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The Banner Saga #1
The Gift of Hadrborg
In the troubled city of Strand, the City Watch and Governor’s Guard struggle to fend off the criminal empires who rule their streets. Between the corruption, smuggling, underground slaving, mass larceny and a rebellious group attempting to usurp the throne, Guardsman Eirik’s life shows no signs of getting any easier. Yet the arrival of group seeking a stolen artifact heralds a coming disaster for the already rotten city. Uncertain if he can trust his own people, Eirik has little choice but to throw in his lot with two enigmatic varl and a country boy. Toss in a conman seeking vengeance and a slave-turned-bodyguard with an elusive agenda, and Eirik has his work cut out for him. But even if his questionable allies and the hordes of eager thugs don’t kill him, the plot they discover threatens to rip Strand apart. And may destroy the fragile varl-human alliance that maintains the peace with their giant neighbors in the north… The Gift of Hadrborg is an action-packed prequel novel to Stoic Studio’s critically acclaimed The Banner Saga Part 1, which was funded through Kickstarter to wild success.
230 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2016
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193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 19, 2018
A fun adventure that helps fill in the lore behind the game.
I do have one major complaint with the book though. In one scene, one of the characters tortures a member of the main villain's crew for information. Now I don't necessarily take issue with the depiction of torture in fiction in general. I realize that it's a thing that happens, especially given that this is a medieval setting. What disappointed me is that the torture in this scene results in good information, when we know now that torture is extremely unreliable as a method of obtaining accurate intelligence. A portrayal like this simply feeds into the misguided notion that torture is justified because of the important information that it provides, which simply isn't true. This feels very irresponsible at a time when many people are, horrifyingly, arguing in support of the use of torture.
Still, that's only a small part of the book, and the rest is pretty good. So if you can look past the politics of interrogation techniques, it's a decent addition to the Banner Saga story.
I do have one major complaint with the book though. In one scene, one of the characters tortures a member of the main villain's crew for information. Now I don't necessarily take issue with the depiction of torture in fiction in general. I realize that it's a thing that happens, especially given that this is a medieval setting. What disappointed me is that the torture in this scene results in good information, when we know now that torture is extremely unreliable as a method of obtaining accurate intelligence. A portrayal like this simply feeds into the misguided notion that torture is justified because of the important information that it provides, which simply isn't true. This feels very irresponsible at a time when many people are, horrifyingly, arguing in support of the use of torture.
Still, that's only a small part of the book, and the rest is pretty good. So if you can look past the politics of interrogation techniques, it's a decent addition to the Banner Saga story.
September 7, 2017
I was a little apprehensive when starting this book, as I had never played the games that it ties into, but that didn't make a difference. Fadeley's plot, though obviously embedded deep within the Banner Saga world, is neatly self-contained, allowing new people like myself to enjoy the events unfolding without missing any critical details.
The characters themselves are well-depicted, with believable motivations, and off-hand I cannot think of even one that did not ring true for me. As the strands of the tale unfold and the violence escalates it drew me in until I was genuinely disappointed to have reached the end.
A definite page-turner and one that I'll be reading again.
The characters themselves are well-depicted, with believable motivations, and off-hand I cannot think of even one that did not ring true for me. As the strands of the tale unfold and the violence escalates it drew me in until I was genuinely disappointed to have reached the end.
A definite page-turner and one that I'll be reading again.
October 4, 2017
Love for Banner Saga? Then read this book!
Always love extended lore and background (especially from a series I have grown to enjoy and get caught up in). Overall the book feels pretty good at pacing while not throwing to many characters at you at once. Story was compelling, characters weren't dull or one dimensional, and I just love the setting. Now I'm itching to get more of The Banner Saga in my life again, bring it!
Always love extended lore and background (especially from a series I have grown to enjoy and get caught up in). Overall the book feels pretty good at pacing while not throwing to many characters at you at once. Story was compelling, characters weren't dull or one dimensional, and I just love the setting. Now I'm itching to get more of The Banner Saga in my life again, bring it!
March 21, 2017
An excellent fantasy world, demonsrating a lot of research into scandanavian culture. It is a tie-in prequel to the Banner Saga, but stands on its own. I enjoyed it and I haven't even played the game.
December 27, 2019
A prequel novel set in the Banner Saga universe (a popular video game, picture Oregon trails meets a Viking Scandinavian variant of dungeons and dragons with heavy emphasis on strategy in combat) this book stands strong as a proud member of that universe or as its own stand alone story. I'd rate it 3.5 stars overall, but have to round down to 3 rather than up to 4. It is well written with lots of action, intrigue, and emotional symbolic content mixed all together. There are a few minor grammar errors here and there and there were a few awkward sentences in the combat sections that I sometimes got thrown by, but overall its a well crafted story syntactically. As its been a few years since I've played the banner saga I had trouble remembering if some of these characters are in the main game--I kind of think the main protaganist might have been. That said, the majority of the characters and their motivations are fairly enjoyable with enough dimensions to keep me interested. If this book is any sign I think there is definitely more room for further fiction in the banner saga universe. Overall, the story reminds me a bit of game of thrones if it had more of a Nordic motif...I think fans of dark fantasy, medieval/Nordic fiction will enjoy this, as will fans of the game.
July 15, 2018
What a journey Fadeley takes us in! The story flows smoothly, immersing you in the world of the Banner Saga in such a way that leaves you wanting more.
The story alone is self-contained but if you’re a Banner Saga fan as me, you’re in for a treat. The care for detail shows that the author is a fan himself. The small subtleties, believable characters and well-crafted scenarios are helping me understand more about the harsh world of this Nordic-inspired universe.
Whether you are a Banner Saga fan or not, if you like good storytelling and a gritty setting, you need to go get this book.
The story alone is self-contained but if you’re a Banner Saga fan as me, you’re in for a treat. The care for detail shows that the author is a fan himself. The small subtleties, believable characters and well-crafted scenarios are helping me understand more about the harsh world of this Nordic-inspired universe.
Whether you are a Banner Saga fan or not, if you like good storytelling and a gritty setting, you need to go get this book.
September 26, 2018
Compelling back story for Banner Saga lovers! Could not put the book down!!
October 5, 2018
An interesting read but it is not taking advantage of the lore of the game. At the middle starts to be more engaging.
August 7, 2020
Le pongo 4 estrellas porque se necesita haber jugado The Banner Saga para poder disfrutarlo al máximo.
La historia es muy buena, épica, aunque creo que la trama del juego es mucho más profunda.
La historia es muy buena, épica, aunque creo que la trama del juego es mucho más profunda.
August 6, 2022
A cowboy story with viking names. Disappointing if you expect a tonal match to the game.
September 11, 2022
Given how well written the games are, I thought this might be able to carry some of the magic. As much as I truly wish it did, it doesn't.
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December 8, 2022DNF for bad writing and boring plot
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews