Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

One of the major problems I had with Dragon Age 2 was the game had something of a monomaniacal focus on the Templar and Mage issue. The Qunari were also present, thank the Maker, but it seemed to make the setting smaller rather than larger. One of the most appealing elements of Dragon Age: Origins was it illustrated the staggering number of issues which were plaguing the continent: elvish bigotry, dwarf classicism, mage oppression, religious fanaticism, Qunari totalitarianism, Tevinter slavers, and the fact the nobility ranged from the Stark-like Couslands to Joffrey-like psychopaths like Arl Howe. With the set up of Dragon Age: Inquisition initially looking like it would deal with the Mage and Templar War I was rather worried the other elements would fall to the wayside even further. Thankfully, both the information coming out from Bioware as well as The Masked Empire. The Masked Empire deals with areas of storytelling almost untouched by Dragon Age 2 and which I think will play a big role in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Specifically, the plight of elves and the Orlesian Empire. Orlais has been a country which has long had an important role in Dragon Age but has yet to be fully detailed until now. Whereas Fereldan has served as the archetypal stand-in for England, Scotland, and Wales--Orlais has served as an analog for France. It is a country which is much more than this, though, embodying the setting's concepts of autocracy and the divine right of Kings. Orlais is the largest, most powerful, richest, and most dangerous nation in Thedas. It didn't get there by being nice. Interestingly, Orlais is shown to be a multifaceted nation too. Whereas much is made of the brutality and cruelty of Orlais' nobility during their occupation of Fereldan, Awakening's Baroness being based on Elizabeth Bathory, we also have fan-favorite Leliana (one of the sweetest characters in the franchise) hail from said nation. They are a thoroughly humanized bunch of characters but have cultural attitudes which are decidedly, well, Medieval. As for the elves, one of the things I always enjoyed about Dragon Age was they were a race which was as far from Tolkien's conception of them as godlike immortal beings as you could get. As the settings analog to both Jews and Romani, elves are a despised minority desperately trying to cling to their cultural heritage in the face of brutal oppression. Fereldan, normally treated as much better than Orlais, still has elven women abducted for sexual assault from their wedding and a full-on pogrom when they try to resist. Yeesh. The premise follows the political struggles of Empress Celene and her elven lover, Briala. It's rare enough we see women in authority without being overtly sexualized. It's doubly-so to see a lesbian woman in authority. Empress Celene could have easily been cast as a bisexual but there's no indication that she or her lover have any interest in men other than potential political allies. Celene appears to be a woman who holds liberal attitudes to the plight of elves and is more interested in patronizing the arts versus military expansionism. However, looks can be deceiving, as she's also a master politician with the ruthless streak necessary to rule a country which has institutionalized intrigue. Briala has a somewhat rose-colored view of Celene, viewing her as a messianic protector of her people who will deliver Orlais out of its current dark age of autocracy. She's wrong. Opposing our heroes is Grand Duke Gaspard, a brutal imperialist warlord who wishes to invade the nation of Fereldan and put it under a military dictatorship for no other reason than to distract Orlesians from their constant infighting. He's a monster planning the deaths of thousands for no other reason than because, as a chevalier, war is his trade and he sees nothing wrong with practicing it. Yet, despite this, Duke Gaspard reveals himself to be possibly one of the few Orlesians with any sense of integrity. Most characters in the novel would throw away their honor, for whatever worth that is, when it threaten their position. Gaspard's word is his bond and he doesn't rules-lawyer it either. Between he and Empress Celene, I'm not sure who I would rather have as my ruler. Empress Celene as an enlightened liberal ruler seems like she's the sort of person who would be better to my modern sensibilities. However, she's a politician and flat-out untrustworthy. Duke Gaspard, by contrast, is a ruthless war monger but you can expect him to honor your agreements. That is an ugly pair of choices if our Inquisitor is called to support one or the other in Dragon Age: Inquisition. The supporting cast in The Masked Empire is great too. I despised the character of Michel and hope there's an option for killing him in Inquisition but, honestly, I can't say I don't understand why he chose to make the choices he did. I think those choices have damned him, either secularly or metaphysically depending on your beliefs re: Dragon Age's afterlife, but I understand them. I also loved the character of Felassan who is a delightful Trickster mentor and reminds me of the early legends of Merlin. The worldbuilding in this book is great with insights into how the Dalish mages view City Elves, the City Elves view Dalish mages, how half-elves are treated by society, and how the Orlesian nobility looks down on them all. We get insight into the Game which all of the Orlesian nobility plays and how their system of honor works. I've always liked how honor was treated in Dragon Age as we see in both the Dwarvish and Orlesian world that it allows you to do monstrous things but think of yourself as a good person. In conclusion, as much as I hated some of the characters for their actions, this is a really good book. I prefer Asunder but I think The Masked Empire is objectively better if that makes any sense. Fans of Dragon Age should pick this up ASAP.9/10

This novel can change your perspective of game choices which is amazing, I did have to take a 2-month break while reading this but throughout the end of the novel I couldn't put it down. Lots of Orlesian politics throughout and towards the end it feels like the plot-relevant to the overarching story.

Very well written with enough twists and turns to keep you intrigued. If you are a fan of the Dragon Age video games you will love reading this book and learning so much more about Orlais. In my opinion even those who know nothing about the game this book would be a good read

Everyone in Orlais has their secrets and motivations in The Grand Game played by the nobles in Orlais that even sucks in the lower classes. A fairly suspenseful novel in the Dragon Age universe turns into a thoroughly shocking and revealing series of twists as the journey of Empress Celene with her trusted Champion Ser Michel, and an elf servant named Briala--an asset to Celene in The Game of Orlais--all deal with a civil war brewing in Orlais led by Celene's lifelong rival Grand Duke Gaspard.While not as riveting the entire way as the previous Dragon Age novel by David Gaider, Asunder--a fine work of art even with no knowledge of the Dragon Age universe--the author Patrick Weekes does a fine job in The Masked Empire of executing a series of plot twists leaving the reader reeling through the finish making for yet another rich adventure in the novels of the DA universe.This novel will have any Dragon Age fan thrilled as several ancient elven mysteries are explored and explained, and a colorful band of new characters are introduced skillfully as the reader watches alliances made, broken, and mended up to an explosive climax expertly using every character arc for a compelling finish that is the highlight of the novel and the reader wanting for more.This novel along with Asunder do an excellent job of setting the stage for the tumultuous state of life in Thedas for the newest game Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Loved it ! I've enjoyed all the other books for the background you get to key characters and chains of events. This one is good for Inquisition players hoping to have a more informed choice before the Winter Palace mission as you learn how the civil war began and how the characters Celene , Briarla and Gaspard are connected, not forgetting Ser Michael !The story is so compelling, full of twist and turns, fights and betrayals, honor and bloodshed so you can definitely read it without having read any other books.

This will be a preference thing for some, but for me, this novel was a best seller waiting to happen.I wont spoil what happens for those looking for a spoiler free review, instead I will give a teaser synopsis of my own opinions of what exactly this book did right and why its the best of the dragon age novels to date:The Characters:The characters in this book are the most interesting since Maric's motley band of misfits in The Stolen Throne, it sets a similar pace with its main characters being very similar personality wise and feel wise to the crew of the book mentioned.Celene, the main focus of the story, Empress of Orlais, is without a doubt one of Dragon Age's most developed figureheads throughout the course of this storyline, this tale tells her story, from start to finish, giving us a full perspective of what to expect of a character we have only had mention of up until this novel, and the upcoming DA: Inquisition.In addition to Celene, there are three other major character perspectives:Briala, an elven woman with complacent obedience to her empress, challenged by her patriotism to her people, and to define just who her people really are.Ser Michel, Celene's personal Bodyguard and a knight devoted to his code of honor, who throughout the story is pressured to stand for it, while harboring a dark secret.And Duke Gaspard, Celene's Cousin and the central antagonist of the story line, a Chevalier with a tactical cunning and a ruthless precision, who's sense of cruelty is matched only by his surprising sense of dignity. He is a man that takes honor, very seriously, and throughout his journey, may yet understand the meaning of the word better than he preaches.There is also one secondary character in the form of Briala's Elven Companion, Felessian who is essentially a witty, dry humored apostate Dalish that may yet be more than he first appears to both Briala, and her comrades.One might also consider Gaspards loyal companion the Duke of Lydes to be a secondary character, but his role is mostly one of an adviser that acts to reflect Gaspards own personal challenges and enhances them by being a test of his own character's morals personified.However, the rest of the cast are while minor, still quite significant, and the story lacks nothing in its pacing and engaging scenes with all of them.The Story Itself:The story carries the political intrigue of Orlais day to day events while shifting later into the tensions of conflict, and the origins of the elves, its a very lore heavy book yet tells its story in a flowing, story driven pace that allows one to digest every moment of it with excitement and ease.This near 400 page novel is a modest read for anyone looking for a good book to delve into in the Dragon Age lore, and its exciting enough that it pulled me into its depths all the way to the finish, I tended to it in less than a week of casual reading.Simply put, some novels you cant put down, this one is the kind that will pull you in and make it hard to stop until you've finished. You really grow attached to everyone involved and this only increases the hype for every chapter leaving you hungry for every little taster of whats to come.For some reviewers I noticed they didn't seem to share this sentiment, I find that difficult to fathom myself but perhaps its just not in everyone's tastes. This novel's strength is that it pulls a person into its story, not its description.Those looking for novels with heavy description, long but rewarding reads with heavy interludes wont really be appeased by this adventure. Its designed for those interested in a modest yet rapidly paced set of events that chain together nicely and end on a beautiful crescendo.I wont spoil the ending, but what I will say, is that it shouldn't have caught me off guard, but it did. Not only that, but it sets up enough cliffhanger hype that I am dying to know more, and longing to get my hands on DA: Inquisition sooner than later.Over all, this entire book felt just right. It takes what The Stolen Throne did and perfects it, it almost feels like a unity of the previous three books concepts all unified into one, with just the right level of political intrigue, conflict, adventure, tragedy and triumph.It balances itself better than any of its predecessors, taking what The Stolen Throne did well with its scaled battles, and perfecting it in little more than a few tense skirmishes.It takes what the calling did with its adventure and journey into the realm of the fade, and perfects it by bringing us into mysteries of Thedas we previously did not know about, and now get to explore for the first time.It takes what Asunder did with its political edge and perfects it with the tensions of who is fighting for who, and why? How loyal are their friends, their foes, their motives, their goals?It also asks a question that no other Dragon Age novel has truly asked.How long can love last?Granted, things like this may feel nostalgic for those that read The Stolen Throne, the book feels very similar both pacing and destination wise, but its ultimate delivery is much more intriguing and to a degree, atmospherically darker than the former novel before.Again, this is a must read for a Dragon Age Fan, it also features a minor Cameo from a certain Orlesian Bard though I am quite certain people will easily guess who 'she' might be.Anyway, teasers aside, I really think this book deserves credit, as does the author for expanding existing material in an exciting new direction that sets the stage for Dragon Age Inquisition perfectly.Hope to see more from this Author using this setting's expansive possibilities.

It is to Weekes' credit that the characters and their relationships have taken centre stage and were handled with maturity; as well as his admirable restraint when opening up this exciting world to the reader. Indeed everything is given a well thought out, very human take - even when looking at race politics and what would really happen to real people if magic existed in the world. The pacing and themes are expertly handled without sacrificing the verve and excitement of deadly court intrigue, tragic revolution and a world full of beasts and secrets.My only issue was with the story's end, which left me a little cold but then I think that was the point. I won't spoil it!I have found myself recommending this book to friends who know their fantasy and historical fiction but wouldn't touch videogames with a bargepole. It's almost a travesty that this is labelled as a Dragon Age tie-in as it really can be enjoyed in a vacuum and by its own extensive merits.

This was a really good book. To compare it to the other 3 books by David Gaider would be unfair. This is a good book in its own right.It deals heavily on honour and 'The Game' that of a courtesan life style in Orlais. A form of sword play, but with words instead. Whist DA:I deals with the Mages and The Templars, this book deals deal with the Humans and the Elves.I really enjoyed this book, and would recomend it to and Dragon Age fan.

I loved the first two books in this series, the 3rd one felt so-so, and this I felt was better than the last, but not as good as the first two. I like Weekes' writing for DA:I, and I read this post DA:I, needing more lore material to process the Solavellan hell I was deeply in.I don't know what I was expecting, but I found it more interesting for the small parts of this story that were left unsaid, that influence the narrative for DA:I.For DA series fans I'd recommend it, and read it before DA:I if you can!