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In this canonical story from the lead writer of BioWare's Dragon Age games, reluctant monarch King Alistair travels to an empire of evil mages.

Accompanied by the pirate captain Isabela and the underworld merchant Varric, Alistair will stop at nothing to uncover the fate of his lost father — even if it means battling an army of cultists singlehandedly!

The fight turns even more personal as Alistair faces a former ally and Isabela must confront the tragedies of her past while imprisoned in the cultists' dungeon!

74 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2012

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1476 people want to read

About the author

David Gaider

38 books648 followers
David Gaider lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and has worked for video game developer BioWare since 1999. He is the lead writer on the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins role-playing game and has previously worked on such titles as Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
Profile Image for Sean Barrs .
1,120 reviews47.9k followers
January 17, 2018
Isabella is one tough bitch.

She comes across as cocky and almost careless, but it’s confidence born of skill. Her appearance is a weapon, one she uses to ensnare many men and even a few women. She gives her enemies a false sense of security; they think they have won her, though in reality she has manipulated them into letting their guard down. And that’s when she likes to strike. That’s when she kills.

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This is, of course, Alistair’s story, though the addition of Isabella’s point of view helped drive the story forward; it gave it an added edge. This wouldn’t have been half as good if Alistair narrated the events in this volume: it wouldn’t have worked. It would have lacked a certain degree of drama. By putting Isabella in the limelight, I got to see exactly how much her past has affected her. She rarely lets her true self show. Like I said, her appearance is deceptive. Under the bravado of sea captain and pirate queen is a woman who has made many, many, mistakes. And she knows this. I’d like to say that she learns from them, but in reality it doesn’t apply. She thrives on danger; she craves it. Her reckless personality deems that she is in countless situations of real danger, which meant that this was full of violent action.

What’s also great about this is the inclusion of old characters from the very first dragon age game. We already have Alistair, and now we have the return of the mighty Sten. But, he’s been promoted. After the events in Kirkwall (Dragon Age 2) he is now the Arishok. He has a new place in the vastly complex Quanari culture. This means he is even more rigid and self-assured. I was surprised how he actually reacted to Alistair; it wasn’t out of character: it was just a little painful to watch. I suppose I just didn’t want to see the noble hearted fool that is the King of Ferelden treated so indignantly.

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Plot wise, this is very well written. We now have a clear idea who is behind the abduction of King Maric. Alistair now has a clear rival, and the story is drawing towards the climax of the final volume. I look forward to seeing it transpire, and admiring more of the artwork. The spell effects are very stylish. It’s time to finally get some closure on one of the biggest mysteries this excellent video game franchise posed.

Dragon Age Graphic Novel Trilogy
1. The Silent Grove- A cool four stars
2. Those Who Speak- A solid four stars
3. Until We Sleep - A bloody four stars

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Profile Image for Paige (Enchantology).
88 reviews889 followers
March 22, 2016
Would it be rude to say that Isabela is sorta what Celaena Sardothien should have been? The two of them are very different, obviously, but I think the traits they share are shown better in Isabela than Celaena. *shrugggggg*
Profile Image for Chad.
10.3k reviews1,060 followers
March 8, 2021
In a sequel to the first Dragon Age comic, King Alistair, Isabella and Varric continue their crusade to find the man who kidnapped Alistair's father. The story is quickly sidetracked when the Qunari get involved. It's short and quick at 3 issues but a solid addition the the Dragon Age canon.
Profile Image for Federico DN.
1,163 reviews4,382 followers
April 17, 2024
Still ok.

King Alistair adventures with Isabela and Varric continues.

Meh. Still ok, at best.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[2012] [74p] [Comics] [Not Recommendable]
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★★☆☆☆ 1. The Silent Grove
★★☆☆☆ 2. Those Who Speak
★★★☆☆ 3. Until We Sleep

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Sigue ok.

Continuan las aventuras del Rey Alistair junto a Isabela y Varric.

Meh. Sigue ok, cuando mucho.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2012] [74p] [Comics] [No Recomendable]
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Profile Image for Cale.
3,919 reviews26 followers
December 27, 2014
I didn't realize this was Volume 2 of the series - that might explain why the characters felt a bit muddy and confused - you're supposed to know them already and understand the shorthand. Having finished the first Dragon Age game, I do know a couple of people who show up (King Alistair, and another friend from the first game), and I gather the rest are probably important to the second game. That being said, comics should be legible without all of the source material, and this doesn't quite get there. It has an interesting story, I assume setting up events of the second game as the major villain shows up for only a few moments before the story gets sidetracked with a Qunari plot.
The art is overly flourished and saturated, with the lead, Isabela, straying near to cheesecake many times in the relatively short story. She has some strength and depth as a character, and the book does set up her story to make her intriguing, but it sometimes feel like it's in spite of itself instead of derived from itself. Overall it seems pretty forgettable.
Profile Image for Brendan.
1,277 reviews53 followers
June 16, 2016
Quick storyline with two of my favorite characters from Dragon Age. I'm a little disappointed Varric didn't talk about his books and getting himself into mischief. The book was a little too short but it is so close to the game that all is forgiven.

I actually was falling asleep when I was writing this so I didn't finish my little review of the book.

The issue I had with this story was the lack of any real villains, the second game also struggled in this department. I enjoy the universe and the creativity around it, so I'm not saying it's a series issue. The second game just wasn't the ground breaking storyline that Origins or the latest game was, the newest game was really epic in its scope. If you're like me you will find that you'll enjoy the story but won't find depth or hidden eggs in the artwork.
Profile Image for Emelie.
172 reviews48 followers
November 28, 2015
Arc from NetGalley.

Ah, the Dragon Age world. Fun to be visiting that again. It was an interesting read. Isabela joins up with Alistair to find out if his father is still alive, and alongside with Varric the two of them get into trouble.

It was fun seeing new and old characters alike. It was interesting to get an fleshed-out Isabela. She felt more human, you get to understand her mentality better and some of her background. It made her more sympathetic. It was also interesting to learn some more about the Qunari.

The art was was okay, but not extraordinary. They didn't translate the characters appearances from the game onto paper as how I would imagine.

A quite fun, interesting short read for anyone that likes the Dragon Age world.
Profile Image for Natalie.
400 reviews15 followers
September 3, 2016
I never was a fan of Isabela, which makes me the minority here.
I don't know... The story has gone along with my canon version of the video game, but I can see how it would really alienate people whose canon was completely opposite. You can actually have Alistair executed in the game, yet here he is as the King of Fereldan... It must be quite annoying for those people. I know not everyone can be pleased, but they've written content before that hasn't pointed towards any of the decisions made in the game...
Loved Sten being in it though! Well I guess he's Arishock now... Varric was right; Qunari names are just a confusion of grammar
Profile Image for Veronica.
26 reviews
August 30, 2017
The story's okay, the artwork is good, but I can never quite accept the objectification of Isabela in a vast amount of drawings. There's a limit to how much t&a you can stand, and for me that limit is low. On the plus side, she's a cool character and it was good to get some of her background revealed.
Profile Image for Jazz.
14 reviews
October 22, 2023
STEN WHATTT!!!! the scene between Alistair and Sten was so intense!! Loved learning more about Isabela since I always manage to piss her off in my playthroughs of da2 🙃
Profile Image for Noctvrnal.
221 reviews14 followers
June 13, 2025
Interesting follow-up to the first one and one that gives more depth to Isabela's story. While she's not the character I find most interesting, how the plot unfolds and what choices she makes does keep things interested. I also really appreciated how the Qunari have been depicted and realized that Teviner fashion is much better than that of Orlais. All in all, a fun read.
Profile Image for Wendy.
621 reviews145 followers
December 17, 2012
The Silent Grove re-opened a few issues raised in Dragon Age: Origins and the prequel book, The Stolen Throne, and added a few new ingredients. I was worried that Those Who Speak would fail to deliver an appropriate conclusion to all of that in a mere three issues – and I was right. Fortunately, Those Who Speak is not a conclusion, but rather an interlude where King Alistair Theirren and his companions, the pirate queen, Isabela, and the dwarven businessman, Varric Tethras, gain a new old ally and, more importantly, we get a further peek inside Isabela.

From book two onward, this is clearly Isabela’s story. Alistair’s hunt for his daddy and his dragon blood issues can wait. This is about the Pirate Queen that some players of Dragon Age II may have dismissed because of her penchant for sex, violence, sex, sex and abandonment. But in truth, despite being paid to accompany Alistair, she is fiercely loyal to those who earn her trust, even at cost to herself. Her devotion to her crew above all is admirable, as is her seemingly unbreakable spirit.

As much as I like the visuals, I wish David Gaider had taken the time to make this another Dragon Age novel, instead of a series of comics. In his novels, he has more room to expand on these characters and is skilled enough in his descriptions of the places, actions and events that he could have brought far more to the story and characters than we see here.
26 reviews4 followers
July 11, 2016
IMO these three graphic novels by David Gaider are mandatory reading for all Dragon Age fans. Not only do we get new adventures with three of our favorite characters (Alistair, Isabela, Varric) but Gaider also reveals information with significant implications for the future of Thedas. He's obviously building up to something big regarding the role of dragons in the world and I suspect that these graphic novels contain hints about the major plotline for a future game.
Profile Image for Ashly.
49 reviews
February 26, 2022
Meh. I do not like the characterization of Alistair and Isabella. At all. But, because I can't stay away from anything Dragon Age-related, I will probably read the third volume and return to complain about that one too.

If only the comics' canon was not so distant from my own! My Grey Warden cries at the state of events and being so wrongfully separated from her one and only beau...:(
Profile Image for Amy DeWolfe.
334 reviews3 followers
January 14, 2023
I really didn't think we'd be seeing Sten again!

Not gonna lie, Isabela has never been favourite of mine, but Alistair and Varric made up for it.

(One thing I always loved about the video games is that the women weren't all scantly clad. But in this, they're overly sexualised. Like, what was up with showing the elf in skimpy undies while she was drowning?)
Profile Image for Jordan.
67 reviews6 followers
June 3, 2021
Pretty okay, but a huge focus in Isabela, and she's not my favorite character.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
133 reviews36 followers
December 11, 2022
I've never been a fan of Isabela in the games, and so I'm really glad I read this. It gave much more context to her character and softened her up a bit. Really enjoyed this one.
Profile Image for cate.
106 reviews
June 7, 2024
Getting more info on Isabela's background was v interesting, otherwise the only thing this comic made me realize was how much I miss Sten
Profile Image for Eldin Stråth.
108 reviews
June 12, 2024
"My crew was less enthusiastic -- the words 'mutiny' and 'queen bitch' were used -- but a barrel of wine and a chest full of silver swayed most of them"

Isabella är också badass
Profile Image for ✿ Mika ✿.
275 reviews13 followers
December 30, 2020
I'd say the story and the art are both okay, nothing that special. The other issues were better in my opinion but its still something worth picking up.
Profile Image for Will.
299 reviews2 followers
September 28, 2024
This is a solid addition to the dragon age canon. Learning more about Isabella was fascinating. I thought her story was fascinating and I look forward to replaying Dragon Age 2 knowing this about her character.

The main plot is sidetracked for this volume, which wasn't great. And the artwork, while mostly good, didn't hold up for action scenes and was not helped by the panel layouts.
Profile Image for Sara Portela.
275 reviews46 followers
January 4, 2017
5 stars

This comics are fenomenal! i'm so kicking my head for only reading them now. The qunari, FRICKING STEN, the trio Isabela, Varric and Alistair make. I'm loving this. Can't wait for the next.

Definitely recommend! :D
Profile Image for Michelle.
2,164 reviews87 followers
February 13, 2013
Bioware certainly knows how to add depth to their worlds and they have a way of feeding you the information so that you’re always hungry for more, which is exactly what David Gaider does with Those Who Speak.

Anyone familiar with the Dragon Age games immediately recognizes the names Alistair, Isabela and Varric; and though it does seem like a rather unlikely trio it works out perfectly. Alistair with his semi sarcastic/semi awkward humor, Isabela with both the street smarts and the fairly inappropriate quips, and Varris who is addicted to a good story and a good adventure. If you haven’t picked up The Silent Grove, I suggest you do so because Those Who Speak continues where that one left off.

This book mainly focuses on Isabela and it even uncovers some of her past for us. Alistair is on a mission to find out why his father was killed and unfortunately this leads them through contested waters, where they run into the Qunari. If you’ve played DA 2 then you know Isabela has a bit of a history with the Qunari and it’s none too pleasant, so this unfortunate run in with brings forth some interesting truths about our scantly clad pirate queen; like her real name, why she took the Tome that started the Kirkwall incident, and events that truly haunt her. This alone makes reading this worthwhile because while we know some thing about Isabela she’s pretty tight lipped on any serious subject and will divert with a witty quip on her sex life. Alistair and Varric are not really in this one too much but the parts that they are also pretty great, and they have an encounter with a familiar face from DA 1. Anyone remember Sten? The original Qunari who was incredibly quiet and also quick to say something rather impersonal, he was my least favorite of the group but it’s great to see him again. He still looks the same which I’m kind of happy about since redoing his physical appearance would have brought down the initial shock factor of seeing him again. Also you get to see a female Qunari which is pretty awesome and she has some great scenes with Isabela.

Overall this has some great background info and it’s really cool that they are really pulling the two games together more. It doesn’t really progress the storyline as far as Alistair goes but it sets it up so that you know the next release will give you that much needed information. This is definitely a must for anyone who really loves the Dragon Age games and characters.

I received this from Dark Horse and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Erika Williams.
163 reviews5 followers
September 28, 2013
I actually read this one a while ago, yet somehow whenever it came time to do reviews, it kept slipping through the cracks. I love all things Dragon Age: I’ve read the books, I’ve played through both games multiple times (in the case of Origins, on multiple consoles) and I even own a shirt that suggests I enjoy feeding Alistair to the archdemon for breakfast. Isabella and Alistair are even two of my favorite characters, so Those Who Speak should be right up my alley, right next to this lovely hatshop.

Fair warning to those not in the know: Those Who Speak takes places after Dragon Age II and tosses player choices aside in favor of the plot they wanted to tell. I’ve found the best way to deal with this is to pretend Those Who Speak takes place in an alternate universe where the player character made some really terrible choices. That said, I can’t really comment much on the plot. You think the Fereldan nobility would have learned their lesson about allowing their monarch to go on adventures, unless things are really just that bad and they want Alistair dead.

Since it is a comic, I feel obligated to briefly talk about the art. It’s beautiful, particularly Isabella’s costume design in the opening chapters. My biggest regret is that she never got to wear it in game.
Profile Image for RealmsQueen.
305 reviews34 followers
January 7, 2017
So this is going to be quick, simple and to the point. BioWare and Dragon Age creator David Gaider have been collaborating on a graphic novel series of the Dragon age game, taking place after the events of Dragon Age II.

The first one, Silent Grove, sets Alistair on the path to finding his father’s killer, with hints that he might still be alive. Here, in the second installation Those Who Speak, the focus is taken off Alistair and placed squarely on the vivacious Rivian pirate queen Isabella.

Isabella, Alistair, and Varric travel to mage-ruled Tevinter attempting to tack and confront the one suspected of killing/kidnapping Alistair’s father Maric. They succeed, but the man escapes with the trio in hot pursuit.

But not all goes as planned when their ship is attacked by Qunari and separated. Varric and Alistair are sequestered guests of an old friend who has become a new, powerful ally by the end of the book, and Isabella is subjected to an attempted conversion, and during her discussions with the priestess who is sent to convert her, we learn much about the pirate queen’s past, although not as much as we would like.

A good addition to the collection of any Dragon Age fan like myself, and any fan of Isabella the pirate queen.
79 reviews
January 25, 2014
Action packed follow up to the Silent Grove comic bundle by David Gaider. While the first one was narrated by Alistair as he tries to find his father, this one switches perspective to Isabella. The story continues with Alistair, Varric, and Isabella catching up with the mage who was pointed out in the Silent Grove bundle as King Maric's abductor in Tevinter. From there, it's a dangerous trip into Qunari waters trying to track him down after he escapes a confrontation with the heroes. The group is captured, and it is here we learn key information about Isabella's past that was not bought up in the games. Overall I'd give this a 3.5 as the action is great, but outside of Isabella's revelations about her past, not much in character building or plot. Art is really good and vibrant, which is a bit of a departure from the dark, heavy tones of the game.
Profile Image for TheTick.
162 reviews29 followers
January 4, 2013
Reviewing at my site also.

Following Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, Dragon Age: Those Who Speak takes Alistair, Varric and Isabela to the Tevinter Imperium, giving us a taste of that foul place, continuing Alistair's quest to find out what happened to King Maric. This book seemed to move along a bit better, and gives you some insight into our favorite pirate lass. There's one more 'friendly' face that appears but I won't spoil it. Definitely worth picking up if you're itching for something to hold you over until Dragon Age III: Inquisition comes out.
Profile Image for Chelsea.
2,094 reviews62 followers
March 25, 2016
This second volume is through the voice of Isabela the Pirate Queen. And she's awesome. I loved her backstory, very engaging. There was a lot more sword battles in this one, true to Dragon Age fashion. However, the issue I'm having is we got so little plot progression. Right now the series is in three parts with this being part 2...and we only get one nugget of information. There is just so much set up...where is it going to end? Instead of publishing 3 short adventures one large one would have been more effective. Otherwise, a great story. :)
Profile Image for Matt.
182 reviews3 followers
November 2, 2013
When I first saw Isabela's Dragon Age II incarnation I paused and couldn't help but roll my eyes. Thinking she was purely some sex doll thrown into the plot for the benefit of younger male gamers. But as I got to know her, I found I really enjoyed the character as she often made me laugh. In the end Isabela turned out to be a well rounded character, one I could empathise with, so I found the back story (of sorts) contained in this volume especially interesting. The overall bridging story fell a little flat, but ultimately I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews

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