Vampire of the Mists [Paperback]

This is the first Ravenloft novel I've read and so is my first encounter with Jander Sunstar and Strahd. I must say that I'm impressed by the novel that Christie Golden has written. Jander is an extremely well-developed character that I was able to sympathize with. I could feel his anguish as being a Gold Elf that could never feel the kiss of golden sunlight and must feed himself on the lifeblood of others. The conflict between his elven nature and vampire existence made for a great character.

The one thing that hampered this book for me was the feeling that the Ravenloft world was too confined. I realize that this is the first novel in the series, but the land just seemed too small. Castle Ravenloft, two towns, and the land between seemed to be all there was. Somehow this setting just left me wanting more.

Overall this is a great first work for Christie Golden and a great start to the Ravenloft series. I would recommend this book to any fan of fantasy, vampires, or adventure fiction.

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.

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

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