Knight of the Black Rose (Ravenloft, #2)

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Knight of the Black Rose (Ravenloft #2)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 904 ratings · 31 reviews

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...more

Mass Market Paperback, 310 pages

Published December 1st 1991 by Wizards of the Coast (first published 1991)

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Aug 24, 2010 Travis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder- This is the second novel that was released in the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first volume in Terrors of Lord Soth duology with the second volume titled Spectre of the Black Rose, which was co-written by Voronica Whitney-Robinson. James Lowder has written a number of books. His Forgotten Realms works include; book three of The Empires series called Crusade, the fifth book in The Harpers series called The Ring of W...more Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder- This is the second novel that was released in the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first volume in Terrors of Lord Soth duology with the second volume titled Spectre of the Black Rose, which was co-written by Voronica Whitney-Robinson. James Lowder has written a number of books. His Forgotten Realms works include; book three of The Empires series called Crusade, the fifth book in The Harpers series called The Ring of Winter, and book four in The Avatar series called Prince of Lies. He has also written a book for Tales of the Crypt titled Name Your Nightmare. He's also been the editor of a number of anthologies, as well. He has edited two Forgotten Realms anthologies, Realms of Valor and Realms of Infamy. He has also edited a horror anthology series called All Flesh Must Be Eaten which includes; The Book of All Flesh, The Book of More Flesh, and The Book of Final Flesh. Also to note, there has been best of for this series called Best of All Flesh: Zombie Anthology. He's also been the editor of two King Arthur type of anthologies under the series called Pendragon Fiction; The Doom of Camelot and Legends of Pendragon. He's also edited two anthologies in Silver Age Sentinels series called Path of the Just and Path of the Bold. Finally, he has edited a few stand-alone anthologies Astounding Hero Tales, Worlds of Their Own, and Curse of the Full Moon. James Lowder has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies as well. Knight of the Black Rose was released in 1991 and published by TSR. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.

Lord Soth used to be a well-respected and honored Knight of the Rose. However, after committing transgression after transgression, Soth is stripped of his honor and is to be executed. But, after being saved by his loyal men, Soth bottles himself in his home. After a curse is laid upon him by his dying wife and child, Soth becomes a death knight. The centuries pass after that fateful day to when Soth is leading a charge into the city of Palanthas for the dragon highlord, Kitiara. But when Soth finds Kitiara dead he sends his seneschal, Caradoc, to retrieve her soul. After doing that, Caradoc returns only to offer Soth a deal, make him mortal again and he can have her soul. Soth doesn't like this and attacks his seneschal, but during the attack, a mist starts to rise and surround Soth and Caradoc. Only when the mists clear do they realize that they are no longer on Krynn. After Caradoc runs off, Soth goes after him, only to come across a camp of Vistani (gypsies). After being told he was in a land called Barovia, Soth kills the Vistani leader and takes a woman, Magda, hostage to have her lead him to Castle Ravenloft and Count Strahd Von Zarovich. Along the way, the duo come across an odd dwarf about to be hanged and after hearing screams, they return to find the bodies of the executioners. After reaching Castle Ravenloft, Soth and Strahd get into a disagreement and Soth leaves to find a portal that can potentially lead him home. On the run from Strahd and a mysterious shadow following Soth and Magda, are they able to find the portal and can Soth return home? Or is there more to Strahd's scorned offer?

Criticisms:
1) Flashbacks. The only main problem I came across was some of the flashbacks of Soth's past came up at awkward times. A lot of Soth's flashbacks happened suddenly and randomly enough that it became awkward and weird. Aside from the one time in the story that really made since, a lot of the flashbacks just popped up during action sequences or in the middle of a paragraph. It was just a clunky way to tell of Soth's past. However, it wasn't horrible. It just was slightly annoying.

Praises:
1) Soth. He was a very interesting character. While at first I didn't really care for him as a character or a 'person', as the story continued, he really grew on me. The inner conflict he has with what he's become and what he once stood for was very intriguing. The reason why I didn't care for Soth in the beginning is that he didn't show his noble side and he came off as little more than a villain to be hated and not to be sympathized with. So for the first one hundred or so pages he just was another generic villain. However, after the escape from Castle Ravenloft and the journey with Magda, a more heroic and noble side (albeit very corrupted) emerged. Granted it wasn't a huge change, but the more subtle actions he did just won me over. Also, Soth was an absolute scene stealer. I couldn't count how many times I waited from him to pop up again to say something or just move. He was what made this story an utter blast to read.
2) Background. I really liked how Soth's background was presented in the beginning of the story. I've never picked up a Dragonlance novel nor do I know anything about the world, characters, history, or main story points and the way everything was easy to understand is definitely a plus. Also, there is just enough given that it doesn't become overbearing in details. A perfect balance between too little information and too much information was hit.

Side Notes:
1) Strahd. Strahd seemed slightly more cruel and open about what he was in Knight of the Black Rose. In Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden, it seemed like no one knew that Strahd was a vampire, but in this story it almost seems like everyone knows that something isn't 'right' with him. It just didn't sit well with me.
2) Time Line. Once again going back to Vampire of the Mists. When does Knight of the Black Rose fit in with the whole Strahd time-line? Does it happen before Vampire of the Mists or after? My guess is after seeing as Vampire of the Mists comes first in the series order, but I could always be wrong.
3) Cover Art. Oh 1990's art cover, how cheesy can you get? However, it's not bad. Soth does look intimidating enough, aside from the comical feather plume and silly purple cape. He is in a pretty cool pose as well. I also like the embossing on the cover. It almost gives it a three-dimensional look to it. However, the background is rather plain with just an archway and some steps. It does help Soth stand out, but other than that it's just forgettable.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Knight of the Black Rose is a really good story, but it's not memorable enough to be a top-tier performer. The only big issue was the awkward positions of how some of the flashbacks occurred. But on a whole, it was a good read. Story-wise, it was a little mediocre, but it did do something with that made it interesting. While the plot consisted of “Go here, do this, then go here”, it still felt fresh and kept me interested. The characters were good and unique, with Lord Soth being the more memorable of the group. Lord Soth commanded this story from start to finish and only Strahd had any chance of stealing Lord Soth's scenes. But even when Strahd and Soth appeared together, Lord Soth always seemed to come out on top slightly. Also I really liked how anyone could pick this book up and know what was going on. There was no real 'learning' curve and the characters backgrounds were brief and to the point. Is Knight of the Black Rose worth searching for and picking up? Yes, definitely.(less)

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Apr 01, 2012 Universalwhatnot rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Lord Soth was my absolute favorite character in the Dragonlance series, but I found myself disappointed with a book that was exclusively about him and his many wonderful flaws.

Nothing in the book felt particularly memorable to me, unlike Soth's moments in the main Dragonlance arcs, where his appearance generally threw me into a fit of fascination. It also removed some of the finality of his appearance in the last book of the "Twins" Dragonlance saga. I don't know if I'm comparing the Ravenloft b...more

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Feb 10, 2013 David Colpitts rated it 4 of 5 stars

While not the greatest piece of literature ever written I found myself drawn in quickly to this tale of undead creatures. If you are a fan of the Ravenloft world or more so that of the Dragonlance character, Soth, this is definitely a book to read. Following the un-life of Lord Soth of Dargaard Keep, he is quickly transported to the land of Barovia following the attack on Palanthas back on Krynn. What follows is his subsequent quest to return to Krynn and the soul of Kitiara Uth Matar he hopes r...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Tarl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, fantasy

Lord Soth and Krynn are a part of my childhood. This is my third time reading this book, but the first time reading it as a writer.

'Knight of the Black Rose' tells the story of how Soth ended up in Ravenloft. Beyond all the issues with Soth and Ravenloft vs Krynn, this book in itself is a fairly enjoyable book. Lowder writes the Ravenloft setting really well, maintaining the whole dark setting fairly well. Not once during the entire book did I ever get the sense that the world was anything othe...more Lord Soth and Krynn are a part of my childhood. This is my third time reading this book, but the first time reading it as a writer.

'Knight of the Black Rose' tells the story of how Soth ended up in Ravenloft. Beyond all the issues with Soth and Ravenloft vs Krynn, this book in itself is a fairly enjoyable book. Lowder writes the Ravenloft setting really well, maintaining the whole dark setting fairly well. Not once during the entire book did I ever get the sense that the world was anything other than dark, depressing, and full of evil.

The pacing for the novel however is one of the glaring issues I have with this story. There is a number of high action quests that occur, but the breaks between them slow down to a snail's pace. There's a lot of politics between Soth and Stradh which are interesting, but not enough to keep the pace up for those parts of the novel. This is a problem that plagues a lot of fantasy novels and veteran readers of the genre are more likely to simply ignore this pacing change. Those not used to it, however, may find it feeling like a badly driven standard.

The fight scenes in this novel are fairly well done, moving quickly and furiously through each combat with all the magic and brutality one would expect. Not dwelling on over done details, Lowder captures the flow of combat with simplistic descriptions that give just enough to be entertaining yet not bog down the story.

In the end, 'Knight of the Black Rose' captures the feel of fantasy-horror really well with Lowder doing an exceptional job telling the story of this cursed knight. As the second book in the Ravenloft series, he also does a good job continuing the world building set out for this wonderful campaign setting when it was just starting out.

If you were a fan of Soth, this book will help to enrich your love. (even though it clashes with the book that describes his life which I reviewed earlier) If you enjoy the Ravenloft world, this book will also entertain you greatly. In the end, a good book and one I would recommend to anyone who wants to see how to combine horror and fantasy into one genre. (less)

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Apr 26, 2013 Jeffrey rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-fantasy

This ill conceived novel is what you get from a culture of corporate cross selling. It's a cross over between the relatively new (at the time) Ravenloft setting and the immensely popular Dragonlance setting.

It was obviously made to try and sell tweens on the new campaign setting. I say this with confidence because it spends to much time riding the Dragonlance coat tails and name dropping places, characters and other details from that setting that it doesn't get around to having it's own plot unt...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Joshua Fallaw rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read every Dragonlance book I could get my hands on growing up, but never was interested in the Ravenloft world. Got this because it was about Lord Soth. The book started out good but quickly became dull and predictable. I knew how it was going to end as soon as [spoiler alert] Strahd said that thing about the mists and creatures of power. Speaking of the ending, it was rushed and just kind of petered out. I will stick to the many Dragonlance novels when I want to read about the denizens of Kr...more

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Feb 15, 2013 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

So a friend gave me this book about 25 years ago. I just read it now. I liked it, it was entertaining. I feel it was a bit juvenile to give it a glowing recommendation.

It's hard to understand some of the decisions Lord Soth makes, but he's undead so I get it. I can see how he would not think like a human. He's dead, his memories are an imprint, he's driven down a path and when he died he's not going to deviate, that is a bit frustrating for us and the other humans around him.

On a different note...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Taddow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lord Soth is one of my favorite all time villians and I think this is one of the better books staring the fiend. I think its a good match-up against Strahd with the vampire actually facing a challenge. This is my second time reading this book (the first being when it was originally released) and I still enjoyed it.

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Dec 14, 2011 Fred rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I'm not sure how I would feel about this book today, but I read it at least back in 1997 maybe farther back and I loved it then. One of the best evil characters in the series of Dragonlance comes to Ravenloft. Can't beat it.

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Oct 02, 2011 John Steiner rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel is better than "Vampire of the Mist" solely because Lord Soth is such a dick throughout the story that surely, I thought, he'd be the one to ice-pick Von Zarovich and be done with it.

Too bad.

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May 11, 2011 Paul Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cebu

Most people thing Ravenloft is a horror series but in truth it still is Dungeons and Dragons. Having Lord Soth was a great crossover as he is one of my favorite villians from Dragonlance. A great read.

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May 03, 2012 krin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy

I liked this dark fantasy in which even the evil Lord Soth can, at times, have some redeeming qualities. I look forward to reading the next book, The Spectre of the Dark Rose.

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Oct 14, 2011 Chris Leapley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not a bad book for a mass market TSR-era story. If you are a fan of Krynn and are interested in Lord Soth, the book is worth your team - and it is a very quick and easy read.

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Sep 17, 2012 Brian Sutton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Picked this up at a flea market earlier this month and read it over a weekend. Requires a bit of an understanding of the first Dragonlance trilogy for some. It was OK.

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Sep 05, 2012 Michael Buckley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant! The first book that took me to the wonderful and dark worl of Ravenloft and the brilliant tale of the fallen knight of the rose, Lord Soth!

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May 19, 2009 Jesse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I liked this book. When I read it I was really into Dragonlance, so I was familiar with the character. It was kinda' cool to see a D&D crossover.

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Jan 14, 2012 AndrewP rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

Lord Soth the Death Knight.

Trivia fact: The Death Knight in AD&D Fiend Folio was created by SF author Charles Stross

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Nov 12, 2012 Scott McCloskey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ravenloft

A classic tale of Lord Soth. Best read after you read the Dragonlance title "Lord Soth". Appropriately dark.

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Jun 02, 2012 John Arnold rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read it to follow dragonlance, but just didnt match good with goth. It is a good end to a bad hero

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Oct 06, 2012 Arlene Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

You didn't even need to be a gamer to enjoy these...

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Aug 07, 2009 Cameron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Best campaign setting ever.

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Jan 02, 2013 Zach Peffer rated it 5 of 5 stars

favorite fantasy book of all time

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Jul 27, 2010 Darth Sparhawk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Badass gothic fantasy novel with larger-than-life villains who try to outsmart each other. The books contained some disturbing scenes and well described battles and although it lacked true horror, I enjoyed it very much. Soth is always a fun character to read about and Shard is really cool, old school villainous vampire. DnD fans will like this adventure.

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Aug 13, 2008 Jacob rated it 5 of 5 stars

Only one of two (the other being the sequel, Spectre of the Black Rose) Ravenloft novels I read, primarily because of the main character, Lord Soth.

It wasn't anything 'great' as far as literature went, but it was, for me, a very fun read. The image of one being (albeit cursed and possessed of some rather nasty powers) besieging a castle and fighting off an army of unnatural beings, was highly amusing.

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Mar 03, 2008 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was my first Ravenloft book and I was totally disappointed. I was hoping for a nice guilty pleasure but it was not well written enough or a good enough story to keep more than my passing interest. Really just more schlocky than anything else.

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Sep 05, 2009 Jeff Waltersdorf rated it 2 of 5 stars

Here we go, another of the Ravenloft novel line. But will seeing inside the mask of the mysterious Lord Soth ruin another villain, just the like the Star Wars prequels diminished Darth Vader?

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Apr 03, 2011 Darin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, dungeons-and-dragons

Second time reading. Lord Soth is one of my all-time favorite bad guys and this book gives an excellent summary of his history, pride, and downfall.

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Sep 09, 2008 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book was an easy read, and a very fun one at that. Call me a softy, but I love it when the bad guys win.

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Apr 15, 2008 Rob C. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome book....what more could you want that an uber villain like Lord Soth the deathnight

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Oct 13, 2012 Timothy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dragonlance, favorites, ravenloft

This first dragonlance crossover in the series :)

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About James Lowder

aka Richard Awlinson, J D Lowder

James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and The Repentant. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. His book and film reviews, fe...more

More about James Lowder...

Books by James Lowder

Realms of Valor (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #1)

Realms of Infamy (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #2)

The Ring of Winter (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers, #5)

Spectre of the Black Rose (Ravenloft, #20)

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Knight of the Black Rose (Ravenloft #2)

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