I normally stay clear of tie-in books, but it seems that 'Asunder' is getting referenced as a useful prologue for some of the action in DAI.
If you have read them, how helpful or necessary do you think it is to take in these (three?) novels.
It's a long summer ahead after all...
They will definitely help. Probably won't be necessary, but will definitely help.
Asunder sets up the Mage-Templar War as well as introduces our companion Cole.
The Masked Empire sets up the Orlais Civil War.
I read Asunder. It's the only Dragon Age book that I've managed to read all the way through to completion. I would say that having read that book, I have a much deeper understanding of Cole, of who he is, what his background story is, and how his mind works. I also have a better understanding of Tranquility, the war between the mages and the templars, and Wynne's history.
You'll surely get a good enough overview from ingame conversation and codex entries but if you really want to explore what happened and learn all the little tidbits then yes the books are required. Asunder and The Masked Empire at the very least should be read and are the two best of the four.
There's 4 novels.... And the calling and the stolen throne are not at all necessary, but they do provide some awesome addition to the world, mainly the characters. Asunder... helps with how the Templar/mage war progresses from Anders's action in kickwall to when its full on war. It also gives a really good look at Cole and what hes like before inquisition...
I don't think they're super necessary in any way, if anything it felt like Asunder, and Masked Empire where more just bonus nuggets that don't seem like they're going to be main focal points. They're wonderful reads though, it has the added bonus of being actually written by the writers of the games which is saying way more compared to other tie in books that are written by random people who didn't actually work on said game.
They said that they have the games done in a way you don't have to have read the books to know what's going on, it'll be explained in game. So there's no stress as a must read compared to other games that practically demand you have read the books sometimes to get the inbetweens, or are just junky butts pushed out for dollars.
Ah I should say I have read all of them, though I couldn't get through the Calling all the way and I didn't find the Stolen Throne to be as successful as Asunder or Masked Empire (Asunder being my top pick of oh goodness what a good read. Masked had some small issues that I didn't agree with but still very well done)
It's not really necessary. I've read all 4 books and while all of them are worth reading The Stolen Throne & The Calling are prequel for DA:O. Like other people say Asunder and TME introduce some characters (including Cole) that possibly will appear on DA:I but I wouldn't say it is absolutely necessary to read them.
It depends on your definition of "necessary." I'm sure the game will fill in what you absolutely need to know without having read the books. But Asunder and The Masked Empire both provide a lot of background on the present state of the world at the start of DAI. They were the first tie-in novels I've ever read, and I enjoyed them both.
Not necessary, but highly supplemental. The two newest books take place at about the same time, but cover two separate conflicts that are both going to play large roles in DAI. Knowing whats going on in the world (and how some of the major characters think) will give you stronger footing then if you jump in blind, but I'm sure if you do go in blind then the gist of it all will be pretty clear pretty quickly and you'll just be lacking finer details. I guess recommending it depends on how much you care about the lore. If you are a player who reads all the codex entries and does every side quest because maximum story mode, then yeah definitely read the books (at least Asunder and Empire, the earlier two supplement Origins mainly). If you just plow through the main game, go ahead and skip the books.
Or just read them because they are good, entertaining books regardless of their lore value.
Like others have said, only Asunder and The Masked Empire are likely to be significantly relevant to DAI, but if you really like the setting/characters I would definitely recommend reading all four. The Stolen Throne completely changed my opinion of Loghain, for example, and The Calling gives a great deal of insight into the Grey Wardens and darkspawn, as well as specific characters such as Duncan and the Architect.
Just as it was not necessary to read the Stolen Throne/The Calling to understand Origins, I'd say it's a safe bet you'll do fine in Inquisition if you choose not to read the books, but you get so much interesting background information and it's such a good build up to what we'll be facing in-game that if you can and are willing, you'd be nuts not to give them a try.
Asunder's a good book, but it didn't tell me anything about the mage-templar conflict I didn't infer from the end of DA2. It does introduce Cole who is an Inquisition companion, but the Cole interview on the Inquistion website says that Cole's arc in DA:I is different from what he went through in Asunder, so the novel probably doesn't tell you anything you can't pick up just from playing DA:I.
Masked Empire is another good book and sets up what I expect will be one, or possibly two, of the main conflicts in DA:I; first, the war for the throne of Orlais, and secondly, the fate of the elves of Orlais and/or the Dalish.
DA:O was fine without the books, don't see why DAI would be any different.
The writers know that only a tiny fragment of their audience will have read them.
The Stolen Throne and The Calling give you some background info before origins and delves a little bit deeper into Loghain's and Marric's story (in the stolen throne) and Duncan's story (in The Calling).
Asunder is the 1st of 3 books that will tie into inquisition, starting during or right after the events in act 3 of da2. Gives good insight to the mage vs templar war, and how it truly got started. Also a little about our live in scarecrow Cole. 1st to bring up the civil war in Orlais, which was not mentioned in da2 (and it was war with ferelden that was brought up with allistair if he was king in da2, not the civil war)
The Masked Empire is the 2nd of 3 books that will tie into inquisition, right at the same time Asunder occurs. Gives insight on how the civil war in orlais started and hints to possible factions we may need to recruit in inquisition.
Last Flight is supposedly the 3rd of 3 books tying into inquisition, presumably at the same time as the other 2. We know its about a young female warden researching the history of the blights and she discovers a horrible truth about the wardens. It is also assumed that there will be a lot of flashbacks in this book as she is reading the notes of another time period. I believe this will give us insight as to what the wardens are currently up to, as was hinted by many of the writers in interviews. Last Flight doesnt hit shelves till August.
You dont have to read the books, the games do a good enough job of not leaving you out of the loop (unlike the witcher series). I highly recommend the books though, as they give a lot more in depth analysis to some characters we see whom we might not get to know as well in the games
Not necessary, but they does provide some nice additional background and possibly introduces characters that we may meet. Not just Cole, but I think it is a pretty safe bet to say that several of the mages from Asunder and elves/nobility from TME will show up in game.
well the main books you want to read are asunder (mage templar war, plus learn about cole) and the masked empire(empress VS the duke/civil war). imo its good to read them all, you never know whats going to help plus being able to make an informed decision is great! I am waiting on "last flight" that comes out in august! after that then I would have read all the books so far! All of the books are pretty interesting!
I appreciate the kind and helpful feedback.
I've picked up an electronic copy of Asunder.
I normally stay clear of tie-in books, but it seems that 'Asunder' is getting referenced as a useful prologue for some of the action in DAI.
If you have read them, how helpful or necessary do you think it is to take in these (three?) novels.
It's a long summer ahead after all...
Modifié par godModeAlpha, 26 juin 2014 - 11:29 .
Guest_Caladin_*
I'm no a fan of them tbh, just find them boring if im truthfull an cause of that never been able to finish any
DA:O was fine without the books, don't see why DAI would be any different.
The writers know that only a tiny fragment of their audience will have read them.
I think so too, only started reading the books after playing both DA games.
But good time to catch up while we wait ...
The Masked Empire is the best book imo. Asunder isn't too bad, Stolen Throne and The Calling... only get them if you really really want to.
Hmm maybe the books should go on my todo list ..after the 16 remaining books in the Horus Heresy series 
For folks hemming and hawing about the books --- they are absolutely 100% not needed. They don't detract from the DA universe at all, and not having read them does not put you at a disadvantage. And that's from someone who's read them all.
Having said that, they are absolutely 100% worth reading if you like reading and have the time. The first two can be a little difficult to get through, but more so because they're a bit wordy at the beginning and feel a bit rushed towards the end...
But, if you're curious to know more about Lohgain and why he was so hyper focused on the Orlesians, go read Stolen Throne. If you're curious to know more about Duncan then is shown in game, or want to know more about who the Architect is, check out The Calling. Wonder what The Chantry is up to after Hawke and Anders explode everything? Asunder is a good read - and bonus you get to meet Cole. Curious about who Empress Celene is and what is going on in the corner of the world we're going to be starting from this go around? The Masked Empire is what you're looking for. It's also a fantastic book to pick up if you're hyper interested in what's going on with the Elves in that region.
Even the comics are fun. Though if you've got a lot of headcannon for Isabela, Alistair, and Varric then maybe avoid these. If you don't mind seeing Alistair as king, and perhaps aren't bothered by the idea that it may conflict with your personal cannon (Bioware maintains that their default is just for story telling purposes and not to override the players unique choices) then check those out too 
For folks hemming and hawing about the books --- they are absolutely 100% not needed. They don't detract from the DA universe at all, and not having read them does not put you at a disadvantage. And that's from someone who's read them all.
Nobody said it is a disadvantage if you did not read them, but you might get a few more "I see what you did there" moments out of the game that way.
For example, Captain America: Winter Soldier line about "Stark designing the new Helicarrier engines after having a close look at the old ones" is really hilarious if you have seen Avengers. If not, you just fail to understand it. I remember the whole theatre just staring at us Marvelites there laughing like crazy
I think you'll be fine without the books, but nonetheless I would recommend reading the last two, and especially Asunder. It has a pretty big thingy resolved in it from Origins, and you might be disappointed for leaving it out.
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