I bought this book, because I intend to play Guild Wars 2. I never played the original Guild Wars, so I was curious about the lore.
I liked what I read. It was fun, had action, was well written and I could easily understand this world. I requires no foreknowledge although I can imagine it would be even more fun when you know about Guild Wars.

It was just a fun read and I can't wait to go play the game. ( )

If you play the videogames (1 and 2) read the book, I liked being able to picture the places and people in my head and getting more lore. You really care about the characters and what happens to them.

Now on to the next book! ( )

For what it is, a media tie in, this was a very enjoyable read. Good characters, good exploration of the world, and plenty of excitement. A minor niggle was the sameness of the voices. The characters all seemed to be sarcastic at the same time or serious at the same time. There should have been more consistency in each character's dialogue instead of mirroring each other.

That aside, it is a good read for any Guild Wars fan. ( )

Ghosts of Ascalon had some wonderful characters and interesting plotlines. It was a good primer on the lore of Guild Wars 2, and I admit I cried at parts. I did, however, feel it dragged on a bit long, though it might have been my own expectations for what the book would be. I expected the central plot to be happening in Ascalon, whereas it’s actually more about the journey – and facing more figurative Ghosts of Ascalon.

Well written and engaging. ( )

I had a very different take on the novel as someone who started off knowing very little about the lore of Guild Wars. I had to have a bestiary open on my browser just to look up the races of some of the main characters. Needless to say, there had to be some details of important events or figures that were surely lost on me.

Despite that, I was able to enjoy the book. At first, I thought getting through it would be a struggle because I had expected to lose interest the moment I realize I have no idea what’s going on. That and I had gotten used to the fact that game tie-ins are notoriously bad about giving background information, as if they expect anyone picking it up to be an uber fan of the game and already have all that knowledge. So I was a little surprised to find that I did not have this problem with Ghosts of Ascalon. While there were many details I wish the authors could have elaborated on, all the relevant information was there so I could follow the story with ease, and not once did I feel confounded by the timeline of the major happenings in the lore.

The characters were also a pleasure to get to know, even though most of them were corny cliches that adhered to familiar and therefore standard and very specific archetypes, but that’s to be expected. The way I see it, at least each individual character has a personality, even if they are two-dimensional and never stray too far from their roles. I enjoyed the dialogue and the witty banter, and found myself drawn to the main character Dougal Keane and especially to Kranxx the Asura.

The story itself was also straightforward, conventional and everything you would expect from game fiction, and I would have lost interest if not for the quality of the writing. While it may be cliched and excessively flowery at times, I have lots of respect for authors who can tell a story and express their characters’ intents without overtly giving that information away. My favorite writers always show, not tell. Through the descriptions of Dougal’s actions alone, his emotions and motivations became clear to me, and that should be the way it is. Authors who give a play-by-play on every single thought in their characters’ heads drive me nuts.

A part of me even wishes the novel could have been longer, but it ended well and for the most part it was well-paced. It seemed like every other chapter saw our adventurers getting into yet another fight, but at least the story was moving forward. There’s no doubt this book has gotten me even more excited for Guild Wars 2, and has even renewed my interest in playing Guild Wars, if anything to discover what other tales the rich lore and land of Tyria can offer me. ( )