If this doesn’t excite fans of the Dragon Age series, I honestly don’t know what will. In an extremely unexpected development courtesy of Dark Horse Books, the publisher has announced that it will be publishing “Hard in Hightown”, the best selling novel (in Thedas) by famed marksman, poet, and smooth-talking Dwarf Varric Tethras.

For those unfamiliar with Varric-freaking-Tethras, he serves as a companion to Hawke in Dragon Age II, and once again fills the role of trusted companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition. One of Varric’s finest skills – aside from infuriating both Aveline and Cassandra – just so happens to be writing, which has resulted in his best-selling crime-noir novel Hard in Hightown, as well as his less well-received “Swords and Shields” romance novel. Here’s the description for Hard in Hightown from Penguin Random House, the company that is distributing the book:

Prolific dwarven author and heroic companion of the Dragon Age games, Varric Tethras brings us the collected edition of his breakthrough crime-noir drama, Hard in Hightown (with help from his trusted human confidante, Mary Kirby)! This volume is beautifully illustrated by Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, and Ricardo German Ponce Torres, with a painted cover by E.M. Gist!

Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the Kirkwall streets into city guardsmen Donnen Brennokovic. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the mismatched pair discover a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they’re caught up in a clash between a shadowy organization known only as the Executors and a secretive group of Chantry agents–all over some ancient artifact.”

Hard in Hightown is now available for $19.99 for the hardcover version of the book. There is currently no word on whether or not Dark Horse Books is looking into publishing any other novels that originated from video games, though if Hard in Hightwon sells well – and we hope it does – mayhaps the publisher will give Varric’s Swords and Shields novel the same treatment? Please, do it for Cassandra!

Also as a bonus, you can watch Varric himself read an excerpt from his own book (well, at least his voice actor) right here:

Enjoy the dulcet tones of Brian Bloom as he reads an excerpt from Varric's Hard in Hightown, available now from @DarkHorseComics: https://t.co/uUXWPK2GE1 pic.twitter.com/ZAoYOoHITj

— BioWare (@bioware) July 31, 2018

Dragon Age: Inquisition is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A new Dragon Age game is currently in the works, though it is unknown whether the new title will be a direct sequel or a spin-off.

So, thoughts on Hard in Hightown getting published? Plan on buying the book for yourself or a friend? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!

Buy it here!