(Review originally posted on Amazon.com: link)
Books like this present a tremendous opportunity to allow the gaming faithful of Bioware's lore-rich I.P.'s to feel closer to the company's stories. I picked up this book after falling in love with Dragon Age: Origins. Its story, the characters, and its push to make your experience feel unique and personal pretty much ensured that I would be throwing more money in Bioware's direction. So, here we are.
But did DRAGON AGE's Lead Writer, David Gaider, succeed in making me believe that THE STOLEN THRONE was an extension of the game I just played? Well...kinda.
Taking place many decades before Duncan inducts you into the Grey Wardens, THE STOLEN THRONE recounts the Ferelden uprising against its enemy occupants, by way of a rebellion led by Alistair's father, Prince Maric. It takes you through the various clashes of the two armies, as well as the constant political head-butting Maric must endure as question about his competence as a leader comes into question.
But those who played DRAGON AGE will likely be more interested in the friendship that is struck between young Maric and Loghain, the man who would later betray the throne. It begins as a bond of necessity in the wake of enemy armies closing in to cut down Maric as the last true heir to the throne, but it slowly evolves into a true connection that quite literally comes to shape the very future of the country they're attempting to save.
It is a bit surreal to read about some of the characters that later resurface in the video game, since as the Grey Warden, you will literally hold their lives in your hands. This almost made it feel like it was working up to YOUR story at times, but it only gets a little close and doesn't seal the deal. This story, in the end, actually feels very separate from whatever shenanigans you get into later in DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS, but that didn't really detract from the read...other things did.
Just like Bioware's other Lead Writer, Drew Karpyshyn, David Gaider's prose has a habit of diving into chapters of expository monologues. This, as I've said before, does not make sense to me. These are writers who have had awards thrown at them for their dialogue; why they insist on keeping their characters quiet for extended lengths of time is beyond me. What made DRAGON AGE great were those moments where the characters really bared their souls, but there isn't much of that to be found here (until maybe the last 100 pages or so).
There was just battle after battle, which made me yearn for a story of a smaller scale in this universe, where the characters could have more room to breathe. Not every story in the fantasy genre has to be about kings and massive battles to be successful.
Despite all of this, I did have a great time reading this book, and it certainly didn't put me off enough to discourage me from reading its sequel (though it does make me wary). It's by far the best book to have come from Bioware's writers. The ending is satisfying, though it ends rather abruptly. The characters are well-conceived and fleshed out, but those who have played DRAGON AGE will already have an idea of how this story unfolds.
But I'm still waiting for a book from Bioware that allows its readers to invest just as much emotion into its story and characters as they're able to do with their video games. A story that's interesting in its own right, but feels as though when it comes to an end, your story begins.
Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 - For giving flesh and bones to the lore of Dragon Age, but opting out of creating a story of a more intimate manner.
But did DRAGON AGE's Lead Writer, David Gaider, succeed in making me believe that THE STOLEN THRONE was an extension of the game I just played? Well...kinda.
Taking place many decades before Duncan inducts you into the Grey Wardens, THE STOLEN THRONE recounts the Ferelden uprising against its enemy occupants, by way of a rebellion led by Alistair's father, Prince Maric. It takes you through the various clashes of the two armies, as well as the constant political head-butting Maric must endure as question about his competence as a leader comes into question.
But those who played DRAGON AGE will likely be more interested in the friendship that is struck between young Maric and Loghain, the man who would later betray the throne. It begins as a bond of necessity in the wake of enemy armies closing in to cut down Maric as the last true heir to the throne, but it slowly evolves into a true connection that quite literally comes to shape the very future of the country they're attempting to save.
It is a bit surreal to read about some of the characters that later resurface in the video game, since as the Grey Warden, you will literally hold their lives in your hands. This almost made it feel like it was working up to YOUR story at times, but it only gets a little close and doesn't seal the deal. This story, in the end, actually feels very separate from whatever shenanigans you get into later in DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS, but that didn't really detract from the read...other things did.
Just like Bioware's other Lead Writer, Drew Karpyshyn, David Gaider's prose has a habit of diving into chapters of expository monologues. This, as I've said before, does not make sense to me. These are writers who have had awards thrown at them for their dialogue; why they insist on keeping their characters quiet for extended lengths of time is beyond me. What made DRAGON AGE great were those moments where the characters really bared their souls, but there isn't much of that to be found here (until maybe the last 100 pages or so).
There was just battle after battle, which made me yearn for a story of a smaller scale in this universe, where the characters could have more room to breathe. Not every story in the fantasy genre has to be about kings and massive battles to be successful.
Despite all of this, I did have a great time reading this book, and it certainly didn't put me off enough to discourage me from reading its sequel (though it does make me wary). It's by far the best book to have come from Bioware's writers. The ending is satisfying, though it ends rather abruptly. The characters are well-conceived and fleshed out, but those who have played DRAGON AGE will already have an idea of how this story unfolds.
But I'm still waiting for a book from Bioware that allows its readers to invest just as much emotion into its story and characters as they're able to do with their video games. A story that's interesting in its own right, but feels as though when it comes to an end, your story begins.
Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 - For giving flesh and bones to the lore of Dragon Age, but opting out of creating a story of a more intimate manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment