Customer Reviews

Vampire of the Mists: The Ravenloft Covenant

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was my first Ravenloft book and not having read much fantasy mixed with horror in the past few years this was a delectable plunge into a world I couldn't even begin to describe. Vampire of the Mists is an exquisite tale of darkness, lost love and a quest for vengeance through the eyes of Jandar Sunstar, a gold haired elf from gentle hills of Evermeet. Ever since he was made into a vampire, he has roamed the night alone for five hundred years, filling his dead body with blood, living on the lives of others he was an undead creature who sadly looked forward to eternal lonely existence until one day, while out feeding he met Anna. She lived in a mental asylum but captured his heart that was still full of hope and goodness despite his curse only to slip away, leaving him a clue as to her painful past and the reason why she went mad.

I absolutely loved the writing of Christine Golden, her descriptive, rich and fluid language seeped of the pages like honey, and filled my head with images and treasures, of wolves, vampires, gypsies and villagers of Barovia. The fantasy world or darkness and light, the story lines and the characters married into the tale of Jandar and his promise to Anna for avenging her death. He was mystically transported to Barovia's Castle Ravenloft, where he befriended, or so he thought, Count Strahd Von Zarovich. His name alone gave me Goosebumps as he welcomed the elf to his home, wanting to learn form his wisdom and slowly trying to corrupt whatever good was left in Jandar. Strahd was one sneaky bastard, cruel and evil yet captivating, he used magic and commanded wolves to do his bidding, he turned beautiful women into vampires and drained the villagers of their happiness and resources. He played mind games with everyone and had many secrets as to how he came to power. Jandar starved for truth as he spend years trying to decipher the castle and its mysteries only to find out a secret so shocking and brutal that it opened up like a can of warms, searing him in hot anger and destined to set things straight.The book was a non stop rollercoaster of action and was so rich and well detailed that I could see the stars in the sky, the silver gleam of the moon falling on the running wolves, their strong paws hitting the bud, their warm breath curling for taste of human blood. The Vampires turned to dark bats or into a mist traveling through the dark hills and roamed for unsuspecting victims to feed on.

Jandar was a great soul, sad, at times savage when angered but he cared for beauty and he longed to have the sun hit his face, but he was on a quest to dig up the dark buried secrets that Strahd guarded in the Ravenloft Castle with his hordes of wolves and vampire slaves. I can't wait to read the rest of the Ravenloft series, for this was a magical and satisfying read, and warmly recommended to everyone who loves good book. After all this is what reading is about, the love and enjoyment of a good story that leaps of the pages.

- Kasia S.

Vampire of the Mist by Christie Golden is the re-release of the first book that launched the Ravenloft world. This book was first released by TSR in September of 1991. It seems Wizards of the Coast may be trying to revive the Ravenloft world as they are starting to re-release some novels that have been out of print for a long time. I will say this, if you are a fan of fantasy vampire novels this is a must read.

The plot of this book is a very well thought-out plot. It is deep and has several layers to it that the reader is always left wondering what the next page will bring. The basic plot is that of a elven vampire who is trying to seek revenge for the death of someone he loved. The journey and self-discovery that this elf (Jander) partakes in is a fantastic ride. Along the way there are various small sub-plots, but they by no means hinder the overall plot, quite the opposite they add considerable depth to the story and allow the reader to `feel' the story as Ms. Golden intended it. Being that this was the first book in the Ravenloft world Ms. Golden also does a phenomenal job at describing all the things that make Ravenloft unique and interesting. Things such as the fog, the gypsies, Castle Ravenloft, history and countless other things. This truly is a gem of a book.

The characters in this book add so much to the overall story. They are extremely well fleshed out and the development of the characters rivals that of any fantasy book I can think of. Characters such as Jander, Strahd, Sasha, etc develop so much it's amazing that this was only a 300 page book. If you are wanting to read more about Jander there is an additional short strory in the Wizards of the Coast Anthology titled Best of the Realms and the short story title is called `Blood Sport'. The depth that Ms. Golden gives Jander just makes the character so much more real and fun to read about.

Overall, this is one of the best single novels I have read in quite a long time. Everything about this novel `works'. There is just enough of things to alow the reader to form a mental picture, without over burdening the reader with unnecessary facts that slow the story. As I said before, if you are a fan of vampire novels you must read this. If you are a fantasy fan I am almost certain you will enjoy this as well. If you are a fan of reading and are looking at a fantasy book, I would without a doubt recommend this one. I truly can't say enough about this wonderful book. I highly recommend this to everyone.

I went into this book loving the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realm offerings from TSR/WoTC. I have known about the Ravenloft novels for sometime but thought it was a completely different setting and world and while enjoying vampire stories I wasn't ready to plunge into another shared world...I had no idea that it tied into Forgotten Realms (FR)!
Wow! How awesome is that for a setting? All that goes bump in the night in the world of Forgotten Realms takes place here amongst the Dwarven warriors and wizardly elves and others? Yep! That surprised me and thrilled me beyond belief...what a great idea. Grant it there is this mysterious place called Barovia but its still part, somehow, of the world we know and love in FR.
Simply put: this book is outstanding and all the range of emotions were invoked. I felt fear, sadness, relief, disgust, sorrow, happiness, and regret...oh man what a roller coaster of a good time! The ending was not what I expected and was a little let down but then again its not my story but Christie Golden's. The book ends setting up for further stories so I am off to get my hands on them...that is until the sun comes up =)

this story is vivid and touching as good as the first, it suduces you into continueing the seris.

If you read the Ravenloft series this is a must have. I have re read this book many times and the story is engaging. I don't want to give too much away but there are many characters in this book and as the story progresses you begin to feel for each and every one including the antagonist. The world of vampires and werewolves has never been more interesting this is a dark book. I absolutely enjoyed every page.

Ravenloft is an awesome fantasy series, i've read 4 of their books, one better than the other. But "Vampire of the Mists" was by far the best. The best vampire story i've read/seen, long before vampires became popular...

I am dyslexic so long reads tend to tire me, but not this one, i could't put this one down.

I found the tale to be very similar to "An Interview with a Vampire". Two vampires, one good, struggling to accept his own reality, and one evil, loving every minute of being a vampire.

Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden follows a gold elf vampire named Jander Sunstar, who is hell-bent on revenge. Jander gets thrown into a land called Barovia where a lord, Strahd, takes him in. When trying to found out who hurt his beloved, he finds his answers were right under his nose.

Negatives:
1) Time Passing. I really was lost because I didn't know how much time passed in some parts. I was really shocked to suddenly see Anastasia pregnant, then suddenly her child is running around town. It would have been OK if there was an indicator in the next paragraph. Basically, it just would have benefited a little more if there was acknowledgment of time. I really explained that badly...
2) Point of views. I didn't like how in the same paragraph, the viewpoints were suddenly changed. So one minute you're in Sasha's eyes, the next you're in Jander's mind. I really didn't care for that.

Positives:
1) The characters. Jander was just an amazing character. I really felt his torment. Strahd was just creepy. I liked all the references to movies like Dracula that you can find in here. "I am Count Strahd von Zarovich, and I bid you welcome." Was just like the dialogue in Dracula. Sasha and Leisl were great characters. Sasha was really thought out and interesting. Leisl was the same way.
2) Horror. The story is creepy. Not scary, it was just plain creepy. Every chapter had something horrible happen in it and because of that, I felt disgusted and awed.
3) Twists. I can't give anything away but towards the end I was absolutely shocked that someone was someone. Just shocked!
4) Emotions. This is really the first book I had some sort of emotions for what was going on. I was really disgusted at some parts, heart-broken at others, and horrified most of the time.

Overall: 4.9/5
*The time issue and the viewpoint issue I had really bothered me. But all in all, the story, the characters, the emotions that went along with the book made up for it.*

Okay, this is one I've just read recently, and I haven't gotten to any of the other novels in the series nor have I played any of the Ravenloft games, so I'm coming at this from a fresh perspective. 'Vampire Of The Mists' is the first entry in the line of Ravenloft: The Covenant novels, which apparantly spans a broad array of interconnected worlds or lands and features recurring characters and themes, although it sounds like no one character or land is necesarily pivotal to (or even involved with) every single novel. I'll soon be reading more in the series, as Vampire Of The Mists deeply impressed me and offers hints at a vast well of storytelling potential. It's a horror novel set in a semi-medieval, fantastical world like the worlds seen in 'Lord Of The Rings', Terry Brooks's Shannara series or Robert Jordan's 'Wheel Of Time' saga. Or, if you prefer, it's epic fantasy with the dark and ghastly elements taking a more central role than usual. I've actually been looking for a book in this mold for some time.

The main characters of the book are an elven vampire named Jander Sunstar - who despises his vampiric nature and has learned over the centuries to control it to some degree - and the wicked and regal vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich (basically a proxy for Dracula: the similiarities between the two characters are numerous), lord of a distant land that Jander finds himself whisked away to by supernatural mists that seem to be the key to travelling between any of a number of realms. Jander, while living in the land of Waterdeep, lived a solitary existance for decades. He wasn't always a vampire (his backstory unfolds later on in the novel) and now, as one of the bloodthirsty undead, he's cut off from the world of light and green beauty he loves. Over the years, he's learned to live off animal blood, taking human blood only when the craving becomes so great that it, if not fed, will see him lose control and go savage. He can feed without turning a victim into a vampire by taking only a little blood at a time, and finds an unlikely feeding ground in a sanitarium for the insane. It's chaotic and miserable, inhabited by lunatics far gone, and no one is likely to take note of Jander's nocturnal visits to the place. But even as he comes for his blood, the vampire elf takes it upon himself to try and care, in some way, for the residents of this dismal place, bringing blankets and food to the cold cells, and one resident in particular, a young woman named Anna, eventually captures his heart. It becomes apparant that this woman is not natural, never aging, apparantly in her current state due to some curse. The woman's fate ends up being not a happy one (still early in the novel here) and after a horrific tragedy, Jander dedicates himself to finding, and exacting revenge upon, whoever cursed Anna to her unaging insanity. It's then that the strange mists come for Jander and take him to a faraway land, Barovia, a land of darkness where it's far more difficult for Jander to control his feral side. It's here that he encounters Strahd - apparantly one of the major recurring characters in the history of the novels, and Castle Ravenloft, where he becomes a rarity in the castle - an invited guest.

From here you think you know pretty well where the book is going to go and how it's going to unfold from stage to stage, only you don't mind too much because it's such an enjoyable journey, populated by engaging (if sometimes derivative, although neither Jander nor Anna falls into this category) characters, a well realized world of all kinds of terrors and wonders, and strong, descripitive prose by author Christie Golden. Only you're quite a ways in when you realize that not all your assumptions about how the book will unfold aren't necessarily true - at least that's how it was for me. Some unexpected new angles come in to explain things in unconventional fashion, and at least one major curve is thrown near the end of the book that I never suspected.

In horror tales like Dracula, it's sometimes a part of the backstory that this remote stretch of land has lived in fear of the local vampire or sinister family or what-have-you for generations. In many ways, Vampire Of The Mists takes that facet and expands on it greatly: the tale takes place over a number of years, and the land of Barovia is just such a place as often comes into the backstory of characters like Dracula. The villages and farmsteads soldier on year after year in a frightful land, constantly under the shadow of the dreaded and whispered-of Castle Ravenloft and the sinister Strahd. Another element that's often present in these tales - particularly in the older, 1800s-ish stories - are the stereotypical 'gypsy servants' of the villain. In the old days of horror, gypsies weren't exactly treated fairly in their depictions, and Vampire Of The Mists lays the groundwork for rectifying that a bit by presenting a much more balanced look at the gypsies, or Vistani, as they're frequently called here. The gypsies are a peaceful if occasionally rogueish wandering folk, generally greeted with hostility and distrust wherever they roam (an unfortunately accurate historical parralell). The elders of the clan, to protect the very survival of their people from aggression by the other peoples of the land, long ago entered into a secret pact with Strahd: he'll allow them to live under his protection in the wilds of Barovia if they'll serve as his eyes and ears in the land at large. The bulk of the Vistani population is unaware of this deal, and although the elders are aware it's something of a Faustian bargain, felt they had no choice but to go along with the arrangement lest they be the target of persecution not only from the villages of Barovia but the much more dangerous Strahd as well. It's a much more sympathetic portrayal here than the gypsies got in some of their appearances in old 1930s movies, where, with some exceptions, they were seen as simple-minded sycophants to the monster of the day (and frankly they were due some more sympathetic portrayals; a few other horror novels and movies of recent years have also tried to make up for the excessive stereotyping of earlier days). At the same time, the 'villager as persecutor' angle is given some additional dimensions. In the Barovia we see in this novel, many people, particularly the younger generations, have come to be less fearful of the Vistani than their forefathers, and the relationship between the villages and the Vistani are in flux. Two of the main supporting players are a pair of young lovers - a village girl and a Vistani youth. So with different groups - the Vistani, the villagers, even the vampires - it's not as simple as 'this group are the good guys, this group are the bad guys'.

Co-habting the novel with the vampires are all kinds of other magics and monsters, perhaps best left for the reader to discover on their own. Jander, already walking a moral tightrope before his trip to Barovia as he struggles to not give in to the darkest sides of his vampire nature, has the difficulty of his task amplified in the new, dark land he finds himself in. The strange alternating friendship/rivalry between the gentle, more knowledgable Jander and the cruel, more powerful Strahd, is interesting. In many ways opposites, they're nevertheless both vampires, both apart from almost the entire rest of the world, and neither are immune to the desire for kinnship of a sort - the only difference is Jander is aware that he longs for the companionship of others; Strahd, accustomed for ages to the company mostly of his victims and his undead slaves, isn't. It explains much of why Strahd tolerates Jander's kindnesses towards others, and why Jander (along with his relative lack of power compared to the mighty Strahd), to a lesser extent, tolerates Strahd's barbarities.

A more multi-layered book than many would expect, very good at capturing atmosphere and the feel of different places and settings, and loaded with monsters and mystery, Vampire Of The Mists is enthusiastically reccomended for fans of horror and darker fantasy, and I'll soon be delving into more of the Ravenloft books myself.

I am reading I, Strahd right now, and I adore this book! It is truly WONDERFUL. One thing is though, I am not sure what order the Ravenloft books go in? Can anyone help me? I know I, Strahd is not the first book...do they go in any particular order?
Thanks for your help!!!
Amy

This story was enticing and kept you hooked all the way to the end.