Rhys, a mage of the White Spire in Val Royeaux, falls under suspicion when templars start turning up dead. The only one who seems to know anything is Cole, a strange young man nobody else notices. Soon Rhys is sent into the Western Approach with the templar Evangeline, the veteran mage Wynne and others to find a missing mage, while the Circles of Magi edge toward open rebellion.
What this adds if you've played the games
If you read one Dragon Age novel, make it this one. It shows how the mage-templar war that Inquisition opens on actually started, and it's where Cole comes from, so his first scenes in the game make far more sense. Wynne from Origins plays a big part, and you see the Divine and the Lord Seeker before Inquisition's opening. David Gaider wrote it between Dragon Age II and Inquisition, and it's his strongest book. Read it after Dragon Age II.
Where it fits
- Ties intoDragon Age II
Takes place a few years after Dragon Age II, in a Thedas still reeling from the game's ending. Read it after finishing the game.
- Read beforeDragon Age: Inquisition
Ends right where Inquisition's mage-templar war begins, and the game's opening shows how the novel turns out. Read Asunder first.
- Ties intoDragon Age: The Masked Empire
Set just after Asunder, with the mage rebellion that novel builds toward already underway. Read Asunder first.
- Ties intoDragon Age: Last Flight
Valya joins the Wardens after the Circles rebel, which is where Asunder ends up. Read Asunder first.
Editions
Tor Books paperback
No store links for this edition yet. Search for the title at your usual store.