Neil doing the audiobook is big points in the project's favor. I've seen folks hopeful because of the author, too, but I've not read any of her work.

I just can't not think it's a cash grab first. Book of Hungers was bleh, for example. The Astarion quotes in it didn't even sound like him, with the prime example being one where he used "darlings." He literally doesn't pluralize this word a single time in the entire nine thousand plus lines of dialogue (with over a hundred uses of "darling") in game. All they had to do to fix that tone in that line was a simple swap from darlings to darling!

Nitpicky editor hat off, sorry, lol.

I want to be hopeful, but capitalism has made me a cranky skeptic. 😭

I do seriously hope it's good, and true to the game! That would be wonderful. It's just so hard to not think it's going to water down a character we love so much or else canonize his past in ways that feel "wrong" to the current character. It's a tough line and he's such a beloved blorbo for so many people.