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Baldur's gate books

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  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    Honestly in the highly unlikely event that your local library has it (mine does though for whatever reason they are reference only, I assume to ensure that future generations know how not to write a book and aren't tempted to burn it) then I would take it out from it. I've read through parts of each book and in my opinion based on what I've read (and remember) they were pretty bad (though my library doesn't have ToB so I can't comment on it).
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    booinyoureyes said:

    But seriously, the consensus is that they are atrocious and not worth reading. Save your free time for more worthwhile or entertaining pursuits... like watching paint dry

    I have not read them but this seems to be the consensus. Also, Cookie Monster has a machine gun, so....
  • SapphireIce101SapphireIce101 Member Posts: 866
    They're bad. Some examples of how bad. Jaheira is a damsel in distress. Khalid apparently got enough confidence and time to cheat on Jaheira. Abdel falls in love with Jaheira. Then, there's the fact that in the second book, Minsc has red hair. Oh, then Abdel falls in love with Bodhi, gets charmed by her, and does the naughty with her. Uhm, Imoen basically has a relationship with Phaere.

    Of course, I haven't read ToB, but at this point...I could go on with the horribleness.
  • DazzuDazzu Member Posts: 950
    Let's talk about a better book... like Fifty Shades of Grey.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited July 2014
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  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    This is much better. Read this.
    image
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    My eyes, sweet lord my eyes!
  • CaloNordCaloNord Member Posts: 1,809
    They burn? :P
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    It does make you wonder how you could possibly $%#^ up a book about Baldur's Gate.

    You literally just have to novelize a playthrough and it would basically be perfect.

    Even if the story was complete bullocks, if they had just gotten the CHARACTERS right, it would've better then those pieces of $#^#.

    They basically took some names, and made up everything else as they went along.
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    Novelising BG wouldn't be easy, the pacing is completely differen't. You'd have to skip, mash together, or speed through several parts if you were to stay true to the game's storyline, and it would be a big mess. I also don't think the whole "dungeon after dungeon" approach works for literature the way it does in games (and tbt rpgs).
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    Honestly they are tempting me to pick up just for the full understanding of how bad they are. At least I can probably get a laugh at how terrible they are. When I heard about how Jaheira and Khalid were handled in it I already got an umderstanding of how messed up they are. Khalid would never cheat, and Jaheira is one of the strongest female leads I can think of but they are screwed up in the novel. Thank bioware that Jaheira's in game romance is handled a thousand times better than the novel.
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    The real problem is that characterizations were awful, only lipservice was paid to lore, and the writing was subpar even by fantasy-scifi standards. Any one could have been tolerated, but all three was just too much. Probably was rushed work, like everything related to computer games. I only read ToB, it was pretty disapointing. Not the worst thing I ever read, but it could have been much better. :/

    BG could have been Harry Potter, instead it was like a novelization of one of those awful 80s action/fantasy movies that forgot its own plot halfway in.
  • Montresor_SPMontresor_SP Member Posts: 2,208
    booinyoureyes said:

    Sergio said:

    Hi,
    is the book based around the character "abdel Adrian" worth buying?

    You misplaced the quotation marks in this sentence. They should not be around "Abdel Adrian". They should be around the word "character".
    Or around the word "book". ;-)
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    Greywolf NPC? Hmmm
  • Daralon87Daralon87 Member Posts: 236
    edited July 2014
    Don't playin' at the same World with Jacob Taylor (Twilight is romance bullshit i've ever seen.)

    Baldurs Gate novels are the same way to read, as i play. Planescape Torment Novels too.
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    @scriver‌
    Not necessarily. IMO, it would've made more sense to wait until the whole saga was finished and then just do a book of the whole thing.

    Making it one whole story would minimize the amount of filler chapters required, especially since ToB is as linear as they come and would never be able to stand on it's own.

    That said. If written by someone who isn't a hack-writer, even Baldur's Gate could be made meaningfully long enough to justify a book.

    Since we already know that in the first game at least who the Bhaalspawn travelled with, we can point out which areas are absolutely needed. And the search for the bandit camp could be broken up into pieces instead of getting full location out of just one member.

    And the book doesn't have to end with the fall of Sarevok, since his fall was merely the climax...a few chapters of living it up as the heroes of Baldur's Gate, and heading out on new adventures to Werewolf Isle and Durlag's Tower. With Minsc and Dynahier having to part-ways following the defeat of the demon cult to report on her mission while Khalid/Jaheria/Imeon/PC head out to meet up with some Harpers to see if they can find more information about the Bhaalspawn and ending with Minsc and Dynahier being informed that their companions had gone missing to which they set out to find them, setting up Baldur's Gate 2.

    Let's see....Baldur's Gate 2....you'd definitely need Jaheria and Minsc as they have a vest interest in hunting Irenicus down, and Yoshimo is absolutely required. The Unseeing Eye quest is suitably epic, so Keldorn will probably end up joining. Firkraag is also a logical choice since you need money in a hurry, and probably round things out with Nalia or Anomen, Anomen has some decent character development so he might edge out Nalia a little bit. But on the other hand, since I believe the PC was a Fighter who duals to a mage in BG2, he would need an advisor, so having Nalia along could serve that role (she maybe be ignorant and air-headed, but she is a capable mage none the less) Or perhaps, have Keldorn leave to be with his family following the conclusion of the Unseeing Eye and Firkraags stuff and Anomen take his place (say, you get Anomen first and he travels with the party and gets his character development but has to leave to attend his knighthood examination, during which time the party become involved with the unseeing Eye quest and Keldorn joins after which he decides to journey with the party to meet up with some fellow Paladins who are also at Windspear and ends up getting pulled the mess with Firkraag (the party is pulled into Anomen's situation following the events at Dn'arse Keep and couldn't head onward to Windspear earlier) who he defeats but combined with the affair, his age, and guilt over killing his friends (due his powers failing to reveal Firkraags deception), decides to take the opportunity and retire to be with his family, after which, Anomen rejoins.

    Following the events of BG2, Nalia leaves to manage her family estate since the PC will no longer be able to properly act as it's lord as he journeys onward towards Tethyr, opening up a slot for Sarevok.
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  • SquireSquire Member Posts: 511
    I wouldn't say they are bad books if you take them as stand-alone stories, but they are terrible Baldur's Gate adaptations.

    Granted, it's difficult to turn a game with multiple character options and lots of areas to explore and things to do into a book without making a few assumptions and missing some things out, but he did a particularly bad job of it, ignoring the majority of the story as well as creating one of the least likeable fantasy heroes I've ever had the misfortune to encounter.
  • DazzuDazzu Member Posts: 950
    Squire said:

    I wouldn't say they are bad books if you take them as stand-alone stories.

    No, even as a standalone series, the thing is a train wreck with unlikable stereotypes and horrible pacing.
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    Dazzu said:

    Squire said:

    I wouldn't say they are bad books if you take them as stand-alone stories.

    No, even as a standalone series, the thing is a train wreck with unlikable stereotypes and horrible pacing.
    Poorly handled bad stereotypes. :s Bad stereotypes with good storytelling can totally work, but not if the writer isnt up to it.
  • DazzuDazzu Member Posts: 950
    edited July 2014
    The point is, Philip Athans can go join EL James in the corner to think for an eternity about how he killed the art of literature.
    Post edited by Dazzu on
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    Dazzu said:

    The point is, Phillip Athens can go join EL James in the corner to think for an eternity about how he killed the art of literature.

    *Athans

    Don't blame the Greeks, we didn't make him!
  • DazzuDazzu Member Posts: 950
    edited July 2014
    That and there's only one L in his name. It's fixed, but this story never will be.

    Could a novelization series of the games work? Sure, why not? There's plenty of liberty... but not like that!
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