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Dragon Age #5
Dragon Age: Last Flight (The Dragon Age Series) (Dragon Age
The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease, and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seems. Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical record of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the Fourth Blight leads her to an encoded reference scrawled in the margins of an ancient map, and to the hidden diary of Issenya, one of the last of the fabled griffon riders. As the dark secrets buried in Isseyna's story unfold, Valya begins to question everything she thought she knew about the heroic Grey Wardens.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published August 12, 2014
About the author
Liane Merciel
35 books100 followersLiane Merciel's novels include Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight and Nightglass, Dragon Age: Last Flight, and The River Kings' Road. She has written for game companies including Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, and Warhammer's Black Library. She lives and works in Philadelphia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
September 10, 2023
The life of a Griffon.
Weisshaupt, headquarters of the Grey Wardens, midst of the Mage-Templar war. Valya, a young elven mage recruit, is tasked with the study of ancient historical documents regarding the Darskpawn, in an attempt to understand the troublesome recent sightings of previously unknown abominations. During her investigations of the past Fourth Blight, she uncovers many disconcerting secrets about the Order, and many facts about the now extinct Griffons, once the pride of the Grey Warden Order, and their fabled riders.
A novel that can be read as a sequel to Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, with enticements of things to come; or as a prequel, since most of the plot’s action occurs in documents of the past Fourth Blight, more than four centuries ago of current events. No previously known characters appear in this installment, and few new are introduced. Valya, from the present time; and Garahel and Isseya, from the past, among others. All Grey Wardens.
This novel mainly focuses on what it meant to be a Grey Warden in the past, and especially as a Griffon rider. Interesting. as always with Dragon Age lore, and griffons could be a neat concept for upcoming games, if that’s the idea. Nice overall to learn a bit more of the heroes of the previous Blights, yet sadly not much is added regarding the current timeline. Entertaining, but ultimately not recommendable.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2014] [301p] [Fantasy] [2.5] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★☆☆ 1. The Stolen Throne [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. The Calling [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. Asunder
★★★☆☆ 4. The Masked Empire [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 5. Last Flight [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
La vida de un Grifo.
Weisshaupt, sede principal de los Guardias Grises, medio de la guerra Mago-Templar. Valya, una joven recluta elfo maga, es encargada con el estudio de antiguos documentos históricos sobre los Engendros Oscuros, en un intento por entender el preocupante reciente avistamiento de previamente desconocidas abominaciones. Durante sus investigaciones de la Cuarta Ruina, descubre muchos desconcertantes secretos sobre la Orden, y muchos datos sobre los ahora extintos Grifos, alguna vez el orgullo de la Orden de los Guardias Grises, y sus legendarios jinetes.
Una novela que puede leerse como secuela de Dragon Age 3: Inquisición, con tentaciones de cosas por venir; o como una precuela, ya que la mayoría de la acción de la trama ocurre en documentos de la pasada Cuarta Ruina, más de cuatro siglos antes de los eventos actuales. No aparecen previamente conocidos personajes en esta entrega, y pocos nuevos son introducido. Valya, del tiempo presente; y Garahel y Isseya, del pasado, entre otros. Todos Guardias Grises.
Esta novela se enfoca principalmente en lo que significaba ser un Guardia Gris en el pasado, y especialmente como jinete de Grifo. Interesante, como siempre con todo el mundo Dragon Age, y los grifos podrían ser un genial concepto para juegos futuros, si es que esa es la idea. Lindo dentro de todo conocer un poco más sobre los héroes de las pasadas Ruinas, pero lamentablemente no mucho es añadido con respecto a la actual línea temporal. Entretenido, pero en uúltima instancia no recomendable.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2014] [301p] [Fantasía] [2.5] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Weisshaupt, headquarters of the Grey Wardens, midst of the Mage-Templar war. Valya, a young elven mage recruit, is tasked with the study of ancient historical documents regarding the Darskpawn, in an attempt to understand the troublesome recent sightings of previously unknown abominations. During her investigations of the past Fourth Blight, she uncovers many disconcerting secrets about the Order, and many facts about the now extinct Griffons, once the pride of the Grey Warden Order, and their fabled riders.
A novel that can be read as a sequel to Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, with enticements of things to come; or as a prequel, since most of the plot’s action occurs in documents of the past Fourth Blight, more than four centuries ago of current events. No previously known characters appear in this installment, and few new are introduced. Valya, from the present time; and Garahel and Isseya, from the past, among others. All Grey Wardens.
This novel mainly focuses on what it meant to be a Grey Warden in the past, and especially as a Griffon rider. Interesting. as always with Dragon Age lore, and griffons could be a neat concept for upcoming games, if that’s the idea. Nice overall to learn a bit more of the heroes of the previous Blights, yet sadly not much is added regarding the current timeline. Entertaining, but ultimately not recommendable.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2014] [301p] [Fantasy] [2.5] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★☆☆ 1. The Stolen Throne [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. The Calling [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. Asunder
★★★☆☆ 4. The Masked Empire [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 5. Last Flight [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
La vida de un Grifo.
Weisshaupt, sede principal de los Guardias Grises, medio de la guerra Mago-Templar. Valya, una joven recluta elfo maga, es encargada con el estudio de antiguos documentos históricos sobre los Engendros Oscuros, en un intento por entender el preocupante reciente avistamiento de previamente desconocidas abominaciones. Durante sus investigaciones de la Cuarta Ruina, descubre muchos desconcertantes secretos sobre la Orden, y muchos datos sobre los ahora extintos Grifos, alguna vez el orgullo de la Orden de los Guardias Grises, y sus legendarios jinetes.
Una novela que puede leerse como secuela de Dragon Age 3: Inquisición, con tentaciones de cosas por venir; o como una precuela, ya que la mayoría de la acción de la trama ocurre en documentos de la pasada Cuarta Ruina, más de cuatro siglos antes de los eventos actuales. No aparecen previamente conocidos personajes en esta entrega, y pocos nuevos son introducido. Valya, del tiempo presente; y Garahel y Isseya, del pasado, entre otros. Todos Guardias Grises.
Esta novela se enfoca principalmente en lo que significaba ser un Guardia Gris en el pasado, y especialmente como jinete de Grifo. Interesante, como siempre con todo el mundo Dragon Age, y los grifos podrían ser un genial concepto para juegos futuros, si es que esa es la idea. Lindo dentro de todo conocer un poco más sobre los héroes de las pasadas Ruinas, pero lamentablemente no mucho es añadido con respecto a la actual línea temporal. Entretenido, pero en uúltima instancia no recomendable.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2014] [301p] [Fantasía] [2.5] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
May 29, 2015
If Gaider had written this it would have easily been from Garahel's pov, Garahel would have been a complete idiot (but it's OKAY because he's FUNNY and CLEVER and ATTRACTIVE!~~~~), Isseya and/or Amadis would have been shrill and horrible for no reason, and Garahel and Amadis would have had sex in the deep roads at least once for no reason. So no offense but I'm so so glad he did not write this book.
I love that all the major characters were women -- and ELVEN women at that, something the series on a whole kind of lacks. And as much as I wanted Isseya and Calien to get together (I ship it so hard) it's refreshing to not have a (pointless -- looking at you Maric/Katriel) romance at the core of one of these books.
I still kinda wish there was more though. So much time passed and a lot of the Fourth Blight was skimmed over. I NEED MORE.
I love that all the major characters were women -- and ELVEN women at that, something the series on a whole kind of lacks. And as much as I wanted Isseya and Calien to get together (I ship it so hard) it's refreshing to not have a (pointless -- looking at you Maric/Katriel) romance at the core of one of these books.
I still kinda wish there was more though. So much time passed and a lot of the Fourth Blight was skimmed over. I NEED MORE.
October 22, 2018
There’s Griffin riders flying into battle, reason enough to read the book alone!
Just look at the cover, says it all really for what this book is going to be about. For those that haven’t played the video games, The Grey Wardens have always ridden Griffins into battle which helped them immensely in defeating the Blights and slaying the Dragons (Archdemons) that controlled them. Except when you, the player, come to the world they have all died out. Why?
This book has the answers and they’re not pretty.
So this is the story of how the fourth blight was ended by the Elven warrior Garahel with the help of his sister, a mage of considerable power and intuition. Previously, their victory is only mentioned in lore references and it is always told with a tone of heroism and nobility. This is not the truth. This is not this tale because war is never that clean and certainly not when mindless monsters are involved that threaten to decimate the entire landscape.
One of the things that makes this fantasy series so compelling is the way it demonstrates how easily heroic people can fall into depravity during dire circumstances. Desperation demands deeds that are evil and corrupt to insure the survival of all the races. To destroy the incoming darkness, powerful blood magic is needed as are decisive decisions that are cold and brutal. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, abandoning an innocent village to a murderous hoard is one of many sacrifices that must be paid to gain victory. This isn’t the story I expected, and I was glad of it.
Many moral questions are raised as the “heroes” of the fourth blight, although ultimately victorious, loose much of what makes them who they are. And I loved seeing the complexity of their choices here, which is something I felt was missing from the previous dragon age books. It is, after all a large part of the immersion involved with the games.
A great prequel!
Just look at the cover, says it all really for what this book is going to be about. For those that haven’t played the video games, The Grey Wardens have always ridden Griffins into battle which helped them immensely in defeating the Blights and slaying the Dragons (Archdemons) that controlled them. Except when you, the player, come to the world they have all died out. Why?
This book has the answers and they’re not pretty.
So this is the story of how the fourth blight was ended by the Elven warrior Garahel with the help of his sister, a mage of considerable power and intuition. Previously, their victory is only mentioned in lore references and it is always told with a tone of heroism and nobility. This is not the truth. This is not this tale because war is never that clean and certainly not when mindless monsters are involved that threaten to decimate the entire landscape.
One of the things that makes this fantasy series so compelling is the way it demonstrates how easily heroic people can fall into depravity during dire circumstances. Desperation demands deeds that are evil and corrupt to insure the survival of all the races. To destroy the incoming darkness, powerful blood magic is needed as are decisive decisions that are cold and brutal. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, abandoning an innocent village to a murderous hoard is one of many sacrifices that must be paid to gain victory. This isn’t the story I expected, and I was glad of it.
Many moral questions are raised as the “heroes” of the fourth blight, although ultimately victorious, loose much of what makes them who they are. And I loved seeing the complexity of their choices here, which is something I felt was missing from the previous dragon age books. It is, after all a large part of the immersion involved with the games.
A great prequel!
January 8, 2015
In 9:41 Dragon, the continent of Thedas is in turmoil, with the templars waging war against the mages who have rebelled against their oppressive guardians. A small group of mages has sought refuge at Wiesshaupt, hoping the Grey Warden's neutrality will protect them from the templars, even though becoming a Grey Warden is a deadly risk in itself.
This is as close as Dragon Age fans will get elements of the game they are most familiar with. Unlike its predecessors, Last Flight steps away from the immediate lore of the game by having Valya, a young elf mage, research historical records. That seems like a pretty dull concept, but at the crypt of Garahel, the elven hero of the Fourth Blight, Valya finds clues that lead her to the diary of his sister, Isseya, which goes into great detail about the struggles of the Fourth Blight.
Wiesshaupt has been mentioned constantly throughout Dragon Age games, but players have yet to see the fabled Grey Warden headquarters. This book provides that opportunity, and more importantly, lets readers see the griffons that Wynne so cruelly denied us in her storytelling.
Isseya's journal tells of the many years of hardship that the continent of Thedas suffered as the Darkspawn ravaged the land with their poisonous existence. The Fifth Blight, as experienced by players during Dragon Age: Origins, was nothing compared to this, having lasted only a year. Last Flight shows us the true hardships of war, and the horrible decisions that its leaders and heroes have to make. While players -- unless they wanted to be jerks -- could mostly play their game with minimal losses, making more friends than enemies, Field Commander Garahel and his sister had to make choices that often meant sacrificing the few to save the many. And some of those choices involved the dreaded blood magic.
As enjoyable as it is to see all of our friends and experience the events of Thedas as players currently know it, the step into the past was a welcome change. With all the different choices available to players, current stories might not reflect our expectations and experiences. Last Flight is freed from these trappings, and is able to present us with all new and interesting characters upon whom we have no expectations, much less background information.
I really liked the fact that, while her brother is the famed hero that has gone down in history, the story is told entirely through Isseya's eyes. That's not unusual in itself, but Garahel actually isn't involved much in her storytelling, save where necessary. His charm and bravery are evident through her words, and we already know that he is the one to defeat the Archdemon that controls the Darkspawn, thus making him the Hero of the Fourth Blight, but seeing the Blight through Isseya's eyes was very interesting, and at times, heartbreaking, especially when it comes to the now extinct griffons.
The action and emotion ranges all over the place, as is to be expected in such a long, seemingly hopeless war. Merciel is merciless in her battle scenes, wasting few words on the fallen. This is a harrowing book, and perhaps a difficult read for those who enjoy happy endings. While it does offer a significant amount of hope at the end, a victory during a Blight can only ever be Phyrric, at best.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
This is as close as Dragon Age fans will get elements of the game they are most familiar with. Unlike its predecessors, Last Flight steps away from the immediate lore of the game by having Valya, a young elf mage, research historical records. That seems like a pretty dull concept, but at the crypt of Garahel, the elven hero of the Fourth Blight, Valya finds clues that lead her to the diary of his sister, Isseya, which goes into great detail about the struggles of the Fourth Blight.
Wiesshaupt has been mentioned constantly throughout Dragon Age games, but players have yet to see the fabled Grey Warden headquarters. This book provides that opportunity, and more importantly, lets readers see the griffons that Wynne so cruelly denied us in her storytelling.
Isseya's journal tells of the many years of hardship that the continent of Thedas suffered as the Darkspawn ravaged the land with their poisonous existence. The Fifth Blight, as experienced by players during Dragon Age: Origins, was nothing compared to this, having lasted only a year. Last Flight shows us the true hardships of war, and the horrible decisions that its leaders and heroes have to make. While players -- unless they wanted to be jerks -- could mostly play their game with minimal losses, making more friends than enemies, Field Commander Garahel and his sister had to make choices that often meant sacrificing the few to save the many. And some of those choices involved the dreaded blood magic.
As enjoyable as it is to see all of our friends and experience the events of Thedas as players currently know it, the step into the past was a welcome change. With all the different choices available to players, current stories might not reflect our expectations and experiences. Last Flight is freed from these trappings, and is able to present us with all new and interesting characters upon whom we have no expectations, much less background information.
I really liked the fact that, while her brother is the famed hero that has gone down in history, the story is told entirely through Isseya's eyes. That's not unusual in itself, but Garahel actually isn't involved much in her storytelling, save where necessary. His charm and bravery are evident through her words, and we already know that he is the one to defeat the Archdemon that controls the Darkspawn, thus making him the Hero of the Fourth Blight, but seeing the Blight through Isseya's eyes was very interesting, and at times, heartbreaking, especially when it comes to the now extinct griffons.
The action and emotion ranges all over the place, as is to be expected in such a long, seemingly hopeless war. Merciel is merciless in her battle scenes, wasting few words on the fallen. This is a harrowing book, and perhaps a difficult read for those who enjoy happy endings. While it does offer a significant amount of hope at the end, a victory during a Blight can only ever be Phyrric, at best.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
September 22, 2014
Last Flight concerns the fourth blight and the length to which the Grey Wardens will go to stop it.
Listening to Alistair's deluded hero worshipping, and Wynne's fantastical stories, it was often easy to lose sight of what the Wardens really are. Which is why I found Last Flight interesting. There are no storybook heroes in Last Flight, even the famed Garahel loses quite a lot of shine. In the end the real heroes don't have flowing golden manes and charming personalities, and the ultimate sacrifice isn't much of a sacrifice once you consider the price others paid. I enjoyed the book a lot, especially for underlining the grey in the duty of the Grey Wardens.
I was also impressed with Liane Merciel, she clearly did her research. Though it raised a slight question about the Qunari timeline, I'm not going to become that person. I hope Merciel and Bioware work together in future, I'd definitely love to read more about the pre-game history of Thedas.
Listening to Alistair's deluded hero worshipping, and Wynne's fantastical stories, it was often easy to lose sight of what the Wardens really are. Which is why I found Last Flight interesting. There are no storybook heroes in Last Flight, even the famed Garahel loses quite a lot of shine. In the end the real heroes don't have flowing golden manes and charming personalities, and the ultimate sacrifice isn't much of a sacrifice once you consider the price others paid. I enjoyed the book a lot, especially for underlining the grey in the duty of the Grey Wardens.
I was also impressed with Liane Merciel, she clearly did her research. Though it raised a slight question about the Qunari timeline, I'm not going to become that person. I hope Merciel and Bioware work together in future, I'd definitely love to read more about the pre-game history of Thedas.
January 3, 2015
1.5: "I didn't like it." / "It was okay."
First Dragon Age novel not written by a member of the Dragon Age team and I don't know if that's what made it the worst one, but it is definitely the worst one. On a scale of "The Masked Empire" to "The Calling," this is worse than the Calling. So good news, we get to redefine the scale! And bad news, this is not a very good book.
This book is a nested narrative, where Valya, an elven Tower apprentice who's put herself in for the Grey Wardens to get away from the Mage/Templar war, finds the journal of Isseya, an elven Tower mage who joins the Grey Wardens to distinguish herself from her double handicap. Isseya's story probably wouldn't be so remarkable, except that she's the sister of Garahel, the Hero of the Fourth Blight... and that she is a blood mage who is responsible for what eventually became the death of all the world's griffons.
I liked Isseya fine. I liked Valya fine. But where it's the characters of the Dragon Age novels that usually shine, I didn't really care about anyone in this book. It's a competently written book, more narratively sound than any of the David Gaider novels, for example, but there's not a lot of life in it.
There's also some... weirdness in here. I get that the Blight in Origins was the world's most discount Blight and was not in any way reflection of a real Blight. At first I thought it would be cool to actually see why, to see how the Fourth Blight was different. After reading 10 years of that dumb Blight, I think the answer is that because there wasn't an RPG party there to be a four man death dealing team. The problem with this book is that I, personally, fought a Blight. I went through the deep roads and killed like 600 darkspawn with just me and my three friends. It's game logic, but seeing these characters in the same situation, with a thousand darkspawn against them, and they have thirty Wardens riding thirty savage griffons, and the book is trying to tell me that's huge terrible odds, and I'm like, well, no, that's not REASONABLE. Even though this version is way more likely, it just seems like the reason it took ten years to finish the Fourth Blight is because nobody bothered to reload their save and go after the Archdemon in Antiva City in 5:19 Exalted. Most of the Dragon Age novels excel because they tie the conflict into characters. The Stolen Throne was mostly about the complex net of relationships between Maric, Loghain, Rowan, and Katriel. The Calling was mostly about Duncan and Genevieve, Maric and Fiona. Asunder was mostly about Cole and Cole's relationships with the others. The Masked Empire was mostly about the game of politcs and betrayal between Celene, Briala, and Gaspard, and about the mystery of Felassan.
This book is just about a bunch of generic heroes fighting a Blight and doing a pretty shitty job of it. Not being involved in their personal stories, I just couldn't connect enough to divorce myself from the knowledge of how dumb the plot was. And then to build on top of that, not really caring about the characters in turn made me have ZERO TOLERANCE for that shit tie-in novels do when it's like AND THEN SHE EXPENDED THIRTY MANA AND CAST CRUSHING PRISON and it makes me cringe and want to hide the book from itself to protect it from how embarrassed it should be.
Looking at this review I should REALLY go one star, but I just can't. I enjoyed it because it was full of Dragon Age lore and I learned some stuff and there were griffons in it and I'm a shill.
First Dragon Age novel not written by a member of the Dragon Age team and I don't know if that's what made it the worst one, but it is definitely the worst one. On a scale of "The Masked Empire" to "The Calling," this is worse than the Calling. So good news, we get to redefine the scale! And bad news, this is not a very good book.
This book is a nested narrative, where Valya, an elven Tower apprentice who's put herself in for the Grey Wardens to get away from the Mage/Templar war, finds the journal of Isseya, an elven Tower mage who joins the Grey Wardens to distinguish herself from her double handicap. Isseya's story probably wouldn't be so remarkable, except that she's the sister of Garahel, the Hero of the Fourth Blight... and that she is a blood mage who is responsible for what eventually became the death of all the world's griffons.
I liked Isseya fine. I liked Valya fine. But where it's the characters of the Dragon Age novels that usually shine, I didn't really care about anyone in this book. It's a competently written book, more narratively sound than any of the David Gaider novels, for example, but there's not a lot of life in it.
There's also some... weirdness in here. I get that the Blight in Origins was the world's most discount Blight and was not in any way reflection of a real Blight. At first I thought it would be cool to actually see why, to see how the Fourth Blight was different. After reading 10 years of that dumb Blight, I think the answer is that because there wasn't an RPG party there to be a four man death dealing team. The problem with this book is that I, personally, fought a Blight. I went through the deep roads and killed like 600 darkspawn with just me and my three friends. It's game logic, but seeing these characters in the same situation, with a thousand darkspawn against them, and they have thirty Wardens riding thirty savage griffons, and the book is trying to tell me that's huge terrible odds, and I'm like, well, no, that's not REASONABLE. Even though this version is way more likely, it just seems like the reason it took ten years to finish the Fourth Blight is because nobody bothered to reload their save and go after the Archdemon in Antiva City in 5:19 Exalted. Most of the Dragon Age novels excel because they tie the conflict into characters. The Stolen Throne was mostly about the complex net of relationships between Maric, Loghain, Rowan, and Katriel. The Calling was mostly about Duncan and Genevieve, Maric and Fiona. Asunder was mostly about Cole and Cole's relationships with the others. The Masked Empire was mostly about the game of politcs and betrayal between Celene, Briala, and Gaspard, and about the mystery of Felassan.
This book is just about a bunch of generic heroes fighting a Blight and doing a pretty shitty job of it. Not being involved in their personal stories, I just couldn't connect enough to divorce myself from the knowledge of how dumb the plot was. And then to build on top of that, not really caring about the characters in turn made me have ZERO TOLERANCE for that shit tie-in novels do when it's like AND THEN SHE EXPENDED THIRTY MANA AND CAST CRUSHING PRISON and it makes me cringe and want to hide the book from itself to protect it from how embarrassed it should be.
Looking at this review I should REALLY go one star, but I just can't. I enjoyed it because it was full of Dragon Age lore and I learned some stuff and there were griffons in it and I'm a shill.
September 17, 2014
Last Flight, the newest Dragon Age tie-in book, uses a dual narrative to explore the history of the Grey Wardens. The frame narrative tells the story of Valya, an elf mage who-- along with several other Circle mages-- has fled to the Warden’s headquarters at Weisshaupt to escape the chaos of the mage/templar war. The Wardens welcome them into the keep, but for political and practical reasons, delay conscripting them into the order. Instead, Valya and her friends are given the task of assisting with research into the usage of blood magic in the Warden’s history. While in the library, Valya discovers a hidden diary.
This diary belonged to Isseya, whose story is the heart of the book. Isseya, also an elven mage, joined the Wardens just as the Fourth Blight broke out, and it’s through her perspective that we see the true devastation of the blights and the extreme sacrifices needed to end them. Isseya finds something that will help stop the Blight, but the solution is terrible and the cost greater than even she imagines. All of this is kept secret and left out of the history of the Wardens, and as Valya reads on, she must decide whether or not to reveal it.
It’s going to vary depending on what you want out of the book, for to me, Dragon Age: Last Flight is easily the best of the Dragon Age novels.
If you want big lore bombs that are sure to tie into the upcoming game and appearances by familiar characters, Asunder & Masked Empire are your best bets. Last Flight does have a few reveals that I am sure will play into the larger universe, as well as a fascinating and deeper look into blood magic, but it seems much more “standalone” than those books.
But if you’re looking for a book that is set in the Dragon Age universe that tells a compelling, well crafted story…Last Flight is the book for you.
It’s almost unfair to talk about the quality of Stolen Throne or the Calling, as David Gaider was clearly learning how to write novels with those books, but even compared to Asunder and Masked Empire (both very solid books), LF blows them out of the water in terms of prose, thematic concerns, and pacing.
I suspect there will be people who aren’t as interested in the frame narrative, but I loved it. Thedas is wartorn, and as we know from the upcoming game, things are only going to get worse. Valya’s story is the melancholy pause before the storm, the chance to sit down and think about the mistakes and successes of the past. This book might not have as much plot relevance to Dragon Age: Inquisition, but its themes and atmosphere are the perfect lead in.
The historical narrative is the strongest part of the book though, by far. Isseya is clever and sympathetic and I adored her. The ethical dilemmas faced by the Wardens have weight, and while the decisions they make are unthinkable, the world Merciel puts them in demands it. It is a very grim and dark story, but wonderfully...does not feel grimdark.
Also, just because it bothered me in the other tie-ins...Merciel is very good at writing fight scenes so that they don't feel "gamey".
This diary belonged to Isseya, whose story is the heart of the book. Isseya, also an elven mage, joined the Wardens just as the Fourth Blight broke out, and it’s through her perspective that we see the true devastation of the blights and the extreme sacrifices needed to end them. Isseya finds something that will help stop the Blight, but the solution is terrible and the cost greater than even she imagines. All of this is kept secret and left out of the history of the Wardens, and as Valya reads on, she must decide whether or not to reveal it.
It’s going to vary depending on what you want out of the book, for to me, Dragon Age: Last Flight is easily the best of the Dragon Age novels.
If you want big lore bombs that are sure to tie into the upcoming game and appearances by familiar characters, Asunder & Masked Empire are your best bets. Last Flight does have a few reveals that I am sure will play into the larger universe, as well as a fascinating and deeper look into blood magic, but it seems much more “standalone” than those books.
But if you’re looking for a book that is set in the Dragon Age universe that tells a compelling, well crafted story…Last Flight is the book for you.
It’s almost unfair to talk about the quality of Stolen Throne or the Calling, as David Gaider was clearly learning how to write novels with those books, but even compared to Asunder and Masked Empire (both very solid books), LF blows them out of the water in terms of prose, thematic concerns, and pacing.
I suspect there will be people who aren’t as interested in the frame narrative, but I loved it. Thedas is wartorn, and as we know from the upcoming game, things are only going to get worse. Valya’s story is the melancholy pause before the storm, the chance to sit down and think about the mistakes and successes of the past. This book might not have as much plot relevance to Dragon Age: Inquisition, but its themes and atmosphere are the perfect lead in.
The historical narrative is the strongest part of the book though, by far. Isseya is clever and sympathetic and I adored her. The ethical dilemmas faced by the Wardens have weight, and while the decisions they make are unthinkable, the world Merciel puts them in demands it. It is a very grim and dark story, but wonderfully...does not feel grimdark.
Also, just because it bothered me in the other tie-ins...Merciel is very good at writing fight scenes so that they don't feel "gamey".
April 1, 2018
Well, this book was quite the heartbreaker, but with a Grey Warden *mage* as protagonist, what would you expect?
I think I cried a bit at the end. It's... okay, it's sad and tragic. But hey, it's dark fantasy!
As DA book: 4.5 stars
As a regular dark fantasy standalone: 4 stars - if you like tragic ladies
Didn't feel like the Blight in Origins was scary enough? Love Griffons? Love Grey Wardens? Love Grey Warden mages? Love a tragic strong female lead? Then THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!
Andoral's Blight is far more devastating than Urthemiel's and you can definitely feel it here. There's no Witch of the Wilds to get you out from sacrificing a Warden's life when killing the Archdemon, and the devastation isn't just contained within one country - it's all over the continent! (okay, except Ferelden and Orlais in the south)
This book also explores the risks of blood magic and the questionable things Wardens do to end a Blight, which I find absolutely delightful.
Isseya is probably one of my favorite female protagonists right now. She is determined, very much devoted to her duties as a Grey Warden, has no useless romantic subplot to weigh her down, and she is quite tragic, like any proper Warden, and like a proper mage Warden she is *flawed* - she does questionable stuff and it comes to bite her back in the end! Yes, she suffers from consequences, and it's great (and so, so sad).
(Also, she describes herself as plain and she is treated as such! In fact, she is very grateful that she's plain, as beauty is a curse in disguise for an elven woman in Dragon Age.)
The author could've given her a romantic subplot with Calien, but she chose not to, and I'm glad. Instead, she focused of Isseya's role as a mage warden and her bond with her griffon, Revas, as well as her sadly waning bond with her twin brother, Garahel.
And on Valya's side, this book also depicts the Mage-Templar war from the perspective of those running away from it, as well as likely setting up DA4 (because of a very special reveal in the end of the book). I didn't feel for Valya as much as I did Isseya, but I did enjoy her budding friendship with Reimas the Templar and Caronel, and I hope to see the three of them in DA4!
All-in-all, I don't think I would've enjoyed it as much if I weren't familiar with the DA universe (there's a lot of inside jokes and references that would be missed), so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's not familiar with DA.
Also, I would definitely recommend reading this while listening to the Grey Warden theme or DA Origins' theme. It SOOOO fits the mood.
--- buuuut if you like strong, -flawed-, tragic female leads with no romantic entanglements, I would still recommend it to you.
I think I cried a bit at the end. It's... okay, it's sad and tragic. But hey, it's dark fantasy!
As DA book: 4.5 stars
As a regular dark fantasy standalone: 4 stars - if you like tragic ladies
Didn't feel like the Blight in Origins was scary enough? Love Griffons? Love Grey Wardens? Love Grey Warden mages? Love a tragic strong female lead? Then THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!
Andoral's Blight is far more devastating than Urthemiel's and you can definitely feel it here. There's no Witch of the Wilds to get you out from sacrificing a Warden's life when killing the Archdemon, and the devastation isn't just contained within one country - it's all over the continent! (okay, except Ferelden and Orlais in the south)
This book also explores the risks of blood magic and the questionable things Wardens do to end a Blight, which I find absolutely delightful.
Isseya is probably one of my favorite female protagonists right now. She is determined, very much devoted to her duties as a Grey Warden, has no useless romantic subplot to weigh her down, and she is quite tragic, like any proper Warden, and like a proper mage Warden she is *flawed* - she does questionable stuff and it comes to bite her back in the end! Yes, she suffers from consequences, and it's great (and so, so sad).
(Also, she describes herself as plain and she is treated as such! In fact, she is very grateful that she's plain, as beauty is a curse in disguise for an elven woman in Dragon Age.)
The author could've given her a romantic subplot with Calien, but she chose not to, and I'm glad. Instead, she focused of Isseya's role as a mage warden and her bond with her griffon, Revas, as well as her sadly waning bond with her twin brother, Garahel.
And on Valya's side, this book also depicts the Mage-Templar war from the perspective of those running away from it, as well as likely setting up DA4 (because of a very special reveal in the end of the book). I didn't feel for Valya as much as I did Isseya, but I did enjoy her budding friendship with Reimas the Templar and Caronel, and I hope to see the three of them in DA4!
All-in-all, I don't think I would've enjoyed it as much if I weren't familiar with the DA universe (there's a lot of inside jokes and references that would be missed), so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's not familiar with DA.
Also, I would definitely recommend reading this while listening to the Grey Warden theme or DA Origins' theme. It SOOOO fits the mood.
--- buuuut if you like strong, -flawed-, tragic female leads with no romantic entanglements, I would still recommend it to you.
May 28, 2016
A bit of an odd duck, especially as a Dragon Age novel, but generally enjoyable -- it has griffons! I say it's an odd duck because most of the events happen far, far off-stage from where the events of the last two games have happened, and where Dragon Age: Inquisition will take place, even if the conflict that ignited at the end of Dragon Age II, and which will play a large role in Inquisition, is the proximate reason that these characters ended up in a fortress out in the ass-end of nowhere in the Anderfells.
So ... There are actually two narrative threads -- you have the present-day story, in which a number of mage refugees are coming to join the Grey Wardens. Their first assignment: Poke around in dusty archives for anything of interest. Valya, our protagonist, discovers a centuries-old diary left by Isseya, who was one of the last Grey Wardens to ride a griffon -- they mysteriously went extinct right around the Isseya's time, at the end of the last Blight. [BLIGHT: \ˈblīt\ , N -- a periodic event in the history of Thedas when theOrcs Darkspawn rouse an ancient god and go around the world wrecking stuff until a Grey Warden defeats the Archdemon and sends them all packing.]
The bulk of the story is actually Isseya's tale (although it's not told in actual diary excerpts or anything); gradually, we find out exactly how the Fourth Blight was ended, and what happened to the griffons. (SPOILER: Not nice things.) Valya, for her part, is deciphering clues in Isseya's story to try to determine whether the griffons are reallio, trulio extinct.
Another enjoyable visit to Thedas (although I wouldn't want to live there); definitely recommended to fans of the Dragon Age games. And I'll be very curious to see whether events from this book figure into the next game, or are addressed in subsequent novels.
So ... There are actually two narrative threads -- you have the present-day story, in which a number of mage refugees are coming to join the Grey Wardens. Their first assignment: Poke around in dusty archives for anything of interest. Valya, our protagonist, discovers a centuries-old diary left by Isseya, who was one of the last Grey Wardens to ride a griffon -- they mysteriously went extinct right around the Isseya's time, at the end of the last Blight. [BLIGHT: \ˈblīt\ , N -- a periodic event in the history of Thedas when the
The bulk of the story is actually Isseya's tale (although it's not told in actual diary excerpts or anything); gradually, we find out exactly how the Fourth Blight was ended, and what happened to the griffons. (SPOILER: Not nice things.) Valya, for her part, is deciphering clues in Isseya's story to try to determine whether the griffons are reallio, trulio extinct.
Another enjoyable visit to Thedas (although I wouldn't want to live there); definitely recommended to fans of the Dragon Age games. And I'll be very curious to see whether events from this book figure into the next game, or are addressed in subsequent novels.
January 29, 2021
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
This book had the potential to be my favourite from the series, seeing how it's entirely focused on the Grey Wardens, whom I love dearly. I was pretty excited to see what was going on in the background during the set up of the events with the Wardens in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The story in itself was interesting enough, it was cool to learn more about Weisshaupt, the Grey Wardens and what they do when there's no Blight (remember, in DAO there's not much about the Wardens as an organization, considering most of them are dead in Ferelden), and also to go to the past and see the Fourth Blight and the last of the griffon-riding Wardens.
Unfortunately, I felt like the writing was the downfall of the book. It was definitely the most poorly written novel out of all five of them, and from what I've seen after finishing the book, it seems the author was not one of the writers of the games, so that might have been a big red flag when starting the book - I might have lowered my expectations proportionally to my enthusiasm for a Grey Warden novel.
The characterization was pretty weak, a fact most noticeable in Garahel's personality: a big hero who rang completely hollow, had ten lines of text in the whole book and made no sense at all. Everyone loved him for reasons unknown, except perhaps that he was a pretty elf, and everyone was ready to follow him into battle and die for his cause, because... he was a pretty elf? And then the whole book we followed his sister, saw everything from her perspective, got no chance to actually get to know Garahel, and when he became a hero, it felt flat - who IS this guy and why do we even care?
While Isseya was strange and a bit self-contradictory in her beliefs and her actions, I at least appreciated the fact that her story was not sugarcoated. I wouldn't have liked it if by the end of the book she had turned into a fairytale princess, so at least that part was consistent, her path did not drastically change direction to please and soothe the reader.
The biggest hallmark of a poor writer, though, is if they fill page after page of the exact same descriptions just to add content. And Merciel did just that. The book went something like this: battle - griffin nest/fly with my griffin - battle - griffin - battle - griffin. Even the most exciting of authors sometimes repeat themselves, but when you read about the leonine smell that a griffin emits about 70 times in a 298 page book, you know something's up. Additionally, the author seemed to forget that she was writing medieval fantasy at times and we got funky fresh lines such as Henrik Ibsen's early 1900's quote "A picture is worth a thousand words." and how characters "had to slalom frantically" - slalom, a Norwegian word which came into English in the 1920's. I'm not super petty and particular about these things, mind, but they just stood out so much and were so out of place in this book and setting that it just irked me.
This book had the potential to be my favourite from the series, seeing how it's entirely focused on the Grey Wardens, whom I love dearly. I was pretty excited to see what was going on in the background during the set up of the events with the Wardens in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The story in itself was interesting enough, it was cool to learn more about Weisshaupt, the Grey Wardens and what they do when there's no Blight (remember, in DAO there's not much about the Wardens as an organization, considering most of them are dead in Ferelden), and also to go to the past and see the Fourth Blight and the last of the griffon-riding Wardens.
Unfortunately, I felt like the writing was the downfall of the book. It was definitely the most poorly written novel out of all five of them, and from what I've seen after finishing the book, it seems the author was not one of the writers of the games, so that might have been a big red flag when starting the book - I might have lowered my expectations proportionally to my enthusiasm for a Grey Warden novel.
The characterization was pretty weak, a fact most noticeable in Garahel's personality: a big hero who rang completely hollow, had ten lines of text in the whole book and made no sense at all. Everyone loved him for reasons unknown, except perhaps that he was a pretty elf, and everyone was ready to follow him into battle and die for his cause, because... he was a pretty elf? And then the whole book we followed his sister, saw everything from her perspective, got no chance to actually get to know Garahel, and when he became a hero, it felt flat - who IS this guy and why do we even care?
While Isseya was strange and a bit self-contradictory in her beliefs and her actions, I at least appreciated the fact that her story was not sugarcoated. I wouldn't have liked it if by the end of the book she had turned into a fairytale princess, so at least that part was consistent, her path did not drastically change direction to please and soothe the reader.
The biggest hallmark of a poor writer, though, is if they fill page after page of the exact same descriptions just to add content. And Merciel did just that. The book went something like this: battle - griffin nest/fly with my griffin - battle - griffin - battle - griffin. Even the most exciting of authors sometimes repeat themselves, but when you read about the leonine smell that a griffin emits about 70 times in a 298 page book, you know something's up. Additionally, the author seemed to forget that she was writing medieval fantasy at times and we got funky fresh lines such as Henrik Ibsen's early 1900's quote "A picture is worth a thousand words." and how characters "had to slalom frantically" - slalom, a Norwegian word which came into English in the 1920's. I'm not super petty and particular about these things, mind, but they just stood out so much and were so out of place in this book and setting that it just irked me.
April 18, 2024
....who would've thought a party of 3 mages and only 1 warrior was a bad idea.
anyways!! this was good! i do like dragon age novels better when they're written by a woman, it turns out. if anything, it was the man (who is also the big hero in history within the da-verse) who got sidelined! love to see it!
um. if i may express a single disappointment however. this was a bit. how do you say. boring. i get it, a war isn't fun etc etc, it's about the Horrors and The Things People Do When They're Backed Against A Wall and the Pokemon-like friendship with the griffons of it all. but. it was just a bit boring innit
anyways!! this was good! i do like dragon age novels better when they're written by a woman, it turns out. if anything, it was the man (who is also the big hero in history within the da-verse) who got sidelined! love to see it!
um. if i may express a single disappointment however. this was a bit. how do you say. boring. i get it, a war isn't fun etc etc, it's about the Horrors and The Things People Do When They're Backed Against A Wall and the Pokemon-like friendship with the griffons of it all. but. it was just a bit boring innit
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
Leafed through this and still wish there was more! Loved the interwining of the stories of two very different but very similar elven mages, of secrets and revelations, of the grief and horror of the blight and the losses a 10 years war entails, overall an impeccably written story about the great mystery of the warden's griffons. Openly wept on the beach when the big battle reached its climax, ough. So far, my favourite dragon age novel of all time!
December 12, 2023
I may be biased because I’m a Dragon Age fan but I loved this one. It’s absolutely up there with Masked Empire and Asunder for me.
I love hearing more about the Grey Wardens and I really liked Isseya as a character. I wish more people talked about this book now.
Just makes me want to ride a griffon myself.
I love hearing more about the Grey Wardens and I really liked Isseya as a character. I wish more people talked about this book now.
Just makes me want to ride a griffon myself.
July 11, 2024
Dragon Age summer let's gooooo 🐲
May 10, 2018
There's not much to say apart that the Dragon Age books are, like their comic counterparts, surprisingly good fantasy novels of their own. I would recommend them without hesitation, even to people who haven't played the games. Especially to the ones who would like to start reading fantasy stories but feel overwhelmed when they research popular series. They're short, nice reads, and a good introduction to "Oh good gosh there's a mythical creature in my medieval times!"
March 22, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! It was a very fun read, with great lore and references throughout. The two leading female characters were both strong in their own way and interesting to follow. I also liked how the past echoed in the future as we go back and forth in time.
The theme that you don’t always know the cost/consequences of your actions was so strong, paired with the truth that even after a poor decision, everyone deserves a second chance to make things right.
The theme that you don’t always know the cost/consequences of your actions was so strong, paired with the truth that even after a poor decision, everyone deserves a second chance to make things right.
January 10, 2015
Yay, now I can play Dragon Age Inquisition.
I think I rushed it a little bit as I'm very anxious to get onto the game.
But, even so it was a well written book, giving an interesting background into what happened during the fourth Blight.
It skips back and forth in time quite a bit but is easy to follow.
Recommended to Dragon Age fans only.
I think I rushed it a little bit as I'm very anxious to get onto the game.
But, even so it was a well written book, giving an interesting background into what happened during the fourth Blight.
It skips back and forth in time quite a bit but is easy to follow.
Recommended to Dragon Age fans only.
February 10, 2015
While I can appreciate a Dragon Age story about griffons because they are freakin' cool, this book was SUUUUUPER boring. I barely had any reason to make myself read it, other than to find out what really happened to cause the griffons to become extinct. (That is revealed, thankfully.)
December 31, 2018
Disclaimer: I love the Dragon Age games and their world and characters and stories and everything
Last Flight tells two different stories.
In the "present" day (concurrent with the events presented in Dragon Age: Inquisition) an elf mage takes refuge with the Grey Wardens in Weisshaupt and is tasked with researching previous Blights for odd Warden/darkspawn behaviour. Shortly after she discovers an old diary.
The second story, as told from that diary, takes place during the 4th Blight and has its main character Isseya, an elven Grey Warden mage who is also the sister of Garahel, the man who slew the Archdemon who caused the 4th Blight.
The book is quite dark and dreary. It doesn't shy away from painting a very vivid picture about the realities of a Blight and the sacrifices that have to be made when fighting darkspawn. Isseya also gets quite the arc and very noticeable grows from page to page which doesn't really seem to happen often enough in video game tie-ins.
There are some bits and pieces missing, some inconsistencies and small mistakes which maybe some extra editing could have prevented but overall it didn't really affect my enjoyment more than a few raised eyebrows.
Last Flight tells two different stories.
In the "present" day (concurrent with the events presented in Dragon Age: Inquisition) an elf mage takes refuge with the Grey Wardens in Weisshaupt and is tasked with researching previous Blights for odd Warden/darkspawn behaviour. Shortly after she discovers an old diary.
The second story, as told from that diary, takes place during the 4th Blight and has its main character Isseya, an elven Grey Warden mage who is also the sister of Garahel, the man who slew the Archdemon who caused the 4th Blight.
The book is quite dark and dreary. It doesn't shy away from painting a very vivid picture about the realities of a Blight and the sacrifices that have to be made when fighting darkspawn. Isseya also gets quite the arc and very noticeable grows from page to page which doesn't really seem to happen often enough in video game tie-ins.
There are some bits and pieces missing, some inconsistencies and small mistakes which maybe some extra editing could have prevented but overall it didn't really affect my enjoyment more than a few raised eyebrows.
November 3, 2020
I always come to reading Dragon Age books just for the purpose of better following what has happened/will happen in games. I don't expect much from these series, and almost always want to give it less stars than I end up giving them mostly because of endings. To be honest, these are series mostly for fans of the games, I can't imagine picking up these series as someone who never played games and liking it as much as I do. If I haven't played it, I would have probably end up giving it two, at most three stars.
March 16, 2022
Omg it's so good. Like Isseya is so relatable. And she definetely needs a hug or two or three. I really liked her story. Despite being relatively short it managed to pick up the despair of the Blight. And she and her fellow Gray Wardens are trying to do a good thing. And it ends in a disaster as usiall. The was however one moment when the only explanation was because the plot demands it.
I personally found Valya tale dull. I mean compated to Grey Wardens fighting Blight everything would seem dull. I understand it's relevance to the plot but still.
I personally found Valya tale dull. I mean compated to Grey Wardens fighting Blight everything would seem dull. I understand it's relevance to the plot but still.
June 3, 2023
*Really it’s a 4.5 stars for me
Originally I had hoped that Valya would have found the journal and then not be mentioned again as I found her story to be less interesting than that of Isseya and her brother but by the end she started to grow on me.
I also wish that more details were written about the 4th blight itself as we are shown Isseya’s first mission and then skip to 7 years later without being told much of what happened in between.
Overall I did highly enjoy the book and the only thing that brings it down from a 5 star book for me is Valya’s sections were just slower and less interesting so I felt myself wanting to rush through to get back to Isseya.
Originally I had hoped that Valya would have found the journal and then not be mentioned again as I found her story to be less interesting than that of Isseya and her brother but by the end she started to grow on me.
I also wish that more details were written about the 4th blight itself as we are shown Isseya’s first mission and then skip to 7 years later without being told much of what happened in between.
Overall I did highly enjoy the book and the only thing that brings it down from a 5 star book for me is Valya’s sections were just slower and less interesting so I felt myself wanting to rush through to get back to Isseya.
June 26, 2024
I'll keep saying it, I love this world. I love the lore. I love the richness and history. Finally, I love the Grey Wardens. So I'm predisposed to like this book. I like how they explore the tough choices they make. But also show how those choices are not without consequence. Yes, they are possibly facing the end of the world when fighting a blight. But if their gamble does pay off, what kind of world are you left with afterwards? Just great. Thought provoking. Made me think about me and what choices I would make.
June 23, 2024
O livro teve dois finais, um pra cada linha do tempo que acompanha, mas termina de verdade com o final menos emocionante. Tirando isso, interessante, bom complemento pro worldbuilding.
Se alguém te perguntar o porquê que voltou a existir Grifos no Dragon Age Veilguard sua resposta deixa de ser "ué eles deixaram de existir em algum momento??" e se torna "há, você pergunta isso pois não leu o livro".
3.5
Se alguém te perguntar o porquê que voltou a existir Grifos no Dragon Age Veilguard sua resposta deixa de ser "ué eles deixaram de existir em algum momento??" e se torna "há, você pergunta isso pois não leu o livro".
3.5
December 31, 2020
A fascinating look at the Grey Wardens of old and their griffons.
This starts around the end of Dragon Age 2. I don't think I ever realized that a full on mage templar war started. Oops.
This alternates between that "modern" day that we are familiar with and the fourth blight about 400 years ago. I loved how dark that timeline was.
Highly recommend for fans of the game. Fingers crossed DA4 gives us griffons.
This starts around the end of Dragon Age 2. I don't think I ever realized that a full on mage templar war started. Oops.
This alternates between that "modern" day that we are familiar with and the fourth blight about 400 years ago. I loved how dark that timeline was.
Highly recommend for fans of the game. Fingers crossed DA4 gives us griffons.
May 8, 2024
No me gustó Valya como coprotagonista, pero afortunadamente las partes dedicadas a ella son escasas y todo lo chulo de este libro viene de manos de mis Guardas Grises y de como derrotaron al Archidemonio y terminaron con la cuarta Ruina.
November 11, 2022
Pros: my dear Merrill can meet a griffon now
Cons: I can't stop thinking about griffon incest
Cons: I can't stop thinking about griffon incest
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2023
This one was something special. Really enjoyed it!
November 24, 2023
Strong female leads 👏
Dark Fantasy 👏
Griffons and then BABY griffons 👏😭❤️
Dark Fantasy 👏
Griffons and then BABY griffons 👏😭❤️
September 18, 2024
Not me sobbing through the last few chapters of this book!
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