Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

By: David Gaider

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

After his mother, the beloved Rebel Queen, is betrayed and murdered by her own faithless lords, young Maric becomes the leader of a rebel army attempting to free his nation from the control of a foreign tyrant. His countrymen live in fear; his commanders consider him untested; and his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.

Surrounded by spies and traitors, Maric must find a way to not only survive but achieve his ultimate destiny: Ferelden’s freedom and the return of his line to the stolen throne.

©2009 Electronic Arts, Inc. (P)2010 Tantor

The background information is worth a listen!

Having played Dragon Age: Origins before listening to the audiobook I was looking for information not contained with the game. The audiobook supplied that information and more. Whilst listening to the audiobook I would get flashes of gameplay which the audiobook referenced especially the trek within the Deep Roads.

A great book and I'm looking forward to the second audiobook.

A few issues, but it's worth it

This is a great story! There are some bits where the writing could have been better, but it's certainly nowhere near bad. He fell into a few very common traps like constantly mentioning Loghain's icy blue eyes, but it was still generally well-written, in my opinion. There were also parts of the romance subplot that felt... odd and poorly timed? But overall, I loved it.

It was really interesting to see the backstory, both of the characters and the war for Ferelden. Seeing the Orlesian king's rule over the country? *low whistle* It was nice to gain a new appreciation for Loghain and to get a good look Maric and Rowan, who we hear precious little about in the games.

I feel that I could still have an appreciation of the book without having played the games, however. I obviously can't know this for certain, but the book was enjoyable and did not expect you to know details about the lore. It could stand on its own (which makes sense since it was released first) and is a nice introduction to the series. I wish I'd had the chance to read it before playing the games.

----Narration----
A fan of the games will find a few things to make them twitch in the narration but nothing that seems particularly wrong to someone who's reading these words without prior knowledge. Lothering, Dalish, and thaig are all said incorrectly but in ways that are logical enough that only my obsession with the game made me twitch. Also, a particular character's voice is comically incorrectly portrayed but only to people who have heard the game's voice actor. To a random reader, it makes perfect sense to express the voice that way. These books were released before the game came out anyway, so I don't know when they were recorded. Either way, it is nitpicking and nothing more.

Overall, though my initial impression of the narration was judgmental (not of the pronunciation - it just seemed boring at first), I quickly came to love it (especially after bumping up the speed). I liked the way the characters were differentiated and the pacing of tension and battles. Very well preformed, I think, without becoming distracting. (My typical reading speed was usually either 1.3 or ~1.6-1.8, depending on the level of action)

Great book and narrator

The Dragon Age world is one of my favorite fantasy worlds. this is a must listen for anyone who feels the same.

Great for those who want to know more about Thedas

I am really into the dragon age games, and this story does shed some light on Lohgain's past. One annoying thing, Stephen Hoye does not pronounce some of the names locations and other items the same way they do in the games. Overall I would recommend this story to anyone who likes the games.

definitely solid

4 stars all around. honor, duty, revenge, love, deceit, adventure, fortune, friendship, growth, tyrant, freedom, the lost goes on. a fantastic prequel to the story of dragon age origins, and highly recommended you give this a read.

Great book

Loved it, kept me in suspense. Narrator was very good at portraying the different characters. Can't wait to hear the next book.

Good Fantasy

What did you love best about Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne?

I loved the plot. I have read a lot of fantasy and they all start melding together but I think I will remember this one for its unique plot.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne?

Since I???m female I usually identify with the female characters of a story. It was natural for me to identify with both of the important women in prince Maric???s life. When he realized the extent of the betrayal of the one that landed him in the arms of the other I found myself understanding both women???s actions. It was an odd moment in the story where I think most would take issue with the plot twist, but I thought it totally believable.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator has not been my favorite but he did a good job. My only complaint is not his fault. He had to read the words given him. I found the editing lacking in the book. This author used the word ???decimated??? many times to describe total destruction of an area by an army. A good Editor should have caught this and fixed it.

Any additional comments?

Good fantasy puts you in an alternate world that has familiar elements that are twisted for that world???s genre. Many fantasy writers use obscure terms to describe their ???otherworld??? situations. This author did a good job of this but there were a few places where I felt he could have done better.

Exceptional!

This is a must listen to anyone who enjoys fantasy at all! It was sobering, inspiring, tear jerking, yet not gratuitous. Excellent writing and performance.

A worthy listen, but flawed

I enjoyed my time listening to it and would recommend you do the same if you are interested in the dragon age lore, but the book has some problems like a rushed ending and a frequent use of the Deus ex machina trope.

Loghain being the hero I never knew

I was excited for the book ad I played the game and finding out Loghain was not only involved but a main character in it made me feel like a redemption arc was at hand. now I gotta play the game again to see how he aligned with the character