There are asome problems with it structurally speaking. It serves as a wonderful introduction to that world to the creepier side of D&D. I should note before some Dragonlance fans reject it though, as they may be unfamiliar with the Ravenloft setting, that the book works is much more Ravenloft newcomer friendly than it is for those who don't have a detailed knowledge of the Dragonlance setting. Sure, it may pull in the Dragonlance fans (without a doubt the larger fanbase), but it created so many variables to possibly alienate readers. it's been enough years that I can't remember when all that started changing) to throw these two series together. Still, I can't help but question if this was a wise idea from TSR/Wizards of the Coast (I believe it was still TSR at the time of publication.

Like both? Well now, you my friend, are in for a treat.įortunately for me, I grew up reading Dragonlance and am a bit of a horror fan. Ravenloft fans who never read Dragonlance. In other words: Dragonlance fans who hate Gothic Horror. you also have to like the Ravenloft setting. Beyond that, you also need to like the villainous side-character Lord Soth. Not just a little of it mind you you need to make sure you've read both the original Chronicles and the Twins trilogy (this book begins with the siege of Palanthas). Okay, I liked this but it is geared for a very specific audience.įirst off, you need to have read the Dragonlance series. In the media, he is a regular contributor to the Milwaukee Public Radio show 'Lake Effect,' provided werewolf lore on the TV show Weird or What?, and served as a puppeteer on the indie film Misfit Heights. He's helmed twenty anthologies, several of them not about zombies. As an editor, he's directed lines or series for TSR, Chaosium, Green Knight Publishing, and CDS Books.

His book and film reviews, feature articles, and role-playing game design work can be found in such diverse publications as Amazing Stories, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels, including Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and Genius Loci. James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter.

The Black Rose of Winter by P.J. Reed