Sep 16, 2014.. DiscussionLast Flight Spoiler Discussion (self.dragonage).. I doubt the inclusion of flying mounts in DA:I as that would be horrific to code, but I ..
Last Flight (Dragon Age, #5) 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 330 ratings · 43 reviews Return to Thedas, the setting of BioWare's award-winningDragonAgedark fantasy rpg, and discover what dark, forgottensecrets lurk in the history of the legendary Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seem Return to Thedas, the setting of BioWare's award-winning Dragon Age dark fantasy rpg, and discover what dark, forgotten secrets lurk in the history of the legendary Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seems. Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical record of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the Fourth Blight leads her to an encoded reference scrawled in the margins of an ancient map, and to the hidden diary of Issenya, one of the last of the fabled griffon riders. As the dark secrets buried in Isseyna's story unfold, Valya begins to question everything she thought she knew about the heroic Grey Wardens. . . . A division of Electronic Arts, the world’s leading electronic entertainment publisher, BioWare is the award-winning creator of some of the world’s best-selling video games, including the Baldur's Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Mass Effect. ...more In 9:41 Dragon, the continent of Thedas is in turmoil, with the templars waging war against the mages who have rebelled against their oppressive guardians. A small group of mages has sought refuge at Wiesshaupt, hoping the Grey Warden's neutrality will protect them from the templars, even though becoming a Grey Warden is a deadly risk in itself. This is as close as Dragon Age fans will get elements of the game they are most familiar with. Unlike its predecessors, Last Flight steps away from the i In 9:41 Dragon, the continent of Thedas is in turmoil, with the templars waging war against the mages who have rebelled against their oppressive guardians. A small group of mages has sought refuge at Wiesshaupt, hoping the Grey Warden's neutrality will protect them from the templars, even though becoming a Grey Warden is a deadly risk in itself. This is as close as Dragon Age fans will get elements of the game they are most familiar with. Unlike its predecessors, Last Flight steps away from the immediate lore of the game by having Valya, a young elf mage, research historical records. That seems like a pretty dull concept, but at the crypt of Garahel, the elven hero of the Fourth Blight, Valya finds clues that lead her to the diary of his sister, Isseya, which goes into great detail about the struggles of the Fourth Blight. Wiesshaupt has been mentioned constantly throughout Dragon Age games, but players have yet to see the fabled Grey Warden headquarters. This book provides that opportunity, and more importantly, lets readers see the griffons that Wynne so cruelly denied us in her storytelling. Isseya's journal tells of the many years of hardship that the continent of Thedas suffered as the Darkspawn ravaged the land with their poisonous existence. The Fifth Blight, as experienced by players during Dragon Age: Origins, was nothing compared to this, having lasted only a year. Last Flight shows us the true hardships of war, and the horrible decisions that its leaders and heroes have to make. While players -- unless they wanted to be jerks -- could mostly play their game with minimal losses, making more friends than enemies, Field Commander Garahel and his sister had to make choices that often meant sacrificing the few to save the many. And some of those choices involved the dreaded blood magic. As enjoyable as it is to see all of our friends and experience the events of Thedas as players currently know it, the step into the past was a welcome change. With all the different choices available to players, current stories might not reflect our expectations and experiences. Last Flight is freed from these trappings, and is able to present us with all new and interesting characters upon whom we have no expectations, much less background information. I really liked the fact that, while her brother is the famed hero that has gone down in history, the story is told entirely through Isseya's eyes. That's not unusual in itself, but Garahel actually isn't involved much in her storytelling, save where necessary. His charm and bravery are evident through her words, and we already know that he is the one to defeat the Archdemon that controls the Darkspawn, thus making him the Hero of the Fourth Blight, but seeing the Blight through Isseya's eyes was very interesting, and at times, heartbreaking, especially when it comes to the now extinct griffons. The action and emotion ranges all over the place, as is to be expected in such a long, seemingly hopeless war. Merciel is merciless in her battle scenes, wasting few words on the fallen. This is a harrowing book, and perhaps a difficult read for those who enjoy happy endings. While it does offer a significant amount of hope at the end, a victory during a Blight can only ever be Phyrric, at best. www.BiblioSanctum.com ...more Last Flight, the newest Dragon Age tie-in book, uses a dual narrative to explore the history of the Grey Wardens. The frame narrative tells the story of Valya, an elf mage who-- along with several other Circle mages-- has fled to the Warden’s headquarters at Weisshaupt to escape the chaos of the mage/templar war. The Wardens welcome them into the keep, but for political and practical reasons, delay conscripting them into the order. Instead, Valya and her friends are given the task of assisting w Last Flight, the newest Dragon Age tie-in book, uses a dual narrative to explore the history of the Grey Wardens. The frame narrative tells the story of Valya, an elf mage who-- along with several other Circle mages-- has fled to the Warden’s headquarters at Weisshaupt to escape the chaos of the mage/templar war. The Wardens welcome them into the keep, but for political and practical reasons, delay conscripting them into the order. Instead, Valya and her friends are given the task of assisting with research into the usage of blood magic in the Warden’s history. While in the library, Valya discovers a hidden diary. This diary belonged to Isseya, whose story is the heart of the book. Isseya, also an elven mage, joined the Wardens just as the Fourth Blight broke out, and it’s through her perspective that we see the true devastation of the blights and the extreme sacrifices needed to end them. Isseya finds something that will help stop the Blight, but the solution is terrible and the cost greater than even she imagines. All of this is kept secret and left out of the history of the Wardens, and as Valya reads on, she must decide whether or not to reveal it. It’s going to vary depending on what you want out of the book, for to me, Dragon Age: Last Flight is easily the best of the Dragon Age novels. If you want big lore bombs that are sure to tie into the upcoming game and appearances by familiar characters, Asunder & Masked Empire are your best bets. Last Flight does have a few reveals that I am sure will play into the larger universe, as well as a fascinating and deeper look into blood magic, but it seems much more “standalone” than those books. But if you’re looking for a book that is set in the Dragon Age universe that tells a compelling, well crafted story…Last Flight is the book for you. It’s almost unfair to talk about the quality of Stolen Throne or the Calling, as David Gaider was clearly learning how to write novels with those books, but even compared to Asunder and Masked Empire (both very solid books), LF blows them out of the water in terms of prose, thematic concerns, and pacing. I suspect there will be people who aren’t as interested in the frame narrative, but I loved it. Thedas is wartorn, and as we know from the upcoming game, things are only going to get worse. Valya’s story is the melancholy pause before the storm, the chance to sit down and think about the mistakes and successes of the past. This book might not have as much plot relevance to Dragon Age: Inquisition, but its themes and atmosphere are the perfect lead in. The historical narrative is the strongest part of the book though, by far. Isseya is clever and sympathetic and I adored her. The ethical dilemmas faced by the Wardens have weight, and while the decisions they make are unthinkable, the world Merciel puts them in demands it. It is a very grim and dark story, but wonderfully...does not feel grimdark. Also, just because it bothered me in the other tie-ins...Merciel is very good at writing fight scenes so that they don't feel "gamey". ...more The latest book out from Bioware set in the Dragon Age universe, I poured through Last Flight in a single night. Like all of the Dragon Age novels, it's a cut above your typical Dungeons and Dragons fair, and has a lot going for it. Still, I feel the book is somewhat marred by its ending and has somewhat less interesting subject matter than previous volumes. Those who enjoy the setting, however, will adore several revelations about the game world's lore and it is a good fantasy novel. Just not The latest book out from Bioware set in the Dragon Age universe, I poured through Last Flight in a single night. Like all of the Dragon Age novels, it's a cut above your typical Dungeons and Dragons fair, and has a lot going for it. Still, I feel the book is somewhat marred by its ending and has somewhat less interesting subject matter than previous volumes. Those who enjoy the setting, however, will adore several revelations about the game world's lore and it is a good fantasy novel. Just not a great one. The premise of Last Flight is a group of mage refugees from the Mage-Templar War, set up in Dragon Age: Asunder, have joined the Grey Wardens to escape the fighting. They are put to work studying the ancient lore of the Grey Wardens and one of them stumbles on a account of the Fourth Blight. Blights, for non-fans of the game, is something akin to a combination of zombie-invasion and Orc attack. This account sheds light on the extinction of the griffon race, the morality of the Grey Wardens, and the dangers of Blood Magic. I'm not a fan of books which don't have anything to say about the real world and I'm pleased to say this book does have a message. It's an analysis of the consequences of an "ends justify the means" mentality. While the protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins can be anything from a bog-standard fantasy hero to a ruthless murderer to Mage Jesus, the Grey Wardens he belongs to have this as their bailiwick. Grey Wardens swear to do anything to stop the Blight, no matter how heinous, and are willing to give their lives to do it. Indeed, every Grey Warden does give their life to stop the Blight because the source of their powers eventually kills them. A lesser writer would have universally condemned this attitude or puffed it up. Liane Merciel, however, presents ruthlessness' upsides and downsides. We see why the Wardens do what they do and the sometimes disgusting things they need to do. We see them abandon refugees to die, lie to the public, literally prostitute themselves (a male for once), and animal experimentation. None of this is presented as a good thing but sometimes it works. Not always, though. Much like Zombie Apocalypses, the Blight is an excellent way of exploring the extremes of human morality. When faced with a natural disaster meets war situation like the Blight, what are the limits to what a person should be willing to do to survive? The Grey Wardens believe anything is justified and while the book doesn't go into some of the worst things I've seen in such fiction, it touches on enough of them you get the idea how this sort of attitude can blind you to other options. When you assume ruthlessness is the path of the strong, you begin to think any other way is weak. This is embodied in the treatment of the griffons. The griffons are gigantic eagle and lion hybrids which are used as flying mounts by the Grey Wardens. They represent the best in the Grey Wardens and are symbols of their higher natures. Despite "only" being animals, the griffons are presented as noble, beautiful, and intelligent beasts. They trust the Grey Wardens and should, theoretically, be treated with respect in return. Instead, the Grey Wardens find a means to make them more effective fighting machines at the cost of the griffons' lives. What follows is a story of exploitation, cruelty, and the consequences of messing with nature's delicate balance. It's a good metaphor with Blood Magic serving as a nice stand-in for both science and industry but sadly gets undercut by its ending. Without spoiling anything, I can't help but feel the story of the griffons' extinction would have been better without the sliver of hope provided at the end. It worked in The Lorax but in real-life, there are no take-backs and the world is diminished every time we let a species go extinct. Letting them stand as a monument to the selfishness of humanity, even in theoretical good-cause, would have made the story more powerful. In conclusion, Last Flight is a book with a lot going for it. It is an interesting premise, gives good insight into what a long-standing Blight is like, shows how Blood Magic works in the setting in greater-detail, and has something to say about morality. The environmental message is neither heavy-handed nor easy-to-miss. I liked the majority of the characters, even though only a couple of them were underdeveloped. In short, I suggest you pick this book up if you like fantasy or Dragon Age in particular. Just don't expect to be blown away. 8/10 ...more As with the other Dragon Age tie-in novels I've read (Asunder and The Stolen Throne) Dragon Age: Last Flight offers an reasonably entertaining fantasy story that provides interesting new insights into the Dragon Age setting. Last Flight shows the impact of a Blight on Thedas and the lengths the Wardens go to defeat it better than Dragon Age: Origins did. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Dragon Age setting. If not then I'd advice skipping this novel.
Sep 16, 2014.. Last Flight has 330 ratings and 43 reviews. Wendy said: In 9:41 Dragon, the continent of Thedas is in turmoil, with the templars waging war ..
Return to Thedas, the setting of BioWare's award-winning Dragon Age dark fantasy rpg, and discover what dark, forgotten secrets lurk in the history of the ..
Dragon Age: Last Flight is a novel set in the Dragon Age universe. It was published in September 16, 2014 by Tor Books. The novel features a variety of locations throughout Thedas, including the city of Wycome in the Free Marches, Red Bride's Grave, the capital city of Hossberg in the Anderfels and the city of Ayesleigh in Rivain.
Dragon Age: Last Flight is a novel set in the Dragon Age universe. It was published in September..
Dragon Age: Last Flight and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more. Enter your mobile number or email address below and ..
