, 2008 12:09am |
Patricia Nead Elrod is an American fantasy writer specializing in novels about vampires. Her work falls into areas of fantasy and (in some cases) mystery or historical fiction, but normally not horror, since her vampires are the heroes. -Wikipedia
More about P.N. Elrod...
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Nov 07, 2009 06:25pm