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Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1

(Dragon Age Universe)

David Gaider,

Ben Gelinas (Goodreads Author),

Mike Laidlaw,

Dave Marshall (Editor),

Various (Illustrations)

4.54 · Rating details · 1,342 ratings · 79 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 184 pages

Published April 16th 2013 by Dark Horse Books

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May 15, 2017 Charlotte rated it really liked it

Shelves: very-normal-dragon-age-feelings

Personally I think it's very sexy of me to have an obsessive, encyclopedic knowledge of Dragon Age that I remember better than the entirety of my undergraduate career. ...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Chris rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Dragon Age fans, world-builders

I just finished a cover-to-cover read of this book. It exceeded my expectations: I was expecting to get a lot of lore and some attractive art. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to find it such an interesting read. It isn't a simple dump of information, but a piece of nonfiction that's embedded within the fictional world it describes.

The book's point of view isn't from Bioware. It's from scholars within Thedas trying to understand their own land and history. As such, much like our own history b I just finished a cover-to-cover read of this book. It exceeded my expectations: I was expecting to get a lot of lore and some attractive art. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to find it such an interesting read. It isn't a simple dump of information, but a piece of nonfiction that's embedded within the fictional world it describes.

The book's point of view isn't from Bioware. It's from scholars within Thedas trying to understand their own land and history. As such, much like our own history books, recent events are explained quite clearly and authoritatively. The further back in time you go, though, the less certainty exists about exactly happened. For example, we hear various different stories about the Black City. All sources agree that it's at the center of the Fade, and mages can verify this for themselves by observation, so it's accepted as true. We learn the orthodox Chantry teaching that the City was once the home of the Maker, and was turned black when the magisters attempted to reach it. However, we also hear that the pre-Chantry Imperium believed that the Black City was the home of their seven Old Gods. And the Elves have their own tales about the City, claiming that their pantheon is trapped there. Each perspective is faithfully recounted, without a definitive answer on which is "right".

I found myself thinking of two other books while reading this one. The perspective of World of Thedas reminded me a lot of The Histories by Herodotus. That book also seeks to explain history and culture, and the author relies on the stories, legends, and myths he has heard from other people. Some stories seem reliable, others invite skepticism; some tales seem unbelievable but are fun to read. The actual content of the book, though, kind of reminded me of A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present. Both of those books rely on quotes from actual people living in the middle of events, which gives a much deeper and richer texture to the history than I would have expected. This includes things like a first-hand account of what it feels like to be a slave in the Tevinter Imperium, or to play the Great Game in Orlais, or to suffer from lyrium withdrawal. Even when the book described things that I "knew" before, it felt much more engaging and real to hear an in-character voice describe it.

As others have noted, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. I was surprised by the wide variety of art styles on display: I would have thought that there would be a Bioware "house style" that everything would follow, but there's a huge range, from very realistic drawings to highly impressionist pieces to things that look like collage to almost cartoony drawings. There are some even more creative pieces, like stained-glass windows depicting Andraste's martyrdom, and a foldable triptych shown in both open and closed positions. Everything looks wonderful, and it all strongly evokes their world.

I'd been a little concerned about canon; I haven't been able to get into some of the other Dragon Age comics and novels because their events don't line up with decisions I made in my own game. Fortunately, The World of Thedas is very canon-friendly. It references events from all of the games and expansions, but is phrased openly enough that it should fit your understanding of the story, regardless of the choices your Warden and Hawke made.

And, just in case anyone is considering reading this book who hasn't already played the Dragon Age games, be aware that the book does contain spoilers for the games. If you plan on playing Dragon Age 2, I'd suggest skipping the chapter on Magic, which gives away some key plot points. Spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins are sprinkled throughout the book, but particularly dense in the chapter on the Blights and any section on the Grey Wardens.

On the whole, I was delighted with the book. It doesn't really add much in the way of new lore, but gives much more context and flavor to previously-known facts. It also gives some excellent in-depth looks at areas that the games haven't really explored, particularly life in the Tevinter Imperium and within the Qun. It read well from start to finish, but I think it would also be a perfect book to pick up and browse through. It makes me happy to see what a rich world Thedas has become, and makes me optimistic about the future of the franchise. ...more

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Aug 25, 2013 Wendy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, gaming, art

I'm a sucker for art books and it took all my will not to tell Labyrinth Books to shut up and take my money when I stopped at their row upon row of shelves at Fan Expo last weekend. My bank account wouldn't have been happy, so I wisely opted to get only this, since it was far more than an art book dedicated to a game series that I love.

The World of Thedas is just that. Think of it as a wiki on beautiful, beautiful crack. There definitely is artwork included. Every page is covered in it. But I'm ...more

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Apr 01, 2013 John rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Dragon Age fans

Shelves: fantasy, own, werewolves, game-based, reference, rpg-based, dragon-age

This is one of those books that's long overdue, given the success of the franchise. World of Thedas Vol 1 doesn't expand all that much on the Dragon Age universe and falls short in key areas.

Chapters include: Legend, Map of Thedas, Races, Nations, Magic, Religion, The Fade, The Blight, Bestiary and Glossary. It reads like an RPG sourcebook; granted it's derived from an RPG so that's hard to avoid, but I felt like I should have some dice handy while I was going through it. The layout is gorgeous-
This is one of those books that's long overdue, given the success of the franchise. World of Thedas Vol 1 doesn't expand all that much on the Dragon Age universe and falls short in key areas.

Chapters include: Legend, Map of Thedas, Races, Nations, Magic, Religion, The Fade, The Blight, Bestiary and Glossary. It reads like an RPG sourcebook; granted it's derived from an RPG so that's hard to avoid, but I felt like I should have some dice handy while I was going through it. The layout is gorgeous- some stunning artwork from familiar names like Joy Ang, Fran Gaulin, Jae-Keum, Steve Klit, Caspar Konefal and Nick Thornborrow. Simply beautiful.

There's cameos from some old friends- Varric, Leliana, Morrigan, Anders, and even Flemeth and Corypheus. Brother Genitivi acts as the resident scholar, often supplying commentary on the entries as well.

Much of the information presented is not new, simply fleshed out. And that's where the problems come in: while there are some interesting nuggets and pearls, too many times you'll see either a contradiction to the established canon or something so lacking you wonder why they even bothered with it. And others just leave you scratching your head.

Here's a few examples:

Endrin Aeducan is stated to be mourning the loss of his eldest and youngest sons (it's supposed to be his eldest and middle child). Seems small but it's a huge error if you know the franchise... and how'd they miss it?

Noble ranks in Ferelden- the place we're all most familiar with- are also off, listing an arl as the equivalent of a mayor. Really? Isn't an arl supposed to be an earl or something? Heck, the Bioware chatrooms have better and more detailed info than this 'official' release.

New details about Wardens and the Calling are also confusing: the book states that they must first serve alongside dwarven troops for a year before going off on their own. Since when? And what's the point of it if they're not going to even last that long anyway? Also no new information about the Joining Ritual or how it was discovered.

The chapter on Religion is where it really drops the ball in my opinion. The section on the Old Gods is sketchy- no surprise there- but something about them would've been appreciated. Were they vessels for powerful extra-planar beings or just dragons with powers and abilities far beyond those of other flying serpents? The Elven Gods get a little better treatment- they're supposedly all trapped in the Black City. How? Why?

Humanity is the newest race on Thedas; apparently they all came from somewhere else... But as they make up nearly all of the Maker's worshipers, what was he doing all that time, let alone before Andraste showed up? Who were his followers?

Kossith (Qunari) are said to have migrated to Ferelden in ages past, giving rise to ogre darkspawn, but then why hasn't anyone ever seen them before the Fifth Blight?

World of Thedas is nice enough to have; you get lots of data conveniently packaged for your enjoyment. But there's precious little new information provided in it so it's a toss up as to whether it's worth your while or not. ...more

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Feb 13, 2021 Václav rated it really liked it

Shelves: digital, fantasy, 2021, documentary-biography, alternative_history

(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 ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Ranjeev Kirupairajah rated it really liked it

We all know I'm a sucker for lore, and this delivered it all ! ...more

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Oct 23, 2019 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Beautiful illustrations.

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Jan 02, 2014 Caitlin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fic-fantasy

I've been in love with the world of Thedas since I first played Dragon Age: Origins so it was awesome to see more of the world than just playing the videogames gives you. The book is split into different sections on races, countries, religion, magic and the Blight with a bestiary at the back. If you bothered to read the codex while you played the games then a lot of this will be information you have already seen. But since I rarely read the codex (and the artwork is gorgeous), I loved getting to ...more

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Aug 14, 2015 Jenna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

This is so beautiful, and I am so nerdy.

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Feb 07, 2018 Sara Portela rated it it was amazing

5 stars

Anyone who follows me for a long time has certainly seen me read a lot of things related to Dragon Age and this is no exception. I'm a total sucker for illustration books or compendiums of stories and facts about a certain world I might love, and this was no exception.

It is fantastically well written and illustrated. It just explains a lot about the world and it even has some extra codex entries which for me were the highlight of this book since a lot that was written here was no longer ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Filip rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 5-stars

I'll go to my grave saying that the Dragon Age setting (or rather THE Dragon Age Setting, the origin of the word THEDAS) is one of the best RPG and fantasy settings that are there.

And this book is perfect for a fan like me.

While it didn't say much that I didn't know but it presented everything in an entertaining way and provided just enough of new things to really grab my interest while delving deeper into the stuff I knew a bit about. Part art book and part world description it was written in a ...more

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May 23, 2020 Samhain rated it liked it

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 ...more

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Dec 22, 2019 Lara (SapphicBookClub) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 0-other-on-shelves

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 ...more

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Nov 01, 2019 Megan rated it it was amazing

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

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Jul 15, 2020 Brittany Cavness rated it it was amazing

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!

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Mar 24, 2021 Zane rated it really liked it

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

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Aug 22, 2017 Frida Andreasson rated it really liked it

This is great. A lovely blend of images and different forms of text. I enjoyed the clean cut factual texts blending with texts that are written as if people in the world of Thedas were the people being them.

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Mar 26, 2020 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, magic, fiction, based-on-a-video-game

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

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Feb 20, 2018 Kristin rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-video-game-tie-in

A fun read for fans of the series. Gives background, stories, and facts about characters, history, and culture...basically it's exactly what it says it is. ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 Jeffrey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Sadly too much recycled content from the game codex entries. If it was more original content it would have gotten 5/5.

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Aug 02, 2018 liv rated it liked it

Shelves: dragon-age

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 25, 2018 B. Zelkovich rated it really liked it

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.

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Jan 07, 2019 Franki Webb rated it it was amazing

This book is almost academic in its presentation of the history and world of Thedas. A great book for any Dragon Age fan.

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Apr 05, 2019 brontë rated it really liked it

Shelves: dragon-age

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

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Mar 22, 2020 Corinne Lynema rated it it was amazing

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

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Sep 28, 2020 Bode Cauthon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

It makes me so nostalgic for this world. Time to play again!!

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Nov 05, 2018 Loran (Inked with Curiosity) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, owned

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 ...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Iset rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Chock full of lovely artwork and a what's what of Thedas. Not as enlightening as one might have hoped, but I'm sure they had to keep it spoiler-free for Inquisition. ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 Nerine Dorman rated it it was amazing

Every once in a while there’s a book I simply must have a physical copy of in the house, and this is one of them. Hardcover, full colour printing throughout and devastatingly beautiful art – enough to make me want to purr, caress its cover and breathe sweet nothings into its pages.

This is one for the fans of BioWare’s Dragon Age game franchise, and it’s well worth the clams forked out and the effort of importing. (And rushing down to the postbox every time the postman whizzes by on his bicycle.) Every once in a while there’s a book I simply must have a physical copy of in the house, and this is one of them. Hardcover, full colour printing throughout and devastatingly beautiful art – enough to make me want to purr, caress its cover and breathe sweet nothings into its pages.

This is one for the fans of BioWare’s Dragon Age game franchise, and it’s well worth the clams forked out and the effort of importing. (And rushing down to the postbox every time the postman whizzes by on his bicycle.)

{And yes, I’m still smarting from the import duties SARS gifted me with for the privilege of buying this book.}

What’s clear from the three games brought out so far is that the fantasy world of Thedas is chock full of lore – so much so that I’d hazard to say that given a few years the peeps at BioWare are going to give Tolkien a run for his money. As it is, they’re snapping at his heels.

Volume 1 pretty much reads like a traveller’s guide to Thedas, not only giving a timeline for events – starting with the rise and fall of the elves’ Arlathan, to the expansion of the sprawling Tevinter Empire and the subsequent blights, but also giving an overview of the races, nations, magic, religion, the fade, the blight and assorted wildlife. This volume is by no means exhaustive, but serves as a good introduction to the setting without giving away too many spoilers for those who’ve yet to play the games.

Even my husband – who’s patiently still waiting for me to get over my fascination with the game – had to admit that the book’s layout and art are pretty darn impressive. This is a pretty book – there’s no denying that. It will cause the fans to make grabby fingers. It’s also useful as reference for those who’re addicted to unpicking canon and who may wish to create fanfiction. And volume 2 arrived recently in the mail too. Like my centenary edition of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings that also graces my permanent book collection, this one’s a keeper.

As a storyteller, I’m envious of those writers who’ve had the chance to contribute to the creation of this world, and as the map suggests, the games, books and comics have only scratched the surface of all the possible future tales yet to be told. Yes, this is standard high fantasy involving elves, dragons, mages and brave warriors, but it’s what the content creators say with these stories and their art that is important – touching on many important issues. The world of Thedas matters, because in many ways those existing, familiar tropes resonate on a deeper level. The fact that so many of the heroes are tragic, and are faced with impossible choices that turn out badly no matter what, attests to the fact that the BioWare writers are basically horrible, evil people who love to torment gamers. But we love them anyway and keep returning for second helpings. And the great thing about the games is that for a while we can tune out the real world where we have little agency, and plunge ourselves into a world where we are the heroes who can and do make a difference. ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Rosie rated it really liked it

Very detailed information and beautifully illustrated. This book I never felt the need to fly through, it's very much a pick up read a little and then put back. Very lovely book for my collection! ...more

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About David Gaider

David Gaider

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David Gaider lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and has worked for video game developer BioWare since 1999. He is the lead writer on the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins role-playing game and has previously worked on such titles as Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights.