Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Announced

Today, our friends at Tor Books have announced the next novel set in the Dragon Age franchise.  You can check out the official press release below:

Tor Books announces new Dragon Age™ novel with BioWare Senior Writer Patrick Weekes

The fourth tie-in novel for the Award-Winning and Best-Selling dark fantasy world of the Dragon Age franchise from BioWare

New York, NY – March 26, 2013 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—and BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts, are excited to announce the fourth novel in the award-winning Dragon Age™ fantasy RPG franchise. Patrick Weekes, senior writer at BioWare, will pen DRAGON AGE: THE MASKED EMPIRE for April 2014 publication.

Journey into the darkest and deadliest part of Orlais, where the weight of titles matters less than the strength of blades

The team at BioWare, responsible for such beloved classics as Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, and Mass Effect™, set a new Fantasy RPG storytelling standard with the Dragon Age franchise, which has won over 80 awards between the release of Dragon Age: Origins in 2009 and Dragon Age II in March 2011.

The previous three Dragon Age™ novels, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (March 2009), Dragon Age: The Calling (October 2009), and Dragon Age: Asunder were well-received by fans and further established the dark, heroic nature and epic scale of the Dragon Age Universe. DRAGON AGE: THE MASKED EMPIRE expands and illuminates new corners of Thedas.

Empress Celene of Orlais rose to the throne of the most powerful nation in Thedas through wisdom, wit, and ruthless manipulation. Now, the empire she has guided into an age of enlightenment is threatened from within by imminent war between the templars and the mages, even as rebellion stirs among the downtrodden elves.  To save Orlais, Celene must keep her hold on the throne by any means necessary.

Fighting with the legendary skill of the Orlesian Chevaliers , Grand Duke Gaspard has won countless battles for the empire and the empress.  But has he fought in vain? As the Circle fails and chaos looms, Gaspard begins to doubt that Celene's diplomatic approach to the mage problem or the elven uprisings will keep the empire safe.   Perhaps it is time for a new leader, one who lives by the tenets of the Chevalier’s Code, to make Orlais strong again.

Briala has been Celene's handmaid since the two of them were children, subtly using her position to help improve the lives of elves across Orlais. She is Celene's confidante, spymaster, and lover, but when politics force the empress to choose between the rights of Briala's people and the Orlesian throne, Briala must in turn decide where her true loyalties lie.

Alliances are forged and promises broken as Celene and Gaspard battle for the throne of Orlais.  But in the end, the elves who hide in the forests or starve in the alienages may decide the fate of the masked empire.

Fans of BioWare are invited to visit the official Dragon Age™ website at: http://dragonage.bioware.com, where they can preview and find additional information about Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling, Dragon Age: Asunder, and more.

About the Author

PATRICK WEEKES is a senior writer at BioWare, and has contributed to all three games in the award-winning Mass Effect™ series. In his seven years at the studio, he has worked with Drew Karpyshyn, New York Times-bestselling author of the  Star Wars: Darth Bane series; Mac Walters, author of several Dark Horse graphic novels tied into the Mass Effect universe; and David Gaider, lead writer of the Dragon Age™ games and author of the first three Dragon Age novels. Patrick has written short stories for Amazing Stories, Realms of Fantasy, and Strange Horizons; and a graphic novel for the Dark Horse Mass Effect: Homeworlds series.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA has more than 275 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

Dragon Age, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.  Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. John Madden, NFL, and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

About Tor Books

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1980 and committed (although not limited) to SF and fantasy literature. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperback, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and for the last twenty-three years in a row the company has been named Best Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.