Dragon Age: Asunder

Dragon Age: Asunder is a fantasy novel written by David Gaider, who was the lead writer of the role-playing video game franchise Dragon Age, published in December 2011 by Tor Books. The story is set in the Empire of Orlais, three years after the events of Dragon Age II, and before the interrogation of Varric Tethras by Cassandra Pentaghast. It describes the events that culminate in the so-called Mage-Templar war witnessed in Dragon Age: Inquisition, where the Templar Order led by the Seekers of Truth, and the Circle of Magi all broke away from the Chantry to war with each other.

Dragon Age: Asunder
Cover of the original edition of Dragon Age: Asunder
AuthorDavid Gaider
IllustratorStefano Martino, Andres Ponce, German Ponce, Alvaro Sarraseca (deluxe edition)
Cover artistRamil Sunga
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDragon Age
GenreFantasy
PublisherTor Books
Titan Books (UK)
Dark Horse Books (deluxe edition)
Publication date
December 20, 2011
March 19, 2019 (deluxe edition)
Media typeOriginal - Print (Paperback)
Deluxe Edition - Print (Hardcover)
Pages416
368 (deluxe edition)
ISBN978-1-429-99496-5
OCLC1429994967

A deluxe edition was released by Dark Horse Books on March 19, 2019, featuring new illustrations by Stefano Martino, Andres Ponce, German Ponce and Alvaro Sarraseca.

Plot

Asunder introduces several characters into the Dragon Age series, with two serving as the novel's central characters: Cole, a mystical killer who stalks the halls of the White Spire, the heart of templar power in Orlais; and Rhys, the estranged son of Wynne, (a companion character from Dragon Age: Origins), who reluctantly embarks on a journey into the western wastelands to prove his innocence. Other characters who appear in the novel include the aforementioned Wynne, who is accompanied by Shale, a golem companion character introduced in the downloadable content (DLC) pack for Origins The Stone Prisoner; Lord Seeker Lambert van Reeves, leader of the Seekers of Truth and by extension, the Templar Order; Evangeline de Brassard, Knight-Captain of the templars at the White Spire; Pharamond, a Tranquil researcher and friend of Wynne who is investigating the nature of the Rite of Tranquility; Fiona, Grand Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, former Grey Warden, and Alistair's estranged mother; Divine Justinia V, Leader of the Andrastian Chantry; Leliana, the Right Hand of the Divine; and Adrian, a Senior Enchanter of the White Spire and Rhys' former lover.

Reception

The book review website Fantasy Book Review scored Asunder 6.5 out of 10, calling it "a novel that nestles safely and mediocrely in the bosom of its fantasy parents".[1] Geek Native praised Gaider for possessing a skill for "bringing the lore of the games alive", noting that other fiction lore supplemental material often suffer from lacklustre prose and unimaginative writing. Asunder was praised as "an easy going page turner capable of standing alone", regardless of whether the reader "has played the games, only casually considered the idea, or never heard of them at all".[2] Nerd Appropriate noted that while there is a negative stigma attached to reading books based on video game franchises, and opined that "there is nothing better than digging a bit deeper into your favorite franchise, especially if the material is as well written as Asunder". Asunder was praised as "a great tale of mystery, adventure, and morality that will hopefully keep fans of the series satisfied" and for serving as "a nice supplement to the Dragon Age universe and even manages to answer some very pressing questions".[3] Greg Aldridge from the Sixth Axis praised Gaider’s writing, which makes Asunder an "easy, uncomplicated and entertaining read". He noted that the well-paced story shows the far-reaching implications from the ending of Dragon Age II, "events that many players thought of little consequence given the narrow geographical focus of the game", and sets the political scene for Dragon Age: Inquisition . He compared Asunder favorably to Gaider's previous two tie-in novels for the Dragon Age series, and recommended it for fans of the Dragon Age series.[4]

Asunder was mentioned by Alice Bell of Videogamer.com as an example of a good video game book which is worth reading, as it serves to expand the Dragon Age universe and fill in events between games. She noted that Asunder "tells a large chunk of the story of one of the party characters of Dragon Age Inquisition, Cole, from when he was trapped in a Templar tower as a kind of ghost".[5]

References
  1. "Dragon Age: Asunder by David Gaider". Fantasy Book Review. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. "Something for Everyone: Dragon Age Asunder by David Gaider". Geek Native. January 26, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  3. Ash (February 2, 2012). "Dragon Age: Asunder – Paving the Way For Dragon Age 3 (REVIEW)". Nerd Appropriate. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  4. Greg Aldridge (December 23, 2011). "Dragon Age: Asunder Book Review". The Sixth Axis. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  5. Alice Bell (March 29, 2018). "Please read video game books that aren't Ready Player One". Videogamer.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
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