Baldur’s Gate 3 turned the Forgotten Realms into a much larger cultural conversation after its 2023 release. The success of Larian Studios’ role-playing game also created fresh demand for stories, merchandise and background material connected to its memorable companions.
Wizards of the Coast responded with products ranging from miniatures and character sheets to appearances in Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and Magic: The Gathering. The publisher also announced four tie-in books from Penguin Random House.
One of those books is Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, a prequel novel by award-winning Nettle & Bone author T. Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon. The character’s popularity made him an obvious focus: players have responded strongly to the witty elf vampire’s history of abuse under his master, Cazador.
Kingfisher is well versed in grim subject matter, and she wrote the novel with input from Astarion writer Stephen Rooney and voice actor Neil Newbon. The result understands the character’s emotional contradictions, even though changes to his established history create a significant problem.
A strong grasp of Astarion’s voice
The novel moves between Astarion’s youth as a working-class boy taken in by a wealthy relative and his later existence as a vampire spawn in Cazador’s mansion. Rather than separating those periods into clear chapters, the story shifts abruptly between them.
That fragmented structure can be read as a reflection of a mind shaped by centuries of trauma, but it also makes the opening feel like a collection of disconnected scenes. The central narrative does not properly take hold until roughly halfway through the book.
Astarion’s game backstory involves violence and sexual abuse, so expanding it requires restraint. Kingfisher generally manages that balance. Some lines feel overly pleased with their references to the game, yet the novel gives equal attention to the small comforts Astarion protects, including the fine curtains he hides from Cazador and the other spawn.
The humour never completely removes the sadness. This version of Astarion is less secure than the companion players meet after he has experienced freedom. He expects to remain Cazador’s servant indefinitely, and his observations about mistreatment are often delivered with chilling matter-of-factness.
Kingfisher avoids turning suffering into spectacle, which means some of the game’s history is left in the background. There are still deliberately disturbing moments, including Cazador’s grotesque deception involving his spawn and pigs, but the book does not dwell on the shock. Astarion’s speech and behaviour communicate the depth of his torment without requiring constant explanation.
The retcon that changes the story
The largest issue is the book’s treatment of the Gur. In the game, Astarion’s hatred of the Gur follows his death at the hands of a group of nomadic monster hunters who believed his ruling as a magistrate was unjust. His prejudice extends beyond them to other shorter peoples, including halflings and gnomes.
The novel changes that history. The hunters are now presented as poachers who received legitimate justice, while Astarion’s decision is described as fair rather than corrupt or abusive. The change substantially softens the foundation of his prejudice.
Kingfisher confirmed the reason for the change, explaining that Wizards of the Coast requested it because the Gur material was considered “Romany-stereotype coded”. She said that was not her intention, but that the publisher was trying to move away from that portrayal.
The decision sits within a wider history of publisher intervention. Wizards of the Coast previously faced criticism after the romantic relationship between Magic: The Gathering characters Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane was removed from the novel War of the Spark: Forsaken, an episode for which the company apologised.
Authentic and non-stereotypical representation matters, but the Gur were not the characters behaving hatefully in the game. The troubling element here is that Astarion’s prejudice has been made less uncomfortable rather than examined as part of his character.
An enjoyable prequel with an uneasy compromise
The alteration is small compared with the novel’s full story, but it changes the person readers are spending time with. It is not enough to make the book unreadable: Kingfisher captures Astarion’s mannerisms and humour well, and the novel remains an entertaining read.
It does, however, reveal a worrying lack of confidence in the audience. Players can understand that Astarion’s actions are wrong without confusing his prejudice with an attack on the Gur themselves. Removing that tension makes the prequel safer, but less faithful to the character established in Baldur’s Gate 3.
That concern may extend beyond this book. With Wizards of the Coast involved in an upcoming HBO adaptation of Baldur’s Gate 3, fans may reasonably wonder whether television audiences will be trusted with the same moral complexity.
For readers interested in the broader world of games and role-playing culture, explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog, browse the arcade video collection, or compare options in the Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
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