Intrigues in Orlais – review of the book “Dragon Age: Empire of Masks”

Game of Thrones

Dragon Age: The Empire of Masks takes the reader to the empire of Orlais, located in the south-west of the continent of Thedas, where the power is exercised by Celene I. Although the nation likes the empress, she must be careful. Prince Gaspard wants to take her place, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Fortunately, the ruler can count on the support of her most trusted people – the champion and commander of the bodyguard, Sir Michael de Chevin, and the maidservant, the elf Briala. Both they and the entire court, headed by the empress and prince, hide many secrets that should not see the light of day. And when the heroes plot their own intrigues and play court games, there is a rebellion among the subjects. The marginalized elves decide to fight for their rights. It is a situation that everyone can benefit from, but also lose.

A fantasy unlike any other

Dragon Age: The Empire of Masks is not the first novel set in Thedas. The author of the trilogy, published a few years earlier, was David Gaider. This time the title was entrusted to Patrick Weekes and it was a great choice. Of course, you can’t complain about the previous author, whose series was very good and gained a large fan base. Thanks to the Weekes, however, we get something completely new and fresh. Although there are many fights and bloodshed here, the writer, unlike his predecessor, does not focus his attention on this. It is also not a strictly adventure novel, as is usually the case with computer game titles. The Empire of Masksit is, first of all, one great plot. The nobility, hidden behind their beautiful masks, shows their true face. During balls and meetings, everyone pretends to be nice and maintains the courtly etiquette, and yet everyone constantly thinks how to make life difficult for others and where is the best place to look for support. Games are treated as fun and entertainment. Everyone is also aware that sooner or later there will be real clashes that could trigger a war. In these struggles to gain influence and power, of course, everyone forgets about their subjects. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with her situation is growing among the elven community. Living on the brink of poverty, the former rulers of these lands begin a revolt. And this is another well-described theme that links the relationship between the rulers and the people. The reader is thrown into the whirlwind of these events. By the way, he faces a dilemma, which side to choose. And there are a few here. Everyone has their reasons, and with time even the villain does not seem so obvious. The plot is much greater than you might think.

For fans, but not only

If you’ve ever played Dragon Age , you should like this book. Although it does not refer to the events known from computer screens to a very large extent, you will still meet a lot of famous characters and visit famous places. Apart from the already mentioned Celene, Gaspard and Briala, there are also Leliana, Felassan and Teagan Guerrin.

People who have never heard of the game don’t have to worry either. Although the Empire of Masks is often referred to as volume IV , in fact the plot does not connect too much with the previous parts and can be read as a completely separate novel. Patrick Weekes took care to introduce the reader to the world of Thedas. Both locations and heroes, as well as important future events, the appearance of individual races or even beliefs, are described in detail here, so that everyone can easily find themselves here and know what’s going on.

Will you enter this empire?

Dragon Age: Cesarstwo masek to powieść, który zachwyci zarówno fanów serii, jak i osoby, które tytuł znają tylko ze słyszenia. Ciekawa fabuła wciągnie Was do cesarstwa Orlais i sprawi, że sami weźmiecie udział w dworskich intrygach. Choć nie będziecie spiskować, to z pewnością opowiecie się za którąś ze stron, a na końcu przekonacie się, czy wybór był słuszny. Nie zabraknie także wartkiej akcji i pojedynków na śmierć i życie. Należy więc się cieszyć, że Insignis zdecydował się na wydanie książki autorstwa Patricka Weekesa. Miejmy nadzieję, że kolejne części będą równie udane.