This is a three-in-one novel collection of The Book of Atrus, The Book of T'iana and The Book of D'Ni. This is one of the incrediby rare times when I would advise people *not* to read a series of books: unless they are serious fans of Myst, Riven, Exile and Revelation games devised by Rand and Ryan Miller.

Most people who have any interest in gaming will have heard of Myst, whether it was something they enjoyed or not. The Miller brothers, having formed a company called Cyan, took the world somewhat by surprise when they released a game called 'Myst' back in 1993. For a Mac user it was a relevation. For someone who loved adventures, logic puzzles and books it was miraculous. I fell under the spell of Myst from that moment.

However, for those who have never heard of, or played, these games this will be essentially meaningless. Not that these fantasy novels are badly written in anyway - simply that without the experience of the game to know the characters it would be a hollow read. That is the only flaw in the books.

In the Book of Atrus you find the backstory of the main character of the original Myst game, Atrus. His upbringing alongside his grandmother, T'iana, and later with his father, Gehn. This book describes how Atrus came to be irreconcilibly estranged from his father, how he met his wife, Catherine, and why Myst Island was created.

The second book in the series, The Book of T'iana, is a prequel to events in The Book of Atrus. This describes the unexpected arrival of an outsider into the hidden kingdom of the D'Ni and the cataclysm that unfolds from within D'Ni amd insights to the culture and history.

The last novel of this collection is called The Book of D'Ni, in which Atrus and Catherine work together with others, and the dramatic story that follows from what they stumble across by accident.

As these descriptions lack detail I feel that I should say that it is simply that I would not want to ruin these stories for anyone. There are those who may come across these games for the first time and be drawn in as I was. To read these novels makes the whole experience last longer, be deeper, if you care for the characters of the game. A final few words - if you have read anywhere that these books help as some kind of guide to playing the games it is completely untrue. These are not hints or walkthroughs but fully-fledged fantasy novels that were developed and written by David Wingrove. ( )