TDE novels?

[Vinsalt]

I heard - or read, to be precise - that there were two translated Realms of Arkania (old name for Aventuria, I'm sure you know) novels. Translated into English I mean. I'd like to know whether they are good or not, and if they are, then where to buy them. I'm not very fervent in getting them, just curious. And were I to purchase them, I'd surely have a much more in-depth view of the setting.

[Kavu]

There are two books on sale on amazon:
- Realms of Arkania: The Sacrifice
- Realms of Arkana: The Charlatan
apparently there is also a third:
- Realms of Arkania: The Lioness
Witch I could not find on amazon.

The thing is, at first TDE was known in English as Realms of Arkania, a computer game.
At the time, I think somewhere in the 90'ies 3 games where released and by the looks of it also 3 novels.
Maybe someone who followed the Realms of Arkania has a better insight in this matter?

[Kennin]

The Charlatan is a seperate book, the two others are two parts of a story.
Both or all three of them, however you want to see it, are great works and among the best of the originel novel series!

[Vinsalt]

I've played all three of the PC games, and liked them very much.
You can download the two first for free from these links:

http://www.abandonia.com/games/104/downloa...deofDestiny.htm
(Realms of Arkania I: The Blade of Destiny, nice game, don't mind the graphics, it's -92 for Pete's sake)

http://www.abandonia.com/games/102/downloa...iaStarTrail.htm
(Realms of Arkania II: Star Trail, this game introduced me to the setting, it still is probably the best CRPG I've played so far, and I've played quite a few)

The third part of the trilogy is called Shadows Over Riva, which is often said to be the best of the three. I liked Star Trail more, but that's just my opinion.

To play them, I'd suggest getting DosBOX. It's quite easy to get, just google it or something. Here
is a link to guide you through the program's installation and setup. The games also feature a lot of useful background info into the Northland -area, so I would recommend at least trying them out. Enjoy!

[Kennin]

I deem "Star Trail" better than the other two added together!
And "Blade of Destiny" is better than "Shadows over Riva", IMHO.
In SoR I missed the travelling and searching for new places!

[Vinsalt]

But Shadows Over Riva had a really interesting story-line, and the overall system was greatly improved. There also were a lot of nice subquests that I missed in Star Trail. In Blade of Destiny they were plentiful, and it was nice to have that sense of freedom in BoD. I guess every one of them has its own pros and cons. You are right about the travel though, although at times traveling, too felt tiresome. In my opinion Shadows Over Riva had the best storyline and was the most well done of the three.

The games are a great way of getting to know the setting, so I greatly recommend playing them, especially since they are completely free.

[Vinsalt]

Thalionmel distinguished herself while fighting against the hordes
of the heathen Novadi in one of the bloodiest battles in the history
of her native Lovely Field. The Lioness delves into the early years
of this Arkanian warrior and noblewoman who led a sheltered life
until a tragic event wrenched her from her peaceful existence forever.


Title: Realms of Arkania: The Lioness
Author(s): Ina Kramer
ISBN: 0-7615-0477-X / 978-0-7615-0477-1 (USA edition)
Publisher: Proteus

I got the info from here.

[Vinsalt]

The other two are indeed found on Amazon:



Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (January 24, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761502335
ISBN-13: 978-0761502333
Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces




Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (Sep 4 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761504761
ISBN-13: 978-0761504764
Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 11.4 x 1.9 cm
Shipping Weight: 182 g

[Vinsalt]

The pictures do, unfortunately, remind me of D&D. But since I am quite a devoted fan of TDE, I'll let it slide. I guess I should get them sometime, when I don't have any better use of my money, but you can never have too much of it, can you?