Publisher Penguin Random House has cryptically revealed an untitled DnD novel set in Ravenloft, scheduled to release on April 15 2025, via its website. Precious little information is forthcoming about this new book, except that the dashing and devious Count Strahd von Zarovich is set to star as the villain.
According to the pre-order page for the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons novel, “a group of adventurers must fight their way through a dark and twisted realm known as the Domains of Dread, where powerful darklords rule over worlds filled with supernatural horrors”. They’ll have to “face the fearsome Count Strahd von Zarovich”.
If you know your Ravenloft, you’ll know that this tells us basically nothing: fighting through a twisted realm and confronting Strahd is what happens every time a gang of adventurers goes to Ravenloft. Still, if the lack of information doesn’t put you off, the book is already available to pre-order, for $30 in hardback or $14.99 on Kindle.
Ravenloft (like the other Domains of Dread) is a demi-plane, an isolated pocket dimension that exists solely to imprison the cursed vampire Strahd. It’s a gloomy realm of rain and mists, tinged by gothic horror. Adventurers who intrude upon Strahd’s domain find themselves trapped, a plight that the vampire count always manages to turn to his amusement.
Strahd has been immensely popular with the DnD fandom since he first appeared in the 1983 module ‘Ravenloft’. He’s a sexy vampire with a tragic backstory, always a winning formula. He’s starred in many great DnD books and adventures over the years, most recently the module ‘Curse of Strahd’. He announces himself very early on in that module, so that by the time the party actually gets to confront him, they’ve built up quite the antagonism with him.
Strahd was a major character in several novels in the 1990s, most notably as the protagonist of ‘I, Strahd: the Memoirs of a Vampire’ by P.N. Elrod. His last major appearance in fiction was in the 2016 DnD comic miniseries ‘Shadows of the Vampire’. The fact that he’s returning now makes us wonder if there’s something Ravenloft-related on the DnD release schedule for 2025.
If you’re about to embark on the module Curse of Strahd as a player, make sure to check out our guides to DnD classes and DnD races for assistance with your build. Meanwhile, our guide to the best horror miniatures has some very useful picks for DMs looking for appropriate minis.
Source: Wargamer
