A review by fandom4ever
Asunder by David Gaider

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Dragon Age: Asunder is the third novel written by David Gaider and takes place in 9:40 Dragon, nine years after Origins and three after DAII. There is a heightened focus here on the increasing tension between templars and mages, with much callback to the events in Kirkwall. We don’t get specific details as to what side Hawke took in the conflict because Gaider didn’t want to take away the choices players made in the game which was fine by me. 

The story takes place in Orlais, which was nice to see more of, especially with getting to spend some time in Val Royeaux’s White Spire, the tower used to house the mages. There was even a brief look at Tevinter! We have brand-new characters but we also get to see what a couple companions from Origins have been up to. Among other things, the story deals in more detail with the possibility of a tranquil becoming lucid and connected to the Fade once more, which, of course, first appeared in DAII with Anders’s friend. 

Dragon Age: Asunder ends with the true start of the Mage/Templar war. I really wish there could have been another book showing the war in greater detail or that DAII could have had its expansion, rather than the glazing over it all receives in the beginning of Inquisition. Alas, it was not to be. This book is an enjoyable read for any Dragon Age fan. I don’t think it was intended to be so at the time but this becomes a must-read to fully understand a character in Dragon Age Inquisiton. 

With this reading, I listened to the audiobook. The audiobook narrator is different from the first two books and I am not a fan of him. He’s kind of robotic, not really showing any feeling as he’s reading. And his characters nearly all sound the same. Sometimes you have to really pay attention to know who is speaking.