EXCLUSIVE: Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion Excerpt, Narrated by Neil Newbon Himself
IGN has published an exclusive excerpt from Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, a prequel novel by author T. Kingfisher that explores the backstory of the popular video game’s vampire companion character. The novel follows Astarion during his years of servitude to the vampire lord Cazador Szarr, expanding on the lore hinted at in Larian’s 2023 role-playing game.
To ensure narrative authenticity, T. Kingfisher consulted with Stephen Rooney, one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s senior writers. The audiobook adaptation is narrated by Neil Newbon, the actor who provided the voice and motion capture performance for Astarion in the game. IGN’s coverage includes photographs of Newbon recording the audiobook in a professional studio.
According to Kingfisher, the excerpt represents one of the opening scenes written for the novel, part of the author’s initial worldbuilding process to establish the geography and setting of the story. The novel represents part of Baldur’s Gate 3’s expanding transmedia universe, following the game’s critical and commercial success.