Tomes of Other Realms: The Enemy Within

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: The Enemy Within
Author: Christie Golden
Publisher: TSR, Inc.
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1994

When the young, impetuous Prince Othmar succeeds his father on the throne of Nova Vaasa, it falls to Sir Tristan Hiregaard to serve as chief regent. But a misunderstanding with the fiercly independent Vistani lands Tristan in the middle of a nasty sorcerous mess that results in the transportation of the entire land of Nova Vaasa into a dark new world: the demiplane of dread, Ravenloft. That same mess has brought about the creation of the mysterious murderer, Malken. It falls to Tristan to track down the monster before he kills again, but such a task will not be easy, for in this new world the plains cats, once merely a danger and now a terrible threat, have begun to enter the city. A new cult with strange, mysterious motives has established itself, with Tristan's son Ivaar falling victim to its blandishments. And a new wave of crime spreads itself out across the land courtesy of the manipulations of Malken. As murder upon murder comes to light and Tristan becomes desperate to capture and stop Malken, the terrible truth comes out. But will it be an asset to Tristan's efforts...or a deadly distraction that may destroy him entirely?

The Enemy Within is a strange book, very much unlike the other books in the Ravenloft series. This book takes a while to get up to speed, whereas books such as Vampire of the Mists and Dance of the Dead take you right into the story. However, this book displays a complexity not found in any of the other Ravenloft books to date.

I can't say too much without giving away too much of the plot. But what is perhaps most interesting is that strong control the author holds over the entire novel. While it might have been easier to go with the strong emotions and let story fall by the wayside, Ms. Golden keeps the story on track with little or no digression throughout the book. It's an especially convoluted pair of plots, and the author makes only the necessitated connections between the two before sending them off seperately again. The Enemy Within isn't the most captivating text I've run across, but once you get to the heart of the matter--Nova Vaasa's transference to the demiplane of dread--you won't be able to put the book down. The gradual build-up to the first true conflict with evil is definitely worth the wait!

Rating: Thumbs up! Talk about a Jekyll and Hyde complex!

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