A New Shelf of Baldur’s Gate 3 Books
Penguin Random House has announced a fresh line of Baldur’s Gate 3 books, expanding Larian’s hit RPG beyond the screen and into print. This first wave includes four very different titles: a lore-heavy Astarion prequel novel, a Necromancy of Thay–themed notebook, an official coloring book, and a Baldur’s Gate cookbook. Taken together, they signal the start of a broader publishing program, with more Baldur’s Gate 3 fiction and non-fiction already planned. Each project taps into a different way fans enjoy the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The notebook recreates one of the game’s most notorious magical tomes as a tactile object, the coloring book invites players to reimagine characters and locations in their own palette, and the cookbook turns in-game camp scenes into real-world food. It’s a clear acknowledgement that Baldur’s Gate 3’s appeal now stretches well beyond traditional gaming circles.
The Astarion Prequel Novel: Dark Origins for a Fan Favorite
The centerpiece of this line-up is Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, a prequel novel following the high elf rogue during his years of servitude under the vampire lord Cazador Szarr. Written by T. Kingfisher, the New York Times–bestselling author behind horror tales like What Moves the Dead and twisted fairytales such as Thornhedge, the book promises a dark, tragic dive into Astarion’s past. Baldur’s Gate 3 senior writer Stephen Rooney consulted on the story to ensure it fits cleanly into existing lore, and Neil Newbon, Astarion’s acclaimed voice actor, will narrate the audiobook. For readers familiar with T. Kingfisher fantasy and horror, this pairing makes immediate sense. Her work frequently tackles themes of abuse, trauma, and autonomy—exactly the emotional terrain Astarion’s story demands. The result should feel less like a disposable game tie-in novel and more like a character-driven gothic tragedy that just happens to be set in the Forgotten Realms.
Why Astarion’s Story Works So Well in Book Form
Astarion’s popularity in Baldur’s Gate 3 has already spawned an enormous amount of fanfiction and meta-discussion, so an official Astarion prequel novel feels like a natural evolution. Tie-in fiction can deepen attachment to game characters by filling in the emotional and narrative gaps that interactive storytelling sometimes leaves open. In Astarion’s case, the game gives players glimpses of his brutal history under Cazador; the novel promises to turn those fragments into a continuous, lived-through narrative. Books offer the interiority that even the most cinematic RPG struggles to match. Readers can linger inside Astarion’s thoughts, see his coping mechanisms develop, and understand how his trauma shapes the rakish, sarcastic companion encountered in the game. With input from Baldur’s Gate 3’s own writers and a seasoned novelist at the helm, this Astarion prequel novel is positioned to feel canonically grounded while still exploring emotional territory too slow-burn or intimate for a playthrough.
Beyond the Novel: Notebooks, Coloring Books, and Cookbooks
The rest of the Baldur’s Gate 3 books line-up cleverly leans into different styles of fandom. The Necromancy of Thay notebook reproduces a notorious in-game magic item as a physical object, complete with embossed skull, foil stamping, and illustrated clasps. It’s designed as a usable grid-paper notebook, but also as a prop-like artifact for tabletop sessions or journaling. The official coloring book offers 40 line drawings of characters, creatures, and locations, all illustrated by Jaki King, known for the webcomic Ladykillers. Meanwhile, A Feast for a Tenday: The Official Baldur’s Gate Cookbook collects 65 recipes organized by course and camp location, bolstered by illustrations and food photography. Written by Andrew Wheeler, a longtime contributor to Dungeons and Dragons books, it connects the game’s campfire culture to real-world kitchens. Together, these projects show how game tie-in novels and companion books can transform a digital fantasy into a multi-sensory, offline hobby.
Can Non-Gamers Start with the Books?
For readers who haven’t touched a controller, the big question is whether these Baldur’s Gate 3 books stand alone. The Astarion prequel novel is an especially good entry point because it’s explicitly set before the game, following a single character’s life under a cruel master rather than assuming knowledge of party dynamics or plot twists. With a character-focused storyteller like T. Kingfisher, the book should read as dark fantasy about captivity, survival, and autonomy first, and as a game tie-in novel second. The other titles are more overtly for existing fans, but they don’t require mechanical knowledge of the RPG. The notebook works as an atmospheric journal, the coloring book as fantasy art therapy, and the cookbook as a themed recipe collection. For anyone curious about Dungeons and Dragons books but wary of dense rulebooks, this line offers narrative, visual, and culinary ways into the world without demanding prior playtime.