by P. N. Elrod
First published 1995
Dr. Rudolph Van Richten has devoted his life to destroying vampires ever since one killed his son. His relentless hunt has led him to the most dangerous quarry of all: Strahd Von Zarovich, master of Barovia. For nearly four hundred years, Strahd has ruled his domain as an undead tyrant. Once he was a mortal nobleman who governed through strength and harsh justice, rewarding loyalty and punishing betrayal with execution. War brought him to power, but endless responsibilities aged him beneath their crushing burden. Everything changed when Tatyana entered his life. She rekindled his withered soul and filled his weary heart with forgotten dreams of youth and joy. Her presence ignited a desperate passion that lifted him to impossible heights before casting him down into damnation. Now his subjects whisper of the Devil Strahd, a dark sorcerer who commands the dead. Most believe him merely a necromancer, unaware that their lord has become a vampire. Van Richten knows the truth. Armed with hard-won knowledge of the undead, he prepares to confront the creature that was once a man, driven by love into eternal darkness.
Genres: historical-fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: anti-hero, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Barovia
Period: 400 Years Ago
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · TSR
Content warnings: death, violence