As the spiritual successor to BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate, one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare’s return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay.

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (A Tor Trade Paperback; $14.95; March 3, 2009), the thrilling prequel to Dragon Age: Origins, the highly anticipated dark, heroic fantasy video game. This gripping novel will introduce the reader to a brand new fantasy universe created by BioWare, the award-winning developer of computer, console, handheld and online video games. Veteran video game developer and writer, David Gaider, brings a fresh and talented voice to the novel based on the hit video game that is set for release in 2009.

Fans of BioWare can preview Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by visiting the official Dragon Age website, where they can read the entire first chapter and find additional information about the new novel and the forthcoming Dragon Age: Origins video game.

When the beloved rebel queen is murdered, her son Maric sets out on a mission of vengeance against the faithless lords who were responsible for his mother's untimely death. The nation of Ferelden that once prospered under his family's reign now suffers under the cruel hands of the invading Orlesians. His countrymen now live in fear and no one is to be trusted.

Maric soon becomes the leader of a rebel army hell-bent on retaking Ferelden from the control of a foreign tyrant. With only two true allies by his side, the brash outlaw Loghain and the beautiful warrior maiden Rowan, Maric and his trusted band must outwit spies and traitors as they try to reclaim the stolen throne.

The team at BioWare has passionately created a fantasy world like no other—filled with compelling characters, rich landscapes, and hidden terrors. Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is a sweeping epic that will enrapture readers and gamers everywhere.

Key Features :

• Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins will introduce an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures.
• Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply “spell combos,” a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects.
• Deep Customization – Players will develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction.
• Your Story, Your Way – With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power.
• Origin Stories – Players will select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player’s choice of Origin will determine who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure.

Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled to ship for the PC in early 2009, followed by a Xbox 360/PS3 edition later in the year.