Dark Souls: Legends of the Flame

Dark Souls: Legends of the Flame #1-2

by George Mann, Dan Watters, Tauriq Moosa

In a realm where hollowed champions rise and fall with the ages, where brave knights quest for absolution and bonfires blaze against the everdark, myth and legend will forever prevail...

From the desolate worlds of Namco-Bandai's critically-lauded video game series comes this unsettling collection of all-new Dark Souls tales, written and drawn by some of the comic industry's finest. Building upon the extensive lore of the franchise, this action-packed anthology is essential for all fans of the game.

This trade paperback contains all issues of Dark Souls: Tales of Ember and Dark Souls: Legends of the Flame.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Video Games, Anthologies, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2017

About the author

George Mann is an author and editor, primarily in genre fiction. He was born in Darlington, County Durham in 1978.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of Creepy/Tales from the Crypt style short stories set in the Dark Souls grimdark fantasy setting.



A few were really good ones, most were not.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

They encompass the grim and hopeless reality of the setting well enough, but they're much too short and brief to really dive into that despair, to really get to know it, to really empathize its people and realize what everyone has lost. At most, it's a dip at the shallows.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh.

My local library's not known for its extensive graphic novels, and particularly for horror ones, so I was a wee bit excited when I saw this and quickly nabbed it up. It wasn't 'til I read the first 2 stories that I went back and properly read the blurb. Oh. It's based on a 'critically lauded' video game. But the stories are only about 5 pages long. And it's a graphic novel . So that's not 5 pages of words. That includes the illustrations!

Now, I know some gamers have a fairly short attention span and are probably not bibliophiles like myself. But surely even gamers need some characterization? And a plot? And LIPS! The only character in this whole travesty with lips a sociopathic narcissistic female seductress! What the fuck are we teaching our young men? Aaaaahhhhh!

Just don't do it.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think many people understand the concept of grimdark which this world of dark souls is. In a grimdark scenario like 40K there is no peace, no "happy" ending, there are victories, usually shallow or pyrrhic that accomplish nothing. I am no expert BUT if you want something "good" to happen in dark souls then this book is not for you.

This is a short story compilation of set in the Dark Souls setting.
First story - Crossroads was written by George Mann who has done some stuff for 40K universe - so he understand grimdark and it shows. A tale about the hopeless of everything you do. Your mind thinks the story is going one way and it goes what a grimdark scenario would expect.

The Flame's Return art is not to my liking. The story is good about the inevitable of cycles that the game\world provides.

The Labyrinth art is amazing. Top over all other. The story is a bit confusing to my liking , more thoughts than a tale.

The Devoted - Art is not to my liking, story was too short but OK.
That Which Holds us Human - Ah Daniele Serra artwork. I've got some SST books with the artist art and they are pretty good. I may not adore it BUT I can understand the quality. The story is told in the perspective of the "baddies/undead" I guess. Pretty good story about the reason do what they do.

Action Replay is another George Mann. This one I didn't enjoy as much.

[Václav · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2,8 of 5 for this incoherent weirdness)
After the previous letdown, I had my hopes for this one. Because there is the main story, but it includes tellings of many other short stories and those are from different authors. And I liked most of their art and some of the authors dropped the "medieval" accent, which was bliss. But many of the short stories were just too short and they barely worked alone, much less together as a whole. So the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
The best thing about the Dark Souls comics series is the covers, especially this Templesmith's one. So far the rest is junk.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was basically a collection of short stories set in the Dark Souls universe. Each story had a different author/illustrator...this was a bit hit and miss for me.

Some of the artwork in here is amazing, some is kind of bad. The stories have the same variation in them.

Overall if you are a huge fan of the Dark Souls universe I think you will probably enjoy this addition to that world. It’s a bit hit or miss, but adds some interesting background to the story. If you aren’t a Dark Souls fan I would skip it.

[Urs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ist cool, genau mit dem Dark Souls typischen düsteren Unterton, samt sämtlicher Grausamkeiten und Verworrenheit. Allerdings sind es meines Meinung nach zu viele Einzelgeschichten mit je zu wenig Seiten, 3 längere hätten mir besser gefallen als 13 kurze.

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was a significant improvement on the previous two volumes published by Titan. The first two were full stories spanning a handful of issues, and I personally felt that the format wasn't quite effective for telling a Dark Souls story. I had many more issues with those, but you can check my reviews if you're curious. This volume, however, is a compilation of short stories a handful of pages each, all by different writers and artists. I am usually not a fan of stories so short, but I actually think that this is the best format to tell a sequential story in the Dark Souls universe. Very evocative pieces that illustrate various elements of the games, such as specific themes, tone, mechanics, aesthetic, and the unspoken rules of those worlds. Each story clung to one specific point they wanted to get across and focused on delivering it. In that I feel like this was a success. It's always a mixed bag with anthalogy style books like this, but this was pretty consistent and good. The art ranged from great to incredible. Overall very pleased, especially considering I was left disappointed by the previous volumes. If you never played Dark Souls, I don't think there's much enjoyment to be found here other than the art, as most of the premises it explores and references may go over your head. But if you're a fan of the games, definitely read this, even if you didn't like the other entries.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This collects a short mini series of anthology style issues based on the Dark Souls video game series. The stories themselves are 5-6 pages long, and while it's not impossible to tell a good story in that short a span, I don't feel like it was pulled off very well in this book. There is a recurring plotline that kicks off and ends each of the "issues" but it wasn't very coherent and failed to draw me in.

I did enjoy the varied styles of art that were used throughout and some of them lend themselves well to the horror fantasy genre that the stories fit in. The art certainly helped differentiate each of the stories and at the very least make them feel distinct.

If you are a big fan of the Dark Souls games, I wouldn't say that you'll be too disappointed by this read, but I think for others perhaps looking for a horror anthology, I would look elsewhere.

[Jose García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante bien. 12 historias cortas inspiradas en el mundo y la mitología de Dark Souls. No espereis a Gwyn, Ornstein, los caballeros negros o demás personajes principales de los videojuegos, sino creaciones tomando este universo, su idiosincrasia y, sobre todo, la decadencia que en el videojuego tiñe cada escenario e interacción.

Al ser historias tan cortas algunas son difíciles de entender, en tanto que tienes que fijarte muy bien en cada viñeta e intentar comprender el significado tú, porque nadie te lo va a explicar. Eso, quizá, es lo que más me ha recordado al juego por su manera de entender el lore. Echo en falta algún video de VaatiVidya para que me explique un par de estos cortes.

[Nick Vossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on a whim and didn't know it was an anthology collection at first. For this particular franchise I think the collected short stories work really well and it gives some gloomy glimpses in the sinister world of Dark Souls. The short story "The Shrine" really ties it all together quite nicely. My favorite stories were "The Labyrinth" and "The Devoted". Both manage to excell at portraying Dark Souls in a graphic novel style, which I can imagine is really hard to do. But honestly, hats off to all writers, illustrators and colourists for this collection.

[Nikolis Asimakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don't really like the Dark Souls from a gameplay perspective, I love the worldbuilding, the atmosphere and the minimal storytelling. This particular anthology of short comic stories is the perfect way to encapsulate this "fractal" storytelling. The "protagonist" is shown different stories of the past of this world as a warning of shorts. These stories, drawn in vastly different artstyles each, contain small lore points of the world or are just some stories existing or created by this world. A must read for fans of the games for sure.

[Yuiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received for free from goodreads.com in exchange for honest review


I haven't played any of the games so I don't know if the storyline is accurate or not. There are quite a few thees and thous throughout the comic. It seems it's just a lot of mini stories so each of them isn't too long.i give it a 3/5 not really my genre. So I guess if you like the game you will love the comic.would I continue this series probably not.

[Michael Quigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

While having little to do with the game series, this offers some short tales from the same sort of Soulslike world, complete with curses, monsters, and an emphasis on flames. Some tales are entertaining (my personal favorite is the one on the princess who wishes to stay young) but many others merely fall flat without a satisfying or clear ending.

[Maksim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, the authors in their stories began to take into account the LOR of the Dark Souls world. But at the same time, the collection turned out to be very fragmented. What in fact is for the DS world is quite normal. I hope the next part will clarify the unsolved moments.
P.S. lustrations, as in previous editions, are executed at the highest level.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the other Dark Souls comics these ones use elements from the actual franchise but aside from basic setting stuff like the undead curse and phantoms. But unfortunately they do not use any of the characters from the games and aside from what appears to be the Mirror Knight from Dark Souls 2 and the occasional armor set it feels rather generic.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, rounded up.

This is a collection of little bite-sized stories, with a kind of bare-bones wraparound tying it all together. One or two of the stories were pretty good, but the majority didn't really do anything for me. The art styles are all over the place, but most are fine. This is probably the weakest of the Dark Souls comics, but it's not terrible.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt a little lost in this anthology because I don't know anything about the video game. The artwork was great and I liked the story of The Labyrinth which talks about Mistos' Emerald Ring of Power.

[Bryan Borgman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like short stories and I like that these were tied together with bumper pages however some were more coherent than others. I'm not familiar with the source material so that was probably a detriment to my better understanding some of the shorts.

[Jacob Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

very nice

[Amanda Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Mark Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 short tales of souls. Still good easy to get through. 4/5

[Othman Alfudiry · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting read but in no way can be called Dark Souls.

[Τοβίας Χάος · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are ok, some not so much. All in all better than Andolus and Winter's Spite, therefore 3 stars...

[Marius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geschichten im Feuerschein

Inhalt: In "Die Legenden der Flamme" findet ein erschöpfter Reisender eine steinere Hütte, in der eine alte Frau und ihre Katze leben. Dankbar wärmt er sich am flackernden Feuer auf. Doch was ist das? In den Flammen hüpfen die Figuren und der Reisende erfährt Geschichten aus fernen und nahem Landen und über das Wesen des Menschen...

Bewertung: Im Gegensatz zu den ersten beiden Sammelbänden ist der vorliegende dritte Teil eine Kurzgeschichtensammlung, die von der oben beschriebenen Handlung eingerahmt wird. Zu dieser lässt sich sagen, dass sie ganz nett inszeniert ist, jedoch fast kaum Tiefgang aufweist. Nur einmal gibt es eine unerwartete Wendung, die mich zumindest kurz stutzig werden ließ. Die (meisten) Charaktere werden kaum ausgearbeitet und erhalten leider wenig Profil. Hier wäre mehr drin gewesen. Zugute halten kann man hier jedoch, dass so mehr Platz für die Kurzgeschichten bleibt, die den Band auch gut ausfüllen. Dreizehn Stück ist definitiv eine Ansage. Da die Seitenanzahl jedoch nicht groß von den ersten Bänden abweicht, kann man leicht ausrechnen, dass die Erzählungen immer nur wenige Seiten umspannen. Das erzeugt zum Glück oftmals ein Gefühl des Mysteriums und des "Ich-will-wissen-wie-es-weitergeht", gelegentlich aber auch einen lückenhaften Eindruck. Viele der Stories funktionieren nach dem Prinzip, die Gedanken des Lesers zu Beginn in eine bestimmte Richtung zu locken, nur um am Ende aufzudecken, dass es eigentlich ganz anders ist. Mir gefällt dieses Konzept, da es in gewisser Weise auch aufzeigt, was für eigene Vorstellungen man sich macht und wie stark man sich auf diese versteift. Das Rätseln, was nun die Lösung des jeweiligen Problems seien könnte, hat zum Schluss hin immer mehr Spaß gemacht. Dennoch muss man einfach feststellen, dass bei so vielen Kurzgeschichten nur die wenigsten im Kopf bleiben können. Für mich stach besonders die allererste Erzählung hervor, da sie nicht nur erschreckend war, sondern auch einen schönen Bogen zu "Der Hauch von Andolus" schlug. Je nach Handlung wechselt über den Band immer wieder der Zeichenstil - von "cartoonig" bis realisitisch, von düster bis hell. Mir persönlich gefällt der düstere-realistische Style am allerbesten, da er die raue Welt von Dark Souls perfekt widerspiegelt.

Fazit: Unterhaltsame Kurzgeschichtensammlung - für jeden was dabei, wenn auch nur mal für zwischendurch. Gesamt: 3/5

[Joe Deangelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I think this was a significant step up from the two previous volumes. Firstly, I liked the shift from action-focused to horror-focused. Also, the vignette storytelling style worked well here. Lastly, although this has various artists, generally most of the dark, scratchy, dirty, rough art styles here fit Dark Souls better than the clean and colorful style of the first two volumes. In particular, i enjoyed the segments with art by Damien Worm, Nick Percival, Daniele Sera, and Andrea Olimpieri/Mattia Iacono.