Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights is an anthology of short stories set in Thedas, the universe of the Dragon Age media franchise. The collection is edited by Chris Bain, Patrick Weekes, Matthew Goldman and Christopher Morgan, and comprises a selection of fifteen stories written by nine BioWare staff writers about various characters from the Dragon Age series.[1] Tevinter Nights was released on March 10, 2020 in paperback and e-book format.[2]

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights

Cover of Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights
Editor	Chris Bain Patrick Weekes Matthew Goldman Christopher Morgan
Cover artist	Ramil Sunga (cover)
Country	Canada/United States
Language	English
Series	Dragon Age
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Tor Books Titan Books
Publication date	March 10, 2020
Media type	Print (Paperback) Digital (E-Book)
Pages	494 (Tor Books) 512 (Titan Books)
ISBN	978-0-7653-3722-1

Overview

Tevinter Nights contains a fold out color map of the world of Thedas in the front.[1] The book's title has led to speculation by some sources that the forthcoming mainline Dragon Age video game will take place in the Tevinter Imperium, a human nation in northern Thedas governed by an oligarchy of magic-wielding magisters.[3][1] In spite of its title, some of Tevinter Night's stories are set in a variety of locations besides the Tevinter Imperium, and features non-Tevinter organizations such as the Antivan Crows, the Mortalitasi necromancers of the kingdom of Nevarra, the Grey Warden Order headquartered at Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels, and the nomadic Dalish elven clans.[2]

The story collection is not organized in chronological order; instead of a single linear storyline, Tevinter Nights follows different points in time and alternative perspectives of events to build out the lore of the Dragon Age franchise.[4] While many of the stories focus on life in Thedas after the events of the Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC pack Trespasser, other stories explore the demons from the metaphysical realm known as the Fade or the darkspawn menace.[5] Parts of Thedas which were only mentioned in the games, as well as major events such as the recent Qunari invasion and the defection of Solas from the Inquisition organization, were also explored in some stories.[4]

Contents

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

Reception

Tevinter Nights is positively received. Natalie Flores from RPG Site said the anthology feature deeply complex characters, fascinating lore, compelling story lines, and an expansive scope, which are all hallmarks of the Dragon Age series in her view. She opined that the anthology will not convince readers who are not already fans of the series to get into it, but "in not trying to be extremely accessible to newcomers, it ends up being more enjoyable and compelling". Flores observed that what the anthology accomplishes most effectively is getting series fans excited for the fourth main series game, as it sets up various story elements which should play a significant role in the upcoming sequel. She believed that the Dragon Age series is at its best when it puts a stronger focus on its characters, and expressed a wish for more returning characters from Inquisition or other previous entries. Flores found that the anthology format captures what she both love and dislike most about the series, noting that Tevinter Nights, like many other works in the Dragon Age series, frames itself around developing the world of Thedas at the expense of characters who have been established in the process; characters often serve as a means to an end, and often that end is incomplete to signal a tease for a potential sequel. She found it frustrating that not all of the stories have a satisfying conclusion, as the characters and their stories in Tevinter Nights are "both self-contained and not". She also criticized the book's spelling or grammar errors which are not uncommon, and attributed it to a lapse in the editing process.

Sarah Deeming from The British Fantasy Society commented that the anthology's complex stories reflect the "richness of the original world-building for the games". To her, Tevinter Nights stays true to what appealed to her most about the main series video games, namely character development, as well as the "interactions between the characters that revealed the history of Thedas in what was said and done, as well as the hard choices the characters had to make", often fraught with the biases and assumptions seen in the games.[5] Deeming complimented the authors for demonstrating their understanding of the source material, with its nuances and peculiarities.[5] Deeming concluded that it is an essential read for series fans, and that it is also a "great introduction to fictional world rich with myths and legends, monsters and unsung heroes".[5]

Writing for Fanbyte, Kenneth Shepard opined that Tevinter Nights carries the best and worst traits of a Dragon Age story, and is saddled with "the same baggage of a franchise that thinks its world is the star, not the people who live in it".[6] He praised the anthology's stories to be well written overall, but only two stuck out for him: “Luck in the Gardens” by Sylvia Feketukty, and “Dread Wolf Take You” by Patrick Weekes. Noting that both stories feature established characters returning from Inquisition, Shepard said these stories are the ones that "don’t elect to hand stories from one person to another", and instead focuses on characters who "come with a bit of personal investment" from series fans".[6] Shane Jardine from The Arched Doorway opined that he did not find a single story collected in the anthology that he disliked reading, though he singled out two stories contributed by Weekes as his standout favorites. He noted that while he normally does not like anthologies as the stories tend to be too short for his liking, he believed that the format presented in Tevinter Nights is suitable for the Dragon Age franchise, and that it "does a wonderful job of expanding upon and fleshing out the world of Thedas even more".[4]

References

External links

• Tevinter Nights title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database