Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-23 09:57:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Gaider
- ISBN：1616551151
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
For Dragon Age newcomers， this comprehensive volume brings you up to speed on everything you need to know about the regions， religions， monsters， magic， and more！ For dedicated fans， never before have the secrets of BioWare's epic fantasy been revealed so completely and so compellingly！
* Filled with never-before-seen art by the creators of the games！
* New Dragon Age game coming in 2013！
* From the writers and artists of the Dragon Age games。
The definitive guide！
* Filled with never-before-seen art by the creators of the games！
* New Dragon Age game coming in 2013！
* From the writers and artists of the Dragon Age games。
The definitive guide！
Reviews
Mercy Fowler
，
yes i absolutely read this in one sitting。Written like a history book as if it's by actual Thedosians so it's very engaging， esp if you are 1） a history lover and 2） a Dragon Age fan。 yes i absolutely read this in one sitting。Written like a history book as if it's by actual Thedosians so it's very engaging， esp if you are 1） a history lover and 2） a Dragon Age fan。 。。。more
Anirudh
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Fantastic world building！！
Aaron
，
The （literal） beauty of this book lies in its absolutely gorgeous full-colour illustrations。 Page after page of concept art and character illustrations - it’s stunning。 The writing is a bit stodgy， and in parts reads like fan-fic， but it’s passable。 Overall， four stars for the visuals alone。
Sofia
，
an interesting and newbie-friendly dive into The Lore， even if my fellow DA hoes who have spent hundreds of hours playing these games probably won't learn a lot that they don't already know。 the art is cool， though， and i'm ready to consume any and all DA content in the 84 years it will take for the fourth game to come out。 an interesting and newbie-friendly dive into The Lore， even if my fellow DA hoes who have spent hundreds of hours playing these games probably won't learn a lot that they don't already know。 the art is cool， though， and i'm ready to consume any and all DA content in the 84 years it will take for the fourth game to come out。 。。。more
Siri
，
By the time I chanced upon the world of Dragon Age， and subsequently fell in love with it， the latest game in the series （DA: Inquisition） had long been out and this book had long been out of print。 I was undeterred in my quest to acquire a copy， however， so after a hefty payment and a long wait， I finally had the beautiful thing in my hands。This book is a wonderful introduction to the world of Thedas （short for THE Dragon Age Setting， if you’re curious） and its myriad peoples。 It covers geograp By the time I chanced upon the world of Dragon Age， and subsequently fell in love with it， the latest game in the series （DA: Inquisition） had long been out and this book had long been out of print。 I was undeterred in my quest to acquire a copy， however， so after a hefty payment and a long wait， I finally had the beautiful thing in my hands。This book is a wonderful introduction to the world of Thedas （short for THE Dragon Age Setting， if you’re curious） and its myriad peoples。 It covers geography， culture， religion， lore and more。 My favorite bit， however， is the extremely detailed timeline that runs through the entirety of the tome。 I find myself coming back to it often for a quick refresher on the sequence of events。 This book is succeeded by the equally informative and excitingly thicker “Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2。” Which I also own。 Of course。 Thankfully my wallet didn’t have to suffer so much for that one。 。。。more
Stefanie
，
So much lore and so much gorgeous art。 Makes me want to replay all the games again （though I do that pretty often anyway）。
Hannah
，
this was really fun！ i especially liked the timeline and the additional context given to in-game lore and codices。 not a lot of new info here， but very useful to have it all in one place， and some nice concept art to boot。
Jack Rogers
，
The World of Thedas book series is a set of compendiums which completely covers everything to do with the lore of the Dragon Age franchise。 I think it say's something about how expansive and detailed the lore and setting of this games is that there are two full size compendium books about this franchise already released so far。 Volume 1 covers the main core principles of the world of Dragon Age in the form of Races， Nations， Magic， Religion， The Fade and The Blight。 Each of these elements are co The World of Thedas book series is a set of compendiums which completely covers everything to do with the lore of the Dragon Age franchise。 I think it say's something about how expansive and detailed the lore and setting of this games is that there are two full size compendium books about this franchise already released so far。 Volume 1 covers the main core principles of the world of Dragon Age in the form of Races， Nations， Magic， Religion， The Fade and The Blight。 Each of these elements are covered with some incredibly detailed descriptions by David Gaider along with some beautiful illustrations courtesy of Dark Horse Comics。Seeing the world of Thedas broken down further outside of the typical in-game Codex systems is a wonderful alternative for fans to have。 The fact that the detailing and descriptions in this book offer if not the same level but probably even more insight into so many different world-building aspects of the franchise makes me appreciate just how much love and attention goes into making this world feel fully realised and lived in。Each section of the compendium covers the subject matter with a clear and thorough overview， offering additional accounts from characters in the world to help give a more personal perspective to help reinforce the concepts being laid out。 As well as detailing all these unique concepts there is also a clear timeline established throughout the book to help you understand how time has been recorded in this world and all the major events that have unfolded thus far This book is a must own for any Dragon Age fan， it helps you delve into the franchise through an alternative outlet while also providing you new and interesting revelations and understandings that you may never have caught initially in the games。 。。。more
Zane
，
I really enjoyed this experience， though at times the information felt a bit dry。 Some parts stood out to me， such as life under the Qun， and I also loved the concept art， although admittedly it isn't the most polished art book out there。 As a huge Dragon Age nerd， I have only gained from it， and that's final。 I really enjoyed this experience， though at times the information felt a bit dry。 Some parts stood out to me， such as life under the Qun， and I also loved the concept art， although admittedly it isn't the most polished art book out there。 As a huge Dragon Age nerd， I have only gained from it， and that's final。 。。。more
Václav
，
（3，8 of 5 for very nice but shallow guide trough the world of Thedas）I'm not very fond of those fictional world "encyclopedias"， but I do like the DA world。 Well， this one is nice， there is a little bit of history， geographic， demographic， beliefs and bestiary。 I would love to read this before I started playing any Dagon Age game。 In retrospect， it's a very nice refreshment， well-sorted but a shallow land a little bit bland。 If you didn't pay attention trough the game much， here is your chance t （3，8 of 5 for very nice but shallow guide trough the world of Thedas）I'm not very fond of those fictional world "encyclopedias"， but I do like the DA world。 Well， this one is nice， there is a little bit of history， geographic， demographic， beliefs and bestiary。 I would love to read this before I started playing any Dagon Age game。 In retrospect， it's a very nice refreshment， well-sorted but a shallow land a little bit bland。 If you didn't pay attention trough the game much， here is your chance to catch up。 If you already played Inquisition， there is so much more knowledge in the game， which I loved but missed in this encyclopedia。 But it is a part of the game and I maybe get some of that in the second volume of this。 I also hope that the writing will get better。 It is bland and the citations sometimes felt unnecessary and even more boring than the regular text。 But despite that， I enjoyed the look back at the world of Thedas。 And maybe I will read it once more before the new game， just to refresh my memory。 DA games are much more enjoyable and fun with profound knowledge of Thedas and its history。 。。。more
Ranjeev Kirupairajah
，
We all know I'm a sucker for lore， and this delivered it all ！ We all know I'm a sucker for lore， and this delivered it all ！ 。。。more
Bode Cauthon
，
It makes me so nostalgic for this world。 Time to play again！！
Marlene Bentsen （Boggrippen）
，
Dragon Age er en af de mest vidunderlige spilverdener jeg kender。 For noget tid siden løftede Bioware sløret en smule for， hvad de går og pusler med i forbindelse med DA 4， som vi er mange der går og venter tålmodigt på。 Det fik mig til at søge ind i universet endnu engang😃The World of Thedas er en bog jeg har haft stående i en del år。 Den har dog altid været skubbet i baggrunden da den， som mange andre af mine bøger， har været lidt for nichet til de kunder jeg har hjulpet gennem tidens løb。 Men Dragon Age er en af de mest vidunderlige spilverdener jeg kender。 For noget tid siden løftede Bioware sløret en smule for， hvad de går og pusler med i forbindelse med DA 4， som vi er mange der går og venter tålmodigt på。 Det fik mig til at søge ind i universet endnu engang😃The World of Thedas er en bog jeg har haft stående i en del år。 Den har dog altid været skubbet i baggrunden da den， som mange andre af mine bøger， har været lidt for nichet til de kunder jeg har hjulpet gennem tidens løb。 Men hvor er jeg glad for endelig at få den læst😍🙌Bogen udkom året før Dragon Age 3 Inquisition， så den har spoilers fra Dragon Age 2 og ellers fortæller den detaljeret om magien， religionerne， nationerne， racerne og selvfølgelig også om monstrene og den sære drømme/åndeverden The Fade。Jeg troede jeg vidste alt om universet， men jeg har med tiden glemt meget。 Jeg vidste dog ikke at profeten Andraste er bygget på Jeanne d’Arc！ Det er da meget cool😃👍Det er altså det fedeste univers med nogle vildt spændende og nye idéer。 Fx det oprindelige folk - de stolte elvere， der siges engang at have været udødelige。 De blev underkuet og slavebundet， da de første mennesker ankom og grundlagde det dominerende og magtfulde Tevinter Imperium。 Elverne lever stadig som slaver i Tevinter eller i andre lande， i slumkvarterer kaldet Alienages。 Deres historie og kultur er mere eller mindre totalt ødelagt og kun ganske få lever som nomader。 De bliver kaldt The Dalish。Der er også de udspekulerede dværge， der lever under jorden。 De udvinder og handler med det blå magiske stof Lyrium， hvilket gør dem immune overfor magi， både af skade， men de kan heller ikke udøve magi。 Darkspawn kampe har næsten har udryddet deres befolkning og de der overlever bliver sterile， så oddsene er ikke store for det stolte folk。Det helt store emne i spillene er magien og hvordan det bliver kontrolleret。 I Tevinter lever magikerne frit og har utrolig meget magt。 De har udøvet blodmagi mere end nogen andre nation og de har ingen skrupler ved at eksperimentere med deres slaver。 I resten af Thedas er magikerne mere eller mindre frygtet， da nogle har svært ved at styre deres magi og er særligt modtagelige overfor dæmonbesættelser。 De bliver kontrolleret af den hellige instans The Chantry og lever i lukkede tårne kaldet Circle of Magi。 Disse magikere bliver nøje overvåget af Templars， der slår hårdt ned på afvigere og nogle af disse ‘hellige krigere’ er desværre kendt for deres brutalitet og misbrug af magt overfor de magikere de har sværget at beskytte。Jeg elsker den her komplekse verden og spillene er fyldt med valg。 Man kan ikke undgå at skulle tage stilling til konflikten mellem magikerne og Templars， men der er så mange gråzoner， at det kan være svært at vide om man træffer de rigtige valg - for de rigtige grunde。Meget af det， der står i bogen kan man selvfølgelig læse ved at studere diverse codex mens man spiller spillene。 Ofte har jeg dog for travlt med selve spillet til lige at læse en lang tekst om et land eller en person， så de er for det meste blevet klikket væk。Det har været en kæmpe fornøjelse at pløje gennem den her pragtfulde bog， der udover masser af interessant viden også har tonsvis af flotte illustrationer。Er du fan af Dragon Age， så vil du elske The World of Thedas！ Der er selvfølgelig kommet et bind mere， som jeg helt sikkert også skal have fingre i😍👍 。。。more
Brittany Cavness
，
I love love love this book！ Dragon Age is， in my opinion， one of the greatest video game franchises of all time， because of its amazing ability to tell a story and make you care about the outcome。 The rich history and detail put into this book （not to mention the GORGEOUS illustrations） made me fall in love all over again。 So glad I finally picked this up！
Samhain
，
This first volume is no A World of Ice and Fire， but it's doing a decent job nonetheless。 Had the illustrations been a bit better （that Circles in Tevinter might be the worst photo mixed with drawing "art" I've ever seen）， I think I would have given it four stars。 Of course， there's not much in terms of new informations but it's nice to see everything fleshed out clearly， instead of having to search all the codex pages to find that one piece of info you think you remember。 And I must admit some This first volume is no A World of Ice and Fire， but it's doing a decent job nonetheless。 Had the illustrations been a bit better （that Circles in Tevinter might be the worst photo mixed with drawing "art" I've ever seen）， I think I would have given it four stars。 Of course， there's not much in terms of new informations but it's nice to see everything fleshed out clearly， instead of having to search all the codex pages to find that one piece of info you think you remember。 And I must admit some bits were still brand new information for me， and I've been playing these games ever since DA:O came out。 All in all， this first volume is not the best it could have been but it's a nice read for huge fans of the universe。 。。。more
Lav
，
Normaal gezien zou ik boeken als deze niet echt reviewen of op Goodreads zetten maar bon， het is en blijft proza en dus wel geldig naar mijn mening en ik heb het ook gewoon heel graag gelezen。 The World of Thedas biedt diepere informatie over de wereld van Dragon Age， gekend van de videogames。 De wereld is enorm fascinerend en alles is goed overzichtelijk neergeschreven dus kan het voor iedereen die fan is van world building eigenlijk al wel aanraden。 De featured artwork is vaak heel erg goed ma Normaal gezien zou ik boeken als deze niet echt reviewen of op Goodreads zetten maar bon， het is en blijft proza en dus wel geldig naar mijn mening en ik heb het ook gewoon heel graag gelezen。 The World of Thedas biedt diepere informatie over de wereld van Dragon Age， gekend van de videogames。 De wereld is enorm fascinerend en alles is goed overzichtelijk neergeschreven dus kan het voor iedereen die fan is van world building eigenlijk al wel aanraden。 De featured artwork is vaak heel erg goed maar voelt hier en daar ook wel wat gerushed aan。 。。。more
Shannon
，
There's a lot of history and cultural info that I didn't necessarily pay attention to in the games。 This is pre-Inquisition。 A really nice resource （see volume 2 for corrections to a few small errors） There's a lot of history and cultural info that I didn't necessarily pay attention to in the games。 This is pre-Inquisition。 A really nice resource （see volume 2 for corrections to a few small errors） 。。。more
Corinne Lynema
，
My brain is on full Dragon Age lockdown and this was emphasized today when I sat down and read this entire thing on a whim。 It's a Dragon Age textbook。 It's fantastic。 My brain is on full Dragon Age lockdown and this was emphasized today when I sat down and read this entire thing on a whim。 It's a Dragon Age textbook。 It's fantastic。 。。。more
Diego Souza
，
Um fudêncio de um compêndio resumindo quase tudo o que há para ser resumido no universo de Dragon Age。 Super recomendo， mesmo para quem ainda não jogou。
Dani St-Onge （Literary Lion）
，
For more reviews and bookish content: http://literarylion。ca/This book is a stunning work of art both in writing and in the amount of beautiful illustrations it includes。 It’s written as a history book of sorts about Thedas， the world the Dragon Age game franchise takes place in。 I wish the history books I read in school were even half this interesting。 The book sweeps over huge topics like religion， magic， culture and even has a bestiary in the back。Throughout the whole book is a timeline runni For more reviews and bookish content: http://literarylion。ca/This book is a stunning work of art both in writing and in the amount of beautiful illustrations it includes。 It’s written as a history book of sorts about Thedas， the world the Dragon Age game franchise takes place in。 I wish the history books I read in school were even half this interesting。 The book sweeps over huge topics like religion， magic， culture and even has a bestiary in the back。Throughout the whole book is a timeline running along the bottom of the pages。 Starting from ancient times and running into the “ages” the Chantry created ending in the “Dragon Age” at the time the second game closed。 It’s a great way to quickly view the history of the world and also really neat to see your characters listed in major historical events。I have never known another game that put so much love and care into developing even the smallest aspects of their world。 Every country in Thedas has it’s own culture and ruling system。 We hear about mage run Tevinter， to the cult-like Qunari， to the familiar doglords of Fereldan。 There’s such a wide variety in the different places that it’s easy to forget none of them really exist。There is so much art in this book， from character pieces to landscapes。 It’s clear the team for Dragon Age contained immensely talented artists。 Even the small things like detailed sketches of objects or just the layouts of the pages make the book feel so authentic。You forget that Thedas is a place that only exists for a series of video games。 You are lured into history of lands and religions。 This is so much better than simply releasing an art book。 Gaider has created an immersive experience that makes you feel like a scholar in a magical land。 I adored every second of this book。 It makes me think about what Dragon Age lost with Gaider leaving and worry a bit for Dragon Age IV， and how it will cope without him， should it ever release。I have， of course， already picked up volume two and am super excited to read it。 It was published with the benefit of Inquisition being released。 It focuses a bit on all the companions to your characters， has songs and recipes inside and in general seems to be focused more on the different cultures than the historical timeline。 I can’t imagine how a book could possibly be better than this one – but I’m hopeful。 。。。more
Lara （SapphicBookClub）
，
One of the most beautiful books I own。 The artwork is fantastic， the information about the world is all there。 Remarkable quality of the paper and print itself as well。 A must-have for a fan。Dragon Age is my favorite video game， and probably my favorite fantasy universe and piece of media。 I'm really happy this book exists （and I plan on getting my hands on the second volume eventually as well）。 I do admit I haven't yet read it all cover to cover， since sometimes it's a lot of information to tak One of the most beautiful books I own。 The artwork is fantastic， the information about the world is all there。 Remarkable quality of the paper and print itself as well。 A must-have for a fan。Dragon Age is my favorite video game， and probably my favorite fantasy universe and piece of media。 I'm really happy this book exists （and I plan on getting my hands on the second volume eventually as well）。 I do admit I haven't yet read it all cover to cover， since sometimes it's a lot of information to take in， but I love going through it every now and then and learning more about the world。Highly recommend it for every fan of the game and fantasy settings。 。。。more
Eadrinor
，
The video game company Bioware provides some of the best world-building in the industry， and partnered with Dark Horse Comics， these books are a true work of love for the game's fans。 World of Thedas V1 is full of great artwork and information on all the characters， creatures， and lore from the early Dragon Age Universe。 The video game company Bioware provides some of the best world-building in the industry， and partnered with Dark Horse Comics， these books are a true work of love for the game's fans。 World of Thedas V1 is full of great artwork and information on all the characters， creatures， and lore from the early Dragon Age Universe。 。。。more
Jessica
，
Beautiful illustrations。
brontë
，
i've reread the entirety of both volumes of world of thedas so many times。 it's a must read for any huge fans of the game series i've reread the entirety of both volumes of world of thedas so many times。 it's a must read for any huge fans of the game series 。。。more
Franki Webb
，
This book is almost academic in its presentation of the history and world of Thedas。 A great book for any Dragon Age fan。
B。 Zelkovich
，
So， I love this franchise and this book is no exception。 However， it does contain some errors which the writers have since acknowledged。 Super dry and dense， but the artwork is amazing。
Loran （Inked with Curiosity）
，
This is an absolute MUST READ for any fan of the Dragon Age franchise。 When I picked this up I figured it was going to be a beautiful coffee table book with lots of pretty artwork and it is that。。。but so so much more。 This completely exceeded my expectations and I ended up reading it cover to cover and learning so much about the world， lore， races， and religions of Thedas。 This is， in essence， an introductory encyclopedia that combines artwork， graphs， maps， timelines， codex's and written inform This is an absolute MUST READ for any fan of the Dragon Age franchise。 When I picked this up I figured it was going to be a beautiful coffee table book with lots of pretty artwork and it is that。。。but so so much more。 This completely exceeded my expectations and I ended up reading it cover to cover and learning so much about the world， lore， races， and religions of Thedas。 This is， in essence， an introductory encyclopedia that combines artwork， graphs， maps， timelines， codex's and written information about anything you could want to know about Thedas。 I'm a huge devotee of the video games and have played through the trilogy more times than I care to admit and I still learned things from this book。 It helped shed a lot of light on the earlier timeline of events that we don't see in the games as well as explained more about the Qun and Dalish religions。 I cannot even find enough words to recommend this。 It was a fabulous read and a treasured piece of artwork all in one。 This is a must have for Dragon Age fans and definitely worth the money。 It's gorgeously crafted， entertaining， and educational all in one。 。。。more
Jeffrey
，
Sadly too much recycled content from the game codex entries。 If it was more original content it would have gotten 5/5。
Emma-Krystine
，
Just finished reading it and on the second one。 I love that it is jam packed with beautiful pictures and amazing information on the lore and history of the dragon age series
➳ Christie ➳
，