King of the Dead [Mass Market Paperback]

DeWeese's Azalin is *NOT*, however, a simple good-and-evil kind of guy, or even a good guy who becomes a villain. Rather, he is an exceedingly complex character whose hubris is matched only by his damnably Lawful sense of absolute duty (a personality flaw in almost all of the worst rulers of Ravenloft domains).

By the time the book is over (although it continues -- even more poignantly -- in "Lord of the Necropolis"), one is almost tempted to weep for poor Azalin, who we learn, isn't even "Azalin" by name -- he is a man (?) who has lost even his own identity in his efforts to be as rigid as steel, a fault which the Powers of Ravenloft use against him, imposing on him rules even more tortuous than those which he imposes on others. The suffering of (most of) Azalin's victim's eventually ends; his never does.

The Ravenloft campaign setting features "domains" ruled by evil lords. DeWeese shows us one of them in greater detail than any other, even Strahd the vampire lord. Azalin's struggles are against Strahd, whom Azalin believes can free him from the doom which he has brought upon himself and his family and his realm, and against the mysterious Powers which actually rule Ravenloft, torturing the lords of the domains in their own private mental hells are poignantly drawn, and Azalin's frustration and his tortured madness resonate through this novel. "King of the Dead" is a valuable addition to anyone's library of Ravenloft books, but it also makes a good read for anyone interested in a book which examines the tortured soul of a man who is doomed to do what he thinks is "good," only to have horrible consequences arise from his every deed. Azalin never wanted to be evil, but he is the victim of a terrible fate, and "King of the Dead" shows us his unfolding doom....

It joins previous greats Heart of Midnight, I, Strahd: the Memoirs of a Vampire, Mordenheim, and Scholar of Decay on the "what's what" list of RL novels (from what I've read, only the new I, Strahd: the War Against Azalin is the only other worthy addition published after KotD, though I have yet to read Lord of the Necropolis, by the same author, and Shadowborn).

The book is an example of a retelling of past history as part of the current storyline (a literary idea so well-done in Mordenheim), allowing for the entire book to take place in the space of about two to three days. The end result is to die for, and Azalin establishes himself as one of Ravenloft's greatest terrors. The best part, though, is that Azalin hails from the (until now) discontinued world of Greyhawk, and much of his history takes place there, giving novice readers and players (like myself, to a point) a glimpse into one of the most-popular worlds ever made. In all, KotD is an excellent tale and well-recommended.