Needless to say after finishing "The Book of Atrus" I had fairly high expectations for this series going forward. At the end of "The Book of Atrus" we think the story is going to continue forward from that point, but there is a major story that has not been told yet. The fall of D'ni. This tale is frequently alluded to in the game and the prior book. In fact most of the prior book is trying to rework what was lost during the fall of the D'ni Empire.

Journey with us to a long ago time when Atrus' grandmother was a lot younger and originally known as just Ana. Unlike the other Myst stories so far, this book deals on the level of an entire society. Most areas in Myst that we've visited have been fairly desolate and uninhabited, except for one section in "Riven", but we never interacted with the native population. Well in this book you get to see the height of the D'ni Empire. This story is actually pretty epic in scope and it starts during a time when D'ni was expanding their empire. They knew they were underground and politically there were some people pushing for a way to the surface of the world they were on. You get really involved in all of this political intrigue and that's what makes the book really exciting. I must point out here that as a reader I typically don't enjoy this type of thing and I go more for the action or mystery based types of books. "The Book of Ti'ana" has the perfect blend of political intrigue and mystery as far as I'm concerned.

So the book starts off with the digging teams working their way to the surface and this is where Aitrus (Atrus' grandfather) is introduced into the story. Something happens and the political winds change and the project is put to a halt. At this point you're brought further into the D'ni culture and Aitrus' background story. The D'ni culture is so fascinating that I honestly couldn't stop reading the book. However, going in tandem to this world underground is also a surface world where Ana and her father survey the land areas that haven't been used yet. The surface culture is also on the expanse and often Ana and her father are commissioned to go and explore.

Honestly, I can see how some people would think the book is sort of dry at first because there isn't that much intrigue and it is more based on character development. Such as the introducing of Aitrus' powerful friend Viovus and so on. He becomes a very integral part of the story in the future, but at the beginning you don't know that, nor do you suspect anything... but that is the whole point! One day everything changes in the D'ni society when Ana shows up in their world. Not only that but she can learn language and the D'ni society was haughty enough to think they were the only culture on this world possible for such words and technology. Granted the D'ni technology far exceeded that of Ana's knowledge, but her ability to learn astounded them.

I don't want to give too much away, but that's just a taste for what you can expect to see in this astounding novel. Eventually the story turns into a sort of fate styled meeting for two lovers, Aitrus and Ti'ana (the "ti" was added onto her name in D'ni). They are simply destined to be together. However, this is also the tragic tale of a lost friendship which eventually leads to the fall of an entire empire. In the end it's a rather sad tale, but an incredible background story of Atrus' forefathers and why his father Gehn was so obsessed with D'ni. Let's just say, I now know why he was so captivated with that world.

I simply can't recommend these books to people enough. They're simply shocking! Of all the video game based books I have read, these are probably the best in my collection. They are superbly written and they literally bring you into another world, just like the video game series can do! They are made in the spirit of Myst with small drawings and notations about what is being described in the book, so it has a bit of a journal feel just like we get in the game! I've actually read these books twice now and that's the first time I've ever done that with a book, that's how good these novels actually are. ( )

Though technically the second book of the series, The Book of Ti'ana is a prequel to The Book of Atrus.

I originally read Book of Ti'ana shortly after I finished the Book of Atrus. Again, this was back in the heyday of the Myst PC games in the 1990s. Rereading Book of Ti'ana now, some 20+ years later, my opinion of it has not drastically changed. Plotwise, the story follows the character Anna (Ti'ana) a human who stumbles upon the underground civilization of D'ni. Her actions set in motion a series of events that challenges several prominent D'ni members, tears apart friendships, and threatens to upend the D'ni culture itself.

Stylistically, the writing is the same as the previous book. There's a lot of descriptions of the scenery and the characterization is somewhat uninspired. I wouldn't call the plot or characters amazing, but the writing is clearly aimed at a young adult/middle schooler audience.

That being said, I will say that the story is more epic and better paced than the Book of Atrus. In spite of being longer, I found myself reading through it much quicker. Many have said that this book is the best of the series. We'll see if I agree after I finish the next book, The Book of D'ni. ( )

Was good enough I would like to read the other two. ( )

I was kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I had been meaning to read it ever since I read the book of Atrius a year or so ago, but only got around to it after watching Dilandau3000's lets plays (highly recommended)to refresh my memory on the first 4 games before finally getting to the fifth.

It would have been nice if this book had been a bit more journal like and less novel like, but such is life I suppose. I guess we all have our alternative realities which we pine after, and in many ways that is what the D'ni are for me. They certainly were not perfect, but that doesn't mean they can't be inspiring. ( )

this is a book I wouldn't have read without having tried to play the game. I'm not a fan. ( )