Tales of Ravenloft (Paperback)

by Brian Thomsen (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A collection of short stories set in the Ravenloft world of vampires, werewolves, and other monstrous creatures features the talents of P. N. Elrod (creator of Count Strahd Von Zarovich), James Lowder, J. Robert King, Elaine Bergstrom, and others. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560769319
• ISBN-13: 978-1560769316
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #288,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Gaming > Dungeons & Dragons > Ravenloft
  #3 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( T ) > Thomsen, Brian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The good outweigh the rushed, September 4, 1998

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

In Ravenloft's first (and only, to date) short story anthology, we receive a wide variety of tales, some showcasing established talent: P.N. Elrod, J. Robert King, Chet Williamson, Elaine Bergstrom, and James Lowder. Others are a preview of talent yet-to-come: Gene DeWeese, Andria (Hayday) Cardarelle, William W. Connors, and Mark Anthony.

However, among these creme-de-la-creme, we also had stories from some newcomers who have yet to strut their stuff in an RL novel, but who have established track records in other worlds (Elaine Cunningham, Jeff Grubb, Roger E. Moore, and Kate Novak) and those whose first visit to Ravenloft has thus far been their only time in-print for a TSR world, some deservedly.

The collection is marvelous, with many of the newcomers showing they have what it takes, sometimes even making the senior authors' attempts pale in comparison. However, among all the gems in this book, we find those whose endings seem rushed or are just poor attempts. I won't name names, so as not to offend, but I can say that careful readers and devoted fans can pick out the good from the rushed.

The best examples from this book, IMNSHO, though, were "The Briar at the Window" (though the ending was a bit rushed), "The Freak", "Caretaker", "Objects d'Art", and "The Judgment of abd-al-Mamat". I highly recommend it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Compilation, August 5, 2000

By	"canibalax" (Sugar Land, TX USA) - See all my reviews

These tales are great for telling scary stories late at night. Read some of these stories, tell the story to a friend in your own words, and that friend will never forget it. For any fans of Ravenloft, ADnD, or the horror genre, this book is for you. You might not like all of the tales, but you will like enough of them to be content with your purchase.

5.0 out of 5 stars The one and only, January 30, 2008

By	J. W. Mullins (The American South) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tales of Ravenloft is the only anthology set in the Ravenloft setting, but its a good one. This is a classic and has a number of established fantasy, and Ravenloft, authors. The stories are all pretty good, some of course stand above the rest but every story in the book is worth reading. Fans of fantasy-horror and the gothic horror of Ravenloft will not be disappointed.