I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin [Mass Market Paperback]

P.N. Elrod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998 | Series: Ravenloft

...Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for three hundred years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.

He turned to the first page and read:

I, Strahd, Lord of Barovia, well aware certain events of my reign have been desperately misunderstood by those who are better at garbling history than recording it, hereby set down an exact record of those events, that the truth may at last be known . . . .

He caught his breath. By all the good gods, a personal journal?

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786907541
• ISBN-13: 978-0786907540
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm best known for writing THE VAMPIRE FILES, a series about an undead vampire Jack Fleming whose first case is to solve his OWN murder! There's 12 books and counting, as well as a number of short stories about his adventures.

In addition to writing, I've gone into editing and had the pleasure of working with the top names in urban fantasy with several award-winning collections.

Lately, I've just signed to edit a new anthology for St. Martin's called HEX SYMBOLS and signed a 3-book contract with Tor for a new steampunk series, ON HER MAJESTY'S PSYCHIC SERVICE. I'm currently working on the first book, THE HANGED MAN.

I consider myself to be danged lucky to have a job that I love this much!

There's a lot more info on my website: www.vampwriter.com and, yeah, you figured it, I'm on FaceBook. Far too often for my own good! Drop in and hang out!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lesser of two evils?, January 12, 2000

By 

"estrolof" - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin (Mass Market Paperback)

P.N.Elrod returns with "I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin." To begin, the book is supurbly written. Ms. Elrod has a wonderful grasp of language, and a great sence to her craft as a writer. She also has a wonderful grasp of the characters, both Strahd, and Azalin. Despite being undead, she fills them with the tribulations of the living, only she marvelously stretches them over the course of years, even decades! The manipulations, and the power games which ultimately escalate into a war are wonderfully developed. The entire arrival of Azalin, the powerful, and evil lich; and further, his struggle with his sudden prison and the yoke he finds himself bound under are grand. The continuing struggle for Strahd, to search out Tatyana only to lose her time and time again is heart wrenching (allowing for a macabre irony of course). Despite the fact you have to loath both of the main characters--let's face it, they're abominations!--the author does a wonderful job of pulling you into a position of picking a "worse of two evils." Of course, the novel is written as the journal of Strahd Von Zarovich; so like Dr. Rudolf vanRichten, whether you take it at face value, or ponder whether it's merely Propoganda by the briliant Vampire lord, you have to admit, it's a great read. I recommend this novel to all, especially those who love gothic fantasy/"horror" novels, and more so if you've read either: "I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire"(also by P.N.Elrod) or "Vampire of the Mist"(by Christie Golden).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Azalin IS more powerful then in the book, November 30, 1999

By 

Szymon Nowakowski - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading 'the Lord of Necropolis', where Azalin was presented as 'virtualy omnipotent', I am a bit disappointed with this one. At the beginning of the book he is superior to Strahd and can deal with everything in Barovia; after he teaches Strahd scraps of his magic it seems that not Strahd becomes more powerful, but Azalin loses his power: a band of goblyns can chase him like he was a rabbit, and he actually runs! There are more examples, he doesn't know a simple travel spell and must ride a horse, and so on. The author seems to put too much of her affection to Strahd, and I put mine to Azalin.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST!, February 1, 2000

By 

A. Peterson "Thor's Enchantress" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin (Mass Market Paperback)

Of course, this is coming from a 25 year old woman with a poster of Strahd hanging in her living room! I read "I Strahd" and closed the book with tears in my eyes, never before have I read a book that moved me like that one. So when I picked up "the war against Azalin" I tried not to get my hopes up, I know how sequels can be. BOY WAS I WRONG! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and screaming for more when it was done!

Tatyana would be proud!