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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
shale and cole<3
first reread since it came out
first reread since it came out
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Religious bigotry, Murder
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is going to be an odd thing to say but... I liked the story but I didn't like the writing.
The story, overall, was good but the writing was just so... strange. There were be so many cuts and scene changes that it was confusing at times.
The worse was when the scene changed RIGHT AT A KEY PLOT MOMENT, SKIP THE ACTION OF THAT, AND GO RIGHT TO THE AFTERMATH.
I can understand a character getting knocked out and the scene moves on to them waking up... if there was only one POV we were following. We had multiple POVs though... in fact, a lot of those characters were in the same fight as the character that just got knocked out. Why couldn't we switch to THEIR POV and keep the action going?
And a lot of the scene breaks just seemed to be a ploy to add suspense but it just annoyed me more than anything because it followed the same line as the 'Character Knocked Out' switch. It wasn't needed, it denied us action, and it just wasn't good.
I still liked (most) of the characters though. I guess that's something.
The story, overall, was good but the writing was just so... strange. There were be so many cuts and scene changes that it was confusing at times.
The worse was when the scene changed RIGHT AT A KEY PLOT MOMENT, SKIP THE ACTION OF THAT, AND GO RIGHT TO THE AFTERMATH.
I can understand a character getting knocked out and the scene moves on to them waking up... if there was only one POV we were following. We had multiple POVs though... in fact, a lot of those characters were in the same fight as the character that just got knocked out. Why couldn't we switch to THEIR POV and keep the action going?
And a lot of the scene breaks just seemed to be a ploy to add suspense but it just annoyed me more than anything because it followed the same line as the 'Character Knocked Out' switch. It wasn't needed, it denied us action, and it just wasn't good.
I still liked (most) of the characters though. I guess that's something.
If you're still clinging to the hope that your Warden and Darkspawn will show up in Dragon Age: Inquisition, this book should remove that silly hope. Darkspawn did make a brief appearance (though sadly, no random ogres) and the Hero of Ferelden is mentioned a few times, but otherwise, Asunder firmly establishes the Mage/Templar War as the new focus of this age.
Taking place a year after Anders blew up the Kirkwall Chantry, things are not particularly good for mages. Not that they were good before, but now a lot of the Circles have been put on lockdown by the templars, with some already sacrificed to the Right of Annulment. Asunder takes us deep into the heart of the White Spire, the Orlais Circle, and shows us just how poorly treated the mages are, even without a war to fuel the templars -- insight insight that was conspicuously missing from Dragon Age II.
First, we meet Cole, vaguely known as the Ghost of the Spire. He spends most of his time in the Pit, where mages are brought for punishment. He is also, apparently, a murderer, but since no one else can see him, blame for the murders falls on Enchanter Rhys, a spirit medium and the only one who can see Cole. Along with the murders, there is also the inconvenience of a mage's attempted murder of the Divine, the leader of the Chantry. None of this works in Rhys' favour, so it's fortunate for him that Enchanter Wynne of Blight fame requests his accompaniment on a special mission ordained by the Divine herself. Wynne's friend Pharamond, a Tranquil, has been possessed by a demon - something that isn't supposed to be possible since Tranquils are cut off from their magic. Pharamond's research may also imply that the Rite of Tranquility can be reversed, which the templars are none too happy about. Knight-Commander Evangeline is sent along with Wynne, Rhys and another mage, Adrian, to assess the situation and do whatever is necessary to protect the templar's interests.
While the templars continue to be painted in a very poor light as they were in the game, Evangeline serves as a counter. She believes in her duty and in the templars, but she does not follow the orders of the Lord Seeker blindly and, most importantly, respects mages as human beings. With this in mind, the outcome of events is not particularly difficult to predict.
One of the things I've loved about Gaider's writing is his characters. I've even been able to overlook weak plots just because the characters and their interactions were so well done. Yet despite the presence of three beloved characters from Dragon Age: Origins, the characters in Asunder fell flat. There were some amusing moments with Shale's snark and Wynne revealing what she'd really been doing while I was busy in the Deep Roads, but otherwise, this was a rather dull journey. It provided some interesting information that I assume will appear in the future game. We also get a few hints about what the Orlesian Empress Celene is up to, which I assume will be expanded upon in [b:Dragon Age: The Masked Empire|17701390|Dragon Age The Masked Empire|Patrick Weekes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1364587492s/17701390.jpg|24746543]. But overall, I don't think I would have lost much by just reading the wiki version.
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
Taking place a year after Anders blew up the Kirkwall Chantry, things are not particularly good for mages. Not that they were good before, but now a lot of the Circles have been put on lockdown by the templars, with some already sacrificed to the Right of Annulment. Asunder takes us deep into the heart of the White Spire, the Orlais Circle, and shows us just how poorly treated the mages are, even without a war to fuel the templars -- insight insight that was conspicuously missing from Dragon Age II.
First, we meet Cole, vaguely known as the Ghost of the Spire. He spends most of his time in the Pit, where mages are brought for punishment. He is also, apparently, a murderer, but since no one else can see him, blame for the murders falls on Enchanter Rhys, a spirit medium and the only one who can see Cole. Along with the murders, there is also the inconvenience of a mage's attempted murder of the Divine, the leader of the Chantry. None of this works in Rhys' favour, so it's fortunate for him that Enchanter Wynne of Blight fame requests his accompaniment on a special mission ordained by the Divine herself. Wynne's friend Pharamond, a Tranquil, has been possessed by a demon - something that isn't supposed to be possible since Tranquils are cut off from their magic. Pharamond's research may also imply that the Rite of Tranquility can be reversed, which the templars are none too happy about. Knight-Commander Evangeline is sent along with Wynne, Rhys and another mage, Adrian, to assess the situation and do whatever is necessary to protect the templar's interests.
While the templars continue to be painted in a very poor light as they were in the game, Evangeline serves as a counter. She believes in her duty and in the templars, but she does not follow the orders of the Lord Seeker blindly and, most importantly, respects mages as human beings. With this in mind, the outcome of events is not particularly difficult to predict.
One of the things I've loved about Gaider's writing is his characters. I've even been able to overlook weak plots just because the characters and their interactions were so well done. Yet despite the presence of three beloved characters from Dragon Age: Origins, the characters in Asunder fell flat. There were some amusing moments with Shale's snark and Wynne revealing what she'd really been doing while I was busy in the Deep Roads, but otherwise, this was a rather dull journey. It provided some interesting information that I assume will appear in the future game. We also get a few hints about what the Orlesian Empress Celene is up to, which I assume will be expanded upon in [b:Dragon Age: The Masked Empire|17701390|Dragon Age The Masked Empire|Patrick Weekes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1364587492s/17701390.jpg|24746543]. But overall, I don't think I would have lost much by just reading the wiki version.
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Intriguing plot, great cast of characters, well-written and engaging. Gaider had me laughing and sobbing with "Asunder". It's the perfect set up for Dragon Age Inquisition and brings up a lot of questions while also satisfying enough. This is a must-read in the Dragon Age series. I'd recommend it to readers in general, and especially to Dragon Age fans. The world is easy enough for newcomers to understand without feeling overwhelmed.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes