duology |

Publisher: Tor Books

Author: David Gaider

Release Date: 3/2009-10/2009

MSRP: $14.99 (each)

Pages: Various

Recommended Audience: Young Adult

In Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Maric sets out on a mission of vengeance against the faithless lords who were responsible for his mother’s death. Now, having reclaimed the throne, King Maric finally allows the legendary Grey Wardens to return to Ferelden after two hundred years of exile. When they come, however, they bring dire news: one of their own has escaped into the Deep Roads and aligned himself with their ancient enemy, the monstrous dark spawn. The Grey Wardens need Maric’s help to find him. He reluctantly agrees to lead them into the passages he traveled through years before, chasing after a deadly secret that will threaten to destroy not only the Grey Wardens but also the Kingdom above.

Dragon Age: The Calling is the second novel to be set in the Dragon Age universe. It is set approximately fourteen years after King Maric Theirin and his companions ventured into the Deep Roads as described in Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne and eleven years after the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden was brought to an end at the close of the Blessed Age. Dragon Age: The Calling focuses on Maric, a young Duncan, and the Grey Wardens.

The Calling — 9.5/10

The Calling is wonderfully written and feels more like the game than The Stolen Throne does. With the whole book being set in the Deep Roads, you really get to know what these people feel when traveling this dangerous road. Gaider does an excellent job of making you feel claustrophobic, helpless, and glad that you are not with these guys. Every page is filled with tense dread and the psychological torment these people must go through to get to their destination. On another note, you also follow the Grey Warden, who has joined the Darkspawn. However, we finally get to know about an intelligent Darkspawn that is very mysterious and may have different intentions.

The Calling has a great cast of characters that you really feel for, and the book is very hard to put down. There never was a dull moment, and this book really lets you get even closer to the dark atmosphere of the game. This book is my favorite out of the two and deserves a read by fans.

The Stolen Throne –8.5/10

The Stolen Throne doesn’t feel like a game at all, except for one moment when the characters are on the Deep Roads. The rest of the book is all about politics and huge battles with men. The book doesn’t really mention Darkspawn until towards the end of the book. This book is a tale of how Loghain and Maric met each other, and this was before the next blight. The book is well-paced, but it gets a bit repetitive with battle after battle. While they are different and have twisted, it’s a redundant pace of politics, battle, politics, battle.

The book isn’t as good as The Calling, and the characters aren’t as good, but it’s enough to keep you reading, and fans of the game will definitely love both of these books.

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Author: Karen Traviss

Release Date: 10/28/2008-7/28/2009

Pages: Various

Recommended Audience: Young Adult

Video game novels are something of a hobby of mine because they let you delve deeper into characters’ minds and are more detailed, story-wise, than any game could be. This goes for a lot of game franchises as well as movie-based books. You just can’t get any more detailed than written words. This is also true for the gritty war that has torn Gears of War. The books capture the personalities of the characters perfectly, so they feel like they’re straight from the game.

The first book, Aspho Fields, has two plot points: The Pendulum Wars before E-Day and just after the first game. The main focus is on Marcus and Dom growing up together as kids and going to school together, as well as following Dom’s family. The Pendulum Wars describes the Delta squad and the COG before the Locust were even a threat. The Pendulum Wars were an indie group of scientists who were creating the Hammer of Dawn, and the COG wanted it. Aspho Fields is a particular battle where Marcus and Dom must choose life or death for friends. There are a few new characters introduced, and one main character is known as Bernie Mataki. I have a feeling she was meant to be in the game but never made it.

Jacinto’s Remnant has two plot points as well, but the secondary is fairly weak and just filler. Remnant also has less action than the first book but has a more interesting plot. The book follows right after the sinking of Jacinto and the COG trying to gather up the last of humanity on a remote island away from the mainland. They have to deal with Stranded, as well as a group of rebels who just don’t want to cooperate with COG laws. The secondary plot is a bit of filler during the Hammer of Dawn strike that wiped out 90% of Sera in a desperate attempt to destroy the Locust even before the Light Mass Bombing.

The first book has more background on the Delta Squad, and the second book has more foresight on what happened after Jacinto. Each book serves its purpose, but Remnant doesn’t really have much action in it at all. It’s not boring, but if you want nonstop action, then Aspho Fields is your deal. In fact, you hardly hear about locusts after about 25% through Jacinto’s Remnant. The book gives fans of the game some insight into the characters as well as some background on all the little things in Gears that the game never explained or talked about.

Overall, the Gears of War duo-logy is great for fans only. For everyone waiting for Gears of War 3, these books should tide you over for over 600 pages of greatness. The books could have been better, but you can’t really complain about a series that doesn’t have much back story besides nonstop, in-your-face interactive action.