Tomes of Other Realms: I, Strahd--The Memoirs of a Vampire

Tomes of Other Realms

Welcome to the lands of swords and sorcery, where people live and die by the sword and only the bravest of souls stand between the common folk and the forces of darkness. Join me as I wander different planes and hear the stories of their greatest defenders and the sagas of their worthiest warriors.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: I, Strahd--The Memoirs of a Vampire
Author: P.N. Elrod
Publisher: TSR, Inc.
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1993

Lord Strahd von Zarovich wasn't always ruler of Barovia, and he wasn't always a vampire. He started his life in a far off land, the first-born son directed by tradition into the military. He won battle after battle and campaign after campaign, finally overthrowing a warlord and ascending to rulership of the land of Barovia. He named his captured castle "Ravenloft" after his mother and called upon artisans to repair and refurbish it. And in time, he called upon his unknown youngest brother to visit him in his new domain. As with Strahd, his brother Sergei proposed to follow tradition and enter the clergy, but fate had other things in store for him. And the price it demanded of Strahd to obtain what he could never have held dire consequences for Barovia and its people. But was it worth it? Did Strahd ever win what he most desired, the love of his brother's bride?

I, Strahd--The Memoirs of a Vampire is a mostly first-person narrative, as one might expect from personal memoirs. It is an excellent text, so far as it goes. It doesn't include--or at least hardly mentions--the events found in Vampire of the Mists, where some aspects of Strahd's story first appear, and some of the events detailed there are curiously missing here. However, that hardly detracts from the skill and quality of the writing. Then again, Vampire of the Mists was more about Jander Sunstar than Strahd, so the absence is understandable.

One excellent characteristic of this book is that it introduces a couple of characters that figure prominently into the history of the realms of Ravenloft; namely, members of the Dilisnya clan, who would eventually become rulers of two other realms. Another interesting trait is the more detailed account of exactly how Sergei and Tatyana died. We received glimpses of this story in Vampire of the Mists, but now we have a better insight into exactly what was going on at the time. I just wish a little more about Sergei had appeared in the full tale. After all, theoretically Jander Sunstar encounters Sergei's skeleton, but there is no mention made about his skeleton becoming animated. Then again, Strahd stays away from the chapel, so maybe he didn't even know, right?

I, Strahd is somewhat bloodier than some of the other Ravenloft books. After all, Strahd starts out as a warrior, and then becomes a vampire. On the other hand, it isn't quite so bloody as, say, Carnival of Fear, so you don't have to worry too much about nightmares. Unless you're afraid of these things!

Rating: Thumbs up! Do you want to know the history behind Ravenloft's First Vampire?

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