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isabellakatelyn's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dasrach's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
raechel's review
2.0
While I know that reading book number 11 in a 1990s series about a spooky D&D setting has the unspoken agreement that I'm not getting high literature... I expected more.
Tower of Doom is the eleventh book in the Ravenloft series, taking place in Darkon (the lich kind Azalin's domain). The book follows the deformed hunchback Wort, who lives in the tower and the cruel baron Caiden--there's a secret that connects the two and ifyou have two brain cells you can figure it out before it's finally revealed. Wort gets an evil bell that kills on when you ring it and, bitter at the world, he decides to use it. There's also a subplot about Azalin's spy that goes no where and a woman who might be an angel that goes no where.
I picked this one up specifically to read more about the Darkon setting and also I found Azalin to be an interesting villain. At least in the other Ravenloft books I've read. In this one, not so much. Very early in the book, Azalin's spy, the beautiful werepanther Jadis, is so in love with Azalin that even after he reveals he is a lich--as in, an animated, rotting corpse--she willingly sleeps with him. And he apparently also is into it even though he's literally undead and doesn't feel those kinds of things. But whatever.
This book suffers from very weird pacing. There can only be one or two plot lines happening. And when it's time for a new one it is hastily introduced, or something happens just in time to trigger the next part of the plot. Things that could have easily been introduced slowly and revealed throughout the 300-page novel only show up with they're resolved within the same or next chapter. This includes things like a character's sickness, a character seeing two other characters together, etc. It's like the author added these things as he thought of them when he needed to think up something for the plot.
Throughout the book the baron has a super secret plan to defeat king Azalin--who everyone just thinks is a powerful wizard king. No one but the reader and the spy know he's an undead lich. So even though the baron's plot isn't revealed until literally the last chapter in the book the entire time I didn't think he had the slightest chance of defeating Azalin. Not that I'm even cheering for either of them!
Which is another problem this book suffers from. Yes, I know Ravenloft is a gothic grimdark horror setting... but why is everyone in this story either parody-level evil or Too Pure For This World? The baron is laughably evil with an evil little perverted gnome henchman. Wort the hunchback is corrupted by how he's treated and the allure of the bell. The spy lady is cool but her story goes no where and also she works for Azalin the lich. Azalin is AN EVIL UNDEAD LICH. And the doctor, who is, The Purest of Pure Cinnamon Rolls. Who am I supposed to really care about?
Magical items/people/secrets are introduced as they're needed to push the plot along and dropped just as quickly. There's an entire race of people living under the castle that we meet and then just forget about. There's some old evil mage who used to rule (the Nightmage, cool name) and he's apparently responsible for making an easter egg hunt of powerful evil items that the characters find/have as is convenient? Okay?
Again, I understand I shouldn't be expecting Dracula or Frankenstein from this book, but I really think more effort should have been put into it. If you're determined to read all the Ravenloft books it's bearable, but otherwise there's really nothing to get out of this one.
Tower of Doom is the eleventh book in the Ravenloft series, taking place in Darkon (the lich kind Azalin's domain). The book follows the deformed hunchback Wort, who lives in the tower and the cruel baron Caiden--there's a secret that connects the two and ifyou have two brain cells you can figure it out before it's finally revealed. Wort gets an evil bell that kills on when you ring it and, bitter at the world, he decides to use it. There's also a subplot about Azalin's spy that goes no where and a woman who might be an angel that goes no where.
I picked this one up specifically to read more about the Darkon setting and also I found Azalin to be an interesting villain. At least in the other Ravenloft books I've read. In this one, not so much. Very early in the book, Azalin's spy, the beautiful werepanther Jadis, is so in love with Azalin that even after he reveals he is a lich--as in, an animated, rotting corpse--she willingly sleeps with him. And he apparently also is into it even though he's literally undead and doesn't feel those kinds of things. But whatever.
This book suffers from very weird pacing. There can only be one or two plot lines happening. And when it's time for a new one it is hastily introduced, or something happens just in time to trigger the next part of the plot. Things that could have easily been introduced slowly and revealed throughout the 300-page novel only show up with they're resolved within the same or next chapter. This includes things like a character's sickness, a character seeing two other characters together, etc. It's like the author added these things as he thought of them when he needed to think up something for the plot.
Throughout the book the baron has a super secret plan to defeat king Azalin--who everyone just thinks is a powerful wizard king. No one but the reader and the spy know he's an undead lich. So even though the baron's plot isn't revealed until literally the last chapter in the book the entire time I didn't think he had the slightest chance of defeating Azalin. Not that I'm even cheering for either of them!
Which is another problem this book suffers from. Yes, I know Ravenloft is a gothic grimdark horror setting... but why is everyone in this story either parody-level evil or Too Pure For This World? The baron is laughably evil with an evil little perverted gnome henchman. Wort the hunchback is corrupted by how he's treated and the allure of the bell. The spy lady is cool but her story goes no where and also she works for Azalin the lich. Azalin is AN EVIL UNDEAD LICH. And the doctor, who is, The Purest of Pure Cinnamon Rolls. Who am I supposed to really care about?
Magical items/people/secrets are introduced as they're needed to push the plot along and dropped just as quickly. There's an entire race of people living under the castle that we meet and then just forget about. There's some old evil mage who used to rule (the Nightmage, cool name) and he's apparently responsible for making an easter egg hunt of powerful evil items that the characters find/have as is convenient? Okay?
Again, I understand I shouldn't be expecting Dracula or Frankenstein from this book, but I really think more effort should have been put into it. If you're determined to read all the Ravenloft books it's bearable, but otherwise there's really nothing to get out of this one.
mw2k's review
3.0
The Hunchback of Notre Dame given the Ravenloft treatment. Evil sorcery and nefarious villains abound and this is an eminently serviceable book even if it doesn't do anything particularly outstanding. Definitely not the worst D&D book I've read, and it was a quick and painless read.
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