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Die Geister Von Ascalon (2010)

by Matt Forbeck(Favorite Author)
3.72 of 5 Votes: 2
ISBN
3833221240 (ISBN13: 9783833221248)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Panini Books
series
Guild Wars
review 1: (Never played the game. Great book.)It had a few minor flaws, but I love this book. It got the story told and didn't fluff around, didn't revel in its own angst. The pace was good and fast. The characters were believable, loveable, and noticeably different from each other. They built unlikely relationships which really did work. They had moments of camaraderie that you could almost feel in the air. It resonated and made you care. Also, Dougal Keane is a hell of a main character, my favourite of all time (if only superseded by Jorg Ancrath from the Prince of Thorns).I guess the magic of this book is that it was constructed of moments. Moments with feelings, all strung up in time. Impressions of things that were and aren't any more; former glory. Former enthusiasm. Former fr... moreiendships.
review 2: Ghosts of Ascalon takes place roughly 200 years after the current game "Guild Wars" and its expantions (Factions, Nightfall and Eye of the North) but before the soon to be released Guildwars 2.The story is a simple linear storyline with a few twists to the mix and a slight romantic sub story which really come into its own at the end of the book as an actual twist to the main storyline. At the beginning of the book is a time line for those not familar with the GuildWars lore story, making the book more appealing to all, not just GuildWars fans and players.We follow the adventures of Dougal Keane (a character not unlike a rogue in Dungeons and Dragons) as he first raids the ancient tomb of a famous Asuran, gets caught and ultimately ends up on a major quest to re-enter the haunted city of Ascalon - A city doomed to spend eternity as ghosts after the King set off a mighty catacysmic event- the Foefire.The story trips along at a decent pace, and quite often you feel really immersed in it, or so I felt. The main character was relatable and you got to learn more about him and how his experiences on his path shape him, and ultimately also his comrades on the journey to Ascalon.The only thing I will say about this book is there was a lot of retrospective into history which would have happened between Guildwars and the book, while informative and not leaving out much for the non GuildWars players to get lost on, it did take up a majority of the book, while the final objective- Ascalon- and the troubles within the city seemed contained only within the last 20 or so pages only of a 370 page book. As such I do hope the authors do pen more of these to keep the interest going as you feel at the end it was all about the journey rather than the final goal. I guess the next book would be how they escape Ascalon and on to a further adventure!Its a good book for players and nonplayers alike, but if you are not into role play fantasy fiction you might want to give this a miss. less
Reviews (see all)
sarahbr2
A rousing finish obfuscates some gaffes along the way. Pretty good for a video game tie-in.
kate
Not a great book but easy to read and funny for a fan of the game.I'll read the next one.
rkyadu
Pure fluff... But fun for a fan of the game/lore
autumn7015
Fun. Really good.
aileen
GOOD
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