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Ravenloft #4
Heart of Midnight
Revenge. The word rings in Casimir's mind. He has laid his plans for a decade - ten years among the scruffy children, the rats and the fleas of an orphanage. At last Casimir sets his intricate scheme into motion, seeking glorious revenge upon the man who slew his mother and made him an orphan.
But revenge is a merciless master. To slay his nemesis, Casimir summons a dark and powerful curse. And when that terrible curse is summoned, he must confront the greatest foe of all...himself.
Heart of Midnight is the fourth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting.
But revenge is a merciless master. To slay his nemesis, Casimir summons a dark and powerful curse. And when that terrible curse is summoned, he must confront the greatest foe of all...himself.
Heart of Midnight is the fourth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting.
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 11, 2017
The main things I took away from this novel were a look at the nature of lycanthropy in Ravenloft, a overview of the domain of Kartakass, and a good look at the Darklord of that domain. The characters themselves are fairly fogetable and predictable and have little to no development. The plot is fine but would have been served better by either making the novel longer to better flesh out parts or to trim some unnecessary parts and use that space to fill out more important things. ts not bad really it just never seems to find its footing steadily.
Ideas of the price of all consuming revenge, betrayal and perceived betrayal, and the question of whether evil is a question of being in ones nature or being something that can be fought against are all explored with varying degrees of depth. Its not one of the best Ravenloft books by far but it isn't bad.
A note for any D&D Dungeon Masters interested in running a campaign in the domain of Kartakass: If you plan on using the Darklord of the domain as your antagonist I recommend reading this book for ideas as this is probably the best examination of how he speaks and acts and how he manipulates his domain.
Ideas of the price of all consuming revenge, betrayal and perceived betrayal, and the question of whether evil is a question of being in ones nature or being something that can be fought against are all explored with varying degrees of depth. Its not one of the best Ravenloft books by far but it isn't bad.
A note for any D&D Dungeon Masters interested in running a campaign in the domain of Kartakass: If you plan on using the Darklord of the domain as your antagonist I recommend reading this book for ideas as this is probably the best examination of how he speaks and acts and how he manipulates his domain.
September 9, 2010
Heart of Midnight by J. Robert King- This is the fourth book that was released in the Ravenloft line of novels based off the Ravenloft setting in the pen and paper roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. This is also a stand-alone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge with Ravenloft or Dungeons and Dragons. J. Robert King has written a number of novels in various shared-world and otherwise. He has written another novel that is set in Ravenloft titled Carnival of Fear. He's written two book in the First Quest setting called Rogues to Riches and Summerhill Hounds. He wrote The Blood Wars Trilogy (Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers) which was set in the Planescape universe. He wrote a novel in the Dragonlance universe called Vinas Solamnus. He also wrote three novellas for The Double Diamond Triangle Saga (The Abduction, Conspiracy, and co-wrote The Diamond with Ed Greenwood) which is set in the Forgotten Realms universe. However, most of his work is in the Magic: The Gathering tie-in novels. He wrote The Invasion Cycle (Invasion, Planeshift, and Apocalypse), The Onslaught Cycle (Onslaught, Legions, and Scourge), a stand-alone novel titled The Thran, and wrote the third book in The Artifacts series called Time Streams. He wrote an Arthurian fantasy trilogy called The Mad Merlin Trilogy (Mad Merlin, Lancelot du Lethe, and Le Morte d'Avalon) and a Sherlock Holmes based book titled Shadow the Reichenbach Falls. Some of his original works include Suicidals Anonymous, Humors (an anthology of poems), and Angel of Death and it's sequel Death's Disciples. Edge of Destiny, a Guild Wars novel, is next upcoming book. J. Robert King has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies and was the editor on some. Heart of Midnight was released in December 1992 and published by TSR, Inc. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.
Casimir wants revenge on the father who killed his mother, cursed him, and left him homeless. After years of plotting, he and his friend Thoris, finally decide that it's time. The killer is also the towns meistersinger, or leader, and as the time comes to choose a new ruler for Harmonia, Casimir enters the contest under disguise. The contest to choose the meistersinger tests bardic skills, and after a few rounds pass Casimir is up against his father. The current meistersinger has yet to lose for the past twenty years due to drugging the ale before the contest begins, however Casimir doesn't drink and as the final stage is about to start, the liquid is forced down his throat. Because of this Casimir loses but reveals himself as the meistersinger's son. The meistersinger, horrified to know that his son is still alive, send men to follow Casimir back to where he lives. After the location is discover, the men burn down the poor house, hoping to kill Casimir. However, Casimir isn't there upon his return he saves Thoris from the flames. With a few surviving children, Casimir and Thoris, regroup in the rundown church of Milil and begin a plan to finally take revenge. The plan goes into motion and it's soon revealed that the meistersinger is a werewolf and chases down Casimir. However, Casimir is waiting for him as a wolf and quickly dispatches the meistersinger. After showing proof of the meistersinger's death, Casimir becomes the new meistersinger. As his reign starts, the famous bard, Harkon Lukas starts to teach him things about ruling and about his dark powers. But as time passes, is the bard really helping Casimir or turning him into something more beastly?
Criticisms:
1) Beginning. The first half of the novel is a little rough. Some chapters have a rushed pace to them. For example, the contest scene was very hard to follow. Things happened so fast with little details that I was totally lost and left scratching my head. On top of this, we have the characters showing little to no character development. The situations that the characters find themselves in doesn't seem to faze their attitudes and their actions too much. For the longest time, the characters seemed bland but they did have hints of something more to them, but those hints weren't explored until later in the novel. The beginning just had a rushed feel to it. Everything that happened occurred too fast and you couldn't really delve into the problems and issues that were brought up. This was the major problem with Heart of Midnight, you couldn't get behind the characters right away and everything happened way too fast.
2) Casimir. One of the blandest main characters I've seen in a while. He was wishy-washy, unlikable, and with a personality that switches every chapter. I really do not understand the appeal of Casimir, and would have rather seen a story focus more on Thoris or Casimir's love, Julianna. Those two would have been much more interesting leads instead of Casimir, who seemed to appear as little more than a side character. However, at the start of the story, he appeared to be a very sympathetic and likable character, but this doesn't last long. After the beginning, Casimir quickly turns into a side character. I would have rather seen more of the impact his change causes on his friends, instead of the focus being mostly on Casimir. Then at the end, he just becomes unbearably whiny. There were times that he did seem to be an interesting and intriguing character, but during those scenes, another character stole the spotlight. Casimir just grated on my nerves.
Praises:
1) Harkon Lukas. He is just a great character and villain. While he isn't really there for the first half of the story and he only seemed to be more like a side character during that half, he really turned out to be amazing. He was manipulative in a way I haven't seen in many books. There were even times when I thought I was being misled to think something else. Then he was as vile as you can get but you couldn't help but like him. His actions were undeniably evil and what he says is cruel, but there was something about him that made you forget all the negatives to his personality. I couldn't help but feel charmed by him. However, the twist involving Lukas was really predictable, but when the scene finally came up, I was still surprised. He just had this undeniable charm to him and you weren't meant to like him, you couldn't help but like him.
2) Atmosphere. The atmosphere was the other good thing about this story. It was extremely creepy and had some very good violent scenes. It had that Universal monster movie feel combined with some of the violent, gory movies of the past twenty years. Some of the descriptions of the buildings and settings really reminded me of some of those 1930's movies. During the werewolf transformations, I couldn't help but think of movies like American Werewolf in London with a hint of the 1940's Wolfman. The story also had a very good heartbreaking feel to it. Seeing how Casimir is affecting his friends is really sad. You almost feel bad for these characters and what they are going through. The best example of this is when Thoris learns of Casimir's secret. The whole exchange the two have is moving and sad at the same time. The story had a very good, creepy atmosphere to it.
Side Notes:
1) Songs. I can't read songs with a rhythm when it's written in a book. I didn't mind the songs in the novel, but I would mostly skip them.
2) Two Books. I really do think that this book should have been split into two books instead of one. The beginning, up until Casimir's revenge, should have been the first book. That whole story needed more detail and character development. Then the second half, while better and a saving grace of the story, could have used a little more as well. Seeing Casimir deal with his new-found political powers as well as his lycanthropy could have used more. It almost seemed like there were two novels that were forced together.
3) Cover Art. The artwork itself is just bland. Casimir looks decent and interesting but other than that, the background is bland and the coloring is just plain boring. The mask is really nice looking and is the only thing that catches the eye. Also, Casimir's face does look menacing, but it's hard to really see. As for everything else, it's just plain and unexciting.
Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
Heart of Midnight has things going against it and going for it. The biggest problem is the rough beginning. Most of the time I could barely follow what has happening early on. The characters started out as bland, uninteresting people who I couldn't careless about. Also, Casimir wasn't interesting. He seemed to be a minor character that was promoted to the lead without changing a thing. He did have good moments, but they were few and far between. However, Harkon Lukas pretty much saves the story. Lukas had amazing charm to him that actually made me like someone so vile and despicable. He seemed to manipulate everyone in the story, including me. That in itself was shocking. When a character makes you think one thing even though you know it's not true is very impressive. Speaking of impressive, the atmosphere had this impressively creepy tone to it. It was as through blending the best Universal horror movies with some of the best werewolf movies of the past twenty years. When all is said and done, is Heart of Midnight worth picking up? Yes and no. If you enjoy werewolf fiction and want to be pleasantly surprised to be manipulated by a fictional character, yes. However, because of the rough start, I am very reluctant to recommend to the average reader.
Casimir wants revenge on the father who killed his mother, cursed him, and left him homeless. After years of plotting, he and his friend Thoris, finally decide that it's time. The killer is also the towns meistersinger, or leader, and as the time comes to choose a new ruler for Harmonia, Casimir enters the contest under disguise. The contest to choose the meistersinger tests bardic skills, and after a few rounds pass Casimir is up against his father. The current meistersinger has yet to lose for the past twenty years due to drugging the ale before the contest begins, however Casimir doesn't drink and as the final stage is about to start, the liquid is forced down his throat. Because of this Casimir loses but reveals himself as the meistersinger's son. The meistersinger, horrified to know that his son is still alive, send men to follow Casimir back to where he lives. After the location is discover, the men burn down the poor house, hoping to kill Casimir. However, Casimir isn't there upon his return he saves Thoris from the flames. With a few surviving children, Casimir and Thoris, regroup in the rundown church of Milil and begin a plan to finally take revenge. The plan goes into motion and it's soon revealed that the meistersinger is a werewolf and chases down Casimir. However, Casimir is waiting for him as a wolf and quickly dispatches the meistersinger. After showing proof of the meistersinger's death, Casimir becomes the new meistersinger. As his reign starts, the famous bard, Harkon Lukas starts to teach him things about ruling and about his dark powers. But as time passes, is the bard really helping Casimir or turning him into something more beastly?
Criticisms:
1) Beginning. The first half of the novel is a little rough. Some chapters have a rushed pace to them. For example, the contest scene was very hard to follow. Things happened so fast with little details that I was totally lost and left scratching my head. On top of this, we have the characters showing little to no character development. The situations that the characters find themselves in doesn't seem to faze their attitudes and their actions too much. For the longest time, the characters seemed bland but they did have hints of something more to them, but those hints weren't explored until later in the novel. The beginning just had a rushed feel to it. Everything that happened occurred too fast and you couldn't really delve into the problems and issues that were brought up. This was the major problem with Heart of Midnight, you couldn't get behind the characters right away and everything happened way too fast.
2) Casimir. One of the blandest main characters I've seen in a while. He was wishy-washy, unlikable, and with a personality that switches every chapter. I really do not understand the appeal of Casimir, and would have rather seen a story focus more on Thoris or Casimir's love, Julianna. Those two would have been much more interesting leads instead of Casimir, who seemed to appear as little more than a side character. However, at the start of the story, he appeared to be a very sympathetic and likable character, but this doesn't last long. After the beginning, Casimir quickly turns into a side character. I would have rather seen more of the impact his change causes on his friends, instead of the focus being mostly on Casimir. Then at the end, he just becomes unbearably whiny. There were times that he did seem to be an interesting and intriguing character, but during those scenes, another character stole the spotlight. Casimir just grated on my nerves.
Praises:
1) Harkon Lukas. He is just a great character and villain. While he isn't really there for the first half of the story and he only seemed to be more like a side character during that half, he really turned out to be amazing. He was manipulative in a way I haven't seen in many books. There were even times when I thought I was being misled to think something else. Then he was as vile as you can get but you couldn't help but like him. His actions were undeniably evil and what he says is cruel, but there was something about him that made you forget all the negatives to his personality. I couldn't help but feel charmed by him. However, the twist involving Lukas was really predictable, but when the scene finally came up, I was still surprised. He just had this undeniable charm to him and you weren't meant to like him, you couldn't help but like him.
2) Atmosphere. The atmosphere was the other good thing about this story. It was extremely creepy and had some very good violent scenes. It had that Universal monster movie feel combined with some of the violent, gory movies of the past twenty years. Some of the descriptions of the buildings and settings really reminded me of some of those 1930's movies. During the werewolf transformations, I couldn't help but think of movies like American Werewolf in London with a hint of the 1940's Wolfman. The story also had a very good heartbreaking feel to it. Seeing how Casimir is affecting his friends is really sad. You almost feel bad for these characters and what they are going through. The best example of this is when Thoris learns of Casimir's secret. The whole exchange the two have is moving and sad at the same time. The story had a very good, creepy atmosphere to it.
Side Notes:
1) Songs. I can't read songs with a rhythm when it's written in a book. I didn't mind the songs in the novel, but I would mostly skip them.
2) Two Books. I really do think that this book should have been split into two books instead of one. The beginning, up until Casimir's revenge, should have been the first book. That whole story needed more detail and character development. Then the second half, while better and a saving grace of the story, could have used a little more as well. Seeing Casimir deal with his new-found political powers as well as his lycanthropy could have used more. It almost seemed like there were two novels that were forced together.
3) Cover Art. The artwork itself is just bland. Casimir looks decent and interesting but other than that, the background is bland and the coloring is just plain boring. The mask is really nice looking and is the only thing that catches the eye. Also, Casimir's face does look menacing, but it's hard to really see. As for everything else, it's just plain and unexciting.
Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
Heart of Midnight has things going against it and going for it. The biggest problem is the rough beginning. Most of the time I could barely follow what has happening early on. The characters started out as bland, uninteresting people who I couldn't careless about. Also, Casimir wasn't interesting. He seemed to be a minor character that was promoted to the lead without changing a thing. He did have good moments, but they were few and far between. However, Harkon Lukas pretty much saves the story. Lukas had amazing charm to him that actually made me like someone so vile and despicable. He seemed to manipulate everyone in the story, including me. That in itself was shocking. When a character makes you think one thing even though you know it's not true is very impressive. Speaking of impressive, the atmosphere had this impressively creepy tone to it. It was as through blending the best Universal horror movies with some of the best werewolf movies of the past twenty years. When all is said and done, is Heart of Midnight worth picking up? Yes and no. If you enjoy werewolf fiction and want to be pleasantly surprised to be manipulated by a fictional character, yes. However, because of the rough start, I am very reluctant to recommend to the average reader.
December 4, 2022
Was an interesting addition to the series with a charismatic lead character.
This is a story that focuses more on intrinsic motivation and betrayal and derives its horror from visuals presented.
This is a story that focuses more on intrinsic motivation and betrayal and derives its horror from visuals presented.
April 26, 2022
Cursed lycanthropes, duelling bards and political deception all against a gothic fantasy backdrop - was this made specifically for me?!
Really enjoyed this and although the writing didn’t hold my attention the whole time, the flawed-yet-heroic characters and surprisingly emotional story sure did.
Really enjoyed this and although the writing didn’t hold my attention the whole time, the flawed-yet-heroic characters and surprisingly emotional story sure did.
June 6, 2016
While I admit this book wasn't incredible, it did a couple of things right that I always want to see from horror and dark fantasy. First, despite a seemingly predictable, there were some interesting twists that kept things interesting. Second, the author wrote so that the reader almost wanted to empathize with the villains, even after it was clear they were villains. To be fair though, this book isn't for everyone. It is a tie-in for Dungeons and Dragons, and for that reason, I would recommend it for people who are a fan of the game, or of role-playing games in general. To a lesser extent, I would suggest it to fans of horror/dark fantasy, but not the general public. Fun book though.
December 4, 2024
I borrowed a copy of this book from a friend of mine who told me that it was worth the read, particularly for over of the older Ravenloft setting books. To my understanding, these are incredibly hard to get ahold of, so I'm extremely grateful as well that my friend was willing to let me borrow their copy. I can't even think of the last time I saw a Ravenloft paperback novel anywhere, it's been so long.
This has been an excellent exercise in trying to recall the way that various lore was set up in this earlier edition of the setting, back at the time this book was written. There were a few twists and turns that I had predicted and others that I hadn't, and I really appreciate this book's focus on trying to truly explore the bardic aspect of Kartakass and Harkon Lukas, and all the characters that take part in the competition that drives the earliest portion of the book. J. Robert King understood the assignment and rose to the challenge beautifully; perhaps it's simply a sign of the changing understanding of bards within fantasy within pop culture, but Heart of Midnight really goes the extra mile to explore the original concept of bards beyond just "can sing and recite songs" with the challenges in the competition. Beyond this, the story is very well-crafted and when you boil it down beyond the Ravenloft setting, it's an excellent look at a somewhat classic sort of horror story with a unique set dressing.
None of that is to say that it doesn't have its faults. True, there are elements of the book that didn't exactly age well, but I expected that. Moreso, my frustration with it is that at times it really moved slowly, and could leave me feeling like it was starting to slog. Overall it didn't do that, but it had those less engaging moments more often than I liked. But all the same, I enjoyed my time with this, and it was fascinating to read, especially given how significant a role Harkon Lukas plays in this book!
This has been an excellent exercise in trying to recall the way that various lore was set up in this earlier edition of the setting, back at the time this book was written. There were a few twists and turns that I had predicted and others that I hadn't, and I really appreciate this book's focus on trying to truly explore the bardic aspect of Kartakass and Harkon Lukas, and all the characters that take part in the competition that drives the earliest portion of the book. J. Robert King understood the assignment and rose to the challenge beautifully; perhaps it's simply a sign of the changing understanding of bards within fantasy within pop culture, but Heart of Midnight really goes the extra mile to explore the original concept of bards beyond just "can sing and recite songs" with the challenges in the competition. Beyond this, the story is very well-crafted and when you boil it down beyond the Ravenloft setting, it's an excellent look at a somewhat classic sort of horror story with a unique set dressing.
None of that is to say that it doesn't have its faults. True, there are elements of the book that didn't exactly age well, but I expected that. Moreso, my frustration with it is that at times it really moved slowly, and could leave me feeling like it was starting to slog. Overall it didn't do that, but it had those less engaging moments more often than I liked. But all the same, I enjoyed my time with this, and it was fascinating to read, especially given how significant a role Harkon Lukas plays in this book!
October 30, 2021
This was written so blandly I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I liked the premise and I was hoping for a thrilling werewolf horror story. But the characters were so flat they didn't interest me in the least. Sometimes a riveting plot can still redeem such a story but this was not the case here.
After two chapters I decided to read some plot synopses and then skipped to chapter 19, after which I read until the end. I still had the same feeling: unsympathetic characters and a plot that left me indifferent.
This felt like I wasted an hour or so of my time.
After two chapters I decided to read some plot synopses and then skipped to chapter 19, after which I read until the end. I still had the same feeling: unsympathetic characters and a plot that left me indifferent.
This felt like I wasted an hour or so of my time.
February 14, 2021
Not a great book, but to its credit, I did finish it. The setting is a bit odd, with the city's leader being chosen after basically a song and insult competition...
The book just seems to fail in everything it's supposed to be.
It's not a good werewolf story. It's not a good Ravenloft story.
I nearly gave up on it. Can't recommend it to anyone except for Ravenloft fans who want to read all the books.
The book just seems to fail in everything it's supposed to be.
It's not a good werewolf story. It's not a good Ravenloft story.
I nearly gave up on it. Can't recommend it to anyone except for Ravenloft fans who want to read all the books.
March 13, 2021
Decent werewolf story but the characters are super thin and the setting poorly defined. I’m guessing it assumes knowledge of Ravenloft (which I would have had if I’d read this when it came out but it’s been so long I barely remember much)
Overall the plot moves along in starts and stops and you never get much tension or momentum partly due to characters that you don’t really care about at all.
Certainly not terrible or anything but hardly worth tracking down.
Overall the plot moves along in starts and stops and you never get much tension or momentum partly due to characters that you don’t really care about at all.
Certainly not terrible or anything but hardly worth tracking down.
December 1, 2023
Man, there's enough plot crammed in this tiny book to write two or three books, but the author doesn't do any filling or pacing whatsoever, so it's just plot introduction -> straight to the action -> conclusion -> new plot introduction -> repeat about three times
It's a shame, because the plots are interesting enough, but they're written so short and compact, you don't have time to get immersed or invested, and reading the book just ends up making you feel exhausted
It's a shame, because the plots are interesting enough, but they're written so short and compact, you don't have time to get immersed or invested, and reading the book just ends up making you feel exhausted
April 12, 2020
These books are so dark. They are supposed to be that way, but most other books train you to have some sort of happy ending, even if only in part. Don't expect that of these. All that is dark is not bad and all that is light is not good, I like that about ravenloft.
February 24, 2023
My first reading escapade into the Ravenloft series of novels.
The overall story isn't spectacular or a page turner by any means, but it is nicely written and well paced. This book is a simple and welcoming read for the cozy nights.
The overall story isn't spectacular or a page turner by any means, but it is nicely written and well paced. This book is a simple and welcoming read for the cozy nights.
March 7, 2018
Probably my favorite in the series.
January 4, 2020
Pretty dark. Solid tale. =)
September 27, 2022
It has been almost 15 years since I first read this and it´s still my favorite werewolf book.
August 5, 2015
El camino al infierno esta pavimentado de buenas intenciones. Esta frase me viene a la mente, ahora que reflexiono en seco la nove titulada: Corazón de Medianoche. Escrita por J. Robert King, por allá por los noventas, perteneciente al Escenario de Campaña de terror-gótico: Ravenloft . Nos narra la historia de un joven llamado Casimir, que desea vengarse del Maestro Cantor de la Ciudad de Armonía. Para llevar a cabo esta hazaña el joven se entregara a fuerzas oscuras, que le darán las herramientas necesarias, pero a la larga le pasaran un factura que no está preparado para pagar.
Comentario.
Aborde esta novela con sentimientos encontrados, primero porque retomaba este tipo de literatura que tenía olvidada. Si, ya sé que me leí la Saga de Geralt de Rivia, pero Corazón de Medianoche, al servir de soporte literario a un Escenario de Campaña de D&D me parece, dentro de mi sistema mental, fantasía medieval mainstream, mientras que para mi otros trabajos, como el mentado, es algo más indie. ¿Loco? Sin duda.
Por otra parte, la sensación encontrada se debía a que era la primera vez que afrontaba un escenario de campaña tan famoso como lo es Ravenloft. Debo decir que la novela no me decepcionó, el autor da con el tono del escenario de campaña. En Ravenloft no hay héroes, solo corrupción, cualquier acción tomada tarde o temprano terminara mal. Claro ejemplo es el final deprimente y agridulce de la novela, y el sufrimiento del coprotagonista Thoris. Desde este punto de vista la novela es genial. Por otra parte, me asombró el encontrarme en una novela de este tipo, personajes tan jóvenes. Aquí no hay cliché de raza y clases, por cierto.
¿Qué tiene malo? Dado que, en realidad la intención, de la historia es contarnos como Casimir se corrompe, la propuesta inicial de la venganza es una venta engañosa. Por otra parte, la novela después de haber conseguido su objetivo primordial, se vuelve algo lenta y tediosa. Cobra el ritmo al final, pero luego termina muy rápido. Te queda un regusto agridulce, donde sientes que la trama pudo haber dado para más.
Salvo este punto, que no es mal de morir si eres un lector paciente, Corazón de Medianoche es una gran historia. Entretiene y aterroriza, y te da el tono ideal que debe acompañar a una ambientación tan complicada como es Ravenloft. De verdad no hay desperdicio.
100% recomendable
Comentario.
Aborde esta novela con sentimientos encontrados, primero porque retomaba este tipo de literatura que tenía olvidada. Si, ya sé que me leí la Saga de Geralt de Rivia, pero Corazón de Medianoche, al servir de soporte literario a un Escenario de Campaña de D&D me parece, dentro de mi sistema mental, fantasía medieval mainstream, mientras que para mi otros trabajos, como el mentado, es algo más indie. ¿Loco? Sin duda.
Por otra parte, la sensación encontrada se debía a que era la primera vez que afrontaba un escenario de campaña tan famoso como lo es Ravenloft. Debo decir que la novela no me decepcionó, el autor da con el tono del escenario de campaña. En Ravenloft no hay héroes, solo corrupción, cualquier acción tomada tarde o temprano terminara mal. Claro ejemplo es el final deprimente y agridulce de la novela, y el sufrimiento del coprotagonista Thoris. Desde este punto de vista la novela es genial. Por otra parte, me asombró el encontrarme en una novela de este tipo, personajes tan jóvenes. Aquí no hay cliché de raza y clases, por cierto.
¿Qué tiene malo? Dado que, en realidad la intención, de la historia es contarnos como Casimir se corrompe, la propuesta inicial de la venganza es una venta engañosa. Por otra parte, la novela después de haber conseguido su objetivo primordial, se vuelve algo lenta y tediosa. Cobra el ritmo al final, pero luego termina muy rápido. Te queda un regusto agridulce, donde sientes que la trama pudo haber dado para más.
Salvo este punto, que no es mal de morir si eres un lector paciente, Corazón de Medianoche es una gran historia. Entretiene y aterroriza, y te da el tono ideal que debe acompañar a una ambientación tan complicada como es Ravenloft. De verdad no hay desperdicio.
100% recomendable
July 30, 2013
Better than I thought it would be. Not that I have anything against the author, but just from the cover art and the blurb on the back I was expecting a typical werewolf story (lycanthropes aren't my favorite supernatural horror creatures). I gave it a chance though, and found that there was a lot to this book. It was planned out well and felt longer than it was because of the amount of time that was passing for the characters. Clever, lots of different emotional responses, and it kept me wanting to know what would happen next. Harkon Lukas, an already established Ravenloft character, was also handled well (I have a different expectation for already existing characters than ones that were just created - especially if the author did not create such characters themselves.)
Only negative would be the progression of some of the characters through the story. Julianna felt a little one-dimensional, and Thoris I thought jumped a bit too far out of character the more the story progressed. The bit with Von Daaknau seemed a little contrived, too. I didn't mind the charcater (he fits into the setting well and the shock factor was good), but I felt his presence was a lot of extra content that basically boiled down to just an excuse for how Casimir obtained poison in one scene. Just nitpicky stuff, really. The book was still a good read. I would primarily recommend it to established Ravenloft readers however, since you'll get more out of locations like Kartakass, Skald, and Harmonia, as well as Harkon Lukas, if you're already familar with the subject matter.
Only negative would be the progression of some of the characters through the story. Julianna felt a little one-dimensional, and Thoris I thought jumped a bit too far out of character the more the story progressed. The bit with Von Daaknau seemed a little contrived, too. I didn't mind the charcater (he fits into the setting well and the shock factor was good), but I felt his presence was a lot of extra content that basically boiled down to just an excuse for how Casimir obtained poison in one scene. Just nitpicky stuff, really. The book was still a good read. I would primarily recommend it to established Ravenloft readers however, since you'll get more out of locations like Kartakass, Skald, and Harmonia, as well as Harkon Lukas, if you're already familar with the subject matter.
November 17, 2011
For a first novel, the prose was actually better than I expected. And the ending was appropriately downbeat, considering the setting. Everything else about the book was frustrating, though. The characters generally unlikable or — at best — frustrating. I've seen a few people say Harkon Lukas was a bright spot — no, he was a drag as well. I won't spoil one of the novel's big twists, but it's worth mentioning that it's both clever and hilariously stupid (I didn't think this was possible 'til now).
August 4, 2011
This book has all the elements of a Ravenloft novel, but lacks the intensity to bring them to life. The sense of dread and foreboding does not carry well, the focus being more on the passions of love and anger. While these themes are integral to a story concerning werewolves, more of the focus should have been shifted on the setting, and the sense of fatal inevitability that comes from visiting Ravenloft.
January 21, 2009
Personally, I enjoyed this book. But then, I've always had a weak spot for werewolves.
Although, there is one bit of dialogue that I always cringe at whenever I re-read the story:
"You are not a werewolf, a man who changes into a wolf. You, Casimir, are a wolfwere, a wolf who changes into a man."
Bah!
Although, there is one bit of dialogue that I always cringe at whenever I re-read the story:
"You are not a werewolf, a man who changes into a wolf. You, Casimir, are a wolfwere, a wolf who changes into a man."
Bah!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2011
As much as I liked J. Robert King's "Carnival of fear", as much I didn't like "Heart of Midnight". Predictable plot and nothing new or truly thrilling. An easy-reading to read and forget about it.
May 1, 2012
Dark and brutal. It's a fictional adventure genre, so if that doesn't interest you look else where. About an orphan boy turned man with a unique curse.
August 26, 2012
I enjoyed the book and liked the twist at the end.
October 19, 2012
So cheesy. So trashy. So good.
August 18, 2014
Better than many of the other RPG tie-in novels, with a few inventive plot twists and an ending I wasn't expecting given the archetypal Ravenloft protagonist trajectory.
October 6, 2012
Another Ravenloft
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