Scholar of Decay (Ravenloft Books) [Paperback]

Tanya Huff (Author), Robh Ruppel (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Ravenloft Books | Publication Date: December 1995

When Aurek Nuiken travels to Richemulot to search for a spellbook that will save his endangered wife, little does he know that a beautiful woman, a family of wererats, and his own brother will cruelly conspire to turn the tables against him. As hideous monsters of Ravenloft close in, he is drawn to the brink of madness in a world that preys on the innocent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Tsr from Wizards of the Coast (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078690206X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786902064
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the best book I have ever read, September 5, 1998

By 

Matt Lynch ([e-mail]) (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scholar of Decay (Ravenloft Books) (Paperback)

Being a huge fan of RL novels, I bought SoD along with several other books from the series I didn't have simply for that reason: I didn't own it. Scoping out an almost fanatical website for reviews from all over, I came to the conclusion that many people believed this book to be incredibly good.

They are right!

SoD starts out with a plotline that seems, at first, run-of-the-mill: a (Borcan) man's wife is kidnapped/endangered, and he must save her. However, even though the back of the book tells you the real story, the transition from Borca to Richemulot and the current situation is amazing. I couldn't put the back down, as it drew me in, making me want to know what happened.

The terrifying Renier sisters- who defined villain in this book, IMNSHO -and their clan provided the perfect foil to the protagonist- Aurek Nuiken -and his brother, Dmitri. The sub-plots and intrigue are finely added until one has the perfect example of what an RL book would look like as a tapestry, then begins to resolve each one with deliciously wicked conclusions.

In a world where Good fails more often than not, I expected an ending like I had seen in other novels where Evil is the driving force. But the way it all came out blew me away. I highly recommend this book, which may just be the best book in the series (that I've read).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extreme excitment., November 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Scholar of Decay (Ravenloft Books) (Paperback)

As one reader states below, this is quite possibly the best written book I have ever read. It is not my favourite, but then, I only have 1 favourite. This book is exciting, if however, you like only action, this book may not be for you. This book attempts to be exciting by not only action, but intrigue and mystery. Tanya Huff did an superb job of characterization, and the ending is quite possibly the best ending in any book I've read. And no, I didn't just read this book, I've read about 15 books since, so this isn't some obsession with a great book I just read. It's an obsession with a great book that stuck with me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was surprised, February 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Scholar of Decay (Ravenloft Books) (Paperback)

I was surprised by how good this book was. I opened it expecting nothing special (I enjoy the Ravenloft books, but some of them are only average fantasy). This one caught me from the beginning and kept me reading all the way to the end. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because, by the end of the book, I cared enough about the characters to want the book to end all sweetness and light. I knew it couldn't, but I was still a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong; I did like the ending. This book persuaded me to keep reading Ravenloft.