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There once was a mighty warrior whose jealous passions and neglect of duty led him to lose all that was dear to him--his love, his life, his very spirit. His tale is a descent into darkness and evil.

His name was Lord Soth, and this is his story.

Through deeds of great daring and chivalry as a Knight of Solamnia, Soth earned that order's highest honors. His heart was pure and his soul apparently spotless.

Some claim that pride undermined Soth's will to do good. Others say lust, and still others greed. Only Soth himself knew what caused him to destroy all that he loved.

To redeem himself, Soth accepted a task set by the god Paladine: Prevent the Kingpriest of Istar from demanding power from the deities who oversaw Krynn...and thereby prevent the Cataclysm.

311 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

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1153 people want to read

About the author

Edo Van Belkom

72 books54 followers
Bram Stoker and Aurora Award-winner Edo van Belkom is the author of over 200 stories of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. As an editor, he has four anthologies to his credit that include two books for young adults, Be Afraid! (A Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year finalist) and Be Very Afraid! (An Aurora Award winner — Best Work in English). Born in Toronto, van Belkom graduated from York University, then worked as a daily newspaper sports and police reporter before becoming a full-time writer. Edo van Belkom lives in Brampton, Ontario, with his wife Roberta and son Luke.

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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Tarl.
Author 25 books81 followers
June 14, 2012
When I was a child, I thought Lord Soth was the coolest anti-hero. Between his appearances as well as the Ravenloft series, he always was the most bad ass. Now, years later, I picked up the book again to remember the tale of Soth's fall as a far wider read reader with a far more critical mind.

The first thing I noticed about Lord Soth is the fact that we are treated to a hero that is cursed completely due to his father's actions. Since the first page to the last, we are told that Soth can't escape his father's curses and actions, and that Soth (and his son) would forever pay for their parent's actions. This creates a sense of hopelessness throughout the book, one that I think drowns out any sort of conflict that could arise. We expect Soth to behave like his father, after all, he hasn't really been given any sort of choice on the matter according to all the talk about curses. It takes any and all dramatic tension out of the story. There is no higher struggle, no real noble deeds of Soth from which to fall.

It makes for a very boring read.

There is a fair bit of good writing involving Soth's rise to power and the path that leads to his fall. Parts of it are really well done. His infidelity is well handled and his choices to have the elf around realistic. In fact a lot of the behaviors of the characters are realistic, except for Soth's rage. Only twice do we see Soth rage to a point where he is blind to anything else, and though this works well with the plot, we never really ever see this rage come up anywhere else. If it was known that Soth had a temper, then his two cruelest moments would make sense, but alas, no such points occur in the book. This makes his rage seem out of character for him.

All in all, this is a very brutal story as to why Soth became the dead knight he is known as. We see how he was cursed, we see how he became who he became, all with some pretty brutal parts. Which makes me look back at the child version of myself and wonder just why I thought he was a cool character. (or why others think he's so cool)

If you like Lord Soth, then read this book. It broadens his characters and definatly gives you insight into who he was, the good and the bad. If you have no previous knowledge of Soth, Krynn, and are reading this simply because it's a fantasy book, then I don't recommend it. A lot of the material in this book relies on the fact that you know about Krynn and the character of Soth.

In the end, not the best written book set in the world of Krynn, but neither the worst.
Profile Image for Thomas Bellezza.
Author 2 books10 followers
July 1, 2023
This was one of the first novels I read that followed a protagonist who was destined to become a lifelong antagonist. I'm a huge fan of villain stories where we can see their personal downfalls based on deep emotional fractures. This novel is filled with 80s-style fantasy, even though it was first published in 1996. This book really pulled me into becoming a fan of Lord Soth.
Profile Image for Tim.
646 reviews83 followers
March 8, 2019
The fearsome Knight of the Rose, Lord Soth (aka Loren Soth), rises to power quite quickly, as he knows his craft and vows to live by The Oath and The Mesure, a code of conduct for all knights of Solamnia. Playing a leading role in life: gallant, polite, helpful, ... all for the greater good.

Lord Soth (link to Dragonlance Nexus) is featured in several Dragonlance-novels: the Chronicles, Chosen of the Gods (The Kingpriest Trilogy, #1), and more. Knowing how he got to be Knight of the Rose and how his downfall occured, is what this stand-alone novel is about. Warning: as is custom in the world of Dragonlance, not every author pays attention to continuity and correctness of events. Many readers pay attention to such details, I don't, also because I don't often read a DL-novel, as you can see here.

In this novel, we follow Soth in his quest for world-domination.

The story reads fast enough and is nice for in-between, if you need to change of setting. There are better DL-novels out there, obviously. Some things were handled too superficially, too rapidly, ... However, it's better, in my opinion, to read this novel AFTER you've read the Chronicles and the Kingpriest Trilogy.
Profile Image for Jim C.
1,779 reviews35 followers
November 28, 2014
This is part of the Dragonlance world. If you have read the original trilogy you know about the character Lord Soth. This can be read if you are new to Dragonlance. This is a story about the downfall of a Knight of Solamnia. He is living the good life as he is married to a beautiful wife and held in high esteem in the knighthood. His dishonorable actions throw this all away and he is given a chance to redeem himself. This story details all of this and tells if he seizes the opportunity.

If you are a fan of Dragonlance this book might irritate you because there are some minor inconsistencies with other books. If you take this book on its own it is a decent book. It does a good job with his descent and the reader understands the actions of the main character. When he is given his chance for redemption I was hoping he would seize it but Dragonlance readers will know the final outcome.

I did think the minor storyline was rushed and was under developed. Development of this storyline never put its value on it and this development made the climax not as important as it should have been. This is the reason that I could not give this book a higher rating.

I enjoyed my time with this character who is one of the more interesting characters in this realm. If you like fantasy that shows that characters are not heroic but fallible this book is for you.
Profile Image for Emily White.
72 reviews4 followers
February 11, 2014
This book tells the tale of the events leading up to Lord Soth's mysterious change from Solamnic Knight of Paladine to Death Knight of Takhisis for those of us who have come to know him as Kitiara's creepy sidekick from the Chronicles stories. This book does not rank as one of my all time favorites in the Dragonlance series, but it is well worth reading just for the insight into Soth's character. Our favorite Death Knight can also be found in TSR's Ravenloft series in the books Knight of the Black Rose and Spectre of the Black Rose for those of you who want to know more....
Profile Image for Gabriel Vidrine.
Author 3 books12 followers
September 17, 2013
I finally managed to read not only a good book, but a good Dragonlance book (after a line of stinkers). This one tells the story of Lord Soth, the Death Knight (hey, that probably shouldn't be a spoiler, unless you've lived under a rock the past twenty years or so!).

It was interesting to finally read the "real" story, and it was well written. Finally! A Knights of Solamnia book that wasn't unreadable! The book builds well, with that thread of darkness throughout that portends the ending we all know...the fall of Soth. Definitely keeping this one around.
Profile Image for Leslie.
34 reviews
October 25, 2020
This is a well written story in the Dragon Lance saga. It tells of Lord Soth knight of the rose and his failing from the knighthood. It is also a love story with wrongs and tragedy mixed in. His chance for redemption and the choices he makes. Also pieces from Istar and the Kingpriest causing the Cataclysm. I thoroughly loved it and had trouble putting it down.
Profile Image for Jordyn McCrary.
17 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2015
This book sufficiently describes Lord Loren Soth's decline from famed Knight of the Rose, to wife-murdering psychopath.
He is a genuinely disturbed person, and it is a haunting story to read.
I've always been a fan of Lord Soth, and this book does not disappoint.
Profile Image for Chris (horizon_brave).
255 reviews5 followers
December 24, 2022
Lord Soth is a character we meet in the main Dragonlance Saga books. A Death Knight by class, we meet him as he has embraced this undead, spectral form of a knight. Ally to Kitara, we didn’t really get a lot of backstory from him in those books, just that he once led the life of a Knight of Solamnia. Now, the dedicated book “Lord Soth” spells out the definitive story of his life..and..I gotta admit I wasn’t expecting much but this short, and to the point story actually delivers.

A newly admitted knight of Solamnia he’s recently given full knighthood. He’s deeds are many and great, and most people in his small province respect him immensely. His wife Korrine loves him and is eager to bear him a child.. All is swell with Soth. Until…. of course to ruin this great life of his, is another woman. An elf maiden that he encounters seems to bewitch the ever loving hell out of him and soon his wife is old hat.. He’s rides off giving her a half hearted peck on the cheek. Worse, he makes sure that the elf maiden stays in his castle for weeks, giving him more time to get closer to her.

There’s actually a ‘b’ side story here about some cult trying to read people’s minds for good or bad intentions…Honestly this is so uninteresting compared to the main Lord Soth and his fascination of Isoloude, I’m very glad it’s regulated to a few pages every few chapters…

Some Korrine has promised Soth originally to bear him a child and it’s just not happening… She finally comes to the revalation that she’s barren..So she goes to a witch who lives on the outskirts of the keep. The witch then flips it on Korrine and suggests that it’s Soth who could be steril.

Man this book took a turn…a dark dark turn and I gotta say, as gruesome as it became, it is one hell of an interesting read. I mean look this isn’t going to be a Shakespearean tragedy…but it is almost a moral tale at a minimum… Soth, so enraptured with Isoloude, leads his wife to beg the witch to impregnate her with her dark witchy ways… The idea of being ultra careful what you wish for arises, in that the creature that is grown inside her is a misshapen, demonic looking deformed baby. What’s so tragic is that while she’s carrying it, she’s so happy, so proud that Soth is happy with her. Up until the day she gives birth…Then pretty much all hell breaks loose… Soth who’s literally banging Isoloude is pulled from her, to go see to his wife… Something about that..the fact that his penis is in another woman, while his wife is going into labor..damn that is rotten…

So Soth rushes over…only to find a coldness in everyone’s demeanor… he’s given the baby and it’s malformed shape sends him into a rage..swearing up and down that Korrine was unfaithful (oh the irony) and ends up butchering both to mince meat… and asks the healer to burn the bodies…Gruesome… The only problem I have with this..is that the turn of Soth is too quick I Feel…this would have hit far harder if his obsession with Isoloude has led him to be much for violent and not himself slowly over time. They time jump so much between when Korrine is impregnated, to when she gives birth that there’s no build up showing Soth’s turn from sanity to clear obsession with Isoloude. What we get is him just snapping out of no where and butchering both his wife and new born. It works..just…a bit rushed. Anyway the suspicion against Soth is immediate, but hushed..one of Korrine’s top women in waiting, leaves the keep and brings charges against Soth and he’s summoned to Palanthas. He’s summoned, tried an convicted literally in one scene. They bring in a mage, to perform a truth spell on the healer who was made to dispose of the bodies…it all comes crumbling down from there…
Profile Image for Fco. Salvador.
Author 3 books14 followers
October 15, 2017
La obra se ocupa de describir la vida del famoso personaje llamado lord Soth, común a las ambientaciones de Ravenloft y Dragonlance. Pero es que todos estos hechos ya aparecen en el relato "Un auténtico caballero", obra de Weis y Hickman, publicado en la antología "El cataclismo". Por supuesto, aparecen muy resumidos, en forma de complemento o trasfondo a la historia que allí se está contando. El problema es que Van Belkom añade poco más. Se limita a colocar un par de escenas de acción para explicar cómo sucedió todo, y a describir de forma pormenorizada los sentimientos y pensamientos de los personajes. Por otro lado, el lenguaje utilizado, algo anquilosado y solemne en demasía, funciona muy bien para los caballeros; mas cuando todos los personajes hablan igual, incluido el narrador de la historia (un esteta de Astinus, en la ficción), la caracterización pierde sentido.
Profile Image for Ronnie.
678 reviews3 followers
September 30, 2020
This book was competent. There were no major errors, only a few bad sentences/passageways where the repetition of particular words was distracting obvious. The conversation between Kern, Farold and Caradoc during the Cataclysm was awkward, stilted, and just undisguised exposition.

But other than that it was fine. The horror scenes were sometimes very good, but most of the time fine. Attempts at emotional resonance were attempted though usually fell short somehow. The plot was weak, but it wasn't nonsensical or rambling - everything happened for a reason in a logical progression, with decent pacing, even if nearly all the Kingpriest scenes were pointless (especially with the existence of other books from this same time period that discuss the Kingpriest and what he was up to), unbelievable, and overdramatic. Luckily, the Kingpriest chapters are few and very, very short. Overall, it was a goodish read, which is sometimes all you can hope for with Dragonlance.

The tale of Lord Soth is an interesting one, and while I can wish that it had fallen into the hands of a much stronger author, I'm glad that it didn't fall to a worse one.
Profile Image for Keith Gicker.
78 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2024
To say that this book was a long time coming would be a massive understatement. For decades now, Lord Soth has been my favorite named/unique monster/villain in all of D&D. Finally reading the origin story of his fall from grace as among the most respected and successful of the Knights of Solamnia to the feared lord of death knights was equal parts fascinating and nostalgic for me!

This story has a bit of everything that you might hope to expect from the rich annals of D&D stories: heroism, glory, gripping battles, love, intrigue, conspiracy, betrayal, honor, and or course, exploration. This story will touch a bit on the Oath and the Measure, but specifically in demonstrating the dangers of falling outside of its adherence. This story reads quite similarly to how a story of a fallen Jedi might read, in that an individual's lack of integrity and drive for power can ultimately lead to the darkening of the soul!

A solid read regardless of interest or knowledge of the titular character!
Profile Image for Colin.
Author 5 books141 followers
September 27, 2017
I don't think I read this one back in the day. I remember reading a Ravenloft Soth novel, but not this one. This is the biography of Loren Soth's rise to power, becoming both a lord and a Knight of the Rose, his marriage to a beautiful noblewoman, his hopes for a child (and the horrible things he was willing to countenance to get there!), and then his fall from grace - his jealousy, his infidelity, the murder of his own wife and child, his flight from justice, his chance to redeem himself (and prevent the Cataclysm!) failed because of his moral weakness . . . epic, tragic stuff! The writing itself is kind of bland, as much of the Dragonlance writing is (IMHO), but still, quite a thrilling tale!
Profile Image for Nick Roubeous.
4 reviews
September 19, 2023
My god that's was trip. Lord Soth is a book about one of the best DnD villans, it shows the struggle of man with darkness in his heart and his ambision to be perfect, that ultimately brought his dreaded downfall. It was a very enjoyable read and very very graphic I loved every page, not only it provides info about the the Knights Of Solamnia but also gives a complete story for the Death Knight we all loved from the original series a must read for a dragonlance fans
1 review
November 22, 2019
Do Nothing Half Way

If he is a monster, truly--then let him become true villainy. If he is tragedy, then make him break our hearts. If he was deceived, then betray him completely. Don't be afraid to commit. This story stops short of the goal, much like the main character.

Profile Image for Mikaël.
183 reviews
October 26, 2024
A decent enough retelling of the classic origin story, although it does take quite a bit of liberties and once again, doesn't use Beldyn properly

Overall, Soth's origin story was told better in his Ravenloft crossover
536 reviews1 follower
April 20, 2020
I was a Van Belkom completest and read this book for that reason. Not my usual genre but I enjoyed the book.
Profile Image for Dave.
291 reviews8 followers
May 20, 2020
Lord Soth is one of the great enigmatic characters of the Dragonlance world. Most probably, anyone reading this book has already read the core Dragonlance books, and therefore already knows the main points of this story, particularly the ending. This did not detract from my enjoyment of the book because it was interesting to see how the details of Soth's life lead up to the ending that I knew was coming. The book is not without its flaws though, the biggest in my opinion being the (more or less) deus ex machina during the trial near the end. Regardless, this is pretty well-written book and a fun read for Dragonlance readers with any interest in the character of Lord Soth.
10 reviews
August 12, 2022
Love this story about my favorite Dragonlance villain.
Profile Image for J.C. Cauthon.
Author 62 books94 followers
April 6, 2016
From reading the original Dragonlance series, I knew the name of Soth, and I knew the gist of his story--or, at least, how it ended. I picked up this book because I wanted to know the whole story.

From the very beginning of the novel, it is drilled into our heads that Soth is cursed to turn out just like his father and that he has no choice in the matter--um, so why should I read the rest of the book? From the outset of the story, we are told that he has no reason to ever be a better man than his father, so that gave me very little incentive to keep reading.

Though this novel is very well-written, it was a boring story to read for the reason already given, so I had to force myself through it.

All-in-all, if you just have to know the full story behind this character, then this is the read for you, but if you are happy with the story that is told as you glean it from the other books, then I would suggest skipping this book.
Profile Image for Katie.
348 reviews6 followers
October 22, 2021
This was as good as the cover art, which is to say, not very. The writing was functional and utilitarian, lacking artistry or a look inside any character’s’ minds. I read this because I love the series and the given backstory for this character, but this book made me think it should have remained backstory.
Profile Image for Philana Walker.
140 reviews10 followers
March 5, 2009
Love, betrayal. deception and the threat of death and destruction. Lord Soth's story is quite moving and I love this character. So rich and compelling, you can't help but be drawn into is hopeless plight. Curses, bloody curses.
Profile Image for R..
1,682 reviews51 followers
December 14, 2011
Wasn't my favorite book in the group even back in the day when I read it.
Profile Image for Wendopolis.
1,306 reviews28 followers
February 21, 2014
A book that doesn't really explain why Soth became evil, although it claims to do so on the back cover.
Profile Image for Lucky MBor.
159 reviews
October 12, 2025
No aporta mucho al mito presentado en los libros principales pero es interesante de leer de todos modos.
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