Tevinter Nights

Dragon Age #6

by Patrick Weekes (Editor)

An anthology of original stories based on the dark fantasy, role-playing video game series from Bioware.

Ancient horrors. Marauding invaders. Powerful mages. And a world that refuses to stay fixed.

Welcome to Thedas.

From the stoic Grey Wardens to the otherworldly Mortalitasi necromancers, from the proud Dalish elves to the underhanded Antivan Crow assassins, Dragon Age is filled with monsters, magic, and memorable characters making their way through dangerous world whose only constant is change.

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights brings you fifteen tales of adventure, featuring faces new and old, including:

"Three Trees to Midnight" by Patrick Weekes
"Down Among the Dead Men" by Sylvia Feketekuty
"The Horror of Hormak" by John Epler
"Callback" by Lukas Kristjanson
"Luck in the Gardens" by Sylvia Feketekuty
"Hunger" by Brianne Battye
"Murder by Death Mages" by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly
"The Streets of Minrathous" by Brianne Battye
"The Wigmaker" by Courtney Woods
"Genitivi Dies in the End" by Lukas Kristjanson
"Herold Had the Plan" by Ryan Cormier
"An Old Crow's Old Tricks" by Arone Le Bray
"Eight Little Talons" by Courtney Woods
"Half Up Front" by John Epler
"Dread Wolf Take You" by Patrick Weekes

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Video Games, Anthologies, High Fantasy, Magic

368 pages, ebook

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Patrick Weekes lives in Canada with their non-platonic life partner Karin, their children, and an ever-increasing number of rescue animals. By day, Patrick currently works at BioWare, where they are lead writer on the Dragon Age franchise. By night, they write novels whose feel usually boils down to “Absurd premise executed faithfully.”

Patrick enjoys Lego, martial arts, musical numbers, and chocolate milk, but probably not in that order.

Reviews

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

*screams* DRAGON AGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading The Wigmaker Job knowing that Lucanis is now a husband to my Rook... iconic.

[Kathy Shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you thought your patience meter was pretty high with regards to DA4's release? Well, you can kiss that serenity goodbye, my friends, because the bar's going to be bottomed out by the time you finish this book.

Tevinter Nights just displaced The Last Flight as my favourite Dragon Age novel. Not so much in terms of prose and character work, but in terms of the breadth of content --walking you through the northern regions of Thedas, throwing you hints and speculation fodder, teasing you with storylines that will most definitely reappear in the next game (I'll eat my stuffed nug if they don't), and just re-immersing you and setting up the stage for everything that's to come--Tevinter Nights is fantastic and a must-read for all fans of the series.

And here's what the stage looks like: the Qunari invasion is well underway; Tevinter is being eaten up bit by bit, even as the Magisters and the Venatori scheme from within; Nevarra is standing on a fracture line that cuts between the Mortalitasi and the royal family; Antiva is being forced to rely on the Crows as their main defense against the Qunari; and a bald overpowered heartbreaker idiot thinks he knows what's best for the world and will stop at seemingly nothing to achieve it. And that's just what's on the surface and on this side of the Veil.

Things aren't looking too great right now--and as this is THEDAS we're talking about, that's saying something.

A few general criticisms, though. Some of these stories are obviously a lead-in to side quests or the main quest in DA4, so their conclusions aren't super satisfying; they serve more as teasers (but they're pretty good teasers). Also, a lot of them follow the same plot formula: "x is killing y" or "x wants to kill y", followed by "z has to step in to find out who and why." It can get a bit repetitive, especially if you're reading the book all in one go.

My top five stories (in order):

- "The Wigmaker" by Courtney Woods (5/5)
- "Horror of Hormak" by John Epler (4.5/5)
- "The Dread Wolf Take You" by Patrick Weekes (4/5)
- "Eight Little Talons" by Courtney Woods (4/5)
- "Half Up Front" by John Epler (4/5)
(And a special mention to Lukas Kristjanson whose stories were just plain fun )

~
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review

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[Sandra (LadyGrey Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review will be divided into short thoughts on each story included. And as it will doubtlessly include spoilers for all of the games, it will be hidden behind a spoiler cut. If you plan on playing the games and don't want the story spoiled, do not read the full review until you've played them!

- Three Trees to Midnight by Patrick Weekes. 4/5 stars
An interesting story to start with, as it is set in the aftermath of the invasion of Ventus (9:44 Dragon) and features the relationship between humans and elves, Tevinter and Qunari, mages and slaves, as well as the different ranks of mages. Add the wonderful writing by Weekes and you basically have a proper Dragon Age mission storyline!

- Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty. 4/5 stars
In Nevarra, you don't burn the dead; they live in the Necropolis. And when a corpse is possessed by a spirit during its funeral, one unlucky guardsman is tasked with aiding the mages in tracking it down and bringing it to a halt.
I loved the writing in this one - and it did make me want more stories (and game missions) set in Nevarra. I think my main let down with this story was that it was quite short and it made me think that a lot of details were cut out.

- The Horror of Hormak by John Epler. 3/5 stars
Note to self: if it says horror in the title, don't read this at 12am... The story follows two Wardens on a desperate search for a lost squad - the leader of which is an old lover of one of the searchers. However, as they near the location where people disappeared, horrible beasts and mutations appear - some which are members of the lost troop. The writing is wonderful - you truly feel the despair of the searchers - but I did feel like the events were a bit too predictable.

- Callback by Lukas Kristjanson. 5/5 stars
My favourite so far - because Skyhold and so many references to Solas and the Dread Wolf and everything that happened in DA:I. Also might have read into it too much, but I thought it was filled with clues as to what might happen between DA:I and DA4....

- Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty. 5/5 stars
DAMN, DORIAN, I'VE MISSED YOU, BROTHER!
I am hoping we'll get to see a lot of Minrathous in the next game - this story certainly made me want to see how it could be rendered. Main character was interesting and also gave me hope that we'd see some of the other smaller countries. Also, brilliant idea to have it be a story retold in a bar!

- Hunger by Brianne Battye. 3/5 stars
Werewolves. Wardens. Am I back in DA:O? Not quite. But there were certainly clues that they might bring those beasts back...

- Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly. 4/5 stars
Look, you cannot read Cassandra Pentaghast's name and not hear her voice in your head as you read this.
I liked the story - and the setting - but for a bit of a murder mystery... a bit too obvious for me. But then, it's a short story.

- The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye. 3/5 stars
I'm not so sure about this one. In a way, it shows that though Corypheus is gone (yes?) the Venatori aren't - just as with any cult - but other than building up an idea of Minrathous and hope that we get to explore it in DA4, it was not quite my taste.

- The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods. 5/5 stars
First, I hate red lyrium. Second, I hate zombies. Third, FUCK YES ANTIVAN CROWS!

- Genitivi Dies in the End by Lukas Kristjanson. 5/5 stars
Alright, this was a brilliant story. Loved the pacing and the characters and the way it flipped between a retelling and the present. One of those that made me laugh out loud on occasion - and that kept me on my toes until the end.

- Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier. 4/5 stars
I was not sure about this one first - but it became more and more interesting the further I got. I'm really curious about that relic now.

- An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray. 5/5 stars
More Crows - yes please! Also, good on them for taking out a legion slaughtering the Dalish.

- Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods. 5/5 stars
New. Favourite. Ship. I. Bloody. LOVE THESE PEOPLE.
Also; Crows. Can you tell I like them? (Hi, Zevran!)

- Half Up Front by John Epler. 4/5 stars
Alright, that was a ride and a half. Some parts felt a bit too rushed - hence the lower rating - but this was a solid story. We have Tevinter politics, Qunari dreadnaughts, and Gatt - whom I always did have to disappoint in DA:I because I couldn't sacrifice the Chargers but I still really, really liked.
Also... Solas, I'm going to kill you if you gave orders like these.

- The Dread Wolf Take You by Patrick Weekes. 5/5 stars
FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! SOLAS! RED LYRIUM IDOL! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!
Am I coherent? No. Am I sobbing? Yes. Wolf boy is back and I am terrified. Bring on DA4. NOW!


Average rating: 4.3/5

[Humanteapot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel some part of me is always standing at the top of a cliff, looking, waiting for the ship of my beloved to come home. That love is DA4 and might return with a happy surprise or just obliterate me but you know, that's future me's problem!
While waiting for it turned into somekind of habit, it's bearable but from time to time I've got the ITCH and instead of replaying my same game files, I had Tevinter Nights this time! And it was REALLY GOOD! Some short stories are stronger than the others but it's a very solid read, especially for fans and I found it easier to get into than the other novels.
Since it's set in Tevinter I was expecting it to be Magister heavy but not that much, and funnily, it's the Crows who stole the show! I think the different short novels were the perfect choice to show different aspects without getting it all over the place in one singular novel. We meet some new characters that I wish we will cross paths with in DA4 and some I wish we will never see ever again (That thing in the horror of Hormak? No thank you, sir good day to you!)

The good:
- The Crows and all three short stories. I think they are the strongest ones with The Dread Wolf take you, each in its own way.
The characters are great in them and the pacing and plot really good. The wigmaker and Eight little talons being connected is something I really liked and a nice foil to each other with one more action packed and a more character based. Eight little talons is my favorite story from the book and is the longest piece with a clear Ten little soldier vibe that I loved. The characters are interesting and the side characters are not as flat as you can expect from a good whodunnit. An old crow's old tricks was such a great tale of vengance, fantastic!
- It's so fun to dig for familiar faces/hints from previous games. Really makes you feel like yo know more than the characters.
- Super diverse: from Nevara to Tevinter to the Crows and Wardens. There is a bit of everything!
- Having new characters means no plot armor since they are not game characters. Amazing cause you never know if they are going to make it out alive or no.
- HOLY SHIT THE DREAD WOLF TAKE YOU ? I'm so pumped for DA4, even more so!
- Solas' insight and depth! I regret acting alone. I regret lying to my friends? Aoutch! Regret is a great one!

The Meh:
- As I mentionned, some short stories are weaker than some but it's also due to how high the bar is set by some really good pieces!


Edit in 2024 : so who is re-reading due to some of our companions being introduced here??

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider myself a fan of the Dragon Age games but haven't found much luck with the handful of books based on the game. Most range between mediocre to just decent. This collection of short stories was a pleasant surprise. One caveat though, if you have no background with the games then this setting might be confusing. Other than that-it's an excellent collection of short stories ranging from excellent to really good.

Certain stories like "Down Among the Dead Men" or "The Wigmakers Job" are top notch. But many of the others from "An Old Crow's Old Tricks" or "Eight Little Talons" were also really well written. So from Death Mages and Necromancers to the Assassins of Antiva or the Templar Order, it's all here-even Solas, The Dread Wolf, makes his cameos.

A great collection of Dragon Age short stories. If you like the games then this will be an enjoyable read.

[freddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 11th 2022
Re-re-read time.
Absolution made me do it.

November 14th 2021:
Re-read time.
Still good. Still need more DA4 news now.
Ratings are much the same so check below.

March 25th 2021:
Overall rating: ★★★★½
I need DA4 now.

Individual story ratings:
◾ Three Trees to Midnight: ★★★
◾ Down Among the Dead Men: ★★★★
◾ The Horror of Hormak: ★★★★
◾ Callback: ★★★★★
◾ Luck in the Gardens: ★★★
◾ Hunger: ★★
◾ Murder by Death Mages: ★★★
◾ The Streets of Minrathous: ★★★
◾ The Wigmaker Job: ★★★★★
◾ Genitivi Dies in the End: ★★★
◾ Herold Had the Plan: ★★½
◾ An Old Crow's Old Tricks: ★★★½
◾ Eight Little Talons: ★★★★★
◾ Half Up Front: ★★★½
◾ Dread Wolf Take You: ★★★★★

[Marcin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for Veilguard and I’m disappointed. It’s pretty bad and gets the second star only because I’m feeling generous.

I wasn’t expecting anything special but I also didn’t expect it to be *this* bad. The majority of this collection is basically monster/demon hunting stories that have nothing interesting to say at all. (Some characters I don’t care about track and kill an enemy I don’t care about. Yay, I guess.)

I only liked maybe three stories and it was arduous work to get through the rest.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta say the last story in the book is my favorite, but that’s also because I’ve been in Solavellan hell since 2014.... and reading it didn’t help my broken heart at all. Go figure. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for the next game!!! Will we get to save that bald egg?? I hope so....

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book short after its release and it didn't leave much of an impression either way. As I didn't remember it well (or at all) and I've heard the some Veilgaurd's companions made an apprereance, I thought it may be worthwile to refresh my memory before the game.

Well, it wasn't.

I don't know how I didn't register it the first time around, but boy, those stories are mostly bad - characters are bland (or annoying), stories are repetitive, half of them focuses on monster hunting like it's a wannabe Witcher collection, they are sloppily written / edited and some things just don't make much sense when you think on them - it makes the whole experience a rather miserable read. You don't expect much of game-related written media, but, with an exception of two or three stories, Tevinter Nights failed even in that category. I hope Veilguard uses some motives or characters (besides the companions), so at least it's not a complete waste of time.

Update: it does! no spoilers, but some short stories are used in the game. It makes me feel more charitable about that collection, there is a point, at least, to its existence.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all anthologies I've read, it's a mixed bag

Some of these stories are great and so engrossing, making you wonder how the events of the stories are going to impact the Dragon Age 4 world, or opening your eyes to a group or culture of the world you hadn't known of before. But other stories were so dull, I got stuck not wanting to read the book for months and debating on whether to just give up on it. My advice: if you find yourself struggling through a particular story, just skip it and move onto the next one, because some of these stories are very much worth the read.

[Helen Kord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably one of the best anthologies I've read? It definitely helps that it's set in a world I am so intimately acquainted with, but besides a few stories (and I'll get to those. grrr), all of them ranged from solid to excellent. It also made me even more hyped for Veilguard, which I thought was impossible.

Okay let's get into the stories:

"Three Trees to Midnight" by Patrick Weekes
Trick Weekes is a magnificent writer and you can really tell here. I loved the progression of the relationship between Strife and Myrion, I loved the new lore around the Arlathan forest and the Qunari fracturing, I really enjoyed the Qunari hunter and Irelin, and I loved seeing Strife as an older city elf joining the dalish, which I dont think is too common from what I remember. I can't wait to see Strife and Irelin in the game as the Veiljumper faction representatives (and hopefully Myrion too? 🥺👉👈). Definitely one of my favourites in the book.

"Down Among the Dead Men" by Sylvia Feketekuty

I was always curious about Nevarra from the way characters in game talked about it, but I never expected it to be like this? I am SO excited to see the necropolis, from the way it was described 🤩 I also really liked Audric and Myrna, and I'm looking forward to seeing them as the Mourn Watch representatives in Veilguard (I'm fairly sure they have been confirmed?). Also Emmerich! It was nice to get a look at HIM 👀👀👀


"The Horror of Hormak" by John Epler
This was SO good. I love horror, I love wardens, I love gay people. The lore implications? The horror itself? Holy shit I hope we meet it in the game, I desperately want more pants-shittingly scary monsters to fight. Also poor Ramesh 😔 I want to see him but I also want him to get rest 😔

"Callback" by Lukas Kristjanson
NOW we get to my nemesis, Lukas Fucking Kristjanson. I've got a long standing beef with this man. I want to say “nothing against him personally, I'm sure he's a normal guy” but frankly, the way he keeps writing queer women and black men is THE reddest flag ever. If you don't know, he wrote the Leliana and Marjorlaine story dlc (abusive lesbian relationship), the Branka storyline in dao (abusive lesbian relationship ending with being fed to the darkspawn I guess), he wrote Jacob in mass effect (I refuse to get into THAT racist mess), he wrote Sera in dragon age inquisition (whom I love despite her writing, not because of it, thank you for writing a “for the people” lesbian who is also transphobic, alright). He wrote Aveline, whom I adore, but is THE most cop character. Apparently he also wrote Jaheira in the og Baldur's Gate, and while I haven't played them, my close friend has, and she's been ranting about the Jaheira romance for years at this point. Needless to say, I hate this guy's writing so much. But! Magnanimously, I was willing to give him a chance. I loved all the stories so far. Maybe his writing is better in a short story form!
It's not lmao. Maybe it's because I never did all the Sutherland wartable missions. Maybe I got irritated by how painfully straight this story is after the delightfully queer stories so far. Maybe I'm a killjoy who thinks that fanservice should still have a meaning and make sense. But the more side characters kept popping up, the more annoyed I got. So you're telling me that you know there's some murderous enemy haunting Skyhold and for the big battle, you don't ask any of the inquisition soldiers and agents. You don't ask any of the companions still around. For the big battle against this unknown enemy, you call. Dagna. Yknow, the noncombatant arcanist. You call Dennet, the elderly horsemaster. You call whatshisface quartermaster. What???? Im sorry, what??? Again, call me a killjoy, but what the hell?? This is the stupidest most nonsense fanservice I have seen in ages.
I couldn't even enjoy how cool the concept for the regret demon was, because I was SO annoyed by the time it showed up and was just flying through to get the story over with.
Yes of course I write the most about the worst story in the book. Ugh

"Luck in the Gardens" by Sylvia Feketekuty

This was squarely fine. It was fine! It had a lot of good concepts that I really hope will show up in Veilguard! It just never really worked for me as a story itself. I enjoyed Hollix as a character and hope they will be our Lords of Fortune representative. I liked seeing the less glamorous side of Minrathous, and catching up with beloved Dorian and Maeve, whom I'm looking forward to FINALLY meeting properly in Veilguard. Most importantly tho, I'm so so so looking forward to hopefully fight the Cekorax 🤩 and see what it's deal is. I'm gonna be so sad if it's not in the game. Please please give me the horrible horror.

"Hunger" by Brianne Battye

Yesssssss I loved this one so much. Ivka and Antoine are SO sweet and such a great duo. There was so much intrigue around the characters and the village with at least one thing I desperately hope will come back to bite them in the ass in Veilguard. These two are our Warden representatives for Veilguard and I'm so so so looking forward to spending more time with them.

"Murder by Death Mages" by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

This one was another of those “a lot of good concepts that was fine to read but never turned great” stories. I actually enjoyed Sidony, I dont mind reading about mean characters as long as the meanness is justified, and I'd say she has valid reasons. I know she is one of the multiplayer characters, but I mostly know her from her hanging out in Skyhold and havingTHE coolest tarot card design. But otherwise, the story was kind of predictable, even if there was one nice semi-twist to it.

"The Streets of Minrathous" by Brianne Battye

NEVE NEVE NEVE. You're telling me I will actually get to kiss her?? My queen beloved??? You're telling me you've written a beautiful lady with a hooked nose who is a noir detective constantly running on two hours of sleep and hungry, grumpy with a heart of gold and the need to see justice prevail, AND you gave her a prosthetic leg??? You're telling me you've written Neve Gallus just for ME??? Little old ME??????? Thank you Brianne Battye?????
“Helena but what is the story about” the story is about me increasingly falling in love with Neve as she gets tireder and hungrier and wetter from the rain and grumpier. What more do you want???

"The Wigmaker" by Courtney Woods

HELLO LUCANIS. This story was another one of my favourites. I missed the crows so much and Lucanis is so good. I cannot wait to see him in all his glory in Veilguard and see what happened between this story and the game 👀 And the story itself was fairly gruesome, the wigs pretty horrifying too. Fuck Venatori! Thank gods the Magekiller is around.
I loved the relationship between him and his cousin too and all his little quirks. Also excited to see his perspective on his grandmother Catarina as an abusive family figure vs Teias view of her as a beloved grandmotherly figure. I hope the game actually touches upon that.

"Genitivi Dies in the End" by Lukas Kristjanson

Ughhhhhhhh, another Kristjanson oeuvre, but this time it's comedy! I think. Man, I dislike this man's writing. Usually I like stories where characters lie about what actually happened and we jump around the timelines (hello dragon age 2), but this one was so BAD. It was really hard to understand what was happening, since the present timeline had three narrators fighting each other over what gets written with names obscured to make it more confusing I guess. But it was so clunky. I can't even enjoy the final reveal that Brother Genitivi writes erotica under a female pseudonym because the rest was so painfully quirky and irritating.

"Herold Had the Plan" by Ryan Cormier

Another of the good concepts, ehh story stories. I didn't mind Bharv as a character, but I do hope he will just retire and not show up in Veilguard as another of our Lords of Fortune representatives lol. It was nice seeing Elim, since she was mentioned as the one who taught Hollix to disguise themselves. Less nice seeing Elims end 😔 I really loved the final revelation in the story, thought. That made me proper emotional.

"An Old Crow's Old Tricks" by Arone Le Bray

Lets fucking GO this story ruled. I loved to see this old assassin absolutely dismantle all the enemies in one night, all by herself. Just a widdle old lady, murdering her way through deserving targets. The more got revealed the more I was cheering her on. There isn't much to say besides that it kicked ass with righteous justice and I liked seeing this side to the crows too.

"Eight Little Talons" by Courtney Woods

Hey I fucking love murder mystery and this one was SO good. Loved loved LOVED Viago and Teia and their romance, the chemistry was INSANE. The story was so good too, the way it kept ramping up. And once again we got to see more of the Crows, which made me so hyped for them. I'm so excited for these two to be in Veilguard as our Crows representatives 🥺🥺🥺 we already saw a shot of them in the trailer and they looked incredible. Perfect. I was so glad this was the longest story. I'd take a whole book of them.

"Half Up Front" by John Epler

Ehhh. Again, it was fine. Interesting to see this side of the qunari. Wild to see Gatt show up as a reasonable guy, of all people. The main couple was fine, it was nice to have more lesbians, even if there wasn't much chemistry between them.

"Dread Wolf Take You" by Patrick Weekes

Now THIS. This one was great. I always enjoy Rashomon style storytelling, but the way this story ended had me gasping. It was so good!!!! Mx Weekes why are you so good at writing!!!
“I ask for my life,” Charter said a third time. sends shivers down my spine! God, such a good finale.

Anyway, as you can tell by the longest review I've written in literal years, I had a LOT to say about this book. I cannot understate how much I'm looking forward to Veilguard. I can't believe that in two months, I will be playing it.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

After all of these great stories which are meant to open some storylines for DA4, if only the game would finally arrive, too...

Also, I really did not appreciate Dorian enough in my playthrough of DAI. He's such a fun character in the comic books and in this collection, even if he's mostly just mentioned.

[Milsi ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually one of the best Dragon Age books I've read. My favorite used to be Asunder, and I haven't read anything else of the sort since (so I have some catching up to do).

Each short story is tastefully written and, while being self-conclusive, still leaves room for imagining what's going to happen in Dragon Age 4, if it ever comes out as it's meant to be and not as an EA scam. As the title suggests, many of the short stories presented in this book take place in Tevinter, but in reality, we meet characters from all over, from old characters from Inquisition coming back to life to Tevinter magisters and Antivan Crows. In fact I especially enjoyed the short stories starring the Crows, "A Wigmaker's Job" in particular, and I hope we'll see more of Lucanis Dellamorte in Dragon Age 4, for sure.

At the core, however, this book means to set up the stage before Dragon Age 4. The Qunari have invaded Tevinter, there's unrest among the Antivan Crows' Talons, horrors are moving beneath the earth and Solas is... being very Solas. It's enough to say that his regret over abandoning the Inquisitor is so intense that it summons a demon of Regret from his paintings in Skyhold, miles and miles away from where he most likely is.

I loved that Dorian, Cassandra, Charter and even Solas appeared on page. It was something that always made me hopeful about the other Dragon Age books I read: getting to see one of the characters from the games appear on page. This time, I got my wish. But be careful what you wish for lest you find yourself down in Solavellan Hell, friends.

[SurDiablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far more enjoyable than Last Flight, though still a bit of a mixed bag. The stories in this collection span a spectrum: some offer truly compelling ideas but are held back by clunky execution, others would likely make excellent game quests rather than short stories, and a few have plot holes that unravel as soon as you think them through. Sadly, the editing is the biggest letdown here. It's hard to believe that even with four editors, the book still suffers from all those frequent errors, ranging from spelling mistakes to forgetting who did what. Despite its flaws, it does give tantalizing hints of what the next game might bring, and I'm genuinely excited about it. The horror stories, in particular, stood out to me with their introduction of new demons and enemies, adding an enticing layer when it comes to Veilguard.

[Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoiler review: short stories was the perfect choice to tantalize me for what’s coming next. Can’t wait to spend the next however many months rereading and speculating over and over again!!!!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ran aground on writing reviews this year because I kept trying to write thoughts on every single story in this anthology, so I’m cutting my losses and making it briefer in order to get caught up —

When this book came out in 2020, we had no way of knowing how relevant it would wind up being for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but it actually ties into the game sooooo much more than I expected. So many of the incidental characters from these stories pop up as frequent NPCs or even full companions in Veilguard. I know all the extra material in this franchise is daunting (because I was daunted!), but if you’re a Dragon Age fan at all, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Some of the stories are duds (sadly inevitable with an anthology), but several of them are absolutely stellar. Calling out some faves:

“Down Among the Dead Men” - Sylvia Feketekuty
Necromancy adventures in the Grand Necropolis, really wonderful and atmospheric and funny and then deeply sad, also featuring Emmrich and Manfred cameos. The Mourn Watch are my fave.

“The Horror of Hormak” - John Epler
Fantastic creeping terror in the Deep Roads, with really unsettling body horror.

“Callback” - Lukas Kristjanson
Sheer fan service for DA:I girlies, with the NPC Inquisition everyday agents — like the stablemaster, the quartermaster, etc — all returning to Skyhold to investigate A Problem. It’s such a nostalgic trip home, with a lot of fondness and respect for these random background NPCs; and then some additional Solas feelings by the end.

“Hunger” - Brianne Battye
Just an EXTREMELY cool gothic story with two Grey Wardens (Antoine and Evka!) protecting an isolated, downtrodden Anderfels village from werewolves.

“The Wigmaker Job” - Courtney Woods
Lucanis & Illario on an assassination job together with lots of insane body horror, and the origin of his ‘demon of Vyrantium’ nickname.

“Genitivi Dies in the End” - Lukas Kristjanson
Okay I simply can’t stop talking about this story. Three of the series’ in-universe codex writers – Brother Genitivi, Formerly Sister Laudine, and Philliam, A Bard! – go to investigate pockets of reality where ancient elven libraries have been appearing from the Fade. There’s unreliable narration, bickering about writing style, fleshing out the personalities of these codex authors, and I love them all!! Laudine is a former nun who scandalised everyone by writing about sex, and she and Philliam are both publishing rivals AND on-again off-again lovers. This is one of my top two favourite stories in the whole anthology.

“Eight Little Talons” - Courtney Woods
My other favourite!! Agatha Christie meets John Wick by way of fantasy Italy and the Antivan Crows. All the Talons are at Caterina Dellamorte’s island villa for a strategic summit, and then they start getting killed off ONE BY ONE in the NIGHT and have to figure out who’s doing it. One of the Talons also went undercover as a templar for too long and developed a lifelong lyrium addiction that he’s still wrestling with and can’t kick. The whole thing is just so good and juicy and atmospheric and cool.

“The Dread Wolf Take You” - Patrick Weekes
Canterbury Tales meets Dragon Age, with all the spies of various nations gathering to compare notes and try to figure out what Solas’ plan is, but then things take a Turn.

[Ewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a reread before Dragon Age: the Veilguard comes out. I think it was especially worth it knowing now which characters will be our companions in the new game. I can't wait to see hich stories will continue in the game too (maybe not the Horror of Hormak, this one is too dark for me).
The stories which I liked the most in y first read are still my favourite - The Wigmaker Job and Six Little Taons. I also liked those that dealt or gave us some information about Nevarra and the Mortalitassi, which is actually surprising because I expected that I will get more interesting magical characters and concepts in Tevinter.
With all that in mind, I still think that I enjoyed this collection more when I read it three years ago. Especially in the first half of the book the stories were quite repetitive with a standard monster hunting plot. I think most of my enjoyment comes from loving this world and I wish it could come more from the stories just being interesting or fun.

[L'ours inculte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ici, on sait que Dragon age est la meilleure saga vidéoludique jamais créée et ceci est objectif. Non, peut-être pas, mais c’est celle que je préfère dans tous les cas, comment ne pas adorer ce lore complexe et ces personnages attachants quand on aime la fantasy ? En 15 ans et trois jeux, Bioware nous a raconté tant d’histoires épiques que voir arriver Dragon Age : The veilguard le 31 Octobre est un grand moment pour tous les « fans » (je déteste ce mot). Mais depuis la sortie d’Inquisition en 2014 on a quand même eu pas mal d’histoires dans cet univers, en BD mais aussi en bouquin, et aujourd’hui je vous propose de parler du recueil de nouvelles Tevinter Nights.

Ce bouquin de 500 pages bien tassées regroupe 15 nouvelles de 20-30 pages qui feront le pont entre Dragon Age Inquisition et Dragon Age The veilguard, le prochain jeu de la saga qui sort le 31 Octobre. Il sert à la fois de teasing et de présentation pour différentes factions, personnages et lieux du jeu à venir puisque chaque histoire va être une petite aventure, une mission qui nous présente un petit groupe de personnages,un contexte, un enjeu et c’est plié. En toute honnêteté, narrativement c’est assez redondant, je ne sais pas si ça a beaucoup d’intérêt si vous ne connaissez pas la série. Mais le but est de s’adresser aux joueurs et de donner un aperçu de vers où va aller la saga, et aussi de temps en temps de regarder un peu en arrière aussi.

Dragon Age The veilguard se déroulera dans une partie de Thedas qu’on n’a jamais exploré mais qu’on connaît de manière indirecte : L’empire Tévintide, ou Tevinter, un coin dirigé par les mages là où dans d’autres pays ils sont un peu persécutés. Dans Tevinter Nights on va donc nous présenter tout ça à travers quelques petites aventures pour nous situer le contexte : L’invasion Qunari qui fait des dégâts, les Venatori qui veulent « make Tevinter great again », les Antivan Crows qui œuvrent dans l’ombre. Dans tout ça on va recroiser des têtes connues en guest, on va rencontrer quelques personnages qu’on sait maintenant être des protagonistes du prochain opus vidéoludique comme Lucanis, Neve ou Emmerich. On va faire le point sur l’équilibre des forces des différentes factions : Les Crows, les gardes des ombres, les Lords of fortune, les Mortalitasi, etc…

Cette approche de construire tout un bout d’univers par petites touches marche ici très bien puisqu’on va utiliser le point fort de l’écriture propre à Dragon Age pour poser les choses : Les personnages. Chaque histoire a un ou plusieurs nouveaux personnages qui vont subtilement, dans leurs interactions, situer quelques morceaux de lore et construire ce petit édifice qui nous expose un instantané de la situation quand on lancera The veilguard. Pourtant nul doute que les nouveaux joueurs auront toutes les informations pertinentes dans le jeu, on est vraiment dans la friandise pour connaisseur impatient, on lance des pistes, on tease des choses, on fait des ponts et on présente un petit avant-goût. C’est l’apéro pour se mettre dans l’ambiance, c’est du lore bonus pour les gourmands.

J’ai beaucoup aimé lire ce recueil une fois que la promo pour The veilguard avait démarré, puisqu’on croise des personnages et des factions qu’on a déjà vu dans les premières présentations du jeu, donc l’un nourrit l’autre et vice-versa. Je nourris ma propre hype et je le vis plutôt très bien. Les présentations de Neve et Lucanis ont été très réussies, la nouvelle qui se passe à Fort Céleste m’a fait un petit quelque-chose, recroiser Dorian évidemment aussi. Le recueil se termine sur ce qui va directement lancer l’histoire du jeu, un certain elfe chauve prépare un petit tour de magie légèrement dévastateur et on verra bien où ça nous mène !

Si vous ne connaissez pas l’univers de Dragon Age, ce livre aura peut-être l’intérêt de vous donner un petit avant-goût de ce qui fait la saga, mais je vous invite surtout à tester les jeux. Inquisition se trouve régulièrement à moins de 10 euros ou vous pourrez même commencer directement par The veilguard à en croire les développeurs qui ont misé sur une accessibilité aux nouveaux venus. Pour les joueurs déjà convaincus, vous savez, et The veilguard sera à n’en pas douter un évènement. Vivement le 31 Octobre !

https://ours-inculte.fr/tevinter-nights/

[MasterSal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a simple average I think this collection is near a 3 but I often find short story collections work like that. However, overall the stories were memorable and it was really fun to be back in the world.

I'll do a separate story by story breakdown later but I would recommend this to DA fans as they wait for Dredd Wolf to be released. Worth it as a collection overall.

[Karolina Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Quite uneven in terms of stories, but the most enjoyable were the stories with the least connection to the games

Horror in Hormak was a banger.

[Aniya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so ready for Veilguard now... probably won't read many books in november because I'm gonna be locked in my apartment gaming all day 🤭

[silky · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad to have read this before I really got through the Veilguard. Very much enjoyed the set up it does for the game. I love the Dragon Age world and it's so nice to be back even in book form.

All the stories suit each other well, yet some are clear standouts. Namely: The Wigmaker Job, The Horror of Hormak, the Callback, and Eight Little Talons.

[Sara Portela · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Read this in anticipation of "Dragon Age: Veilguard", and it was the perfect setup for the game! Definitely advised for all those that like Dragon Age or want to get more into it after playing DAO or DAII.

[Aimée · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed all the Dragon Age novels and I’m a big fan of the series as a whole so it’s no surprise I enjoyed this, but it still blew me away!

We finally get to see more of Thedas in these short stories and it’s so nice to get a feel for some of the areas we have only been told about so far.

There are a lot of hints and teases of what could be coming in DA4 here, including major and minor plot points, potential companions, old companions and of course the next big bad.

I enjoyed all of the short stories but my favourites were The Horror of Hormak, Callback and The Wigmaker Job. I was surprised by the return to a more dark fantasy in a lot of these stories as well. There’s some lovecraftian elements, and a fair few body horror moments.

[Pip · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories set within the Dragon Age universe. I would say this is a "must read" for anyone anticipating Dragon Age: The Veilguard, or who plans on getting into the series with the new game's release; it serves as a great introduction, particularly to northern Thedas, which will be the focus of the game, and which pretty starkly contrasts the southern side of the continent that fans of the previous games are more familiar with.

Individual story ratings and reviews below:

Three Trees to Midnight by Trick Weekes

3.5 / 5 | Honestly a slow start to the anthology, in my opinion. But I loved the introduction to Strife and Irelin, and the story did pick up towards the middle and end — though I'm not sure how I feel about the conveniently lucky final twist.

Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty

5 / 5 | Nevarra and the Mortalitasi have been a fascination of mine since my first playthrough of Inquisition, so I went into this story fully expecting to love it — and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The pacing and the characterization of Audric and Myrna (and the little bit of Emmrich that we see!) was all just fantastic.

The Horror of Hormak by John Epler

5 / 5 | Genuinely chilling. The "Grey Wardens find themselves out of their depth" trope can be done to death just a little bit in this franchise, but I couldn't put my e-reader down reading through this story, and it is definitely one of a handful that I will find myself coming back to read over again.

Callback by Lukas Kristjanson

3 / 5 | You may notice a negative trend as far as my track record with Kristjanson's writing goes. I wasn't particularly a fan of this one; it featured some returning characters from Inquisition that I love, but the voice and pacing was a bit... fanfiction-y for my taste.

Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty

5 / 5 | Sylvia Feketkuty has found a new fan in me, because this and Down Among the Dead Men were decidedly my favorites from this collection. The "monster of the week" feel of it was so fun, Hollix is a great character, and the bonus Dorian appearance certainly didn't hurt either.

Hunger by Brianne Battye

4.5 / 5 | Also a little bit of a "monster of the week" type story, which I'm always here for. And I adore Antoine and Evka, and can't wait to see more of them in Veilguard.

Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

4.75 / 5 | Once again, my fixation on Nevarra and its death mages made sure I was going into this one very enthusiastically. Sidony! Seeing her pop up again and learning more about her was delightful. I would also count this one among my favorites from the collection, but I will say that the end of the story felt a little off for me, pacing wise.

The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye

4 / 5 | Neve Gallus — that's all that really needs to be said. The hardboiled detective tone of this story was conveyed very well by Battye's writing, but since mysteries of that nature aren't what I typically enjoy reading, this one didn't click as much for me.

The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods

4 / 5 | If there's one thing Courtney Woods excels at, it's writing magnificent bastards. Lucanis and Illario and their banter was great, and I could feel a lot of the same energy coming through as Reyes' dialogue in Mass Effect: Andromeda — she has a natural knack for snappy witticisms. There were a lot of richly described and downright creepy/infuriating moments as well (to be expected when Venatori are involved), but the final confrontation fell a little flat for me.

Genitivi Dies in the End by Lukas Kristjanson

2.5 / 5 | As I said before: Kristjanson's writing often just doesn't work for me. This was hands down my least favorite in the collection, as much as I wanted to love it because I'm a big fan of the "unreliable narrator" trope. It just felt very disjointed and honestly, I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters.

Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier

3 / 5 | This one wasn't particularly bad, but it wasn't very memorable and felt the least like a Dragon Age story to me — aside from the name drops of certain characters, factions, and places, this could have just been a story about a heist taking place in any high fantasy world.

An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray

5 / 5 | This wasn't at all what I was anticipating, and I was delighted by how much this story caught me by surprise. It had the feeling of a cozy, cautionary campfire tale — but equally was a very satisfying chronicle of just desserts being paid to avenge those facing some particularly awful Tevene cruelty.

Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods

5 / 5 | I would have loved to read this as a full novel, honestly. Like I said: Woods excels at writing magnificent bastards, and the Crows definitely suit her style.

Half Up Front by John Epler

3.75 / 5 | Vadis and Irian's relationship really saved this one for me, honestly, and I enjoy the way that Epler writes action sequences. Aside from that, I didn't find myself all that invested in one.

The Dread Wolf Take You by Trick Weekes

4 / 5 | I enjoy Weekes' writing, and I definitely clicked with this one more than their other story in this collection. It felt like a great closing piece tying it into the upcoming story of Veilguard, and it was very decidedly Dragon Age for me. That being said, I've never been particularly invested in the "Solas of it all," so it wasn't as much of a standout for me for that reason.

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be the first one to admit the Dragon Age novels aren't that great, but after reading this book, I begin to think that short stories might be the way to go. First things first - to understand these one has to know the plot of Inquisition, preferably up to Tresspasser.

The quality of the stories differs as wildly as the topics and areas they cover. The thing I've enjoyed the most about Tevinter Nights, however, is the nember of subgenres the story covers. We have no less than two noir-like stories, a bit of gothic horror, a bit of lovecraftian horror, two stories with unreliable narrator, quite a nice Christie-style whodunnit, two more more typical whodunnits, a spy story...

If I have any complaints, it's that with so many interesting locales that we cover, the DDCs (Deadly Decadent Courts) of all nations seem too much alike.
Orlais: backstabbing, plotting, partying nobles WITH MASKS
Tevinter: backstabbing, plotting, partying nobles WITH BLOOD MAGIC
Nevarra: backstabbing, plotting, partying nobles WITH NECROMANCY
Antiva: backstabbing, plotting, partying nobles WITH ASSASSINS

You get the idea.

I don't think we'll ever get to see Dreadwolf and if we will, it probably won't be very good, but at least this set of stories served as a nice introduction to it.

Oh, one more thing, I've enjoyed how people writing it, either consulted the lore-directors or actually knew a bit about the setting so I didn't find any major mistakes - and found some nice nods, to the game mechanics, like the use of veilfire. The stories also doesn't do the mistake of translating mechanics one-to-one into the narrative, aside from one "I moved using Fade step". Though I do have my doubts if every Nevarran mage is a Mortalisi and the post-credits scene of Dragon Age: Absolution (which I guess is canon?) conflicts with one of the stories here, but oh well.

[hailey zipfel · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the start of the new year, I am also beginning a new reading challenge: A Wuthering Winter. I am only reading books thematically or stylistically related to my favorite novel read last year: Wuthering Heights. Now, how does this relatively obscure fantasy novel fit in? It involves gothic themes - revenge, pride, spirits of the dead. It is mythic and dark, requiring the reader to submit to the gray, violent world of its characters, much like Wuthering Heights. A stretch, you say? Oh well - it’s my reading challenge!

The fantastical elements of this novel are very grounded in the rich lore of the Dragon Age world - my favorite of the two fantasy universes I’ve explored (The Witcher being the other, which I also enjoy). I’ve read the Dragon Age novels, played the three games, and I must say I’m not sure that this short story selection would work well for those not previously introduced to the series. I give the collection four out of five stars because the writing is uneven, and occasionally formulaic. But the commitment to the universe is incredible. We travel through northern Thedas; the Qunari rebellion is underway; Tevinter is crumbling, and the Dread Wolf continues his mission. The final story in the collection is my favorite, as it centers around the romantic and cruel Solas, a fabulous character in all respects. A bit of a Heathcliff, no?

[beckie ☽✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ah thedas, i've missed you! despite having it on my bookshelf for over four years (?!) i'm actually glad that my first time reading it came after playing dragon age the veilguard as it made my appreciation for characters i grew to love in the game so much bigger (lucanis, teia and viago, and antoine and evka in particular.)

i definitely favoured the stories about the crows and the grey wardens the most (eight little talons being the absolute standout for me), though all stories had their charms. i definitely recommend this book for fans of dragon age the veilguard!

story ratings:

★ three trees to midnight: 3/5
★ down among the dead men: 5/5
★ the horror of hormak: 5/5
★ callback: 4/5
★ luck in the gardens: 2/5
★ hunger: 5/5
★ murder by death mages: 4/5
★ the streets of minrathous: 3/5
★ the wigmaker job: 5/5
★ genitivi dies in the end: 4/5
★ herold had the plan: 3/5
★ an old crow's old tricks: 5/5
★ eight little talons: 5/5
★ half up front: 2/5
★ the dread wolf take you: 4/5

[Vidumavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best video game books I've ever read, 3.5 stars to be honest. And thats really high for a novel based on a video game universe.

I fucking love Thedas. I love the Dragon Age games, I love the characters. But most of all, I love all the obscure lore about the world its set in. And this book delivers heaps of that.

A lot is expanded upon in the lore beyond Ferelden and Orlais. We learn about the Mourn Guard in Nevarra, about Crow politics in Antiva and about Blood Magic in Tevinter. We are introduced to a new cast of characters (some who will appear in the next game! I can't wait the see more of Lucanis!), and are treated to some cameos by old favorites. Its a great mix between character lore and expansion upon the codex.

I think my favorite stories were the one about the underground abomination lab the wardens discover, which definitely has to do with Ghilan'nain, and the story about Crow politics and the involvement of the Qunari.

So yeah, loved it, definitely worth a read if you even somewhat like Dragon Age.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this collection was fantastic, and even the stories I didn't much like were still strong. A great mix of lore hints for the next game, setting the stage for us to travel to Tevinter (finally! FINALLY), and fascinating callbacks, as well as just fun little adventures in the world.

Spoilers ahead -

Mini rating system, with the ones I wasn't so wild about redacted:
✦✦ - pretty good
✦✦✦ - really great

Three Trees to Midnight ✦✦✦

"Can you break the shackles?" the elf gasped, and Myrion's fingers clenched even harder in this anger.
"If I could break the shackles, do you think I'd still be here?"
"Then..." The elf's voice was a ragged gasp. "I hope you're ready to drag my body as you escape."

Starting off the collection strong, with a good portrait of the broad social dynamics between Tevinter humans, Dalish & city elves, and Qunari that DA4 will throw us into. It was a bit punch-happy at the start, but mellowed out into a nicely-contained, tense, and often funny little buddy adventure. (With a nice promise of Arlathan forest as a quest location!! please!!)

Down Among the Dead Men ✦✦
The more I think on this one the more I like it, and not just because I'd bet money on this trio being NPCs you can chat with in DA4. I love the spirits & "ghosts" in Dragon Age, and love that they can still get away with tricking me, and especially love spirits that are like Cole - human, confused, genuine, attached to the human world for fondness and not malice.
Also the Mourn Watch? Metal as fuck.

Luck in the Gardens ✦✦✦

I looked at Mizzy and saw her lip tremble, and realized she knew I'd lied but was pretending. That her friends killed by a monster were worth avenging. That someone in this grinding city would help. That a funny stranger in a fancy dress would turn out to be, if not a hero, a decent imitation of one.

Dorian, I missed you so much. Loved this one, fabulous energy, beautiful set-up of the city and the magic within, and a scary as fuck monster. At this point I'm wondering just how body-horror-y DA4 is gonna get because between this one and The Horror of Hormak...yikes. I so badly wanted the narrator to be a companion and was almost certain they would be and I will happily be ignorant of the ending just so I can keep on pretending that we can get a funny, street-smart, master of disguise rogue at our side.

Hunger ✦✦

"So, we rode into town."
"We walked. Because we lost the horses."
"Saved the horses. And the village."
"To thunderous applause. And it will probably be overrun by locusts when we leave."

Atmosphere was top notch, and it's one where that extra push of quirk on the characterization of Antoine just elevated the whole thing. I do love how it seemed to encapsulate a Warden's experience beyond darkspawn or the Blight.

The Wigmaker Job ✦✦✦

"You said it yourself, vengeance was the best I could offer."
"No! My exact words were: 'We can't help these people.' I said nothing of vengeance. You're the vengeancey one."

So who knew more Crows were as smarmy, smooth, and obnoxious as dear Zevran? Oh, deadly too, I suppose. I had a hell of a time with it in all its terrifying, gory glory (more body horror?!). They were really given the chance to get more creative and weird with the magic in the writing (and in Tevinter) and holy crow, it's showing. (I do feel like Lucanis is a perfect character to bring back though...)

Genitivi Dies at the End ✦✦✦

"You've never heard my true name. I've never said it to anyone." She lowered her voice as she spoke, and Rasaan instinctively leaned forward.
"Go on, then," she said, bemused.
"Saarebas-alit an," said Laudine.
She didn't know much of the language - Qunlat was coarser than ancient Elven - but she'd said enough. Saarebas literally meant "dangerous thing," the Qunari word for mage. Basalit an was a foe worthy of respect.
Rasaan's gray skin went white. She hadn't bound the captives as mages.

Always in awe of a story that's pretty good on its own, but absolutely fantastic with its framing. This one's almost impossible to not describe without entirely spoiling it, but get a few scribes & bards together on a heist in an ancient elven library and let them write their own adventure of how they got out...incredibly fun little story.

Herold Had the Plan ✦✦✦
Definitely some of my favourite prose in this collection. While one of the most self-contained, "filler" stories, I found it funny, oddly relaxing, and clever. Also, Vaea's back! Not the most sprawling or deep thing in the world but I loved solving its clues and it treated all its setpieces with lots of care.

Eight Little Talons ✦✦✦
Okay, this is the kind of murder mystery I can get into - Clue, but make it fantasy. I guessed the culprit correctly (always suspect the one with the least screentime, it seems), but I'm still real impressed with how well it sketched out all these characters in so little time, in a perfect way to pivot the mystery around them and make me (ship the heck outta them) root for them. There is no way the politics of Crows are not going to be at least a very noisy subplot in DA4, no chance. Either way I enjoyed finally getting to meet some notorious names and getting to admire the Antivan Crow glamour we haven't yet gotten to witness in-game.