Hard in Hightown

“Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the Kirkwall streets into city guardsmen Donnen Brennokovic. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the mismatched pair discover a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they’re caught up in a clash between a mysterious organization known as the Executors and a secretive group of Chantry agents over an ancient artifact.”

Everyone’s favorite tavern-dwelling, dwarven author and Dragon Age companion, Varric Tethras, brings us his famous crime-noir drama, Hard in Hightown, from Thedas to the U.S. The novel will feature 24 beautiful black and white full page images by various artists.
But Chel, are you really going to buy a book written by a fictional character from a popular video game franchise?

Yes.
Yes, I am.

After years of hearing of his famous, and not so famous, books in Dragon Age 2, how could I not? (Even going as far as giving players a series of quests in Inquisition to uncover a hack write.) Bit and pieces of the story you find scattered throughout the game gives an idea of what to expect and only heightens my excitement for its release in July. And I’m sure like many fans, I’m curious to see how our rogue from House Tethras decides to unfold this story.

Perhaps with the success of Hard in Hightown, we might have the chance to own another of Varric’s popular works, Swords and Shields. Despite being considered a failure by Varric himself, I’m sure the series would find a home among fans as well. But that’s a future discussion. First, Donnen’s adventure in Kirkwall.