I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin

Ravenloft: Strahd, Book 2

By: P. N. Elrod

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for three hundred years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.

He turned to the first page and read: “I, Strahd, Lord of Barovia, well aware certain events of my reign have been desperately misunderstood by those who are better at garbling history than recording it, hereby set down an exact record of those events, that the truth may at last be known....” He caught his breath. By all the good gods, a personal journal?

©1998 TSR, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Great Fantasy for Gamers (And Non-Gamers)

Where does I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book was surprisingly well-written,and the performance was fantastic. Overall, it is among one of the better 'books-on-tape' I have listened to. It is on par with the "I, Strahd" book before it, with a little more agency.

What did you like best about this story?

Given that the character of Strahd has a more palpable antagonist in Azalin, I would say that their relationship (one of protagonist and antagonist) is well represented, and adds enjoyment to the audio book as a whole.

Which character – as performed by Paul Boehmer – was your favorite?

While Strahd stands out, I would say Mr. Boehmer's performance as Azalin stands out as a rather devious villain. Despite Strahd's own failings, the lich is even more of a "heel" thanks to the reader's performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As an avid gamer of both tabletop and video RPG's, I have to say that this 'book' gave much inspiration in my own works of fiction. Both Strahd and Azalin represent two powerful, albeit different, undead foils to each other.

Any additional comments?

I wish there was third in the series, as I am hesitant to commit to other Ravenloft fiction not written by the author.

Excellent Horror Fantasy

One of the best Ravenloft books. I would read the proceeding books first. Narrator does a very good job.

Bad meets Evil in the best possible way

Awesome sequel to I, Strhad. Superb story, told masterfully. Well worth the purchase. Cannot recommend it high enough.

the story flows very well

I wish it could have gone on longer. It was very well written and flowed very nicely.

The Creation of the Realm

Where book 1 was largely derivative setup, book 2 is much more fun! Pitting Strahd against the necromancer lich Azalin from Forgotten Realms, this book examines not only some great characterization as these two powerhouses play off each other, it also sees the formation of the Demi-Planes of Dread that comprise the Ravenloft campaign setting. For those looking for a quick read through a fantasy / horror realm, this one is definitely worth the look. I still recommend getting book 1 just to build the foundation if nothing else, but I don't know that it's entirely necessary. This one's friendly to new readers.