The Complete Story
If you have ever played the epic fantasy role-playing games called Dragon Age, then you know a bit of the story. Those games are extremely popular among gamers and the books in this series will show you the complete story of the characters and events that take place in that universe.
This is our best Dragon Age books review and you should definitely check out our descriptions about the books if you are interested and want to learn more about these stories from the books themselves.
Best Dragon Age Books
The Stolen Throne by David Gaider
Maric
Maric
This is the story about Maric, where you get to meet the young man who becomes a leader of a rebel army too early in life but he was left no other choice as his beloved mother, the Rebel Queen, was brutally betrayed and murdered by the treacherous lords that once served her.
Great Responsibility
Now Maric holds a great responsibility, to free his people from a foreign tyrant that has brought nothing to them but misery and suffering. You will understand that Maric’s goal will be especially difficult because no one actually believed in him as he was too young and inexperienced for a task such as this.
None of his commanders believed that he knew what he was doing and the only people that were on his side were Loghain, another young fellow who once saved his life, and Rowan, the gorgeous female warrior who was promised to be his since birth.
Thrilling Story
This is definitely some start to a series as this action-packed thrilling story will definitely be the one to get you addicted to the rest of the books. In the story that follows, you will discover what it’s like to be in Maric’s shoes as he must always keep his guard up thanks to the fact that he is surrounded by traitors and spies everywhere.
He has only less than a handful of people he can trust and his mission to restore freedom in Ferelden and bring back his bloodline to the throne is definitely no easy task, certainly not in the circumstances he is under.
The Calling by David Gaider
Journey Continues
Journey ContinuesThe story continues in the second book of the series, The Calling, as you follow the happenings after where the first book left off. Maric is King now and his journey and mission are yet to be fully completed but there is a bit of progress since the last book.
The story in this one starts out as you find out that after two hundred years of being cast out from the land of Ferelden, King Maric has made a decision that was not expected by anyone as he has granted access for the Grey Wardens to finally be able to step foot into his homeland.
Bad News
As soon as they step foot in Ferelden, the only news that they bring is bad news but it was probably for the best as this news has prepared them for what to expect. The Grey Wardens deliver a message that informs King Maric that one of their own has betrayed them and that he has aligned himself with their mortal enemy, the terrible and monstrous darkspawn. They desperately ask for King Maric’s help as this new alliance could prove very bad for all of them, not just the Grey Wardens.
Secret Passage
King Maric, being the kind heart that he is, agrees to help them as he knows a secret passage that he had traveled through a few years ago in his quest to uncover a deadly secret that could have helped him destroy the Grey Wardens and the Kingdom Above.
This is where we leave you hanging in our review about the second book as if we reveal any further information it would be too much of a spoiler and ruin the whole excitement of uncovering the thrilling adventure that awaits ahead.
Asunder by David Gaider
Mystical Killer
Another one of these important characters is Rhys, the son of Wynne and a character who would do anything do prove his innocence as he has been blamed for something wretched that he ultimately did not commit.
Orlesian Empire
The main story in this book takes place in the Orlesian Empire and most of the action happens in the region’s capital, Val Royeaux. It all starts as you start meeting many of the characters who are introduced in this book. All of them come one by one as a mysterious murder has occurred and they are investigating what actually happened there.
The story involves a lot of politics as soon as you get to meet the guest of honor in the Empire, Justinia V, Divine of the Chantry. The personal bodyguard of Justinia is a Knight-Captain of the Templars, Ser Evangeline.
Interesting Characters
The most interesting scenes in the book happen when three characters are present, this trio consists of Rhys, Ser Evangeline, and Adrian, another mage like Rhys. Rhys and Adrian are long-time best friends and they know a thing or two more about the murders that keep happening.
Things get super messy in this book as no one knows who is to blame for the murders and chaos starts to overcome everything. The ending of this story is particularly interesting as the twists and unexpected scenarios are definitely going to surprise you and catch you off guard.
The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes
Empress Celene of Orlais
Empress Celene of OrlaisDragon Age book four is here introducing you to yet another interesting character from this vast series. Empress Celene of Orlais is the character that starts off this interesting story.
You will read her tale of how she rises to the throne of the most powerful nation in Thedas and she does all of that through wisdom and ruthless manipulation, she is an intelligent woman and you will see just how she uses all of that intelligence later on.
War With the Mages
You find out in our article just what a leader like Celene will have to face during a time of war with the mages. She has different diplomatic approaches than many others and Grand Duke Gaspard, a character who has won countless battles for the Orlesian Empire, is beginning to doubt her methods as the results are looking like they were all in vain.
This Circle is beginning to fail and chaos has reached all throughout the empire, Celene is finally looking like she needs a replacement as she was clearly not prepared for times such as these.
Briala
This is the part of the book where you get to meet a character called Briala, a close friend, lover, spymaster, and many more things to Celene who has always been loyal to her, but a time has come where her true loyalties will finally be tested as crucial times have overtaken everyone’s lives.
Later come more thrilling events where you read about Celene and Gaspard battling each other for the throne and the elves who were hiding in the forests will finally decide the fate of this empire.
Last Flight by Liane Merciel
Heroes Again
Heroes AgainAs you start reading this fifth book of the best Dragon Age books, you will notice quite the changed world this tame as the Grey Wardens who were once considered evil and treacherous are now considered as heroes once again.
Also, another good thing that everyone is glad to hear is that the evil known as Archdemon has finally been defeated and times of peace are upon many, the fact that the terrible darkspawn are retreating underground is also more great news that everyone is glad to hear.
Valya
This news is something new and good for a change as everyone is looking forward to the world being like this, but things will not stay that way for long as unfortunate events will soon bring more bad news.
Another character gets added to the series, her name is Valya and chances are high that you will love reading about her as she has quite a few surprises in store for everyone. She is a young elven mage who has just been accepted by and recruited to the Grey Wardens.
Blights
Her first and relatively important task will be to study the historical records of previous Blights, times of great loss and tragedy, war, and devastation like the one that just ended so that she can gather the valuable insight of any patterns she notices about the darkspawn and their plans.
She quickly finds something odd and definitely interesting while researching the Fourth Blight, she finds an encoded reference tucked in the margins of an ancient map, another thing that lies there is information to the secret diary of Issenya.
Hidden Secrets
These things that she uncovers lead her to find some definitely hidden secrets and to realize that she doesn’t know as much as she thinks about the now heroic Grey Wardens. This book is definitely one of great mystery in which the suspense will get to you.
Hard in Hightown by Varric Tethras
Side Story
Side StoryNext in our pick of the best Dragon Age books comes another book of great mystery that will show you a story that might give you chills thanks to the things that you get to discover inside.
The story in this book presents a sort of side story from the main one and the book is actually a short one with less than a hundred pages but a very interesting story still lies within.
Thrilling Investigation
This short adventure will present a very interesting fantasy tale about a crime, a murder, and quite the thrilling investigation that follows, you also get to meet a few new characters who you will be wanting to read more about again as this short story might not be enough for you to get to know them very well, but still, it’s definitely a great and exciting experience that is a part of the Dragon Age series and world.
The story follows and starts with the introduction of a city guardsman named Donnen. After him, you get to meet a young new recruit called Jevlan as these two begin their investigation on a murder that happened to a magistrate.
Short Book
If you like crime stories and fantasy stories, this book joins the two to create the perfect cop/drama story that involves characters and important details from the beloved Dragon Age world, it’s definitely quite the pleasant bonus for true Dragon Age books fans.
Just don’t forget, be sure not to expect a truly mind-blowing plot in this one like the other major books of the series as we mentioned that this is only a less than one hundred page book, 72 to be precise, and the story in here is just a great way to get something more from the best Dragon Age books for the fans who definitely want more. Take this as a cool bonus from the authors and enjoy the thrilling short story inside.
Tevinter Nights by Patrick Weekes
Collection of Stories
Collection of StoriesDragon Age: Tevinter Nights is another side story from the same universe that is here to bring you a bit more fun with an unrelated story to the main plot but still extremely exciting.
It’s much more like the story in Hard in Hightown, the only difference here is that this book is a lot longer but it’s a collection of a few short stories that hold some pretty exciting adventure tales and more awesome characters.
All Around the World
There are a lot of fun stories here that explore different characters and places that only add to the excitement of the whole series. It’s not just Tevinter that gets discussed in these short stories, there are also adventures in the nearby lands such as Nevarra and Rivaini.
There are also new places that have rarely shown up anywhere in the previous stories, one of these regions that comes to mind is the mystical Arlathan Forest.
Not Required
These side stories that appear from time to time in the Dragon Age universe are always an exciting way to keep entertained as they accomplish an important goal which is to get you excited and to keep you busy until the next major release finally arrives.
Although you can actually be perfectly fine leaving them out of your reading list, it’s best that you read through them as you might discover a few new things that are super interesting about the whole Dragon Age world.
Different Authors
The short stories that you will be reading inside range from a variety of different authors such as Patrick Weekes himself, John Epler, Courtney Woods, Ryan Cormier, Arone Le Bray, Brianne Battye, Lukas Kristjanson, Caitlin Sullivan Kelly, and Sylvia Feketekuty.
The World of Thedas Volume 1 by David Gaider
Amazingly Detailed
Amazingly DetailedThis book is one of the shorter ones from the series, standing at just below 200 pages, but what’s so cool about this book is the style and layout that it was written and organized in.
As the book opens, you get to see a huge and beautifully illustrated map of Thedas and under it, there is a list of national and organization heraldries and shot descriptions under accompanying all of them.
Separate Sections
After that, the book is divided into separate and neatly organized sections about different topics and places discussed. The order of these major sections is the following: General overview of Thedas, Races, Nations, Magic, Religion, Fade, Blights, and Bestiary.
This is the book that is going to teach you so many facts about the Dragon Age universe, about the complete geography and history mentioned throughout all the series as these important details are definitely helpful in understanding a lot of things related to the main plot in the series.
Gorgeous Illustrations
Definitely don’t skip this book as you might feel like going without the hidden secrets and valuable information placed inside, but you are better off reading it as it isn’t that long and it’s super fun on top of everything.
There are gorgeous and simple illustrations that help you understand everything better and you also get to find out a few secrets and details that you have probably missed along the way. The book is next to the two last books in the series of Dragon Age so you are definitely going to feel that nostalgia when it’s all over, so be sure to use all the content there is until this fascinating story finally ends.
The World of Thedas Volume 2 by Ben Gelinas
Valuable Information
Valuable InformationMuch like the previous best Dragon Age books, this next to last book is written in a similar writing style where you find out a bunch more valuable information about the overall Dragon Age universe.
In the previous book, you read about some of the most fascinating and most important places that have ever been discussed in Dragon Age and in this one, you get to read about the in-depth discussion about the most important characters in this story as well as some very crucial to the plot events that never get too boring to re-read.
Major Sections
Also like volume 1, this book is divided into a bunch of major sections and they are in the following order: Legends of Thedas, The New Cumberland Chant of Light, The Hero of Ferelden, Andraste’s Bookshelf, The Champion of Kirkwall, The Seer’s Yarn – Children’s Tales, The Inquisitor, The Whole Nug – recipes, and Bestiary.
You get to revisit some of the best and most important stories from the best Dragon Age books and read what the authors believe were the most important parts of those stories from their point of view.
Extensive Background
The extensive background information on a few of the most memorable characters from inside is also a pretty cool feature from this book as it’s just one big source of information that is made to give you the most important highlights of the series regarding characters and certain events.
The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition by BioWare
Unique Style
What this book has to offer is hundreds of artworks from this fascinating game that is adored by millions of players, the illustrations inside are pieces of art that have never before been published anywhere so you would be seeing them for the very first time.
Memorable Captions
However, this is not the only graphic book published by Bioware creators! Take a look at our article about the Mass Effect books to learn more!
Also included are unique and memorable captions from the developers of the game themselves as you get to see how these people think and what it took to create such an addicting game. You get to see stories about inspiration, about what, and how one needs to think in order to be able to come up with this unique and interesting concept and so much more.
Interesting Experience
The book is definitely created for the best of the Dragon Age fans and enthusiasts as the contents inside are truly worth checking out if you really adore this game and the books themselves too.
Hopefully, this review has given you some valuable insight into the best Dragon Age books and the amazing stories you have to read. If you are someone who also enjoyed the game, then the stories in here will make that experience a whole lot more interesting for you.
Robert Hazley
Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)
