SPECTRE OF THE BLACK ROSE

By James Lowder and Veronica Whitney-Robinson
TSR $5.99, pb orig

Among the numerous shared world dark fantasy series in progress, few have been as consistently interesting and well written as Ravenloft (TSR-Wizards of the Coast), which has seen installments written by the likes of Elaine Bergstrom, P.N. Elrod, Christie Golden, and Gene DeWeese; all superb writers in their own worlds, and uniquely compelling in this darkly fascinating shared one. Now add James Lowder and Veronica Whitney-Robinson to the list, as they contribute to the Ravenloft canon this tale of magic and revenge set in the mythical Sithicus, a land ruled by the undead Knight of the Black Rose, Lord Soth. 

A tragic figure right out of Romantic literature, Lord Soth has both a conscience and a desire to fill in his forgotten 600-year memory. With Sithicus now threatened by a neighboring warlord and the mysterious White Rose, a vengeance-seeking internal enemy, Lord Soth must learn the truth of his past and fight his enemies with magic and the help of his undead minions in order to save the land and its people.

Meanwhile, the young Ganelon must defeat numerous foes including the evil seneschal, the dwarf Azrael, to free his love Helain from the curse of madness which has mysteriously descended upon her. With enemies such as the Vistani, Gypsy-like wandering outcasts, and the Politskara, the thuggish secret police, Ganelon is aided by magical creatures, the Whispering Beast and the Bloody Cobbler - who exist though most simple peasants consider them legends - as well as the White Rose herself, though he scarcely knows the secrets that lie within himself.  

Sequel to James Lowder's earlier Knight of the Black Rose, Spectre of the Black Rose is a vibrant genre blend which pushes the boundaries of Tolkienesque fantasy toward horror to tell a dark story with more than occasional allegorical links to any which might be told about life behind the Iron Curtain.