Knight of the Black Rose

Ravenloft #2

by James Lowder

On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying.

Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahn Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror.

Knight of the Black Rose is the second in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Dragonlance, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Vampires, Dark Fantasy

313 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

aka Richard Awlinson, J D Lowder, Jim Lowder

James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels, including Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and Genius Loci. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. His book and film reviews, feature articles, and role-playing game design work can be found in such diverse publications as Amazing Stories, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History. As an editor, he's directed lines or series for TSR, Green Knight Publishing, Chaosium, and CDS Books. He's helmed more than twenty anthologies, including Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Curse of the Full Moon. In the media, he is a regular contributor to the Public Radio show "Lake Effect" in Milwaukee, provided werewolf lore on the TV show Weird or What? and tabletop game industry lore for the documentary The Dreams in Gary's Basement, and served as a puppeteer on the indie film Misfit Heights.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I liked this but it is geared for a very specific audience.

First off, you need to have read the Dragonlance series. Not just a little of it mind you; you need to make sure you've read both the original Chronicles and the Twins trilogy (this book begins with the siege of Palanthas). Beyond that, you also need to like the villainous side-character Lord Soth... you also have to like the Ravenloft setting.

In other words: Dragonlance fans who hate Gothic Horror... skip it. Ravenloft fans who never read Dragonlance... skip it.

Like both? Well now, you my friend, are in for a treat.



Fortunately for me, I grew up reading Dragonlance and am a bit of a horror fan. Still, I can't help but question if this was a wise idea from TSR/Wizards of the Coast (I believe it was still TSR at the time of publication... it's been enough years that I can't remember when all that started changing) to throw these two series together. Sure, it may pull in the Dragonlance fans (without a doubt the larger fanbase), but it created so many variables to possibly alienate readers.

I should note before some Dragonlance fans reject it though, as they may be unfamiliar with the Ravenloft setting, that the book works is much more Ravenloft newcomer friendly than it is for those who don't have a detailed knowledge of the Dragonlance setting. It serves as a wonderful introduction to that world to the creepier side of D&D.

There are asome problems with it structurally speaking. It's way too slow in the beginning (according to my Kindle, it was about 15% in before the mists of the Ravenloft setting were even introduced) and the ending was too rushed. The middle is greatly enjoyable, but not the most structurally sound. It's a lot of wandering around exploring and getting into fights... which yes, that's the D&D I know so well, but not necessarily the most riveting for a novel.

So, if I'm complaining this much, why did I enjoy it? For one thing, it's a lot of fun. It keeps so many Gothic Horror tropes (Vampires! Werecreatures! Evil royalty!) and throws the ever practical Soth into this melodramatic setting... and results are delightfully predictable. Soth has enough pf their melodramatic bullshit quickly and starts cutting his way through all their dramatics, and that dear friends is a blast. I was a bit disappointed though that we didn't get a proper Strahd vs. Soth fight though.

Also, the book gets major points for never changing Soth into a "good guy." He's very much the evil character he always was... we just get him as a villain protagonist this time.

This is one of those books that obviously I cannot recommend for everyone, but if any of the above intrigued you and you know who these characters are, check it out. There's certainly worse ways to kill a few hours. 3/5 stars.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il Cavaliere della Rosa Nera. La Maledizione di Lord Soth prende uno dei personaggi più iconici di Dungeons and Dragons e lo trasporta dalla sua ambientazione fantasy classica di Dragonlance in quella gotica orrorifica di Ravenloft, dove il Semipiano del Terrore ne mette alla prova ossessioni e debolezze, ed il cui arrivo nel dominio di Barovia susciterà l'interesse dell'infame Conte Strahd Von Zarovich suo signore.



L'incontro scontro tra le due versioni fantasy di Darth Vader e Dracula poteva essere una tamarrata senza precedenti, invece si legge che é un piacere ed è un vero piacere vedere i due macchiavellici villain affrontarsi sfoderando tutto il loro repertorio di armi, ingegno, magia ed orripilanti servitori.
Ho apprezzato molto i personaggi secondari di Magda ed Azrael e le loro sotto-trame e storie di background, alcune scene del libro sono deliziosamente disturbanti, e come sempre é stato di nuovo un piacere tornare ad aggirarmi con la mente per le terre nebbiose ed infestate di Ravenloft.

Non aspettatevi un capolavoro della letteratura, ma se avete apprezzato le prime trilogie di Dragonlance, o se siete giocatori di ruolo ed il vostro party di avventurieri si è mai perso nelle Nebbie, questo pastiche a base di fantasy ed orrore gotico non è niente male davvero.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

Lord Soth is a character from the world of Dragonlance and is a favorite of mine. In this one, he is transported to the realm of Ravenloft. In this realm, a vampire lord, Count Strahd, rules and takes an interest in Lord Soth. Basically, this book is about one villain from one universe pitted against a villain from another universe.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book as the only reason I picked it up is because of Lord Soth. For people who don't know about this character, he is this universe's version of Darth Vader. He is the resident badass that is feared by all and his backstory is one of tragedy because of love for a woman. The author does a great job with this character. This was my introduction to Ravenloft and I enjoyed it. It has a goth fantasy vibe to it as we have vampires, skeletal warriors, and many other creatures. I liked the idea of the two villains go against each other. This is a comic book aspect that was well done. I was going to give this a four star rating but there was one subplot that was introduced but never concluded. I wanted to see it too as I liked the idea of it.

This will not go down as epic literature. It is meant to be fun and entertaining and it accomplishes that with no problems. I am glad I decided to give this a book a try.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another user on here said that this book is the D&D version of this and of course I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

For the uninitiated Lord Soth is the biggest Undead Badass from the Dragonlance Fantasy D&D setting, a fallen Knight of Solamnia condemned to eternal unlife due to his evil deeds and selfish pride. In this one he gets thrust unexpectedly (by him, anyway) into the gothic and ever-shifting D&D Horror/Fantasy setting, Ravenloft. Epic crossover alert!

As if this weren't enough, the editorial powers that were decided to have Soth antagonize and otherwise beef with the Big Bad of Barovia, Ravenloft's answer to Stoker's Dracula in Count Strahd Von Zarovich.


You said it, Ken.

In reality, though, there is no epic Death Knight versus Vampire Lord fight to the (un)death as both these franchise characters are clearly too valuable to kill off so instead at Strahd's behest the still unsympathetic Soth goes off to invade a neighbouring realm ruled by an even fouler Duke -who is conveniently also a powerful Vampire Lord- and his creepy son in hopes of finding a way back to his world of Krynn and the still moldering cadaver of his beloved Kitiara, freshly deceased following the events of Test of the Twins .

There is also a gruesome were-badger dwarf along for the ride and a brave young Vistani (the Ravenloft world's thinly-veiled Roma people analogue) woman who gets caught up in all the mayhem and is doing her best to survive by her wits and it was this character I was probably most invested in so I was annoyed, to say the least, when the author basically had her run off for the final chapters and play no further part in the tale. Maybe she comes back in the sequel?


Madga of the Vistani (kind of?)

This book had its flaws but I am interested enough in these characters and the setting to want to return for its sequel, Spectre of the Black Rose.

[Taddow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Soth is one of my favorite all time villians and I think this is one of the better books staring the fiend. I think its a good match-up against Strahd with the vampire actually facing a challenge. This is my second time reading this book (the first being when it was originally released) and I still enjoyed it.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Lord Soth was a fan favorite Dragonlance villain for me, so this was why I first got into this subseries. This reread was a fun, breezy good time.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a plot that meanders on and flits this way and that like it has ADHD and a main character whose only personality trait is to try and murder everyone he comes into contact with, this isn't great even by D&D licensed novel standards. Also, what is up with Ravenloft novels and flashbacks? The first two Ravenloft novels are just loaded with flashbacks that beat you over the head with character backstories.

Still, Azrael is a fun (if twisted) side character and it's interesting seeing Soth and Strahd square off in a Kong vs. Godzilla sort of way.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Badass gothic fantasy novel with larger-than-life villains who try to outsmart each other. The books contained some disturbing scenes and well described battles and although it lacked true horror, I enjoyed it very much. Soth is always a fun character to read about and Strahd is really cool, old school villainous vampire. DnD fans will like this adventure.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder- This is the second novel that was released in the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first volume in Terrors of Lord Soth duology with the second volume titled Spectre of the Black Rose, which was co-written by Voronica Whitney-Robinson. James Lowder has written a number of books. His Forgotten Realms works include; book three of The Empires series called Crusade, the fifth book in The Harpers series called The Ring of Winter, and book four in The Avatar series called Prince of Lies. He has also written a book for Tales of the Crypt titled Name Your Nightmare. He's also been the editor of a number of anthologies, as well. He has edited two Forgotten Realms anthologies, Realms of Valor and Realms of Infamy. He has also edited a horror anthology series called All Flesh Must Be Eaten which includes; The Book of All Flesh, The Book of More Flesh, and The Book of Final Flesh. Also to note, there has been best of for this series called Best of All Flesh: Zombie Anthology. He's also been the editor of two King Arthur type of anthologies under the series called Pendragon Fiction; The Doom of Camelot and Legends of Pendragon. He's also edited two anthologies in Silver Age Sentinels series called Path of the Just and Path of the Bold. Finally, he has edited a few stand-alone anthologies Astounding Hero Tales, Worlds of Their Own, and Curse of the Full Moon. James Lowder has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies as well. Knight of the Black Rose was released in 1991 and published by TSR. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.

Lord Soth used to be a well-respected and honored Knight of the Rose. However, after committing transgression after transgression, Soth is stripped of his honor and is to be executed. But, after being saved by his loyal men, Soth bottles himself in his home. After a curse is laid upon him by his dying wife and child, Soth becomes a death knight. The centuries pass after that fateful day to when Soth is leading a charge into the city of Palanthas for the dragon highlord, Kitiara. But when Soth finds Kitiara dead he sends his seneschal, Caradoc, to retrieve her soul. After doing that, Caradoc returns only to offer Soth a deal, make him mortal again and he can have her soul. Soth doesn't like this and attacks his seneschal, but during the attack, a mist starts to rise and surround Soth and Caradoc. Only when the mists clear do they realize that they are no longer on Krynn. After Caradoc runs off, Soth goes after him, only to come across a camp of Vistani (gypsies). After being told he was in a land called Barovia, Soth kills the Vistani leader and takes a woman, Magda, hostage to have her lead him to Castle Ravenloft and Count Strahd Von Zarovich. Along the way, the duo come across an odd dwarf about to be hanged and after hearing screams, they return to find the bodies of the executioners. After reaching Castle Ravenloft, Soth and Strahd get into a disagreement and Soth leaves to find a portal that can potentially lead him home. On the run from Strahd and a mysterious shadow following Soth and Magda, are they able to find the portal and can Soth return home? Or is there more to Strahd's scorned offer?

Criticisms:
1) Flashbacks. The only main problem I came across was some of the flashbacks of Soth's past came up at awkward times. A lot of Soth's flashbacks happened suddenly and randomly enough that it became awkward and weird. Aside from the one time in the story that really made since, a lot of the flashbacks just popped up during action sequences or in the middle of a paragraph. It was just a clunky way to tell of Soth's past. However, it wasn't horrible. It just was slightly annoying.

Praises:
1) Soth. He was a very interesting character. While at first I didn't really care for him as a character or a 'person', as the story continued, he really grew on me. The inner conflict he has with what he's become and what he once stood for was very intriguing. The reason why I didn't care for Soth in the beginning is that he didn't show his noble side and he came off as little more than a villain to be hated and not to be sympathized with. So for the first one hundred or so pages he just was another generic villain. However, after the escape from Castle Ravenloft and the journey with Magda, a more heroic and noble side (albeit very corrupted) emerged. Granted it wasn't a huge change, but the more subtle actions he did just won me over. Also, Soth was an absolute scene stealer. I couldn't count how many times I waited from him to pop up again to say something or just move. He was what made this story an utter blast to read.
2) Background. I really liked how Soth's background was presented in the beginning of the story. I've never picked up a Dragonlance novel nor do I know anything about the world, characters, history, or main story points and the way everything was easy to understand is definitely a plus. Also, there is just enough given that it doesn't become overbearing in details. A perfect balance between too little information and too much information was hit.

Side Notes:
1) Strahd. Strahd seemed slightly more cruel and open about what he was in Knight of the Black Rose. In Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden, it seemed like no one knew that Strahd was a vampire, but in this story it almost seems like everyone knows that something isn't 'right' with him. It just didn't sit well with me.
2) Time Line. Once again going back to Vampire of the Mists. When does Knight of the Black Rose fit in with the whole Strahd time-line? Does it happen before Vampire of the Mists or after? My guess is after seeing as Vampire of the Mists comes first in the series order, but I could always be wrong.
3) Cover Art. Oh 1990's art cover, how cheesy can you get? However, it's not bad. Soth does look intimidating enough, aside from the comical feather plume and silly purple cape. He is in a pretty cool pose as well. I also like the embossing on the cover. It almost gives it a three-dimensional look to it. However, the background is rather plain with just an archway and some steps. It does help Soth stand out, but other than that it's just forgettable.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Knight of the Black Rose is a really good story, but it's not memorable enough to be a top-tier performer. The only big issue was the awkward positions of how some of the flashbacks occurred. But on a whole, it was a good read. Story-wise, it was a little mediocre, but it did do something with that made it interesting. While the plot consisted of “Go here, do this, then go here”, it still felt fresh and kept me interested. The characters were good and unique, with Lord Soth being the more memorable of the group. Lord Soth commanded this story from start to finish and only Strahd had any chance of stealing Lord Soth's scenes. But even when Strahd and Soth appeared together, Lord Soth always seemed to come out on top slightly. Also I really liked how anyone could pick this book up and know what was going on. There was no real 'learning' curve and the characters backgrounds were brief and to the point. Is Knight of the Black Rose worth searching for and picking up? Yes, definitely.

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Soth is one of the coolest Dread Lords I've read about so far. I don't know anything about Dragonlance but I really enjoyed this novel. It is a bit meandering at times, especially with the portal stuff, but seeing Soth compared to Strahd was so interesting.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does it take to make a good man go bad? That question has as many answers as there are men...and women. For some it's an easy choice; for others it's a long and winding path. Soth of Dargaard Keep is a man who made his choice centuries ago, and paid the price for his crimes. Soth, once a holy knight from a noble family, is now a soulless monster encased in armor.

This novel takes one of Dungeons and Dragons, more infamous creatures (to DnD fans anyway) and throws him in the crucible of Ravenloft, a hidden world that is built around evil men and women who have sacrificed their humanity through horrific behavior. This world tests Soth and his obsessions and his darkness. Once a hero, now a corpse in charred armor, Soth is lead on a chase by his faithless servant and the powers that rule the land. Could this mean redemption for Soth or eternal torment?

Not a bad book, though, it's probably better for fans of Dragonlance or Ravenloft as there are some bits of backstory that make a bit more sense if the reader is familiar with the history of the characters and their world and rules. My rating is a reflection of my familiarity and the interesting things done with the characters

Ravenloft is a series of books based on a Dungeon and Dragons campaign setting created around the idea that horror is more than just a story with a zombie or vampire, it's about atmosphere, the wisp of cloud floating past a overripe moon, and the idea that as you do what seems necessary you may lose a piece of yourself. When you're sitting around a table and you decide to intimidate a barfly into giving you information or perhaps you dig up a grave to find the vampire's lair or maybe you perform some other morally ambiguous action, you really face no consequences. In Ravenloft, it's different. Your choices have consequences, and may leave you vulnerable to madness, a debilitating curse or a more monstrous fate. I'm sure you find my RPG knowledge fascinating, but I say all this to give you an idea of what happened to Soth. He was a paladin. A holy warrior, pledged to uphold an ideal of justice and goodness, to live by a code of honor in order to present an example to others. Soth is more familiar to those who read Dragonlance novels and is a frightening enemy who betrayed his order, betrayed his vows to his wife, and when his elven lover told him she was pregnant he had his wife murdered. When he was given a change to atone, his jealousy stopped him and doomed not only him and his new wife and unborn child, but all the people on his home world of Krynn. The Mists of Ravenloft collected him as one of their playthings.

Ravenloft is a pocket dimension that snatches beings who are singularly evil and gives them a place to wreak their particular brand of havoc, but it's not all fun and games for our villains, as the are tormented, some might say punished, in a very personal way to fit their misdeeds. So while they might have great power, they are prisoners who must pay again and again for their evil deeds.

[Myke Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Were we supposed to cheer for Soth? Hate him? Sympathize with him despite his horrible past deeds? This book felt like it tried too hard to be many different things, but it never quite hit the mark. A lot of cool adventures could have happened, but didn't last as long as they should have, and everything ended up working out too easily in the end.
Going into this, I was excited because Ravenloft lore states that Soth escaped the plane and made it back to Krynn, which I really don't care about anymore. If that's in another novel, I don't plan on reading it. Soth can stay in his realm of shadows, I'll be out enjoying the sunshine.

[The Shreester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lowder succeeds in transporting us from the magical world of Krynn to the dreary, haunted Kingdom of Barovia. His depiction of Lord Soth captures the essence of the character convincingly but his portrayal of Strahd lacks the menace or fear that a vampire should engender. The count, upstaged by the death knight in his own realm, hides behind his minions and hence never comes across as a worthy opponent.

Despite revisiting the tragedy of Soth's past throughout the book, Lowder also fails to engender our sympathy for the knight. He squanders the opportunity to explore his tormented soul, so the death knight ends the novel as cold and remote from the reader as he was at the start.

The first half of the book keeps us engrossed as we follow Soth into Strahd's cursed domain. However, his eventual confrontation with the vampire is anticlimactic and after this the story goes downhill.

One of Soth's companions (a gypsy woman) is a well fleshed out character who fits perfectly within the setting but mysteriously disappears towards the end, leaving the story worse for it. However, his other companion enters the narrative seemingly randomly and never finds his place in it.

Unfortunately, despite the initial promising buildup, it has a weak plot which fails to deliver and the ending consequently lacks any emotional weight.

2/5

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ravenloft is such a cool setting, and anything with Strahd in it is an automatic win in my book. Lord Soth is such a tool. Love a good villain vs. villain story.

[Thea (All About Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, slow, and the writing was flat for me.

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arrogance and pride. Lord Soth is a prime example of both. This book will mean much more to people who have read the Chronicles and Legends trilogy's from the Dragonlance campaign setting because that is where Lord Soth is introduced. In fact the beginning of this novel takes place during the climactic events from the third book in the Legend's trilogy Test of the Twins so if you don't want spoilers from that series go read it first before reading Knight of the Black Rose.
In regards to the book itself it is good but the biggest flaws are the imperfect flashbacks of Soth's memories of his fall and the fact that there really isn't much to the tale other that Soth bulldozing through everything blindly knowing fully well he is being arrogant and prideful and just not giving a damn. I understand that is part of his character but even the supporting characters don't have much to them personality wise other than Magda and she is often under used. Don't get me wrong I did enjoy it but I do wish there was more going on than what happened. I know much later in my reread I will be reading the sequel Specter of the Black Rose and I am hoping there will be more substance there.

[Darin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading. Lord Soth is one of my all-time favorite bad guys and this book gives an excellent summary of his history, pride, and downfall.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. It is set (mostly) in the world of Ravenloft, from which I have read a couple of book in the past, just out of curiosity. This one, however, is a crossover novel with the Dragonlance universe, as it features Lord Soth. I was very much into Dragonlance back in my high school days, and still read a little bit from that world on occasion, mainly just for old time's sake. Soth makes an appearance in the very first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, as well as a number of others. That was also the first Dragonlance novel that I read. He is a death knight, an evil characters, but also a tragic one, and as such, tends to be a relatively popular character in that world.

In Knight of the Black Rose, Soth ends up being transported at the end of his story arc (I believe during the Legends trilogy) to Barovia, the gothic setting of the Ravenloft books. This is an interesting idea, because as a death knight, he would seem to fit well in this world. He interacts with some of the major characters of the Ravenloft setting as he searches for a way to return to Krynn.

Despite the novelty of this concept, the story itself falls rather flat. Some of the book is basically a rehash/flashback of events in the Dragonlance world. We get a lot on Soth's backstory that is detailed in Lord Soth. For Dragonlance readers (who inevitably are the real target audience for the book), it ends up being a lot of detail that they will already know. The quest through Barovia is fun at first, following Soth, but does become a bit stale because it feels rather aimless. The novelty of the idea can carry the story only so far. On top of that, Soth in his death knight form begins to lose some of his appeal. He is supposed to be a terrifying figure, and certainly is in the Dragonlance books where he does not outstay his welcome, so to speak. Here, the entire book is told from his point of view. It is unclear here whether the reader is supposed to be horrified by his deeds or feel for him as a character. I think that the author tries to walk this line, rather than commit one way or the other, which does not ultimately serve the book as well as it might have.

This is about a 2.5 star book, rounded up because, well, it is an interesting experiment and it features Lord Soth.

[Or · Rating 3 out of 5]

the writing was good, it flowed well. but unfortunately couldn't relate to any of the characters, it wasn't for me. I need at least one good fella to feel something for the plot, but it had none.

[Sean Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second outing in the Ravenloft setting that sheds light on on how Barovia was created. We follow the adventure of a death knight transported through the mist to Barovia and his quest to return back to Krynn.

The ending felt somewhat rushed and I felt some unexplored potential in a few characters, but was satisfied overall and hope that I may learn more in further books.

[Jaymz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing novel

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read this in high school when it first came out, I remember being disappointed in the story. I think this was because throughout the book, there is no “good guy” and no one “wins.” But I now see that was a deliberate decision with regard to the Ravenloft sub-genre of D&D horror, and I realize that it all works pretty well together in this tale.

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Soth and Krynn are a part of my childhood. This is my third time reading this book, but the first time reading it as a writer.

'Knight of the Black Rose' tells the story of how Soth ended up in Ravenloft. Beyond all the issues with Soth and Ravenloft vs Krynn, this book in itself is a fairly enjoyable book. Lowder writes the Ravenloft setting really well, maintaining the whole dark setting fairly well. Not once during the entire book did I ever get the sense that the world was anything other than dark, depressing, and full of evil.

The pacing for the novel however is one of the glaring issues I have with this story. There is a number of high action quests that occur, but the breaks between them slow down to a snail's pace. There's a lot of politics between Soth and Stradh which are interesting, but not enough to keep the pace up for those parts of the novel. This is a problem that plagues a lot of fantasy novels and veteran readers of the genre are more likely to simply ignore this pacing change. Those not used to it, however, may find it feeling like a badly driven standard.

The fight scenes in this novel are fairly well done, moving quickly and furiously through each combat with all the magic and brutality one would expect. Not dwelling on over done details, Lowder captures the flow of combat with simplistic descriptions that give just enough to be entertaining yet not bog down the story.

In the end, 'Knight of the Black Rose' captures the feel of fantasy-horror really well with Lowder doing an exceptional job telling the story of this cursed knight. As the second book in the Ravenloft series, he also does a good job continuing the world building set out for this wonderful campaign setting when it was just starting out.

If you were a fan of Soth, this book will help to enrich your love. (even though it clashes with the book that describes his life which I reviewed earlier) If you enjoy the Ravenloft world, this book will also entertain you greatly. In the end, a good book and one I would recommend to anyone who wants to see how to combine horror and fantasy into one genre.

[Simon Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knight Of The Black Rose follows on of Dragonlance's best known villain's as he finds himself in the Ravenloft world trying to get out. Lord Soth is the main character of this story, a man cursed by the gods. Doomed to an eternity of undead existence, he seeks making his true love undead like himself. All his plans go down hill, when he finds himself transported to another realm of existence, one dominated and ruled by creatures as evil and powerful as himself. Driven to return to his world, Krynn, he must outfight the evil around him.

This book carries a great story line which provides a lot of detail and Lore into the Dark Domains of how Lord Soth came to visit this place. The fierceness of the dark lords is interesting as well, as they both clash in a stand-off. I must admit that I have never read any of the Dragonlance or Ravenloft books before, but the cover of this book caught my eye. After reading it, I enjoyed the dark twists and turns of it all. I especially enjoyed how Lord Soth had to over come all sorts of dangerous encounters just to get back the soul of his beloved Kitiara from one of the dark lords.

In my opinion, this book provides twist and turns for any fantasy book lover. It has a good plot and dark feel about it that any role player would love to read.

[Adrián Lamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've re-read this book a number of times: As a child, as a young adult, and as whatever I am now at 34. James Lowder ability to give characters depth and death is uncommon in mass-market fantasy novels, and re-reading KotBR at various ages has always been like reading an entirely new book.

Lord Soth, once a member of the chivalric order of Knights of Solomnia, is undone by his passions - a topic explored amply in several Dragonlance novels. Taken to the setting of Ravenloft by treachery and forces beyond his control, his ability to control his pride, pique, and passion will ultimately determine his fate.

KotBR is among the best (if not the best of the Ravenloft novels. If you're trying to get someone into the series, this is the book to hook them on introduce them to.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Ravenloft book following the excellent Vampires Of The Mists. To a large extent this book feels more like a Dragonlance book over a Ravenloft book, as we follow one of it’s main villains. This is not a bad thing as as I love Dragonlance but those who have never read any of those books may feel slightly lost, at least with the beginning of the book. Once we are in Barovia that feeling lessons somewhat.
It’s a fun read and I delighted with our viewpoint evil knightly character, which engaged my imagination. We get his backstory in flashbacks throughout the book similar to Vampire of the Mists.
I didn’t like Strad in this as much as in Vampires Of the Mists, he came across much less dangerous in this book.
Also we loose a character part way through the book as they just walk away. We never return to their viewpoint which I thought was a loss.
All in all, it’s a very fun read let down slightly by a slightly by a few very small things.

[Chris Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I’d wanted to read for a while but never got to it. I loved Dragonlance books when I was younger and was excited to learn a bit more about our favorite Death Knight.
While it does feature Soth, the book mostly takes place in the Ravenloft setting so there was a different tone to the story. We got some backstory on Soth, but not much more that really expanded the character in any meaningful way. The additions of his companions were fine and it did feel like a DND session where everyone decided to play non-good characters. This was fine by me as I am a fan of stories that emulate that experience. It seemed as if there were a number of loose ends setting the stage for a sequel but I haven’t found out if this is the case.
Overall I have it three stars. It was a serviceable book that gave some additional insights into Lord Soth. I’d recommend it to any Dragonlance completionist.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced and surprisingly clever read that manages to expand on a character who I remember mostly as a pastiche fantasy Darth Vader homage when he appeared in the Dragonlance Chronicles. It's kind of a shame that the story of Lord Soth's fall is so much better realised. I really enjoyed both his conflict-of-almost-equals with another of my favourite fantasy villains - Count Strahd von Zarovich - and the internal torment of the fallen knight himself; a character totally and knowingly responsible for his own doom.

[Paul Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people thing Ravenloft is a horror series but in truth it still is Dungeons and Dragons. Having Lord Soth was a great crossover as he is one of my favorite villians from Dragonlance. A great read.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A campy, fun but flawed fantasy horror story about two awful undead men being awful to each other and everyone around them.

This follows the death knight Soth, who gets fed up with his ghost seneschal and tries to strangle him and then gets taken to Barovia. I'm not going to lie, I was laughing very hard at a death knight strangling a ghost. It's so camp and wonderful. There are scenes of Strahd showing Soth his torture machines and Soth being unbothered. They're just having dick waving competitions over who is worse and they both suck. It was great.

That being said, the prologue is Soth's backstory explained to us, but then we also get multiple flashbacks into his life, telling us the backstory we already got in the prologue. And there were a lot of flashbacks. It bogged the story down. It was also confusing because Soth is obsessed with this woman, Kitiara, and we get this brief bit in the beginning of her, but then she ends up being both important and not. I thought it was going to be used to show the parallels between Soth with Kitiara and Strahd with Tatyana, but Tatyana gets mentioned once and then never again. Soth then spends a lot of time thinking about his former wife Isolde. So we don't really get an explanation of who Kitiara and why Soth is obsessed with her. I know he's a character in some other D&D world novels, but I haven't read those, so it felt a bit odd and confusing.

Also Magda sort of gets forgotten towards the end. She escapes from Soth and runs off and then that's just it. We get a brief mention of her in the epilogue to let us know Lowder didn't entirely forget she exists, but she basically stopped mattering after a certain point and it was kind of anti-climatic. I thought she would have more importance in the end.

The pacing was also a bit weird. For a book that's really not very long, it kind of dragged on and got bogged down by so many flashbacks and weird random fights.

Overall, not bad. I don't go into Ravenloft novels expecting high literature; I expect them to be three stars and I was right. If you want a campy, fun villain versus villain story and don't need it to be anything groundbreaking, it's worth a read.