Decent fantasy adventure tale. ( )

I read this some time ago, in a full froth of enthusiasm over this game world. I have a lot of affection for the setting and some of the characters, so that sweetens a somewhat uneven book for me. But even now, I remember Loghain and Rowan, and the desperate struggle for Ferelden independence from Orlais. So I think that speaks to its accomplishments, hampered and helped by its franchise. ( )

I didn't really have high standards for this book. I was expecting the clunky prose. I was unsurprised that Maric pretty much sounded and acted like a more sheltered Alistair. All that was fine by me. What I wasn't expecting was the rampant sexism and high levels of "bad things happening to women so that men can feel sad about it." I tolerated the occasional "wow, this rape victim I just rescued has great tits!" with only moderate eye-rolling, but when Maric killing the woman he loved in a fit of rage was made all about how bad he feels about it and Rowan and Loghain reassuring him that he's not a bad person, I was pretty much done caring about the remaining main characters or what happened to them. Mind you, I think Maric's evolution over the course of the book is supposed to be him becoming a better king and warrior at the expense of some of his humanity and compassion, but I also think it was supposed to be done in such a way that the reader would still be sympathetic toward him by the end, and I wasn't. And combined with Loghain's recurring angst over soldiers raping and murdering his mother and the fact that in the epilogue Rowan is dead so that Maric and Loghain can reconcile with each other and, again, feel sad, it was really straining my manpain tolerance.

Dragon Age, as a franchise, is usually better about this than most mainstream video games (and their assorted tie-ins), so I was surprised and disappointed. I guess Gaider minus the rest of the writing team is not actually great about female characters; who knew. ( )

The Dragon Age games are probably my favorites, so when I saw there were some books about Thedas, I grabbed them to get more backstory on my loved (and unloved) characters. I truly wasn't expecting much, but these are such great fantasy stories. The writing is terrific, and The Stolen Throne has all the best elements of what one looks for in a fantasy book.
Prince Maric is lost in the woods, having watched his mother, the Rebel Queen, killed before his eyes. Loghain is a hunter who comes across the young man and brings him back to the camp where he lives. The land is in disruption due to a neighboring country, Orlais, conquering Thedas. When Loghain's father realizes Maric is now the true king of Thedas, he tasks Loghain with bringing him to safety. It's the start of a lifelong friendship.
If you've played DA Origins, you know that Loghain is one of the antagonists, and I had little sympathy for him in-game. However, this book changed my whole view of him. He supports Maric wholeheartedly, even when he knows Maric is being an idiot and despite being in love with Rowan, Maric's fiancee since childhood. Every one of these characters is painted in shades of gray. Maric is handsome, loyal, and brave, but also blind and weak. Loghain is a commoner who proves himself with tactics and courage but also suffers from knowing he can never have Rowan. And Rowan is a woman warrior, true to her duty but knowing Loghain is the man for her while devoted to Maric. It's a King Mark/Tristan/Iseult situation complicated by an elven spy who seduces a willing Maric all set against a smaller country at war with their conquerors.
Even if you never play the Dragon Age games (which you totally should), this is a book well worth reading. It has all the best elements of a good fantasy novel with great characters, epic deeds, and tragedies. ( )

I honestly didn't have high expectations of The Stolen Throne - the other book I read by the author, Asunder, was on a topic that I found much more interesting, and reading it still felt like a drag. The Stolen Throne was a pleasant surprise though! While it definitely suffered from a bit too much telling (as opposed to showing), the characters were interesting and the writing - perfectly serviceable, if not great. The growth of the characters felt really realistic, and even though there were some extreme jumps in characterization, they felt properly built up and explained. Makes me wish that the next Dragon Age novel would focus on the same heroes, as opposed to what was teased at the end. ( )