“Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd” (D&D Book Review)
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While Dungeons & Dragons is best known as a tabletop roleplaying game, it’s also a literary franchise that once spawned hundreds of best-selling D&D novels. Most of these titles were published in the TSR heyday of the 1990s, which saw a slew of releases for settings like the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance and Dark Sun.
For better or for worse, those days are long gone and the past decade has been a bit of a desert for D&D novels. That’s recently changed, however, with Wizards of the Coast dipping their toes back into print. In March 2024, for example, they published the original Forgotten Realms novel The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin, followed up in June 2024 by the Spelljammer novel Memory’s Wake and a new Dragonlance trilogy that will wrap up in the summer of 2025.
Now, Wizards of Coast and Penguin Random House continue to breathe new life into the reanimated corpse of D&D lit in the form of a new Ravenloft novel entitled Heir of Strahd, which is written by award-winning fantasy author Delilah S. Dawson. The book will be released on May 13th, 2025 and you order it now from your local bookstore, game store or on Amazon. (As full disclosure, we received an early review copy from Penguin Random House, but have not received any other kind of financial compensation for providing this review).
So just what can readers expect in this return to the Domains of Dread? Below, we dig into all the details.
What is “Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd” about?
Heir of Strahd is a new Dungeons & Dragons novel written by New York Times bestselling author Delilah S. Dawson (who is perhaps best known for The Shadow Series of weird western novels which she wrote under the pen name of Lili Bowen).
As the name suggests, the series is set in Ravenloft in the domain of Barovia, a land of perpetual gloom and gothic angst ruled over by the bloodthirsty Count Strahd von Zarovich. The narrative jumps back and forth between five different characters, all of whom are originally from the Forgotten Realms and find themselves transported by the dreaded Mists of Ravenloft. This includes:
- Fielle Goldennote: A perpetually cheerful human female Artificer from Baldur’s Gate whose magic has, until now, been limited to helping her family manage a tavern.
- Rotrog: A haughty male orc wizard apprentice who was previously studying at an elite magical academy and whose spellcraft is still a work in progress.
- Kah: A shy and skittish female kenku Cleric from Waterdeep who worships Akadi, the Lady of the Winds.
- Alishai Moonshadow: A hot tempered and disgraced female tiefling Paladin who serves Selûne, the goddess of the moon.
- Chivarion Dyrr: A. simple but good natured Drow barbarian who is accompanied by a pet hairless tressym named Murder.
The story kicks off with the group awakening in Barovia, with no idea of how they got there or how they were chosen. The five strangers soon face untold horrors, including ravenous undead monsters and other bizarre creatures. Before long, however, they find themselves caught in the malevolent gaze of Strahd himself and must face down the powerful Dark Lord, who his own plans for our heroes.
Their greatest threat, however, may be themselves, with the five unwitting allies forced to work through their many issues and come together in order to escape the Mists.
Who is “Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd” author Delilah S. Dawson?
Delilah S. Dawson is an American author known for her work in speculative fiction, particularly in genres spanning fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Some of her most recognized works include Phasma, a Star Wars novel that explores the origins of the character Captain Phasma, and Kill the Farm Boy, co-written with Kevin Hearne, which satirizes classic fantasy tropes.
She is also the author of the Shadow series (which she writes under the pen name Lila Bowen), which earned the 2015 Fantasy Book of the Year from RT Book Reviews. Her work has earned multiple stars from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Dawson is also a prolific comic book writer, having written for a variety of publishers, including Marvel, BOOM! Studios, IDW and DC.
When will the new Ravenloft book be released?
Heir of Strahd is slated for release on May 13th, 2025 in both a hardcover and eBook format. Reviewer copies, however, were sent out in early March (which is when we received a galley copy for this review).
Notably, the book is being published under the Random House Worlds, which is an imprint of Random House Books; the former distributor of Dungeons & Dragons products who parted ways with Wizards of the Coast in October 2023.
How much is the new Ravenloft novel?
Heir of Strahd retails for $30 USD in hardcover and $14.99 USD for the Kindle eBook. This puts it in about the same price range as recent releases, including August 2024’s Dragonlance novel Dragons of Eternity.
The book will also be available online and from brick and mortar retailers and chances are you’ll also be able to pick it up at any local game stores who carry D&D products.
What other Ravenloft novels have been published?
This isn’t the first time the Domains of Dread have been given a literary treatment. In fact, there are currently 23 published Ravenloft books, most of which were released in the 1990s, with the last official novel published in 2008.
Arguably the most popular among them also feature the legendary vampire Strahd von Zarovich, including the 1991 novel Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden and the 1993 novel I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P.N. Elrod. The bloodsucking count also features prominently in the 1991 novel Knight of the Black Rose, which finds the death knight Lord Soth of Dragonlance fame transported to the Domains of Dread.
Is “Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd” worth picking Up?
Pros
- A solid blend of fantasy and action storytelling
- Characters are unique, quirky and well developed
- Writing is sharp, witty and descriptive
Cons
- The horror often takes a backseat to humor and a “cozy fantasy” tone
- Strahd is presented as a fairly generic vampire villain
- Plot is a bit by the numbers and doesn’t really cover any new ground
It’s great to see the Ravenloft returning to its literary roots and Delilah S. Dawson is a solid writer who brings a lot of imagination to the setting. That being said, the book sometimes struggles under its own identity, with the mix of horror, comedy and cozy fantasy vibes often seeming to be at odds. It’s a far cry from the more serious tone of the 90s Ravenloft novels. At the same time, however, the writing is significantly better than the early TSR novels, with sharper prose and more unique characters.
In other words, if you’re a fan of D&D and looking for a fast and fun read with a touch of horror, Heir of Strahd is definitely worth cracking open.
Final Review Score: 17 out of 20
Final Thoughts
Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd is currently available from local booksellers, game stores and Amazon.
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Jason Volk is the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children.
