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.

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.

The ending was Great!!!

I do like books about Strahd; so I'm writing to say this book was okay until the final few chapters, then it was very exciting.

A well-done anthology with an interesting take

Fun characterization and an interesting use of perspectives to tell the story. It was a good read and the voices were also solid

Fun and entertaining

Good book for Strahd. Great job humanizing him and developing more character depth for an awesome character.

A perfect sequel to an excellent book!

What made the experience of listening to I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin the most enjoyable?

You get to follow Strahd, who seems to be this immortal, amazingly intelligent creature operate as an underdog. It's a gripping story of intrigue where he tries to work both with and against his guest Azalin.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lord Strahd. His intellect is truly fascinating and his thoughts are interesting and insightful during the extent of the book.

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

Lord Strahd, he's perfect for this role!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A story of Intrigue

Any additional comments?

Just buy it!

if you liked the first book you'll like this one

I really enjoyed it and especially the narrators voice, though a very minor complaint at times it could be a bit slow and redundant with it's descriptions of things

Strahd was never so alive

As a fan of D&D, I've long held a love for Strahd, even as I have some reservations towards his more Dracula esque portrayals. I, Strahd and this sequel share a more nuanced, darker, and fiendish take on the character.

Strahd is presented as a strong protagonist, and no part of that makes him any less a monster. a thoroughly enjoyable story.

A fantastic sequel

Building off the story from part 1, this book did a great job of building yet another compelling story. I was surprised how fast I went through this book. I expected it to take me much longer, but before I knew it I was nearly done with it!

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.