The Stolen Throne and
The Calling arrived on my doorstep only yesterday… and I have already devoured them. I think that attests to the fact that I found them to be exceptionally entertaining. Sure, they were "light reading" -- but they were incredibly moving in places, too, and there were more than a few moments in which I got a shiver down my spine or a small lump in my throat. So, I offer congratulations to Mr. Gaider, and would like to say a big “thank you” for the ride, t’was awesome.
I know I'm really late to the party when it comes to TST, but speaking of shivers down the spine, the scene where Maric knights Gareth was, quite simply, pitch perfect and I’ve got to say that – having played the game to death and fallen head-over-heels-ass-backwards in love with its world and characters – it was an absolute
joy to see that
Alistair is, indeed, his father’s son. More than he ever suspected, in fact, and one suddenly sees why Eamon is so confident that Alistair can lead Ferelden. Hell, Maric may even have been the sillier of the two: his dance around the campfire was
hilarious… and it was heartbreaking to see the way in which he was ‘hardened’. Katriel wasn’t a character I was especially fond of, really – mainly because I thought Rowan was awesome (I wish she could have stuck around for longer) – yet her death, and her Fade scenes in
The Calling were… yeah, throat lumpy.
Sure, it sometimes seemed a bit convenient how Maric would just time and again stumble into good fortune, allies and magic blades (without even forking out for DLC, too, the fiend!) but the self-awareness of this fact made it amusing rather than annoying. Though, considering the sorts of things he’s been through, it’s something of a two-edged sword anyway. As “lucky” as he is, he loses an awful lot. I think my only real "gripe" with TST is that it felt like a story that might have been served better with two books, as opposed to one -- but that's only a minor quibble, really.
I was somewhat surprised when I had heard Duncan was in
The Calling (even more surprised when I finally cottoned on that he was the feral looking guy on the cover) but,
unsurprisingly, he was a great character to follow (pity Riordan wasn’t with him, in some ways). His poor tolerance for the cold suddenly makes his running off to the fire as soon as you reach Ostagar very funny. Similarly, his “seduction” of the mage was priceless, as was his borderline kleptomania and I’m almost surprised he could have mellowed as much as he does in a “mere” seventeen years (and when did he ever use a shield, anyway?). Actually, that’s a thought: I was incredibly shocked to find out how young he is. Considering Alistair mentions that Duncan felt he was close to the Calling as of 9:30 Dragon, to learn that he’d only been a Grey Warden since 9:12/13 Dragon was a bit baffling, to say the least. I had thought that this was going to tie into the quickening corruption that the Wardens were feeling in the Deep Roads, but then it turned out that Duncan hadn’t been affected by the broach at all. (Or had he?) Duncan’s family background seems a little muddied, too. Since both Alistair and
The Calling mention Highever, however, are we to assume that the information in the codex regarding his father hailing from Tevinter and his mother from the Anderfels is mistaken? Or is there some way it all works?
Indeed, as much as I enjoyed the books, there were moments (as a big continuity freak) where I started to get a little confused. For example, what is the relationship between Arls Rendon Howe and Byron of Amaranthine? Byron, one assumes, is a Howe – yet he is also said to be a “young” Arl who sent his wife and children off to the North upon defecting to Maric’s army. Is Rendon a cousin or brother of Byron’s? As a veteran of Maric's rebels himself, he's certainly too old to have been the son of a man who was a “young Arl” in 8:97-99 Blessed. If so, what happened to Byron’s children? Did Rendon think he “deserved more” than being their regent, by any chance? (Has this ever been explained? Anyone know?)
As for the issue of Fiona’s child, I’m hard pressed to see how he could be anyone other than Alistair. Had Alistair already been born at this point (as his ‘codex backstory’ would have us believe) one would have expected Maric to have at least thought about him once or twice. Especially when presented with another son. Now, I haven’t the slightest problem with Alistair being a half-elf (ancestrally), nor with a cover-up surrounding that heritage, but, I don’t know, the idea that he’s only sixteen or seventeen in
Dragon Age: Origins is really hard for me to swallow. I suppose it could just be the case that Fereldens mature quickly (or we're supposed to accept that he's a "TV teen"). Or maybe, given his mixed heritage, he’s like a Liger! Larger than his parents and renowned for his skills in (dispelling) magic!
Anyway, I will put my fussing aside and finish off by saying again that I had a lot of fun with these books. Though, considering how enamored I am with the game, I'm not surprised.
Edit: Formatting issues
Modifié par Ulicus, 08 décembre 2009 - 11:56 .
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