Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne [Paperback]

David Gaider (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dragon Age | Publication Date: March 3, 2009

The thrilling prequel to Dragon Age: Origins, the hit role-playing video game from award-winning developer BioWare!

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

After his mother, the beloved Rebel Queen, is betrayed and murdered by her own faithless lords, young Maric becomes the leader of a rebel army attempting to free his nation from the control of a foreign tyrant.

His countrymen live in fear; his commanders consider him untested; and his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth. Surrounded by spies and traitors, Maric must find a way to not only survive but achieve his ultimate destiny: Ferelden’s freedom and the return of his line to the stolen throne.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Gaider lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and has worked for video game developer BioWare since 1999. He is the lead writer on the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins role-playing game and has previously worked on such titles as Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of AmnTM, Star Wars ®: Knights of the Old Republic TM, and Neverwinter Nights TM.

From AudioFile

Fans of the role-playing video game "Dragon Age: Origins" may find the background presented in this prequel of particular interest. Maric becomes a somewhat-reluctant heir to the throne when his mother is betrayed and murdered. Stephen Hoye gives an authoritative and nuanced presentation that shows Maric's emotional growth as he puts his youth behind him and takes on his destiny as leader of the rebel forces who seek to regain the throne. Hoye is a deliberate narrator who maintains a steady, forceful pace as he recounts the many challenges Maric encounters through battles and ordeals against strong odds. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765324083
• ISBN-13: 978-0765324085
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Gaider lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and has worked for video game developer BioWare since 1999. He is the lead writer on the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins role-playing game and has previously worked on such titles as Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of AmnTM, Star Wars ®: Knights of the Old Republic TM, and Neverwinter Nights TM.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, ignore the game tie-in, March 21, 2009

By 

Peter A Smith (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (Paperback)

Wow. What a surprise.

This is a prequel novel to the upcoming video game Dragon Age: Origins, by Bioware. I was reading it more to `get in the mood' for the game than anything, and I had very low expectations, to be honest. And I was blown away.

I'm giving it 4 stars, and that is judging it against all fantasy, not against "pre-generated world" fantasy (novels based on games, movies, tv series, etc). Within that sub-genre it's a 5 star book, easily.

As the story begins, a cruel usurper sits on the throne of Ferelden, and the Rebel Queen has been betrayed and murdered. The only member left of the royal family is young Maric, a charming but slightly inept princeling, now on the run for his life. He soon teams up with a young commoner named Loghain, and the two set off to reunite with the rebel army, and begin the daunting challenge of trying to push the usurper from his ill-gained throne.

There's a bit of game-ness to the book here and there as character classes are mentioned, but it isn't very intrusive and if you didn't know it was a game-prequel novel, you might not even notice it.

The story has everything you could ask for in a fantasy. A noble, seemingly impossible quest, great battles, characters who feel very real, and who interact in ways that also feel very human. A smattering of magic and strange creatures. Joy and pain, victory and defeat. All written with genuine emotion.

A nice change of pace is the way elves are handled, and particularly elves, who are definitely second class citizens in this world, scraping by working as servants and living in squalid quarters of most cities.

All in all, a very, very enjoyable read, and a very 'self-contained' novel. You aren't left with a cliff-hanger ending that is going to require you to play the game or read another novel. You can download a sample chapter from http://dragonage.bioware.com/noveltst.ht...

I hope the author, David Gaider, focuses on more novel writing, and less game writing. I'd love to read more from him!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It satisfied my expectations., April 30, 2009

By 

D. Jones "Eclectic Eccentric" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (Paperback)

I've been a fan of Bioware for a while, and have been interestedly watching the slow progress of Dragon Age since it was first announced. Naturally, I was intrigued by the news that a prequel would be coming out in book form. (Luckily its release date was not postponed... Silly EA.) I didn't expect high art; I just hoped for an interesting story and a glimpse at the world I'll encounter when I play the game. Thankfully it was, for the most part, an interesting story. It kept me reading, anyway. And the glimpse of the world was, while not enrapturing, not revolting either, so I am content to continue anticipating the game's release as before.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What happens when you jam an epic into a single volume, April 28, 2009

By 

Richard M. Lippincott (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (Paperback)

There are moments and even decent stretches of Dragon Age where David Gaider's talent as a writer comes out. There are even a few scenes that might send shivers down your spine. But in the end the book is seriously flawed for reasons that can be all traced to a single source: this is an epic story jammed into a single 400 page book.

The result is that we are treated to long narrations meant to summarize the passage of significant time. Long narrations that take the place of real character development, which leads to character actions and decisions that are not set up by the story. I don't want to spoil things too much, but I think all you need to know is that the epic battle, the one that decides the whole story, is only related to the reader in a brief reference after the fact.

Mr. Gaider has skill, but hopefully next time (and another Dragon Age book has already been announced) he delivers a story that fits the scope of a single volume.