The Planeswalkers' Guide to Alara

by Doug Beyer, Jenna Helland

You are a planeswalker, one of the most powerful mages in the multiverse. Countless planes of existence are yours to master. Now you have arrived on the fractured plane of Alara. Where do you begin?You begin with this lavishly illustrated guide that brings the Shards of Alara to life and gives MAGIC: THE GATHERING fans a look behind the scenes with concept art and insider information available nowhere else.The Planeswalker Guides will feature full-color illustrations drawn from early concept art and final card art to bring the worlds of MAGIC: THE GATHERING to life.

Genres: Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2008

About the author

Doug Beyer went from being a Magic: The Gathering fan to web developer for magicthegathering.com, then prolific flavor text writer, and eventually, the coordinator for Magic creative text. His background is in philosophy, software design, and amateur ghost hunting.

Reviews

[Tor.com Publishing]

I am not a Magic: the Gathering player. I'm an RPG geek, & if I can get enough like-minded gamers together, I'd rather roll dice & pretend to be an elf or a Sith or something. That's not a judgement, though, but a preference. In fact, I've always been curious about M:tG's world...gorgeous art & subtle hints of a metaplot? What's not to like. This book is pure fluff; like an RPG sourcebook without any rules. That's right up my alley. --MK

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. It was like a tourist guide to Alara. It introduced people, customs, monsters, magic etc. The art was gorgeous. It also helped set the stage for the novel. Instead of going into a new world/setting with no background you gain an understanding of where and why events are happening.

Alara was once a united plnae that has bee sundered into its 5 parts. Each part is dominated by a colour of magic. This makes for 5 unique settings, with different magic, people, customs and creatures.

Naya(Green): A huge jungle inhabited by giant monsters, elves and catmen.

Bant(White): A place of plains and oceans. Lots of knights, priests, holy warriors and angels.

Grixis(Black): Not a great place to be. Undead and demons, that is about it.

Esper(Blue): Lots of magic, lots of wizards.

Jund(Red): Dragons, big ones, goblins and lizard people.

Overall a wonderful gateway into the book and card set. Even if you do not play the game or read the novel, it is a good box to have and flip through whenever you feel the urge.

[Aubrey]

Mordicai recommended this to me----says it's really interesting even if you don't play the game.

[David Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nigh perfect if you are a serious player of the game.