I, Strahd The Memoirs of a Vamprie by P. N. Elrod is a novel based off the Dungeons & Dragons gothic setting of Ravenloft. The book follows Strahd Von Zarovich as he comes to rule over the land of Barovia and how he became a vampire.
The book is part of the Ravenloft series and was first published in 1993. Though part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone. P. N. Elrod presents the book is a slight pulpy writing style, but it flourishes in a gothic setting. There is a even pace to the novel as a whole.
The first half of the book was gripping and followed a pretty straight forwrad plot. It did loose it’s momentum slightly in my opinion when the reason for Strahd becoming a vampire was intorduced. Fans of Strahd in the D&D game are familiar with what I’m talking about. The book isn’t bad at this point at all, it just changes focus and the plot becomes less linear. I would have liked to have seen more build up to him becoming a vampire, and what occurs after it. But what is written is entertaining.
Honestly, I liked all of the characters in the book. Strahd himself was written as an excellent villian speaking from the first person perspective. Which I think was a bold choice be works out really well in the Memoir of a Vampire. With most stories going third person especailly in fantasy, seeing a first person perspective was sort of a fresh take on the genre given the subject.
There is a good amount of action in the story as well. Action can be a tricky thing to write, but P. N. Elrod does a fantastic job writing the action in the book. The emotion also comes through and is gripping. I think there is a fair amount of description made as well of the characters, landscape, and other little details.
There are some time jumps in the book as well, but they work very well for the most part. There are few gaps towards the end, and I understand why they are put there from an artistic point of view. As from a reader point of view, I do wish they were fleshed out a little more, or maybe a couple more added to them.
If you’re looking for a fun dark fantasy with a gothic flavor of a vampire novel, I highly recommend checking out, I, Strahd The Memories of a Vampire. Overall I found this to be a fun and easy read. Would I read it again? Honestly, I think I would give this book another go.
I, Strahd Book Review is marked with CC0 1.0
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