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Ravenloft #18
Shadowborn
Once he has aspired to become a paladin.
That was before the sun itself refused to shine upon him. Now his holy powers are failing him, his title has been give to another knight, and grim despair mires his every step. If he is to be redeemed, Alexi Shadowborn must discover the source of the curse that blackens his spirit.
The answer lies nearly two decades in the past, when a woman he barely remembers fell at the hands of a diabolical assassin. Somehow the darkness that struck her down has left him unclean in the eyes of the god he desires to serve. But how has her burden become his?
Shadowborn follows Alexi as he travels from the alabaster castles of the Great Kingdom to the blackest regions of Ravenloft in a macabre tale of darkness, despair, and redemption.
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 17, 1998
2 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Bebris
19 books235 followersCarrie began her career in publishing after previous roles as a newspaper reporter and college English teacher.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 11, 2017
Ravenloft stories are part and parcel of my youth. They engendered my love of modern Gothic horror stories and led me to masters such as Lovecraft and Poe, in my later years. I have read many of the books in this series and have found several to be better than the rest, among them I list "I, Strahd"; "Knight of the Black Rose"; and "Vampire of the Mists". Add to that short list Shadowborn by Carrie Bebris. This was my first time reading Shadowborn and I am very glad that I did.
The Shadowborn family is famous in these fictional lands for bravery, piety and honor. Many of their esteemed lineage have become great knights, high Priests and Clerics and a handful were powerful and devout enough to be chosen by their god, Benelus, to join the Circle- thirteen knights of great renown and holy faith known as Paladins. The greatest of these Paladins was Kateri Shadowborn who became famous for her service during the Heretic Wars. Then she mysteriously died and disappeared. Her legacy is her son-Alexi Shadowborn. Gifted beyond all measure, Alexi will become the youngest Paladin to ever be allowed, save for his mother Kateri. But on his holy day, Benelus seems to find him wanting as a Paladin and the position is given to his friend and lover Desmaria.
This begins the grand adventure by Alexi to find redemption in the eyes of his god. Along the way he meets and his assisted by the mysterious cleric Lysander. Alexi's half-brother and squire, Ferran and Desmaria all are involved in this rather dark and interesting tale. Within Alexi is a great darkness that struggles to be free and his fight with the darkside is quite interesting. Many of the main characters of a Ravenloft tale are evil- Alexi is not. That is what makes this such an interesting story.
The evil demon Ebonbane is excellent. His desire to destroy the legacy of Kateri Shadowborn and his fear of the power of the boy Alexi and his magical sword, Corona, are the drivers of the story. All of the characters are well developed and you can feel for their circumstances. That is a rarity in books that tend to be relatively brief and are more action/story driven. Shadowborn is more than that. It is a look inside the heart of a potential Paladin who has accepted darkness inside his soul.
I shall not ruin any of this excellent plot. If you are interested in a good gothic horror tale of good vs evil, peopled with memorable characters, and several shocking twists then I can not recommend this book enough. One of the finest Ravenloft stories I've read in a long time.
The Shadowborn family is famous in these fictional lands for bravery, piety and honor. Many of their esteemed lineage have become great knights, high Priests and Clerics and a handful were powerful and devout enough to be chosen by their god, Benelus, to join the Circle- thirteen knights of great renown and holy faith known as Paladins. The greatest of these Paladins was Kateri Shadowborn who became famous for her service during the Heretic Wars. Then she mysteriously died and disappeared. Her legacy is her son-Alexi Shadowborn. Gifted beyond all measure, Alexi will become the youngest Paladin to ever be allowed, save for his mother Kateri. But on his holy day, Benelus seems to find him wanting as a Paladin and the position is given to his friend and lover Desmaria.
This begins the grand adventure by Alexi to find redemption in the eyes of his god. Along the way he meets and his assisted by the mysterious cleric Lysander. Alexi's half-brother and squire, Ferran and Desmaria all are involved in this rather dark and interesting tale. Within Alexi is a great darkness that struggles to be free and his fight with the darkside is quite interesting. Many of the main characters of a Ravenloft tale are evil- Alexi is not. That is what makes this such an interesting story.
The evil demon Ebonbane is excellent. His desire to destroy the legacy of Kateri Shadowborn and his fear of the power of the boy Alexi and his magical sword, Corona, are the drivers of the story. All of the characters are well developed and you can feel for their circumstances. That is a rarity in books that tend to be relatively brief and are more action/story driven. Shadowborn is more than that. It is a look inside the heart of a potential Paladin who has accepted darkness inside his soul.
I shall not ruin any of this excellent plot. If you are interested in a good gothic horror tale of good vs evil, peopled with memorable characters, and several shocking twists then I can not recommend this book enough. One of the finest Ravenloft stories I've read in a long time.
August 4, 2011
I'm pretty sure this one doesn't even take place in Ravenloft and may have been published under this name rather then Grayhawk in an attempt to keep the series going, which it didn't accomplish. They would have been better served getting back to the core characters Strahd or Azalin and advancing the main plot if they were having trouble keeping up interest in the series. A decent Dark D&D book though. A tormented paladin and heroic undead priest are a bit more interesting then the usual fantasy fair.
February 24, 2022
A plodding entry in the Ravenloft series and to be honest, it's only peripherally related to it, as most of the narrative and action takes place in what I think is the Greyhawk world. The least of the series so far. Standard fantasy fare all the way.
February 10, 2024
Man uneventfully walks from Point A to Point B, and has a fight at the very end. The fight is neat enough, but it's too little too late
April 17, 2014
There are great books in the Ravenloft series, so-so ones, and not very good ones. Unfortunately, this one seems to fall in the middle or so-so category. It was the characters, which ran from one dimensional to good with most of them unremarkable. One of the characters was really likeable-the cleric. Fortunately, the story flowed real well, making up for the characters. Can't really recommend this one.
April 29, 2008
I enjoy the books in the Ravenloft series, but there are better volumes in it than this one. Not that this one was bad, but nothing particularly special either.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews