What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication
A nameless undead awakens in an ancient crypt, and thus does the journey begin. Drawn mysteriously toward the horizon, he ventures into a land of perils beyond death. A once shining kingdom has been fractured, and mindless Hollows prowl the dark corners. To see it united and restored, the old king must be freed by his get-the youth Balarion. The undead and his companions, surviving champions of the halcyon era, accompany Balaarion on this journey to release his father, battling foes both monstrous and clever. Yet it is not their enemies that give them doubt, it is their quest. Can a world so troubled truly be set right again, or is it fated to vanish into the dark?
- GenresFantasy
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 25, 2022
48 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 8, 2023
TL;DR: This is a mostly middling, occasionally decent, adventure novel with only superficial connections to the world of Dark Souls. If you want dark fantasy adventure there are much better options, and if you want immersion in the world of Dark Souls this probably won't scratch that itch.
The novel starts the same way all Souls games start: a corpse awakens somewhere after who knows how long with no memory of himself or the larger world, but he's compelled to adventure as if by some unknown force. Soon he's confronted with mindless undead out to kill him, and kill him they do. He reawakens and eventually bests these first foes only to quickly encounter bigger, stronger foes to kill and be killed by. This is the first chapter or two of Masque of Vindication. They are unfortunately probably the best part of the book as things go downhill from there.
The protagonist, who recalls his name is Ferranos, goes on a grand adventure with a company of other heroes in an effort to revive the old king and restore order to the land. The plot follows a very simple video game-like structure: the king's three legitimate children each hold a key to his tomb, so our heroes, including the king's bastard son Balarion, visit each of them in turn, completing some task on their behalf in order to obtain the keys. Over the course of the story characters drop in and out of the adventuring party as the plot takes us from region to region, skirmishes are fought and won (and sometimes lost), the adventurers grow stronger and more experienced, and the world is fleshed out (but not to a great degree).
At just under 300 pages, Masque of Vindication is a short dark fantasy adventure. There's magic, visceral descriptions of battles, and fantastical locales. However none of these things are specific to Dark Souls. The elements taken from the games are few and superficial: the company rests at bonfires where the undead among them can respawn if killed; several characters posses what is effectively an Estus flask, allowing them to heal near instantly; and killing their enemies awards the characters "experience," never referred to as souls, but allowing them insight into the enemy's life, thoughts, and the state of the world.
One of the biggest things that makes Souls-like games so captivating for me is the sense of isolation in a desolate and hostile world. You are a nameless, silent grunt alone in a world where humans are almost nowhere to be found, and a variety of strange creatures want to kill you. There are very few friendly faces to be found anywhere, and almost no places of refuge. In Masque, Ferranos is joined by four or five companions for almost his entire journey. With one exception his companions are living humans. They converse, sleep, and eat. Their travels take them to several large cities and villages, all teeming with life. Their battles, with little variety, are either against humans or generic "Hollows." It doesn't really feel like Dark Souls. It feels like a generic dark fantasy that borrowed a few surface-level elements from Dark Souls. Perhaps capturing the spirit and feel of Dark Souls in novel form isn't really possible.
But not capturing the feel of Dark Souls is not this novel's only problem. The dialogue is clunky, with characters repeating information they already know and that's already been established, antagonists stating their intentions and motivations in awkward exposition dumps, plot lines that go nowhere, and at least one not-so-subtle allusion to modern U.S. politics. This book also handles women characters quite poorly. Most women in the book are essentially sex objects, and vain about their appearance to a ridiculous degree. One even has a literal mental breakdown when she realizes she's not the most beautiful woman in the world. Finally, the ending is left open-ended allowing room for a sequel, but the book doesn't really earn it, so I'm mostly left feeling unsatisfied.
If you want dark fantasy adventure read The Black Company. If you want Dark Souls play Dark Souls. I'm not sure there's a good reason to read this.
The novel starts the same way all Souls games start: a corpse awakens somewhere after who knows how long with no memory of himself or the larger world, but he's compelled to adventure as if by some unknown force. Soon he's confronted with mindless undead out to kill him, and kill him they do. He reawakens and eventually bests these first foes only to quickly encounter bigger, stronger foes to kill and be killed by. This is the first chapter or two of Masque of Vindication. They are unfortunately probably the best part of the book as things go downhill from there.
The protagonist, who recalls his name is Ferranos, goes on a grand adventure with a company of other heroes in an effort to revive the old king and restore order to the land. The plot follows a very simple video game-like structure: the king's three legitimate children each hold a key to his tomb, so our heroes, including the king's bastard son Balarion, visit each of them in turn, completing some task on their behalf in order to obtain the keys. Over the course of the story characters drop in and out of the adventuring party as the plot takes us from region to region, skirmishes are fought and won (and sometimes lost), the adventurers grow stronger and more experienced, and the world is fleshed out (but not to a great degree).
At just under 300 pages, Masque of Vindication is a short dark fantasy adventure. There's magic, visceral descriptions of battles, and fantastical locales. However none of these things are specific to Dark Souls. The elements taken from the games are few and superficial: the company rests at bonfires where the undead among them can respawn if killed; several characters posses what is effectively an Estus flask, allowing them to heal near instantly; and killing their enemies awards the characters "experience," never referred to as souls, but allowing them insight into the enemy's life, thoughts, and the state of the world.
One of the biggest things that makes Souls-like games so captivating for me is the sense of isolation in a desolate and hostile world. You are a nameless, silent grunt alone in a world where humans are almost nowhere to be found, and a variety of strange creatures want to kill you. There are very few friendly faces to be found anywhere, and almost no places of refuge. In Masque, Ferranos is joined by four or five companions for almost his entire journey. With one exception his companions are living humans. They converse, sleep, and eat. Their travels take them to several large cities and villages, all teeming with life. Their battles, with little variety, are either against humans or generic "Hollows." It doesn't really feel like Dark Souls. It feels like a generic dark fantasy that borrowed a few surface-level elements from Dark Souls. Perhaps capturing the spirit and feel of Dark Souls in novel form isn't really possible.
But not capturing the feel of Dark Souls is not this novel's only problem. The dialogue is clunky, with characters repeating information they already know and that's already been established, antagonists stating their intentions and motivations in awkward exposition dumps, plot lines that go nowhere, and at least one not-so-subtle allusion to modern U.S. politics. This book also handles women characters quite poorly. Most women in the book are essentially sex objects, and vain about their appearance to a ridiculous degree. One even has a literal mental breakdown when she realizes she's not the most beautiful woman in the world. Finally, the ending is left open-ended allowing room for a sequel, but the book doesn't really earn it, so I'm mostly left feeling unsatisfied.
If you want dark fantasy adventure read The Black Company. If you want Dark Souls play Dark Souls. I'm not sure there's a good reason to read this.
November 10, 2022
DNF about halfway through.
Where to begin. The writing wasn't technically that flawed, but...some stories are better told in a specific medium, & this should have been a video game. That being said - if this was an ACTUAL story based on lore from legit dark souls (any of the 3) there is a LOT of material there to write fantastic books with. I gave this a chance because I was hopeful, but...man. 😔
I hate to rate this low. I still want dark souls books with lore and characters I can care about from the original series. But this was a miss.
Where to begin. The writing wasn't technically that flawed, but...some stories are better told in a specific medium, & this should have been a video game. That being said - if this was an ACTUAL story based on lore from legit dark souls (any of the 3) there is a LOT of material there to write fantastic books with. I gave this a chance because I was hopeful, but...man. 😔
I hate to rate this low. I still want dark souls books with lore and characters I can care about from the original series. But this was a miss.
March 21, 2023
I don't normally write anything about what I read. But I got to say, this book had a really strong beginning that felt very much Soulslike. Then mid way turned into just a fantasy story that lost that Souls feel. It did have two twist I didn't see coming. But still not enough to recommend this book to any Souls fan. Only giving it 3 stars because I enjoyed the characters and the first half.
February 15, 2024
Michael Stackpole is a favorite.
Stackpole flushes out a unique blend of fantasy twisted with magic. This book is so good to read it kept me engaged to the very last page. This book tries fresh ideas that I haven't experienced with any other author. I highly recommend it
Stackpole flushes out a unique blend of fantasy twisted with magic. This book is so good to read it kept me engaged to the very last page. This book tries fresh ideas that I haven't experienced with any other author. I highly recommend it
April 24, 2025
Rating: 5.5/10.0
Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication tells the story of Ferranos, a mysterious mage who wakes up in a tomb, without memories, or rather, with few or almost no memories of who he truly was. He feels inexplicably drawn toward a direction on the horizon and follows it to try to discover more about what’s happening and who he is. Thus begins a journey in an empty world filled with lurking dead creatures.
But let me warn you, what you just read represents about 70 or 80 pages of a 323-page book, and after that, the book transforms into a colorful, “happy” Skyrim filled with people, and 95% of everything you've read so far, what truly represents Dark Souls is abandoned and left behind.
In short, does the book become bad?
Not necessarily, but it will frustrate you, because what you’re reading is no longer Dark Souls. However, Stackpole still manages to craft a non-generic fantasy story that fits within the middle and end of the book. The narrative that fills the middle is enjoyable to follow, focusing on a prince who must travel between the realms of his three siblings, gather three keys, and “save his father, the king.” At this point, the book completely discards any trace of Dark Souls, with no references to the games. That said, it’s still a “good” story—but with a lousy ending.
Up until the penultimate page, my mindset was to rate the book 8/10, but after seeing the ending, I settled with 5.5/10.
Pros:
+ Simple but likable characters.
+ Stackpole’s writing is very good, though at times I found it a bit difficult to follow and understand who was speaking in dialogues.
+ Engaging and captivating plot (except for the ending).
+ The world-building (unrelated to Dark Souls) is clever and well-crafted.
Cons:
- Awful ending.
- It’s not Dark Souls.
- From the middle onward, it loses any Dark Souls essence established at the beginning.
- Awful ending.
Conclusion:
A "good" story with a bad ending that isn’t Dark Souls. The cover is misleading; the protagonist is a mage and has nothing to do with Dark Souls.
Will you, a Dark Souls fan, enjoy it? If you can set aside the idea that this is a Dark Souls book, despite the title and cover, maybe.
Will someone who doesn’t even know what Dark Souls is, enjoy it? Maybe.
Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication tells the story of Ferranos, a mysterious mage who wakes up in a tomb, without memories, or rather, with few or almost no memories of who he truly was. He feels inexplicably drawn toward a direction on the horizon and follows it to try to discover more about what’s happening and who he is. Thus begins a journey in an empty world filled with lurking dead creatures.
But let me warn you, what you just read represents about 70 or 80 pages of a 323-page book, and after that, the book transforms into a colorful, “happy” Skyrim filled with people, and 95% of everything you've read so far, what truly represents Dark Souls is abandoned and left behind.
In short, does the book become bad?
Not necessarily, but it will frustrate you, because what you’re reading is no longer Dark Souls. However, Stackpole still manages to craft a non-generic fantasy story that fits within the middle and end of the book. The narrative that fills the middle is enjoyable to follow, focusing on a prince who must travel between the realms of his three siblings, gather three keys, and “save his father, the king.” At this point, the book completely discards any trace of Dark Souls, with no references to the games. That said, it’s still a “good” story—but with a lousy ending.
Up until the penultimate page, my mindset was to rate the book 8/10, but after seeing the ending, I settled with 5.5/10.
Pros:
+ Simple but likable characters.
+ Stackpole’s writing is very good, though at times I found it a bit difficult to follow and understand who was speaking in dialogues.
+ Engaging and captivating plot (except for the ending).
+ The world-building (unrelated to Dark Souls) is clever and well-crafted.
Cons:
- Awful ending.
- It’s not Dark Souls.
- From the middle onward, it loses any Dark Souls essence established at the beginning.
- Awful ending.
Conclusion:
A "good" story with a bad ending that isn’t Dark Souls. The cover is misleading; the protagonist is a mage and has nothing to do with Dark Souls.
Will you, a Dark Souls fan, enjoy it? If you can set aside the idea that this is a Dark Souls book, despite the title and cover, maybe.
Will someone who doesn’t even know what Dark Souls is, enjoy it? Maybe.
November 30, 2022
There is very little--if any--Dark Souls in this book. It begins very promisingly, but somewhat abruptly shifts from something "Souls-like" to a generic and uninspired fantasy story. It's a shame, as I enjoyed the beginning a great deal, and certain aspects of the writing (dialog, mainly), but the overarching plot was predictable and not nearly as clever as it thought it was.
Plot points are scattered unevenly, most not being mentioned until they're the next immediate step in the story. There are no twists that are not either obvious or totally unforeseeable. It makes the baffling decision to re-name almost all animals (excepting Scorpions, Wolves, Weasels, and perhaps one other that I am forgetting), either to something dull and strange (like "saddle-beast" for horse) or something completely incomprehensible (I forget what they called rats, and am not looking it up). This is strange because that is not the case in the games. Oats are also renamed for some reason.
It reminds me of The Book of the New Sun in many ways, most of them negatively.
I wholly believe this story was written almost in its entirety before being altered to vaguely resemble its namesake. Otherwise, the Dark Souls elements would play in to more than just the first few chapters, and there would probably be some mention of some place or character or theme from the series somewhere in it. Hollows and the word "flask" are the only things linking this to Dark Souls, and neither of them are important to the story.
Dark Souls is a series that carefully lets the observer fill in the blanks, and I believe a good Dark Souls book is very possible, but this is not it. I was just so starved for anything I could connect back to the games.
I have no idea what the title of the book is about, "masque" and (I think) "vindication" aren't used at any point in the narrative.
Even at the end of it, I wasn't able to say "Well, this is a story taking place alongside the events of Dark Souls." It doesn't present any aspect of itself in line with the world of Dark Souls, which is a real shame.
Thankfully, it is not very long, or else I would have not continued after a point.
Plot points are scattered unevenly, most not being mentioned until they're the next immediate step in the story. There are no twists that are not either obvious or totally unforeseeable. It makes the baffling decision to re-name almost all animals (excepting Scorpions, Wolves, Weasels, and perhaps one other that I am forgetting), either to something dull and strange (like "saddle-beast" for horse) or something completely incomprehensible (I forget what they called rats, and am not looking it up). This is strange because that is not the case in the games. Oats are also renamed for some reason.
It reminds me of The Book of the New Sun in many ways, most of them negatively.
I wholly believe this story was written almost in its entirety before being altered to vaguely resemble its namesake. Otherwise, the Dark Souls elements would play in to more than just the first few chapters, and there would probably be some mention of some place or character or theme from the series somewhere in it. Hollows and the word "flask" are the only things linking this to Dark Souls, and neither of them are important to the story.
Dark Souls is a series that carefully lets the observer fill in the blanks, and I believe a good Dark Souls book is very possible, but this is not it. I was just so starved for anything I could connect back to the games.
I have no idea what the title of the book is about, "masque" and (I think) "vindication" aren't used at any point in the narrative.
Even at the end of it, I wasn't able to say "Well, this is a story taking place alongside the events of Dark Souls." It doesn't present any aspect of itself in line with the world of Dark Souls, which is a real shame.
Thankfully, it is not very long, or else I would have not continued after a point.
November 7, 2022
Hmm, an interesting one to review.
Let’s see….
At first, I thought it was going to be based on established Souls lore. 40 pages in, I found this wasn’t the case.
However, reading a bit more, I realized what this was doing. It was reminding me of my first play through of DkS.
From butting your head against tougher enemies and bosses, to accidentally going down the tomb of giants early game… it’s reminiscent of that experience, and in a good way.
A bit less than half way in, and it starts becoming a standard fantasy series. It seemed to be losing its Soulness, and moving towards a more general fantasy story arc… and then it hit me.
Ahh, I see what you’re doing there.
Stuff happens eons ago, and you’re meandering around here picking up the pieces, trying to mend what you can, how you can… sound familiar?
Gwyn?
Nashandra?
You’re just some hollow, existing after the fact, while the world is in tatters, still trying to figure out what went wrong, while seeing if you can do something about it.
That’s where the story goes.
It’s not directly borrowing Souls lore. It’s not trying to simulate a solo play through experience. It’s implicating the cycle; it’s imitating the style of storytelling formula that every Souls game always sticks to, more or less (<- opinion).
And it does so from a white phantom’s point of view, I should add.
Interesting, and it worked. The ending was a bit weird… and a bit abrupt. But the characters were likeable, relatable. Writing was good. Pacing was good. Some Tolkien-esque life lessons thrown in the mix (albeit, in a much more simplified manner).
I enjoyed it enough.
PS: Krotha is best Sunbro
Let’s see….
At first, I thought it was going to be based on established Souls lore. 40 pages in, I found this wasn’t the case.
However, reading a bit more, I realized what this was doing. It was reminding me of my first play through of DkS.
From butting your head against tougher enemies and bosses, to accidentally going down the tomb of giants early game… it’s reminiscent of that experience, and in a good way.
A bit less than half way in, and it starts becoming a standard fantasy series. It seemed to be losing its Soulness, and moving towards a more general fantasy story arc… and then it hit me.
Ahh, I see what you’re doing there.
Stuff happens eons ago, and you’re meandering around here picking up the pieces, trying to mend what you can, how you can… sound familiar?
Gwyn?
Nashandra?
You’re just some hollow, existing after the fact, while the world is in tatters, still trying to figure out what went wrong, while seeing if you can do something about it.
That’s where the story goes.
It’s not directly borrowing Souls lore. It’s not trying to simulate a solo play through experience. It’s implicating the cycle; it’s imitating the style of storytelling formula that every Souls game always sticks to, more or less (<- opinion).
And it does so from a white phantom’s point of view, I should add.
Interesting, and it worked. The ending was a bit weird… and a bit abrupt. But the characters were likeable, relatable. Writing was good. Pacing was good. Some Tolkien-esque life lessons thrown in the mix (albeit, in a much more simplified manner).
I enjoyed it enough.
PS: Krotha is best Sunbro
June 27, 2023
The Masque of Vindication is young adult fiction and produced by a publisher that makes light novels. It's a kids book. So for anyone expecting an extremely dark and gory Dark Souls story you aren't going to get it. It seems like a lot of reviews here didn't know that going in and were very put off by it.
However, I find the story to be pretty good for what it is. The combat is fast paced and well done. The characters are simple yet well written and act according to their personalities, and the first person perspective of the main character allows for some interesting twists and description s.
As with (almost) each souls game, the story has nothing to do with the previous titles, and offers its own contained world/kingdom. The flow of the story feels very much like a videogame and the characters not truly understanding how the world's souls, bonfires, and other mechanics works feels weirdly appropriate for a souls title.
Spoilers!
I've never enjoyed the endings of the souls games, because you just beat the final boss and the vague conclusion they offer leaves you with a sense of want that will never be truly explained. This book does that too. Tho like i said before, it's entirely appropriate in doing so as it's sticking to the source material.
Overall I enjoyed this book for what it was. A simple written approximation of what it feels like to play a souls game. As long as you aren't expecting too much from a YA fiction book you can have fun with it too.
However, I find the story to be pretty good for what it is. The combat is fast paced and well done. The characters are simple yet well written and act according to their personalities, and the first person perspective of the main character allows for some interesting twists and description s.
As with (almost) each souls game, the story has nothing to do with the previous titles, and offers its own contained world/kingdom. The flow of the story feels very much like a videogame and the characters not truly understanding how the world's souls, bonfires, and other mechanics works feels weirdly appropriate for a souls title.
Spoilers!
I've never enjoyed the endings of the souls games, because you just beat the final boss and the vague conclusion they offer leaves you with a sense of want that will never be truly explained. This book does that too. Tho like i said before, it's entirely appropriate in doing so as it's sticking to the source material.
Overall I enjoyed this book for what it was. A simple written approximation of what it feels like to play a souls game. As long as you aren't expecting too much from a YA fiction book you can have fun with it too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2025
I tried really hard to love this book. I looked past the common complaints—that it isn’t directly connected to any of the Dark Souls games and doesn’t follow a deeply isolated character. Instead, I tried to embrace the story for what it was and appreciate what it had to offer. Unfortunately, that turned out to be very little.
While the story could be argued to have a Dark Souls feel due to its foundation in tragedy, that concept alone isn’t unique to Dark Souls. Beyond that, the book has very little actual connection to the universe. The first few chapters and the last two feel somewhat grounded in the world of Dark Souls, but the rest is simply a dark fantasy story using the Dark Souls brand to draw attention.
There are a few interesting twists and moments, but much of the downtime between them feels disconnected from the characters. The actual links to Dark Souls—bonfires, undead, and souls—are sparse. Souls are handled in an interesting way, as absorbing them offers glimpses of the fallen’s past lives. However, bonfires and the undead lose all meaning or purpose after the first few chapters and are completely unmentioned by the end.
Overall, this book was underwhelming and disappointing, to the point where I struggled to finish it. If you’re a Souls fan hoping that the criticism is just nitpicking, trust the reviews. There is better Dark Souls content out there.
While the story could be argued to have a Dark Souls feel due to its foundation in tragedy, that concept alone isn’t unique to Dark Souls. Beyond that, the book has very little actual connection to the universe. The first few chapters and the last two feel somewhat grounded in the world of Dark Souls, but the rest is simply a dark fantasy story using the Dark Souls brand to draw attention.
There are a few interesting twists and moments, but much of the downtime between them feels disconnected from the characters. The actual links to Dark Souls—bonfires, undead, and souls—are sparse. Souls are handled in an interesting way, as absorbing them offers glimpses of the fallen’s past lives. However, bonfires and the undead lose all meaning or purpose after the first few chapters and are completely unmentioned by the end.
Overall, this book was underwhelming and disappointing, to the point where I struggled to finish it. If you’re a Souls fan hoping that the criticism is just nitpicking, trust the reviews. There is better Dark Souls content out there.
July 2, 2024
I don’t know. I don’t know why this book exists, or why I let it stall my reading for a month. I don’t know why I didn’t just DNF it. I don’t know what the “Masque of Vindication” is. I don’t know why it’s a Dark Souls novel, as outside of bonfires (which are not referred to as such) and the undead curse (also not quite referred to as such), there isn’t a single solitary piece of lore that references the series.
By this I am not suggesting I yearned for a novelization of a Dark Souls game. That would be awful. This book was close to awful. Generic stock fantasy plotted loosely like a video game quest, with endless descriptions that conjure nothing and characters that are paper thin.
I don’t know. I don’t know why the owners of the IP solicited this, and if they didn’t, why they agreed to it. I don’t know what limitations were placed on it, or if Stackpole just decided not to reference anything. I don’t know why we can’t have the lore novella GRRM wrote for Elden Ring, and instead get this, 11 years after the original game came out.
The only interesting thing that happens in the book is literally in the last chapter, which is six pages and feels arbitrarily short, like they were running out of paper or something. I just do not know.
By this I am not suggesting I yearned for a novelization of a Dark Souls game. That would be awful. This book was close to awful. Generic stock fantasy plotted loosely like a video game quest, with endless descriptions that conjure nothing and characters that are paper thin.
I don’t know. I don’t know why the owners of the IP solicited this, and if they didn’t, why they agreed to it. I don’t know what limitations were placed on it, or if Stackpole just decided not to reference anything. I don’t know why we can’t have the lore novella GRRM wrote for Elden Ring, and instead get this, 11 years after the original game came out.
The only interesting thing that happens in the book is literally in the last chapter, which is six pages and feels arbitrarily short, like they were running out of paper or something. I just do not know.
September 27, 2023
I really did want to like this book. I went into the book hoping for a much darker feeling, I love Dark Souls and had hoped that it would keep up with the feeling of the games. However it was very underwhelming and felt more like a generic adventure novel with a vague Dark Souls setting.
Overall the book was fine but it didn't really deliver what I had hoped for. It was well written but the story wasn't particularly good or bad, just average. I didn't expect the 'twist' at the end though, which I am happy about.
I am jumping between 2 and 3 stars rating, as overall it is well written and some parts of it were genuinely enjoyable but it doesn't feel as though it fits the theme of Dark Souls. If this book weren't under the Dark Souls name I think it would have come off overall as much better than it is with the Dark Souls name attatched to it.
Without prior knowledge of Dark Souls the book would be a 3 star read, however with knowing about the games and some of their story, this just doesn't seem to fit in with them, making it more a 2 star read.
Overall the book was fine but it didn't really deliver what I had hoped for. It was well written but the story wasn't particularly good or bad, just average. I didn't expect the 'twist' at the end though, which I am happy about.
I am jumping between 2 and 3 stars rating, as overall it is well written and some parts of it were genuinely enjoyable but it doesn't feel as though it fits the theme of Dark Souls. If this book weren't under the Dark Souls name I think it would have come off overall as much better than it is with the Dark Souls name attatched to it.
Without prior knowledge of Dark Souls the book would be a 3 star read, however with knowing about the games and some of their story, this just doesn't seem to fit in with them, making it more a 2 star read.
February 29, 2024
Ok so I do like that despite not really having any of the lore from the games that they managed to keep a lot of tone and atmosphere from the series into the story. I do like they managed to keep the idea that when people die they are reborn at the bonfire granted they do not really explain much why it is seems only a few people have this ability but still the setting is great the characters are mostly fine granted most of the attention is focused on Balorian which is fine but I wished some attention would be given to others. There are a few dropped storylines that seemed to have occurred like their is a character towards the beginning that seems important but is never mentioned again also the idea that characters are trying to become gods is dropped once the Prince is introduced. My only real complaint is that this story feels it should have been a series as their is so much story that by the end it is literally rushing through it all so either having more books would have made the pace much better.
April 21, 2024
While I did have a little bit of fun with this read, I really can't say anything great about it. The start of the book felt clunky and made a few references to things within the Dark Souls universe, but it was really only the bonfires and gathering souls. The whole novel reads like a game, but it really didn't even feel like dark souls. This felt like some pre written half-baked fantasy plot that they just slapped the Dark Souls title on and added a few things to make it seem like it was in said universe.
When I was nearing the end of the book, I was thinking to myself, how are they going to end this so suddenly it feels like there is more story to tell (albeit, it still wouldn't have been more GOOD story to tell) and then boom in the last 20 or so pages it felt like someone got bored of writing this and speed ran it to the end.
I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone regardless of whether or not they've played the game. Luckily I didn't have high expectations, but it still fell short of what I wanted.
When I was nearing the end of the book, I was thinking to myself, how are they going to end this so suddenly it feels like there is more story to tell (albeit, it still wouldn't have been more GOOD story to tell) and then boom in the last 20 or so pages it felt like someone got bored of writing this and speed ran it to the end.
I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone regardless of whether or not they've played the game. Luckily I didn't have high expectations, but it still fell short of what I wanted.
November 6, 2023
If you are reading a review about this novel, chances are you are in love with Dark Souls and are trying to get more.
This book has some of it. It is certainly better, plotwise, than the rushed comics. And it really catches the feeling in some senses (I don't wanna spoil it for you). The awkward part is that fantasy books mostly necessitate many characters, and that's... Very unsoulslike.
Of course, I'd have loved something which had to do with the actual, factual lore of DS, while this is just set in a world which might or might not be DS's...
This is because although it shares some blatant similarities with it, I think the idea of the author was not to interfere with canon.
So what?
It's a dense but lighthearted adventure in the head of an unlikely hero. It has mystery, intricacies, plot twist and nice, solid characters.
I had fun through it, and sometimes I still think about it.
Certainly worth a read!
This book has some of it. It is certainly better, plotwise, than the rushed comics. And it really catches the feeling in some senses (I don't wanna spoil it for you). The awkward part is that fantasy books mostly necessitate many characters, and that's... Very unsoulslike.
Of course, I'd have loved something which had to do with the actual, factual lore of DS, while this is just set in a world which might or might not be DS's...
This is because although it shares some blatant similarities with it, I think the idea of the author was not to interfere with canon.
So what?
It's a dense but lighthearted adventure in the head of an unlikely hero. It has mystery, intricacies, plot twist and nice, solid characters.
I had fun through it, and sometimes I still think about it.
Certainly worth a read!
April 6, 2025
Why. Even. Bother.
I'm a huge Dark Souls fan. I think the fact that you can find hours and hours of content online viciously dissecting every detail of the lore and characters is a testament to how strong it is as a setting. So I was actually really excited when I heard that they had licensed a book to be written about the series.
And imagine my disappointment when I read it and found it has next to nothing to do with Dark Souls.
It only touches the most basic, superficial elements of the lore and setting, and even those are largely abandoned soon after, as the book trudges on into a very boring, very generic dark fantasy tale.
I don't know if Bandai were simply not paying attention, or just didn't care, but it seems very clear they just gave Stackpole a paycheck, and he slapped the Dark Souls name on some generic twaddle he had hovering outside of his computer's recycle bin.
Don't bother with this unless you're in dire need of a sleep aid.
I'm a huge Dark Souls fan. I think the fact that you can find hours and hours of content online viciously dissecting every detail of the lore and characters is a testament to how strong it is as a setting. So I was actually really excited when I heard that they had licensed a book to be written about the series.
And imagine my disappointment when I read it and found it has next to nothing to do with Dark Souls.
It only touches the most basic, superficial elements of the lore and setting, and even those are largely abandoned soon after, as the book trudges on into a very boring, very generic dark fantasy tale.
I don't know if Bandai were simply not paying attention, or just didn't care, but it seems very clear they just gave Stackpole a paycheck, and he slapped the Dark Souls name on some generic twaddle he had hovering outside of his computer's recycle bin.
Don't bother with this unless you're in dire need of a sleep aid.
December 3, 2022
So I finished the dark souls book
It's I think as good as a dark souls book can really get due to how dark souls is a game built off minimal story and mainly world building without taking place directly in a place like drangleic or lordran.
I really enjoy how they utilize things from the souls series such as absorbing souls or hollows respawning. Though as much as I enjoyed the book I also feel this could have easily been a generic fantasy novel without any relation to dark souls with easy changes making me feel it could be much better.
So I'd give it a solid 3/5 it's not a bad book but also the deep lore in the soul series has left me wanting that sense of mystery and wonder where I felt this book was a good fantasy book with a souls skin instead of a great souls book to it's core.
It's I think as good as a dark souls book can really get due to how dark souls is a game built off minimal story and mainly world building without taking place directly in a place like drangleic or lordran.
I really enjoy how they utilize things from the souls series such as absorbing souls or hollows respawning. Though as much as I enjoyed the book I also feel this could have easily been a generic fantasy novel without any relation to dark souls with easy changes making me feel it could be much better.
So I'd give it a solid 3/5 it's not a bad book but also the deep lore in the soul series has left me wanting that sense of mystery and wonder where I felt this book was a good fantasy book with a souls skin instead of a great souls book to it's core.
January 16, 2025
This book had a strong, souls-esque start with an air of mystery and darkness, but that mystery soon devolved into shallowness in a dull story devoid of interesting scenes and characters. Though the Dark Souls games are light regarding in-game storytelling and lore, the backstories and lore go deep and get quite fascinating once things are pieced together. This book catered to the shallowness instead of the depth.
Dialogue is dull. Characters are flat and lifeless (pun semi-intended). The plot is straightforward and basic. Worldbuilding is shallow, with no depth to be uncovered, with nothing particularly interesting. This book was an incredibly disappointing outing considering the rich worlds and lore of the Dark Souls franchise.
Dialogue is dull. Characters are flat and lifeless (pun semi-intended). The plot is straightforward and basic. Worldbuilding is shallow, with no depth to be uncovered, with nothing particularly interesting. This book was an incredibly disappointing outing considering the rich worlds and lore of the Dark Souls franchise.
November 9, 2022
2.5/5
The closest I have come to a DNF. This novel began in a most disappointing fashion failing to engage me until near page 100. What began as an overly descriptive transcription of a souls game let’s play morphed into a fairly predictable fantasy yarn.
Luckily despite some very stark tropes and predictable plotting the characters and the authors prose turned things around and by the end I was glad of the journey and feel it was a solid effort.
This may not be the Dark Souls book you hoped but it is a fantasy novel of some merit.
I will post a short video review on YouTube;
Big AL does booktube.
The closest I have come to a DNF. This novel began in a most disappointing fashion failing to engage me until near page 100. What began as an overly descriptive transcription of a souls game let’s play morphed into a fairly predictable fantasy yarn.
Luckily despite some very stark tropes and predictable plotting the characters and the authors prose turned things around and by the end I was glad of the journey and feel it was a solid effort.
This may not be the Dark Souls book you hoped but it is a fantasy novel of some merit.
I will post a short video review on YouTube;
Big AL does booktube.
December 2, 2022
Full stop: this is not a Dark Souls book.
The atmosphere, themes, characters, and antagonists? Nowhere to be seen. Instead we get a generically weak 80s-style fantasy story that reads like your kid brother's D&D campaign.
It's a real shame, because Stackpole is a legendary author. This book does neither Stackpole nor Dark Souls any favors.
Want to listen to our entire talkthrough of this book? Subscribe to Pixel Lit anywhere podcasts are offered, or click below:
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-th...
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-ma...
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-ma...
The atmosphere, themes, characters, and antagonists? Nowhere to be seen. Instead we get a generically weak 80s-style fantasy story that reads like your kid brother's D&D campaign.
It's a real shame, because Stackpole is a legendary author. This book does neither Stackpole nor Dark Souls any favors.
Want to listen to our entire talkthrough of this book? Subscribe to Pixel Lit anywhere podcasts are offered, or click below:
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-th...
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-ma...
https://pixellitpod.com/dark-souls-ma...
April 29, 2024
It was a good idea, but…..
Okey let me explain. You know those books that seem to drag on forever and you wish they’d just get to the point eventually, this had the opposite problem. The plot seemed to just take place and gave us no time to take it in. The fighting itself gave little to no variation, he used his staff, something blue came out and CAPUT! Enemy dead.
One thing I did like (the reason this is even 1 star, was the plot twist close to the end.
It reads like fanfiction from a guy waaaay too excited to tell you about his non edited DnD campaign.
Okey let me explain. You know those books that seem to drag on forever and you wish they’d just get to the point eventually, this had the opposite problem. The plot seemed to just take place and gave us no time to take it in. The fighting itself gave little to no variation, he used his staff, something blue came out and CAPUT! Enemy dead.
One thing I did like (the reason this is even 1 star, was the plot twist close to the end.
It reads like fanfiction from a guy waaaay too excited to tell you about his non edited DnD campaign.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2024
Well it's not going to be my favorite fantasy book but I do think for a dark souls spinoff it generally understood the assignment.
It's got a central quest with an initially unknown goal. Unhinged royal family. Knights with purpose in place of personality. Entire societies that read like fables because they wouldn't actually be functional. And lots of nods to the mechanics of the games.
I don't think this is actually tied to the lore of any particular game but it certainly has the vibe. And its written descriptively enough that it was enjoyable to read.
It's got a central quest with an initially unknown goal. Unhinged royal family. Knights with purpose in place of personality. Entire societies that read like fables because they wouldn't actually be functional. And lots of nods to the mechanics of the games.
I don't think this is actually tied to the lore of any particular game but it certainly has the vibe. And its written descriptively enough that it was enjoyable to read.
December 5, 2022
This, sadly, does not have places or people from the Dark Souls game. Stackpole was not allowed to use them.
It does adapt game mechanics really well. What is generally a bad idea for a video game novel, works well in this story. It is initially gothic and otherworldly and becomes a weird apologue of sorts. It’s a tad long, probably because anything shorter would not fit publisher’s wont these days.
It does adapt game mechanics really well. What is generally a bad idea for a video game novel, works well in this story. It is initially gothic and otherworldly and becomes a weird apologue of sorts. It’s a tad long, probably because anything shorter would not fit publisher’s wont these days.
October 29, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. While it does not capture the feel of the games completely, it did a passable job in my opinion.
Particularly the first few chapters captured the feel of isolation and repetition amid a hostile and dying world which the Dark Souls series is known for. Unfortunately, once other characters begin to join the protagonist, this feeling begins to fade and the novel becomes a more standard dark fantasy adventure.
Particularly the first few chapters captured the feel of isolation and repetition amid a hostile and dying world which the Dark Souls series is known for. Unfortunately, once other characters begin to join the protagonist, this feeling begins to fade and the novel becomes a more standard dark fantasy adventure.
November 14, 2022
Having enjoyed offerings from Mr. Stackpole before I find myself being just whelmed. There are portions of this novel which are well crafted and interesting but in an attempt to tap into the "opaque world" sensation of FromSoft games the novel comes across as somewhat disjointed. The end leaves a lot to be desired as well.
December 22, 2022
I'm a little conflicted with this one, I loved the first third of the book and I thought the final act was interesting too. I struggled to keep interested in the events that happened between. It does a good job of evoking the feel of the games (especially at the star), but can't help thinking that this would be been better as a novella.
July 11, 2023
great book for fans of from software world building and storytelling. good twists and likable characters. and i do like that the main character (ferranos) can be read as non binary/any gender as there are no pronouns a ever ascribed to them (although i’m sure they’re supposed to be read as a male due to the heteronormative language)
Read
December 4, 2023DNF'd at 3%. I care too much about the lore in the games to see it massacred like this. Just misses the tone from page 1. I would be very surprised if the author had ever seen a second of the games, but all you had to do is go watch Vaati's videos and you could get inspired to write a great novel from those alone.
November 19, 2024
Not what I expected. I rated this 4 stars because it's not the typical fantasy story. It started off stronger than it finished. The journey you go on is similar to many fantasies yet very different. And the ending I did not expect, but can appreciate. So if you want something different read this book. Not everyone will like the ending but for me I appreciate it.
February 21, 2025
The beginning really felt like the souls experience which was fun. The rest of the story was kind of generic but a decently fun read nonetheless. Wished for a more soulsy approach later on too but oh well.
November 3, 2022
Decent writing, but rushed and generic. And as others have mentioned, has basically nothing to do with Dark Souls. As a fantasy novel it’s okay; not good. As an adaptation it fails.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews