Some years after the rebellion, King Maric is ruling Ferelden when a band of Grey Wardens arrives from Orlais. Their commander, Genevieve, needs a guide into the Deep Roads to find her missing brother, and Maric decides to go himself. With him go a young Duncan, an elven mage named Fiona and a handful of other Wardens, all heading into darkspawn territory where few people come back.
What this adds if you've played the games
This is the best book on the Grey Wardens. You see Duncan years before he recruits anyone, learn what the Joining and the Calling really mean, and go deeper into the Deep Roads than Origins ever takes you. One of the darkspawn you meet here matters a lot in Awakening. It's the sequel to The Stolen Throne, so read that first. The long stretch underground is slow, but it builds to the most memorable ending of the early novels.
Where it fits
- Read afterDragon Age: The Stolen Throne
Picks up Maric's story some years after The Stolen Throne and makes clear how that rebellion turned out. Read The Stolen Throne first.
- Read beforeDragon Age: Origins
Set years before Origins, with Duncan still a young Warden. Neither gives the other away, so it works on either side of the game.
- Ties intoDragon Age: Origins - Awakening
A darkspawn from the novel plays a major part in Awakening, and the expansion gives away how the book leaves things. Read the novel before Awakening.
Editions
Tor Books paperback
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