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cool_trek1's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If you're a fan of the game, you'll like it
If you're not, you won't be invested enough to finish it most likely. The concepts are interesting, the climax of the second book is superb, but the overall storyline needs less in some places and more in others.
If you're not, you won't be invested enough to finish it most likely. The concepts are interesting, the climax of the second book is superb, but the overall storyline needs less in some places and more in others.
zeezeemama11's review
5.0
Please read this, Rand Miller did a wonderful job . Captivating from the first pages. Scenery descriptions to die for. I consider it to be a sci-fi fantasy classic on par with tolkien. (on par with - plot has nothing to do with tolkiens works) Yes, I mean classic, with such memorable characters and dramatic twists and intrigues how could it not be. Every detail was covered when writing this book, please i beg you take the time and read this. You will not regret it.
welther47's review
4.0
Amazing looking book and I wish it was bound instead of just glued.
It is well written and interesting. If you know the myst game (or watch video reviews of the series) then all you need to know is that it captures the sense of wonder of the games, just without the puzzles.
It is well written and interesting. If you know the myst game (or watch video reviews of the series) then all you need to know is that it captures the sense of wonder of the games, just without the puzzles.
welther's review
4.0
Amazing looking book and I wish it was bound instead of just glued.
It is well written and interesting. If you know the myst game (or watch video reviews of the series) then all you need to know is that it captures the sense of wonder of the games, just without the puzzles.
It is well written and interesting. If you know the myst game (or watch video reviews of the series) then all you need to know is that it captures the sense of wonder of the games, just without the puzzles.
somesuchlike's review
4.0
So here's a fun story: I actually ordered this book by mistake, having got it confused with From Myst to Riven. I was more than a little thrown when this brick arrived instead...
It took me a while to get through the whole trilogy - mainly because the second installment dragged to hell and back - and having finally finished it, I am glad I read it. Though I would still rather have got From Myst to Riven.
The Book of Atrus: Definitely my favourite of the three, it's the story of Atrus's childhood, his adolescence, and the events that led him to write the Age of Myst. It's full of great backstory for the games, with some history for the D'ni and an especially vital backstory for Gehn and the Age of Riven. But it's also a pretty decent fantasy novel in its own right, with a strikingly unconventional hero in Atrus, intellectual, studious non-action guy.
The Book of Ti'ana: And conversely my least favourite. The Book of Ti'ana is largely an expansion of the backstory alluded to in The Book of Atrus: how Anna became the first human to visit D'ni and inadvertently caused its destruction. I appreciate knowing more about D'ni and it's fall, but I really can't help but think it might have been better to retain an air of mystery. As horrific as the fall of D'ni is, nothing could quite match up to the picture painted in The Book of Atrus.
I also kind of expected, based on the title, that it would be about Anna/Ti'ana, who was one of the strongest and most vivid characters in The Book of Atrus. But it's really the story of Aitrus, her husband, and I wonder if her name is in the title mainly to prevent repetition.
The Book of D'ni: I have very mixed feelings about this book. There are some sections, mostly early in the book, which do a great job of replicating how it feels to play a Myst game. But then they reach Terahnee and it becomes something else entirely.
The Terahnee section of the novel - which is most of the novel - troubles me on a number of levels. The D'ni characters gradually become redundant in their own novel. It descends into high fantasy-esque wars and battles which don't really fit in a Myst novel and which Miller does not handle very well. The ending is rushed. And the treatment of slavery is at best hit and miss, at worst uncomfortable. The imagery has a lurid quality that honestly shocked me - though, given that I was spoiled for the twist, I don't know what I was expecting.
All in all, I'd say: if you're a Myst fan, it's definitely worth giving the Book of Atrus a read. The rest I could take or leave.
It took me a while to get through the whole trilogy - mainly because the second installment dragged to hell and back - and having finally finished it, I am glad I read it. Though I would still rather have got From Myst to Riven.
The Book of Atrus: Definitely my favourite of the three, it's the story of Atrus's childhood, his adolescence, and the events that led him to write the Age of Myst. It's full of great backstory for the games, with some history for the D'ni and an especially vital backstory for Gehn and the Age of Riven. But it's also a pretty decent fantasy novel in its own right, with a strikingly unconventional hero in Atrus, intellectual, studious non-action guy.
The Book of Ti'ana: And conversely my least favourite. The Book of Ti'ana is largely an expansion of the backstory alluded to in The Book of Atrus: how Anna became the first human to visit D'ni and inadvertently caused its destruction. I appreciate knowing more about D'ni and it's fall, but I really can't help but think it might have been better to retain an air of mystery. As horrific as the fall of D'ni is, nothing could quite match up to the picture painted in The Book of Atrus.
I also kind of expected, based on the title, that it would be about Anna/Ti'ana, who was one of the strongest and most vivid characters in The Book of Atrus. But it's really the story of Aitrus, her husband, and I wonder if her name is in the title mainly to prevent repetition.
The Book of D'ni: I have very mixed feelings about this book. There are some sections, mostly early in the book, which do a great job of replicating how it feels to play a Myst game. But then they reach Terahnee and it becomes something else entirely.
The Terahnee section of the novel - which is most of the novel - troubles me on a number of levels. The D'ni characters gradually become redundant in their own novel. It descends into high fantasy-esque wars and battles which don't really fit in a Myst novel and which Miller does not handle very well. The ending is rushed. And the treatment of slavery is at best hit and miss, at worst uncomfortable. The imagery has a lurid quality that honestly shocked me - though, given that I was spoiled for the twist, I don't know what I was expecting.
All in all, I'd say: if you're a Myst fan, it's definitely worth giving the Book of Atrus a read. The rest I could take or leave.
gwentolios's review
3.0
I never actually played the Myst games. I owned a PC version, but could never figure out how to work out the first puzzle. And I don't mean solve, but actually work. No matter what buttons I pressed or image I clicked, nothing happened. :/
But I know people speak highly of world, and I'd been eyeing individual books in the series for awhile. Getting the trilogy just made sense.
D'ni certainly is an intense world, full of history and great characters. I'm rather envious of the ability to Write, though I'm totally happy I live under the sun instead of under rock.
I had the same problem with each of the books though, they were very slow going. For the first book, I wasn't really connected to the story until it was almost over. And for the second, until half way through. The third captured my attention sooner, about a 1/3 of the way in. While most of the characters are the same or at least related, it took me that long to settle into the writing and absorb their stories.
The books are greatly crafted, excelent visiual detail in the words and the illustrations help a lot. But this is a book I had to remind myself to read, and I started and finished several other books between the first and last page.
But I know people speak highly of world, and I'd been eyeing individual books in the series for awhile. Getting the trilogy just made sense.
D'ni certainly is an intense world, full of history and great characters. I'm rather envious of the ability to Write, though I'm totally happy I live under the sun instead of under rock.
I had the same problem with each of the books though, they were very slow going. For the first book, I wasn't really connected to the story until it was almost over. And for the second, until half way through. The third captured my attention sooner, about a 1/3 of the way in. While most of the characters are the same or at least related, it took me that long to settle into the writing and absorb their stories.
The books are greatly crafted, excelent visiual detail in the words and the illustrations help a lot. But this is a book I had to remind myself to read, and I started and finished several other books between the first and last page.
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