Dragon Age Vol. 1: The Silent Grove [Hardcover]

David Gaider (Author), Alexander Freed (Author), Dave Marshall (Editor), Chad Hardin (Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Available in print for the first time, Dragon Age: The Silent Grove is the perfect introduction to BioWare's dark fantasy universe! In this essential, canonical story from David Gaider, lead writer of the games, King Alistair, accompanied only by rogues Isabela and Varric, embarks on a quest deep inside the borders of Antiva - a nation of assassins! Together, they will encounter a prison break, dragons, the mysterious Witch of the Wilds, and one of the greatest secrets in the history of the world!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; First Edition edition (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595829164
• ISBN-13: 978-1595829160
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Dark Horse

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for fans of the game and universe! August 10, 2012

By Mother/Gamer/Writer

Format:Hardcover

Originally Reviewed at:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source:NetGalley
Reviewer:Me

I have been waiting on this one! Dragon Age Volume 1: The Silent Grove is definitely a graphic novel for fans of the game, Dragon Age:Origins and Dragon Age II. We see the return of Alistair who is our main character, on a quest to find his missing father Maric. Along beside him for the journey are Isabela, who you may recall is a thief and the captain of the pirate ship, The Siren's Call. Also we have Varric, the surface dwarf who narrates the story of Dragon Age II. So yes fans, we have an eclectic bunch who have banded together by necessity to find Alistair's missing father.

Being a fan of both video games, my expectations for this graphic novel were extremely high. Thank goodness I wasn't disappointed! I was able to quickly immerse myself back into the world of Ferelden, a land that has been recovering from the Fifth Blight and a grave civil war. We are immediately thrown into the action as our characters meet one another to get acquainted before embarking on their first mission, raiding the archives of The Crows. From here on out, the story is filled with angst as we watch our character be betrayed, discover hidden secrets, and encounter The Witch of the Wilds. I was captivated and enjoyed every single minute of the non-stop action.

Art wise, I liked the illustrations, though I do believe the characters looked a little more cartoonish than Dragon Age style. It wasn't a huge issue, but I can see it throwing some fans of the series off. The mystery surrounding Alistair's father was very intriguing and eluded to several possibilities in the upcoming continuation. I loved seeing The Witch of Wilds, Yavana. We also get a few references to her infamous mother and sister, Flemeth and Morrigan who are both heavily present in the games. And of course you can't have Dragon Age without DRAGONS! So yup, you will see those too!

Overall, this is definitely a graphic novel for fans of the series who want to immerse themselves deeper into the world. If you are not a gamer but still enjoy graphic novels with an exciting storyline and over-the-top characters, then please go and pick this one up!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it, even without familiary with the Dragon Age world July 28, 2012

By A. W. Brewster

Format:Hardcover

I came into this at a disadvantage because I'd never played the video game or learned anything about the Dragon Age world before picking up this book. I enjoyed it, but I imagine I would have enjoyed it more had I been familiar with the world and the characters. I felt like I was thrown into a story somewhere around the midpoint.

Alistair, a king and the main character, is on a quest to find his missing father. He's assisted by a pair of pirates, a fight-happy dwarf and a smart-mouthed lady thief. I got a good feel for all three of these characters' personalities, and I liked all of them. Their dialogue had a touch of humor throughout, which was fun. Even without having the background that many readers will have, I felt that the story line was engaging enough to keep my interest.

The artwork was just lovely! Dynamic images that would have told a story even without the words. In fact, occasional pages didn't have any words, and the image frames themselves did the job of moving the plot forward just beautifully. The artwork had amazing lighting and appealing characters with a wide range of looks. For me, the artwork was the standout aspect of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting. November 5, 2012

By CheriePi227

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

By not paying attention when I ordered the novel, I was surprised to find it an illustrated novel. I read very quickly, so it didn't take me long to go through it. The artwork was very good and the concept was quite interesting. I'm a bigtime fan of Alistair, so it was great to see him again. I just wish it had lasted longer.