Ghosts of Ascalon
Encyclopedia
Ghosts of Ascalon is the first of three novels written to bridge the time between the original game series
and Guild Wars 2
. The novel series was originally announced at the Penny Arcade Expo in 2008 as a partnership with Pocket Star Books. The authors of the book are Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb
, who have experience in writing fantasy game novels. Will McDermott acted as liaison between them and ArenaNet. The announcement was made official on April 14th 2009 when Forbeck announced his involvement and the title on his website. The book was released on July 27, 2010 in North America and Europe, as shown in the "release" section below. The contents of the book are considered canon
lore for the Guild Wars universe.
, dealing with the initial stages of an alliance between the humans and the charr as an expedition with members of both races seeks an ancient artifact. It has been said that the book will use flashbacks to tell the backstory of all five playable races, likely including a depiction of King Adelbern's ultimate sacrifice to defend Ascalon City from the charr, as described in the Movement of the World.
The book begins with 4 characters: Dougal Keane, a human
adventurer specializing in pointing out and disabling traps; Clagg, an ignorant asura who hired the team; Gyda Oddsdottir an overconfident norn; and Killeen, a young sylvari. The story begins with their exploration of a catacomb underneath Divinity's Reach for the tomb of Blimm.
The release date for the book differs according to language and/or region:
Guild Wars
Guild Wars is an episodic series of online 3D fantasy role-playing games developed by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft. Although often defined as an MMORPG the developers define it as a CORPG due to significant differences from the MMORPG genre. It provides two main modes of gameplay—a cooperative...
and Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game in development by ArenaNet. Set in the fantasy world of Tyria, the game follows the re-emergence of Destiny's Edge, a disbanded guild dedicated to fighting the Elder Dragons, a Lovecraftian species that has seized control of Tyria in...
. The novel series was originally announced at the Penny Arcade Expo in 2008 as a partnership with Pocket Star Books. The authors of the book are Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb is an author and game designer. He has worked on a number of computer and role-playing games and has written a number of successful novels, short stories and comics...
, who have experience in writing fantasy game novels. Will McDermott acted as liaison between them and ArenaNet. The announcement was made official on April 14th 2009 when Forbeck announced his involvement and the title on his website. The book was released on July 27, 2010 in North America and Europe, as shown in the "release" section below. The contents of the book are considered canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
lore for the Guild Wars universe.
Plot
The main plot takes place one year before the events of Guild Wars 2Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game in development by ArenaNet. Set in the fantasy world of Tyria, the game follows the re-emergence of Destiny's Edge, a disbanded guild dedicated to fighting the Elder Dragons, a Lovecraftian species that has seized control of Tyria in...
, dealing with the initial stages of an alliance between the humans and the charr as an expedition with members of both races seeks an ancient artifact. It has been said that the book will use flashbacks to tell the backstory of all five playable races, likely including a depiction of King Adelbern's ultimate sacrifice to defend Ascalon City from the charr, as described in the Movement of the World.
The book begins with 4 characters: Dougal Keane, a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
adventurer specializing in pointing out and disabling traps; Clagg, an ignorant asura who hired the team; Gyda Oddsdottir an overconfident norn; and Killeen, a young sylvari. The story begins with their exploration of a catacomb underneath Divinity's Reach for the tomb of Blimm.
Release
The first chapter of the novel can be read for free.The release date for the book differs according to language and/or region:
| Language | | Availability | | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| English | North America - July 27, 2010 United Kingdom - August 9, 2010 Australia - August 15, 2010 |
Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster |
| German | August 11, 2010 | Panini |
| French | December, 2010 | Bibliothèque Interdite |
| Russian | TBA | EXMO |
| Italian | August, 2010 | Multiplayer |