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Dragon Age: The Silent Grove #1
From the lead writer of BioWare's Dragon Age games comes this original six-part story, available exclusively from the Dark Horse Digital Store! It's unusual for a king to embark on a dangerous quest himself rather than send an emissary, but King Alistair Therein has caught wind of a rumor big enough, and personal enough, that he is compelled to investigatethough not alone. With deadly, wisecracking mercenaries Isabella and Varric by his side, Alistair travels to a city of assassins to learn the truth about his kingdom and his own reign! Story by David Gaider, lead writer of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II! An essential addition to the Dragon Age canon! Exclusive to the Dark Horse Digital Store!
15 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2015
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156 people want to read
About the author
David Gaider
38 books648 followersDavid 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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 23, 2024
When I was little, one of my favorite video game series was this underrated gem that nobody's ever heard of before called Assassin’s Creed. Whenever I was playing one of them, every now and then my dad would be walking past and then stop in his tracks to do that dad thing where he’d stand, like, six feet away from the T.V. and watch for a few minutes with his arms crossed. It was quite the father/son bonding experience! Ahh... the memories. Anyway, without fail, he would end up exclaiming that “they really should make a movie of this!” and loving the series like I did at the time, I readily agreed. I mean, the Assassin's Creed series has already always felt like a video game that was embarrassed to be a video game, so what could go wrong? A great many things, it turns out, because then they did eventually end up making a movie adaption and it was bad then the games slowly became bad and everything is bad now. The end. The fact that they somehow managed to mess up such an easy win marked me. It changed me! You can probably see where this is going, because the shitty Assassin's Creed movie instilled in me a deep-seated fear of my favorite things being adapted in other forms of media. Animated movies becoming live-action? Yuck. Video games being adapted into movies? Bleh! But a comic book side-story of a beloved property that still takes place in the same universe as the game? Well, until I finished this comic a little bit ago, I would have easily said "hard pass" and went on my way. Here's the thing, another reason why I had this immense skepticism is because I read this book called Mass Effect: Revelation which takes place in the Mass Effect universe (duh), and I thought it would be a slam dunk for me because I already know and love the games, but nah… it was bad. Actually, I think it was one of the worst books I’ve read based solely on the merits of the writing alone. Just... utter nonsense prose. It gave me trust issues, and seriously put me off of video games being adapted in other mediums for a long, long, time. Yeah well, this is just my convoluted way of saying that… um… this issue of Dragon Age: The Silent Grove was actually pretty good. I can't wait to read more, and even if I have to say it begrudgingly, I’ll still say it. Hey, I can be the bigger man! Tangent aside, I think it’s funny how when I first started writing reviews on here, I would avoid mentioning the fact that I like video games like the plague because I was (and maybe still am?) afraid of being called a gamer™. Just typing that out made me cringe a bit. There’s a certain connotation associated with the word now. My point is that now that I write long ass essay reviews for anything now, I just kind of talk about whatever comes to mind. Name dropping Varric Tethras from the Dragon Age series like he’s a household name. You guys know my good pal, Varric, don’t you? But seriously, I am a person who enjoys video games, not a gamer. This is a very important distinction.
Captain obvious here, but I think it’s safe to say that anybody who has been around me for even a small amount of time knows that I’m a pretty big fan of Dragon Age. I seriously can’t seem to shut up about it and it’s very annoying, I’m aware. My problem is that whenever I like a book or a game or a movie, I don’t just like them, I like them intense-like. It’s almost always to the point of obsession, and yeah, it’s very embarrassing! But just because I love the series, be it in game format or in comics, that’s not to say I don’t have my fair share of criticisms. The only reason I rarely share them is because the newest installment in the series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has become the newest punching bag for those weirdo grifters who hate on the game because it’s too “woke” or whatever, and I’m afraid if I start talking shit the way I usually do, I might inadvertently be associated with them. You know, the gamers™. And I can honestly think of no greater indignity! So yeah, I'll get to my criticisms, but please remember that they're not because the games are too woke, I have normal criticisms that a normal man would and should have. Look out everybody, normal man coming through. For one, a consistent art style would be nice! It switches up so much that I hardly recognize recurring characters from game to game! What they did to Zevran in Dragon Age 2 should be studied as a pure example of what happens to a man who lost all his aura. And what's with the damn titles!? It goes Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and then Dragon Age: The Veilguard! Explain the 2? Everybody gets a cute little subtitle and then one of them is randomly a numbered title?? WHY THE TWO!?!? And then in Dragon Age: Inquisition, there's a mission where you have to go to a extravagant ball at this place called The Winter Palace and it's very fun, but the catch is that you and you're team are forced to wear these matching, ugly ass, pointy shoulder ass, busted ass red jackets that are ugly af. I'm still mad about it. But I think that's enough negativity for now, because while my fears that the writers wouldn’t be able to capture the same vibe as the games seems to have been alleviated (unless the comic takes a hugely drastic turn in the future), I think what works best for this specific comic was how quaint it is. The characters featured here, Varric (my buddy), Alistair, and Isabella, already went through their character arcs in the respective games that they’re featured in, so I think it was smart of the writers to just do a comic where they go on a fun little adventure. How fun. Yay! I mean, in my mind, the games are obviously still the blueprint, but I think the overarching narrative of each succeeding installment are becoming so increasingly high-stakes and that it’s hard to even wrap my head around the gravity of the situations that the writers are trying to convey. Every couple of years in this fantasy world there’s a world ending event! Like, who even gives a shit anymore.
Let me try to break it down for you. And by “for you,” I really mean “for me,” mostly just so I can try to talk myself into understanding what the hell’s going on with the plot. In Dragon Age: Origins, the main character is a Grey Warden, the only warriors capable of stopping a cataclysmic even called The Blight, where a giant evil dragon called the Archdemon is looking to kill every living person in the world. And at this monster’s command is an endless hoard of creatures called the Darkspawn, who spread corruptions and sickness wherever they go. See, pretty simple, right? Then in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the big bad is an evil ancient mage who basically broke into God’s house with a bunch of his drinking buddies and was pissed to find it empty. So, in his crisis of faith, he decides that he’ll simply become God and is willing to destroy the world and all living things to do so. Then yeah, you guessed it… It’s up to us, the player, to stop him. A little samey, but still an interesting enough of a deviation. And thee~een with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it’s all about us having to defeat the ancient elven gods from destroying the world and all living things within it. Oh yeah, and they also control The Blight and have Archdemons (the big bad from the first game) and an army of Darkspawn as their loyal servants now for some reason. Wait a minute, that sounds suspiciously similar! I guess the writers were just thinking they could slip “The Blight 2” in there and we wouldn’t notice. Look, I know nobody cares about this other than me, but do you see what I mean? When you have several main stories that basically always boils down to “and now for the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world... for the fifth time this century...” every couple of years, it risks the narrative becoming stale and lackluster as a result. Hm okay, I think all this yapping is just a way for me to say that… I’m really enjoying the small low stakes appeal of these little comic short stories. And I don’t even hate the way the main games are developing into the “Oh boy! Time to stop this year’s cataclysmic event!” the way I used to because… maybe that’s the point? Even when things are at their bleakest, there’s always going to be people fighting against the unending onslaught of darkness. I could be rationalizing, but come on, look at real life! A lot of things suck ass! And I need to stay at least a little optimistic, even if it goes against my very nature. Anyway, I guess my point is that there’s room for both small time stories and big “save the world” kinds of things, and I think this comic’s low key story is a nice change of pace.
Captain obvious here, but I think it’s safe to say that anybody who has been around me for even a small amount of time knows that I’m a pretty big fan of Dragon Age. I seriously can’t seem to shut up about it and it’s very annoying, I’m aware. My problem is that whenever I like a book or a game or a movie, I don’t just like them, I like them intense-like. It’s almost always to the point of obsession, and yeah, it’s very embarrassing! But just because I love the series, be it in game format or in comics, that’s not to say I don’t have my fair share of criticisms. The only reason I rarely share them is because the newest installment in the series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has become the newest punching bag for those weirdo grifters who hate on the game because it’s too “woke” or whatever, and I’m afraid if I start talking shit the way I usually do, I might inadvertently be associated with them. You know, the gamers™. And I can honestly think of no greater indignity! So yeah, I'll get to my criticisms, but please remember that they're not because the games are too woke, I have normal criticisms that a normal man would and should have. Look out everybody, normal man coming through. For one, a consistent art style would be nice! It switches up so much that I hardly recognize recurring characters from game to game! What they did to Zevran in Dragon Age 2 should be studied as a pure example of what happens to a man who lost all his aura. And what's with the damn titles!? It goes Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and then Dragon Age: The Veilguard! Explain the 2? Everybody gets a cute little subtitle and then one of them is randomly a numbered title?? WHY THE TWO!?!? And then in Dragon Age: Inquisition, there's a mission where you have to go to a extravagant ball at this place called The Winter Palace and it's very fun, but the catch is that you and you're team are forced to wear these matching, ugly ass, pointy shoulder ass, busted ass red jackets that are ugly af. I'm still mad about it. But I think that's enough negativity for now, because while my fears that the writers wouldn’t be able to capture the same vibe as the games seems to have been alleviated (unless the comic takes a hugely drastic turn in the future), I think what works best for this specific comic was how quaint it is. The characters featured here, Varric (my buddy), Alistair, and Isabella, already went through their character arcs in the respective games that they’re featured in, so I think it was smart of the writers to just do a comic where they go on a fun little adventure. How fun. Yay! I mean, in my mind, the games are obviously still the blueprint, but I think the overarching narrative of each succeeding installment are becoming so increasingly high-stakes and that it’s hard to even wrap my head around the gravity of the situations that the writers are trying to convey. Every couple of years in this fantasy world there’s a world ending event! Like, who even gives a shit anymore.
Let me try to break it down for you. And by “for you,” I really mean “for me,” mostly just so I can try to talk myself into understanding what the hell’s going on with the plot. In Dragon Age: Origins, the main character is a Grey Warden, the only warriors capable of stopping a cataclysmic even called The Blight, where a giant evil dragon called the Archdemon is looking to kill every living person in the world. And at this monster’s command is an endless hoard of creatures called the Darkspawn, who spread corruptions and sickness wherever they go. See, pretty simple, right? Then in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the big bad is an evil ancient mage who basically broke into God’s house with a bunch of his drinking buddies and was pissed to find it empty. So, in his crisis of faith, he decides that he’ll simply become God and is willing to destroy the world and all living things to do so. Then yeah, you guessed it… It’s up to us, the player, to stop him. A little samey, but still an interesting enough of a deviation. And thee~een with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it’s all about us having to defeat the ancient elven gods from destroying the world and all living things within it. Oh yeah, and they also control The Blight and have Archdemons (the big bad from the first game) and an army of Darkspawn as their loyal servants now for some reason. Wait a minute, that sounds suspiciously similar! I guess the writers were just thinking they could slip “The Blight 2” in there and we wouldn’t notice. Look, I know nobody cares about this other than me, but do you see what I mean? When you have several main stories that basically always boils down to “and now for the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world... for the fifth time this century...” every couple of years, it risks the narrative becoming stale and lackluster as a result. Hm okay, I think all this yapping is just a way for me to say that… I’m really enjoying the small low stakes appeal of these little comic short stories. And I don’t even hate the way the main games are developing into the “Oh boy! Time to stop this year’s cataclysmic event!” the way I used to because… maybe that’s the point? Even when things are at their bleakest, there’s always going to be people fighting against the unending onslaught of darkness. I could be rationalizing, but come on, look at real life! A lot of things suck ass! And I need to stay at least a little optimistic, even if it goes against my very nature. Anyway, I guess my point is that there’s room for both small time stories and big “save the world” kinds of things, and I think this comic’s low key story is a nice change of pace.
January 5, 2019
[Actual rating is more like 3.5 stars]
As a preface to this review, I should mention that I am a huge fan of the Dragon Age games. In general, I like all the mainline entries -- yes, including Dragon Age 2 -- and of the three main entries, Origins is my favorite by far. Of all the characters that starred in Origins, Alistair was my absolute favorite due to his facetious sense of humor and general likability. I am always his friend, and I will always have his back in life or death situations, even if it costs the life of my Warden or Hawke. And definitely the life of my Inquisitor. So imagine my excitement when I heard there was a Dragon Age comic all about Alistair.
It is safe, though inadequate, to say that I was interested. It sounded exactly like my perfect cup of tea. And it was. I enjoyed this comic quite a bit, especially with how it went more in-depth with lore not seen in the games as well as Alistair's character after he became king of Ferelden. There are hints of the old Alistair from Origins sprinkled throughout, but overall, his years as a king seemed to have hardened him. It's an interesting look considering that you see so little of King Alistair in DA2 and Inquisition (I think he has two scenes across both games).
However, just because the Dragon Age games are some of my favorites does not mean that I am blind to their flaws. I am well aware that the combat in Origins is really nothing to write home about; that the story and level design of DA2 was respectively meandering and uninspired compared to the game's predecessor; and that Inquisition blatantly retconned the series's established lore, especially concerning the Qun. I love the series, but it isn't perfect.
Accordingly, although I liked The Silent Grove, I can acknowledge its flaws as well. I found the pacing was a little too fast for my tastes (although perhaps this pacing is normal for comics; I admit, I don't read them that much), and some areas seemed to have a little too much bald exposition. Said exposition was still nowhere near as offensive as Dragon Age: Magekiller, but it was there nonetheless. In addition, even though I previously said that I liked this look at King Alistair's character, it doesn't seem entirely consistent with the scant appearances he has within the actual games, where he acted largely like his old self, especially in DA2. I think a few extra scenes showing Alistair in his courtly life would have helped alleviate this issue.
Still, I thought Dragon Age: The Silent Grove was an interesting little comic, and I look forward to eventually reading the second installment. It is not going to have much appeal to anyone who hasn't played any of the Dragon Age games, but for those who have, I believe it is a worthwhile read.
As a preface to this review, I should mention that I am a huge fan of the Dragon Age games. In general, I like all the mainline entries -- yes, including Dragon Age 2 -- and of the three main entries, Origins is my favorite by far. Of all the characters that starred in Origins, Alistair was my absolute favorite due to his facetious sense of humor and general likability. I am always his friend, and I will always have his back in life or death situations, even if it costs the life of my Warden or Hawke. And definitely the life of my Inquisitor. So imagine my excitement when I heard there was a Dragon Age comic all about Alistair.
It is safe, though inadequate, to say that I was interested. It sounded exactly like my perfect cup of tea. And it was. I enjoyed this comic quite a bit, especially with how it went more in-depth with lore not seen in the games as well as Alistair's character after he became king of Ferelden. There are hints of the old Alistair from Origins sprinkled throughout, but overall, his years as a king seemed to have hardened him. It's an interesting look considering that you see so little of King Alistair in DA2 and Inquisition (I think he has two scenes across both games).
However, just because the Dragon Age games are some of my favorites does not mean that I am blind to their flaws. I am well aware that the combat in Origins is really nothing to write home about; that the story and level design of DA2 was respectively meandering and uninspired compared to the game's predecessor; and that Inquisition blatantly retconned the series's established lore, especially concerning the Qun. I love the series, but it isn't perfect.
Accordingly, although I liked The Silent Grove, I can acknowledge its flaws as well. I found the pacing was a little too fast for my tastes (although perhaps this pacing is normal for comics; I admit, I don't read them that much), and some areas seemed to have a little too much bald exposition. Said exposition was still nowhere near as offensive as Dragon Age: Magekiller, but it was there nonetheless. In addition, even though I previously said that I liked this look at King Alistair's character, it doesn't seem entirely consistent with the scant appearances he has within the actual games, where he acted largely like his old self, especially in DA2. I think a few extra scenes showing Alistair in his courtly life would have helped alleviate this issue.
Still, I thought Dragon Age: The Silent Grove was an interesting little comic, and I look forward to eventually reading the second installment. It is not going to have much appeal to anyone who hasn't played any of the Dragon Age games, but for those who have, I believe it is a worthwhile read.
June 2, 2017
The beginning of The Silent Grove opens with a sweeping vista of Antiva City, a place we'd never seen in the games. A cloaked figure approaches the guards posted at the doors to The Crows' Archive building - and reveals himself as King Alistair. This, of course, is a death sentence to the luckless guards who are promptly killed by the Ferelden king's companions: Varric and Isabela.
As you might expect, their breaking and entering adventure (crime spree?) is peppered with sarcastic quips and jokes. The sly rogues assist the king to find a mage, Claudio Valesti, who had slipped interesting information to the king. So interesting, in fact, that Alistair is determined to follow the trail and break into a prison despite Varric's warnings. And it seems like Isabela has a bit of history with Claudio, and it probably wasn't pretty.
To be continued...
As you might expect, their breaking and entering adventure (crime spree?) is peppered with sarcastic quips and jokes. The sly rogues assist the king to find a mage, Claudio Valesti, who had slipped interesting information to the king. So interesting, in fact, that Alistair is determined to follow the trail and break into a prison despite Varric's warnings. And it seems like Isabela has a bit of history with Claudio, and it probably wasn't pretty.
To be continued...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2017
Hooray more Dragon Age! I love this series, reading through the graphic novels is a fantastic treat!
February 23, 2020
Great introduction for me into this epic world. Looking forward to reading more.
February 8, 2021
The art is okay. The story is meh. Maybe if I was into the DragonAge world this would have done it for me. I'm not and it didn't
July 11, 2024
Love Dragon Age, good to have a little comic series to read! :)
July 31, 2024
Pretty solid graphic novel with great illustrations
September 24, 2024
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, David Gaider, Alexander Freed, Chad Hardin
Great characters. ***
#1 - "I'm planning to break in, TONIGHT. With or without your help."
Great characters. ***
#1 - "I'm planning to break in, TONIGHT. With or without your help."
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews