Dragon Age: Asunder

Dragon Age, Book 3

By: David Gaider

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

A mystical killer stalks the halls of the White Spire, the heart of templar power in the mighty Orlesian Empire. To prove his innocence, Rhys reluctantly embarks on a journey into the western wastelands that will not only reveal much more than he bargained for but change the fate of his fellow mages forever.

©2011 Electronic Arts, Inc. (P)2016 Tantor

A Story of Dehumanization

I came into the Dragon Age series with DA2, and was generally lost as to what was going on. I then played Inquisition, and was blown away by the quality of it's story, gameplay, soundtrack, and graphics. There was, however, one character who I easily found the most compelling, and that was Cole. Having read online that Asunder was the novel which canonically introduced Cole, I began listening to it on my morning walks to work. Suddenly, all of the ethical controversies and dilemmas discussed in DA2 were put into context. And I was horrified. I was horrified by the sanctioned, systemic cruelty depicted in the story against those born with magic, and particularly vulnerable to demonic predators. I was more horrified by the neutral position on this cruelty from the story's supposed heroes, and their condemnation of any characters willing to actively oppose that cruelty. The fascinating thing about this premise is that it engages readers and players with a wide span of real world views. Interpretations of the symbolism vary, and reactions are intensely polarized. Those who read the story through to its end will know that Cole was the most obviously dehumanized character, but he was far from alone.

Excellent Story about the struggles Mages face

What made the experience of listening to Dragon Age: Asunder the most enjoyable?

The experience is where this story fits in with the rest of the Dragon Age series (game/book). This is the first chance we get to see Orlais and what it has to offer Thedas.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon Age: Asunder?

THE most memorable moment is when Rhys has his squabble with the Lord Seeker in the catacombs and finally realizes that Cole's existence is in fact a Spirit. I wanted so bad for the mystery of Cole to be some new type of magic or item and was excited to finally find out his fate in all of this.

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

It took a while to get used to Gildart Jacksons voice and tones over Stephen Hoye who voiced the first two books. I still couldn't get over the way Gildart pronounces 'mana'. It just comes off strange to me. Other than that I think Gildart did an excellent job distinguishing key characters and played there roles well. Was certainly delightful to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Conclave political battle between the mages was particularly moving. A lot of very difficult decisions were made there and the way it worked it's way out was incredible.

Any additional comments?

Excellent Story. I feel as though they could have elaborated just a little more on the epilogue. it would have been nice to know more about what happens to the Circle after the Conclave.

If you love Cole in Dragon Age Inquisition, you'll love this book!

This book has some of my favorite characters from Origins and Inquisition and the story is fantastic

Dragon Age: Asunder

Where does Dragon Age: Asunder rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to more than 150 audiobooks and this is definitely in the top 5 ever. The reader is pretty good and the story is very intriguing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon Age: Asunder?

I think I enjoyed the most when they went into the Fade to face the demon.

What does Gildart Jackson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think that the reader really gives life to a story, literally giving it a voice and life. The different voices for every character is one of the reason I like audiobooks so much.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Will they reach the freedom they strive for or die in the attempt?

I'm hooked

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and performance. The writer is getting better with each book, and the narrator added pitches and even accents to each character to separate them. 10/10!

Great for any fan

Explains a lot of the goings on in the DAI game. learned the fates and origins of both old friends and some of our newest ones.

great story!

wish it still followed Marrac but still enjoyed the story greatly! excited to start the next one!

different narrator

the change in narrator from previous books in the series was slightly jarring, but this one does a good job with differentiating voices throughout the book.

Great bridge between the games

Great way to bridge the gap between dragon age 2 and dragon age inquisition nice back story to Cole one of the coolest characters in the franchise

Interesting story and a must for Inquisition fans

A great story about oppression and rebellion involving a well rounded cast of deep characters, both original to the novel and from the Dragon Age games. The story takes a bit longer than the previous entries to really get rolling but it is well worth it. Some very thought provoking revelations that gives fans of the game a lot to chew on, and are well expanded upon in the book itself that newcomers can appreciate the depth of the issues brought up. Fans of Inquisition and the previous installments alike will find much to learn and enjoy in this novel. Highly recommended!