Before we even get into this review, I want to say this now: calling Dragon Age: The World of Thedas a mere art book is doing it a disservice. Not to belittle art books; like Spoon wrote about during their Art of Bioshock: Infinite review, art books can be incredible, beautiful, mesmerizing things. The thing about The World of Thedas, though, is that its focus isn’t on the art development of Dragon Age, but instead on the actual world in which Dragon Age takes place. It’s more akin to an encyclopedia (or a tabletop RPG world guide), and its depth is astounding. Dragon Age fanfic writers take notice; this is a book you’re going to find indispensable.
You’ll notice I compared this to a tabletop RPG world guide. A good world guide is replete with the most minute details so that players can create characters that utilize the most obscure, random factoid, and thus feel like they’re truly inhabiting that world with their character. The World of Thedas achieves this in spades, in part because the lead writer for Dragon Age, David Gaider, approached his worldbuilding from a game master’s perspective. In his brief intro, he makes interesting insights into the development of the Dragon Age world, and it immediately made me want to read more.
Also like a RPG world guide, though, there is a lot of information here. There’s stuff that really is meant to be skimmed, or to be looked at briefly while flipping through the pages; useful things like an at-a-glance page depicting the various powers of Thedas’ symbols (such as the Chantry, the Grey Wardens, etc.) with a brief description, beautiful maps, concept art, the works. A touch I particularly liked is the timeline running the length of the book along its bottom edge, which provides key dates and events long before the scope of the games begins. There are excerpts from everyone from magisters to dwarves recounting their observations. There are discussions of what the Veil is, right down to going into how various cultures depict it. There’s a chapter devoted to breaking down what a Blight is, which then goes into a history of the known Blights. There’s a section devoted to the climate. You want to know what holidays are celebrated in Thedas? Page 21. Want to know the different ways different races curse? That’s six pages later. Curious about Isabela’s homeland of Rivain? It’s got its own section starting on page 80 (yes, familiar faces do pop up, although the focus of this book is on the worldbuilding of Thedas itself and not the cast of characters we’re familiar with, such as in the case of the Art of the Mass Effect Universe, for example – it’s probably more comparable to the Hyrule Historia, although even that focuses far more on concept art and game development itself than The World of Thedas does – and, yes, I have read all of the various books I’ve rattled off here, I’ve a weakness for this sort of thing). And, of course, there’s bestiary, chronicling all the various enemies (and allies) players of the game are painfully familiar with.
There’s more information in this book than I can even tease at, that’s how jam-packed it is. If you have ever had a question about the world of Thedas, there is probably an answer in this book for you. It is absurdly comprehensive. It is written in typical RPG world book style, which can come across as dry, but the “fluff” additions (such as the writings from eyewitness characters) are compelling, and if you’re after information, sometimes clear-cut dry language is best. Most pages includes at least one illustration of what’s being discussed (the bestiary is fantastic in this regard), and a convenient glossary appears at the back for those with a quick question about definitions. This is a worldbuilder and fanfic writer’s dream, and it’s only volume one.
At $39.99 for a hardcover copy, I find this more than worth it, especially if you’ve ever wondered about the history and development of the Dragon Age world, or just want a really solid example of worldbuilding laid out before you as a point of reference. As one with a weakness for reading through all the fluff bits of her D&D books, The World of Thedas is positively incredible. It’s something you could pour over for a good long while, learning more and more about the world than you thought possible. If you’re looking for a book of character art references (like The Art of Mass Effect provided), you will be disappointed, but if you’re looking to learn more about the world the creators of Dragon Age have brought to life than you ever thought possible, you are in for one hell of a treat.
Jeni “Science Whyzard” Hackett really, really loves worldbuilding, you guys. When it’s done in-depth and for a game series she’s already enamored of, so much the better- although she will confess she did kind of hope for some character art references (but she is definitely not at all disappointed with what she found instead!). You can find her on twitter under the name @allonsyjeni, email her at jeni.is.a.geek@gmail.com, or find her on tumblr at hellomynameisgeek.
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