The end of this odyssey is here, but does the creative team offer up something that ties everything up or does the finished product simply flounder?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

Willing to embrace an evil that once nearly shattered reality, Magister Aurelian Titus must be stopped. King Alistair and his allies have traveled to the realm of nightmares to do so, but if the cost of victory is to sacrifice his father, will Alistair be able to pay the price?

The varying levels on this narrative on face value can seem rather tricky to navigate, but thankfully we have a rather simplistic tale that doesn’t waste too much time getting its point across.  Much of the credit for that fact should go to the people behind this adventure, whom decided to group this bunch of misfits together in the first place.

Alexander Freed pens the script and the scribe does an excellent job bridging the world of the game to this literary extension.  From the fist sentence to the final page he uses all the tools in his war chest in order to bring about a convincing finale that ends this chapter while opening the door toward future romps.  A small detriment here is that there’s not much character development to be found in this outing, as action takes over to bring a full-throttle but bitterly satisfying conclusion.

The art by Chad Hardin is at its best in this release, as the weight of the story falls squarely on his shoulders.  With the written word itself taking a bit of a backseat, the pencil strokes seen here take the proverbial harness for this sled ride and the results are quite splendid. Whether he’s illustrating diverse locales or the primary cast of characters this seasoned talent was more than up to the task at hand.

Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #3 is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it’s hugely entertaining.  Whether you’re an ardent follower or just a newcomer to this fantasy realm this is one mini-series you should checkout.  Recommended.

4/5