Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition introduced us to Varric Tethras, a "sexy dwarf" who was the subject of many fan’s desires throughout the course of the games. His boyish charms and rugged looks combined with the fact that he was a useful member of combat made him a fan-favorite, but there's one more thing that separated Varric from the rest—he is an author and copies of his novel, Hard in Hightown, can be found scattered around the game.
The book, which was never meant to be taken seriously, formed a life of its own and is now set to be a real published novel that fans can purchase soon. BioWare writer Mary Kirby has taken on the task of putting the thriller together, “co-written” by Varric himself, for hardcore Dragon Age fans to flip through when it arrives in July.
The title Hard in Hightown sounds a little racier than it's actually meant to be, as it’s about the adventures of a veteran guardsman, his new partner, and their attempt to solve who’s behind a malevolent plot to assassinate a magistrate. The story all takes place in Kirkwall, so if you played much of Dragon Age 2, you'll know all about the location.
Hard for Hightown should be an interesting return for players, especially for fans waiting in limbo for more news about what’s next in the Dragon Age series as well as BioWare's upcoming role-playing game Anthem.
Though the official product listing states Hard for Hightown as a typical “prose” novel, it will also have 24 black and white images to punctuate the story, along with an appropriately noir-themed cover that has to be seen to be believed. Seriously, it’s genius. From the bits and pieces you can find in-game, you should have a good idea of what to expect from the novel, but no one could have expected to see a full version of the story physically come together like this, a few years after Dragon Age: Inquisition had been released, at that.
Hard in Hightown, by Varric Tethras and co-writer Mary Kirby, will be available July 31. You can pre-order the book via Penguin Random House.
