Tomes of Other Realms: Tower of Doom

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: Tower of Doom
Author: Mark Anthony
Publisher: TSR, Inc.
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1994

In the realms of Ravenloft the weak fall prey to the strong, and the strong battle for superiority, and the strongest of all are the Darklords that rule these domains in the demiplane of dread. But even the strongest are sometimes challenged for their dominion, and Azalin the lich-lord of Darkon is no exception. One of his barons has begun an "inquisition" and is executing his citizens by the score. There seems no apparent cause for it, yet it continues unabated. And in the meantime, other deaths have begun to occur, with each person dying horribly in many different ways: buried in gold coins, smothered by gowns, boiled in stew. And with each death the bells at the top of Nartok Keep peal loudly. What strange force is leading the quest for these bloody deaths? What power in the land is demanding such high prices of blood and souls? And what will happen when dread Azalin--through his Kargat agents--finally learns of what is going on in Nartok Keep?

Tower of Doom takes Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and gives it a bloody, deadly twist. In this story Wort the hunchback, though isolated from the rest of humanity by hiding in his belltower, has had enough of the prejudice and discrimination. He's ready to take revenge on the people and will do so, if Mika the physician doesn't stop him first. How's that for similarities to the original story?

The best parts about this book would have to be the accursed bell, the Soulstone, and the darkling. Any one of these alone would make for an interesting story, but together they weave into a tight, unbelievably powerful tale of magic and intrigue. Think about it: three great powers for darkness in the same land in such close proximity? The bell alone would be terrible to behold, since each ringing of the bell requires blood and death (reminds me of the Ba'al Verzi dagger used by Strahd von Zarovich). The Soulstone steals the souls from living men, killing them yet allowing them to retain a semblance of sentience, enough at least to let them be "executed" in public. And the darkling...well, let's just say he's a power in his own right, filled with darkness and bent towards evil. Put them all in the same book and link them through other characters and tales and you have an outstanding tale where the forces of evil have the upperhand.

Tower of Doom continues the stories of bitterness and sorrow that the realms of Ravenloft seem particularly proficient in originating. I don't know how much you'll enjoy such bloody, deadly work, but I assure you: if you're a fan of horror and of Ravenloft, then you definitely don't want to miss this!

Rating: Thumbs up! The bell tolls, people die, and the tower on the moor rises high!

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