is the second book in the Guild Wars 2 series to tease us fans and leave us anticipating the release of the Guild Wars 2 MMORPG. If you're not anticipating that game, worry not, it's still a great book for any fan of fantasy worlds. It actually takes place before the first book in the series, but as the stories feature different characters that's okay. And getting to read about this particular group makes it even more special. It's a great book that introduces us to Destiny's Edge and sets up the world of Guild Wars 2 for those us anticipating that release. The main characters form Destiny's Edge, a group of heroes comprised of all the major races of Tyria: a human, a charr, a norn and her dire wolfe, a sylvari, and two asura and their golems (which are kind of like magical mecha). We see how Destiny's Edge forms, how they become famous, and we see what breaks them up.
The book is a series of missions, each leading to a boss fight, with a massive end-game battle on two fronts - and while I use game-play terms to describe it there, it's not at all "just a game book". The reasons for each battle make sense, it's not just a raid to get loot. The characters aren't, for the most part, doing it just to become well-known. They're fighting because they want to save their world from the Elder Dragons. Becoming famous, earning your freedom, and showing up your brother in front of the queen is just a bonus.
There are some laugh-out-loud moments, some things that leave players of the game thinking (what class is Logan? Is Caithe an assasin? Mesmers? Yay!) The relationships that form between the characters are moving and fun to watch, and seeing them fall apart is truly heart-breaking.
Fans of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 must read this. Fans of fantasy in-general should find this a welcome addition to their reading list.
(This is one of those books I bought myself because I absolutely had to read it.)
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