What do you think?
Rate this book
Myst #2
The Book of Ti'ana
Ti'ana, known among humans as Anna, is the first woman from the outside worldto enter the domain of D'ni. This is her story of trust and betrayal, and herstruggle against the evil schemes of Veovis, the architect of the destructionof D'ni, and all that she loves.
577 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Rand Miller
11 books122 followersRand Miller (born January 17, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) co-founded Cyan (now Cyan Worlds) with brother Robyn Miller and became famous from the unexpected success of their computer game Myst, which remained the number one-selling game for the remainder of the 1990s. Rand also worked on the game's sequel, Riven, and later Myst III: Exile, Myst IV: Revelation, Myst V: End of Ages, realMyst, and Uru. The brothers also acted out parts in the game, with Robyn as Sirrus and Rand as Achenar and Atrus.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
September 10, 2023
The Fall of D’ni.
There’s a type of writing that enables travelling between different worlds. The possibilities, infinite. Amazingly beautiful worlds, decadent ruined ones, and even worlds that defy the impossible.
This is the story of Ti'ana, grandmother of Atrus, and first woman outsider to ever enter D’ni. Her encounter with Aitrus, father of Ghen, and the antagonism with Veovis and A'Gaeris, which eventually led to the destruction of the whole D’ni civilization.
Loved young intrepid Ti'ana, adventuress of the unknown, and her slowly unfolding relationship with Aitrus; a good enemies-to-lovers always gets my motor running. The friendship/enmity between Aitrus and Veovis was believable and excellently portrayed, and the introduction of the devious A'Gaeris was masterful. The slow chain of events that culminated with the destruction of the D’ni civilization was very well executed and amazingly captivating.
This book was a perfect novelization. Unputdownable. The second book in the series, but can be chronologically read as the first, since it works as a prequel to The Book of Atrus. This was absolutely absorbing and riveting. The best book of the series by far. Highly Recommendable, for the right audience.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1996] [577p] [Fantasy] [Highly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ 1. The Book of Atrus
★★★★★ 2. The Book of Ti'ana
★★★★☆ 3. The Book of D'ni [3.5]
-----------------------------------------------
La caída de D’ni.
Hay un tipo de escritura que permite viajar entre diferentes mundos. Las posibilidades, infinitas. Mundos asombrosamente hermosos, otros decadentes y en ruinas, y hasta mundos que desafían lo imposible.
Esta es la historia de Ti'ana, abuela de Atrus, y la primera mujer extranjera en visitar D’ni. Su encuentro con Aitrus, padre de Ghen, y el antagonismo con Veovis y A'Gaeris, el cual eventualmente llevó a la destrucción de toda la civilización D’ni.
Amé la joven intrépida Ti'ana, aventurera de lo desconocido, y el lento desarrollo de la relación con Aitrus; un buen enemigos-a-amantes siempre hace arrancar mi motor. La amistad/enemistad entre Aitrus y Veovis fue muy creíble y excelentemente retratada, y la introducción del traicionero A'Gaeris fue magistral. La lenta cadena de eventos que culminó con la destrucción de toda la civilización D’ni fue muy bien ejecutada y maravillosamente cautivante.
Este libro fue una perfecta novelización. Imposible dejar de leer. El segundo libro de la serie, pero que puede leerse cronológicamente como el primero, ya que funciona como precuela a El Libro de Atrus. Esto fue absolutamente absorbente y vivido. El mejor libro de la serie por lejos. Altamente Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1996] [577p] [Fantasía] [Altamente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
There’s a type of writing that enables travelling between different worlds. The possibilities, infinite. Amazingly beautiful worlds, decadent ruined ones, and even worlds that defy the impossible.
This is the story of Ti'ana, grandmother of Atrus, and first woman outsider to ever enter D’ni. Her encounter with Aitrus, father of Ghen, and the antagonism with Veovis and A'Gaeris, which eventually led to the destruction of the whole D’ni civilization.
Loved young intrepid Ti'ana, adventuress of the unknown, and her slowly unfolding relationship with Aitrus; a good enemies-to-lovers always gets my motor running. The friendship/enmity between Aitrus and Veovis was believable and excellently portrayed, and the introduction of the devious A'Gaeris was masterful. The slow chain of events that culminated with the destruction of the D’ni civilization was very well executed and amazingly captivating.
This book was a perfect novelization. Unputdownable. The second book in the series, but can be chronologically read as the first, since it works as a prequel to The Book of Atrus. This was absolutely absorbing and riveting. The best book of the series by far. Highly Recommendable, for the right audience.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1996] [577p] [Fantasy] [Highly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ 1. The Book of Atrus
★★★★★ 2. The Book of Ti'ana
★★★★☆ 3. The Book of D'ni [3.5]
-----------------------------------------------
La caída de D’ni.
Hay un tipo de escritura que permite viajar entre diferentes mundos. Las posibilidades, infinitas. Mundos asombrosamente hermosos, otros decadentes y en ruinas, y hasta mundos que desafían lo imposible.
Esta es la historia de Ti'ana, abuela de Atrus, y la primera mujer extranjera en visitar D’ni. Su encuentro con Aitrus, padre de Ghen, y el antagonismo con Veovis y A'Gaeris, el cual eventualmente llevó a la destrucción de toda la civilización D’ni.
Amé la joven intrépida Ti'ana, aventurera de lo desconocido, y el lento desarrollo de la relación con Aitrus; un buen enemigos-a-amantes siempre hace arrancar mi motor. La amistad/enemistad entre Aitrus y Veovis fue muy creíble y excelentemente retratada, y la introducción del traicionero A'Gaeris fue magistral. La lenta cadena de eventos que culminó con la destrucción de toda la civilización D’ni fue muy bien ejecutada y maravillosamente cautivante.
Este libro fue una perfecta novelización. Imposible dejar de leer. El segundo libro de la serie, pero que puede leerse cronológicamente como el primero, ya que funciona como precuela a El Libro de Atrus. Esto fue absolutamente absorbente y vivido. El mejor libro de la serie por lejos. Altamente Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1996] [577p] [Fantasía] [Altamente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
October 18, 2016
I really enjoyed the first Myst book and was excited to start this one. My high expectations diminished quickly as I struggled through the first 200 pages of the book where it felt like absolutely nothing happend. However, one thing I learned is that the author is clearly either a geology professor or someone who has a passion for geology; as made evident by the numerous digging/excavating scenes loaded with geological terminology = boring.
I never played the PC game, so there was zero nostalgia to draw upon and give me a chance to recover from the first third of the story with the hopes to salvage an enjoyable experience with this book. My recommendation is to skip the first 200 pages and begin when Anna is captured by the D'ni.
I never played the PC game, so there was zero nostalgia to draw upon and give me a chance to recover from the first third of the story with the hopes to salvage an enjoyable experience with this book. My recommendation is to skip the first 200 pages and begin when Anna is captured by the D'ni.
November 6, 2010
This story takes you back even further than Atrus and his beginnings - to that of Anna - his grandmother. It starts as her father dies and leaves her in the desert at the end of their geological survey. Its there she discovers the lava tube tunnels that leads to her greatest discovery that alters her life forever.
This is a sad story for it covers the fall of D'ni as we know was thrown into ruins. You can feel the loss under your skin as you watch it take place. I think this one is the most powerful story of the three.
This is a sad story for it covers the fall of D'ni as we know was thrown into ruins. You can feel the loss under your skin as you watch it take place. I think this one is the most powerful story of the three.
May 26, 2024
El primero de la trilogía si lo considero para todos los públicos pero este no es para nadie que no sea un poco fan del universo de Myst.
Toda la primera parte es un poco suplicio, esa es solo para leer si además de fan de Myst eres también muy fan de la geología.
Cuando entra Anna en escena ya todo mejora.
Este libro nos cuenta la historia (contada por encima en el primer libro) de cómo Anna encuentra a la milenaria civilización D'ni, como es aceptada en ella y como se la carga y mueren todos.
No nos confundamos, Anna es lo más, pobre, cosas que pasan.
Me pongo con el tercero del tirón porque sé que si no me va a dar una pereza terrible.
Me pondría más intensa hablando de por qué no me han gustado ciertas cosas pero el público objetivo de este libro es tan pequeñito que no tiene mucho sentido, además, si has llegado a él es porque, aunque tenga varios defectos tanto de escritura como narrativos, te lo vas a leer y te va a gustar.
Toda la primera parte es un poco suplicio, esa es solo para leer si además de fan de Myst eres también muy fan de la geología.
Cuando entra Anna en escena ya todo mejora.
Este libro nos cuenta la historia (contada por encima en el primer libro) de cómo Anna encuentra a la milenaria civilización D'ni, como es aceptada en ella y como se la carga y mueren todos.
No nos confundamos, Anna es lo más, pobre, cosas que pasan.
Me pongo con el tercero del tirón porque sé que si no me va a dar una pereza terrible.
Me pondría más intensa hablando de por qué no me han gustado ciertas cosas pero el público objetivo de este libro es tan pequeñito que no tiene mucho sentido, además, si has llegado a él es porque, aunque tenga varios defectos tanto de escritura como narrativos, te lo vas a leer y te va a gustar.
August 15, 2011
Part of my favorite trilogy of all time. These books are as beautifully written as the games are made. The D'ni have rich culture and beautiful worlds to explore. Even though this was book two, I read it first unknowingly and I was glad I did. Chronologically, this is the first story.
May 17, 2019
What a depressing book!!! I’ve read it before, so I remembered how it ended, but I was still not ready for just how gloomy it was.
First off - the beginning was dry as the Sahara. Literally, the people of D’Ni spend pages and pages tunneling almost to the surface, and before they reach it, they have all kinds of meetings about whether or not to reach out to the people living above ground (ie, humans). It was so clinical - like reading a geological textbook, interwoven with minutes from a town hall meeting. A really boring, never ending town hall meeting. When Anna showed up, it got better, but the beginning did not hold my attention at all.
Second - the friendship turned to enemies between Veovis and Aitrus. WHERE DID THE CONFLICT COME FROM??? Or the friendship, for that matter???? While he is a student, Veovis sends Aitrus some special excavating equipment because...why????? He knew Aitrus vaguely from school or something and didn’t like him, so why did he buy him expensive gifts??? Suddenly, they’re bffs, but Veovis turns into a jerk and that’s the end of that. He was so wishywashy. He was against Anna, but then brings her a cuddly animal for a pet and seemed to be befriending her, but it turned out he hated her??? I don’t know - it wasn’t clear to me. And A’Gaeris. Ugh. You find out he’s a master forger who can copy anyone’s signature - and both Aitrus and Veovis see suspicious documents written in the other’s handwriting and each just automatically assumes the other is guilty. They don’t confront each other, or talk at all. Veovis just starts to rage, and Aitrus seems all too quick to believe his best friend guilty. Neither one of them (or anyone else for that matter) suspects the angry, awful guy who happens to be forger and got thrown out of D’Ni, and who now has an axe to grind. They just automatically suspect each other, and that’s the end of their friendship. Though their friendship came out of pretty much nowhere, so I guess it’s fitting that them becoming enemies came out of nowhere too.
The master plan - poisoning D’Ni and bringing the dead (but still infected) bodies to the other Ages to contaminate them - was definitely chilling, but way too depressing for my liking.
(Spoiler alert - literally everyone dies, except for Anna and Ghen.)
Anyway, the one bright spot in this dark, depressing book was Aitrus. I loved him the first time I read it, and I liked him this time around. His sacrifice at the end was so sad. Even when I knew it was coming, I was still not prepared!
First off - the beginning was dry as the Sahara. Literally, the people of D’Ni spend pages and pages tunneling almost to the surface, and before they reach it, they have all kinds of meetings about whether or not to reach out to the people living above ground (ie, humans). It was so clinical - like reading a geological textbook, interwoven with minutes from a town hall meeting. A really boring, never ending town hall meeting. When Anna showed up, it got better, but the beginning did not hold my attention at all.
Second - the friendship turned to enemies between Veovis and Aitrus. WHERE DID THE CONFLICT COME FROM??? Or the friendship, for that matter???? While he is a student, Veovis sends Aitrus some special excavating equipment because...why????? He knew Aitrus vaguely from school or something and didn’t like him, so why did he buy him expensive gifts??? Suddenly, they’re bffs, but Veovis turns into a jerk and that’s the end of that. He was so wishywashy. He was against Anna, but then brings her a cuddly animal for a pet and seemed to be befriending her, but it turned out he hated her??? I don’t know - it wasn’t clear to me. And A’Gaeris. Ugh. You find out he’s a master forger who can copy anyone’s signature - and both Aitrus and Veovis see suspicious documents written in the other’s handwriting and each just automatically assumes the other is guilty. They don’t confront each other, or talk at all. Veovis just starts to rage, and Aitrus seems all too quick to believe his best friend guilty. Neither one of them (or anyone else for that matter) suspects the angry, awful guy who happens to be forger and got thrown out of D’Ni, and who now has an axe to grind. They just automatically suspect each other, and that’s the end of their friendship. Though their friendship came out of pretty much nowhere, so I guess it’s fitting that them becoming enemies came out of nowhere too.
The master plan - poisoning D’Ni and bringing the dead (but still infected) bodies to the other Ages to contaminate them - was definitely chilling, but way too depressing for my liking.
(Spoiler alert - literally everyone dies, except for Anna and Ghen.)
Anyway, the one bright spot in this dark, depressing book was Aitrus. I loved him the first time I read it, and I liked him this time around. His sacrifice at the end was so sad. Even when I knew it was coming, I was still not prepared!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2011
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.
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.
June 1, 2009
Myst The Book of Ti'ana by Rand Miller is a definite improvement over The Book of Atrus.
Internally, the events in this book happen before the events in The Book of Atrus. If that book provides of taste of Myst, this book is more of a meal.
This book reads like a novel. I know that may be an odd thing to say, but the first book didn't. The characters are more developed, with strengths, weaknesses, and inner conflicts.
The origins of the D'Ni are still a mystery, as is the source of their power and knowledge. But this book is less about how the D'Ni came to occupy the inside of Earth and more about their "first contact" with a surface dweller of Earth. It also fills in the backdrop of the first book.
Internally, the events in this book happen before the events in The Book of Atrus. If that book provides of taste of Myst, this book is more of a meal.
This book reads like a novel. I know that may be an odd thing to say, but the first book didn't. The characters are more developed, with strengths, weaknesses, and inner conflicts.
The origins of the D'Ni are still a mystery, as is the source of their power and knowledge. But this book is less about how the D'Ni came to occupy the inside of Earth and more about their "first contact" with a surface dweller of Earth. It also fills in the backdrop of the first book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2019
It's the most beautiful, most tragic story about the end of a great empire, and most of all a great culture: The D'ni.
The way the characters work and develop, the way they interact, it is very convincing and touching. It's fascinating, because I find it very hard to imagine there is one man behind this who is capable to see so clearly through all those different eyes, these different characteristics and perspectives, which form the great dynamic of this book - but it never turns chaotic. The plot and all the pieces of the book are beautifully synchronized and run as smooth as clock-work.
The most convincing part, I'd say, is that I really feel the loss. I deeply wish the D'ni could have survived. But I know there is a third book. Though the D'ni will never again be as they were, I know that the story is not at an end. The culture may be gone, but their soul survived.
The way the characters work and develop, the way they interact, it is very convincing and touching. It's fascinating, because I find it very hard to imagine there is one man behind this who is capable to see so clearly through all those different eyes, these different characteristics and perspectives, which form the great dynamic of this book - but it never turns chaotic. The plot and all the pieces of the book are beautifully synchronized and run as smooth as clock-work.
The most convincing part, I'd say, is that I really feel the loss. I deeply wish the D'ni could have survived. But I know there is a third book. Though the D'ni will never again be as they were, I know that the story is not at an end. The culture may be gone, but their soul survived.
October 22, 2014
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes!!!! Yes, yes, and yes! It’s gorgeous! It’s mysterious! It’s just absolutely wonderful! They simply don’t do cover art like this anymore.
Characters: I’m saying this right off: If The Book of Ti’ana ever gets turned into a movie, Tom Hiddleston has to play Veovis. A lord’s son who commands the respect of the elder councilors, who always gets what he wants, and who is a good friend when he has an invested interest in being your friend. But also more than a little eaten up with D’Ni arrogance, which eventually leads to an overwhelming hatred for his best friend (who has, in Veovis’s eyes, betrayed and polluted the D’Ni people and D’Ni ways) and turns him into something of an anti-hero. Yes, I like Veovis. I would feel a whole sorrier for him if it weren’t for his arrogance. But he also wouldn’t be Veovis without it. A’Gaeris, the real villain of the story, is the sort of conniving, twisted, and slimy little creep that I love to hate. He can turn best friends against each other, while pretending to be their ally. And now that I have talked about the villains (because the villains are always the backbone of a Myst story), I will talk about the “heroes.” Aitrus is a quiet, curious, very honorable, and intelligent protagonist – so much so that it is, naturally, difficult to dislike him in any way. He and Veovis are such opposites that it’s a wonder they ever became friends. Veovis is comfortable among politicians, believes in sacrificing everything to keep D’Ni ways and D’Ni blood pure. Aitrus just wants to be left to his experiments and notebooks, hates dealing with politics, and does what he thinks is right – even if it means changing how D’Ni is. Anna/Ti’ana (her D’Ni name) is much like Aitrus in her inquisitiveness and delight in exploration. But she’s much more open about her emotions and feelings. Among these four key characters is a host of D’Ni lords and commoners – whose names, yes, start to blend together a bit.
The Romance: Aitrus and Anna fall in love and eventually marry, which is what officially drives a wedge between Aitrus and Veovis. While it doesn’t feel like it, several years actually pass in the book, and through those years, Aitrus and Anna get to know each other. It’s so nice to read about a mature, realistic romantic relationship! Initially, Readers might bulk at the age difference between Anna and Aitrus. But one has to recall that the D’Ni live much longer than surface-dwellers (like Anna), so fifty is the equivalent of eighteen. Ages aren’t referenced often, though, so it’s easy to forget that one must wrap one’s mind around this concept. The romance is a key factor to the storyline, but it isn’t overwhelming, and it’s realistic and genuine.
Plot: The Book of Ti’ana takes Readers to the underground world of D’Ni – an ancient civilization with a rich history totally unknown to surface-dwellers. The D’Ni have always been an exploratory civilization, their empire and knowledge expanding to hundreds of worlds – worlds that they are able to travel to by using Linking Books. But now they want to know what’s on the surface of their own planet, and so they construct a massive shaft straight up. Aitrus is part of the Surveyors Guild, and he most of all cannot wait to explore the surface. But the D’Ni lords are worried about the influences of surface-dwellers on their ancient civilization. What if the surface-dwellers are hostile and try to invade D’Ni? Before the dream of seeing the surface can even be realized, the project is shut down. Years later, though, Anna finds a volcanic tunnel down into D’Ni. Her arrival heralds the beginning of a new age for D’Ni – and it’s destruction. Anna is not what the D’Ni expected, and when Aitrus marries her, his best friend Veovis will stop at nothing to end the pollution of Anna’s influence on D’Ni civilization. Even if it means betraying his entire race. Okay, I am going to confess: I am a really big Myst fan. Riven was the first computer game I played, and it was my official introduction into this captivating world. So, I may be more than a little biased. This isn’t the first time I’ve read The Book of Ti’ana, but it has been several years and I did my best to look at it with both a critical eye and as a fan coming back after many, many years. Chronologically, The Book of Ti’ana is the first book in the trilogy. However, it was the second book to be published. Because of this, The Book of Ti’ana may be confusing to Readers who don’t know anything about Myst. There are many world building details that are left out because they were covered in The Book of Atrus (Book #2 chronologically; the first book to be published). But because I am familiar with the world, I didn’t need those world-building details. That said, the world of D’Ni is amazing. The technology is superior, but it isn’t all futuristic and techy. The writers have taken the classic charm of the Victorian era and applied it, so you get a more Neo-Victorian/steampunk feel rather than a futuristic alien feel. As a fan of the Victorian era, I loved it. And a civilization that prizes above all books and writing?! Yes, please! The plot of The Book of Ti’ana does read more like a backstory, since it was published second, than as a first book in a trilogy. It spans several years, but the passage of time feels like days. This causes the plot to have a very quick pace. Before you know it, Anna is descending into D’Ni, and then she’s married Aitrus, and then the conclusion is right on your heels!
Believability: Not very applicable, but as far as science fiction goes, I give the writers props for using plausible scientific laws and mechanics. Some might call the Ink that is used in Linking Books magic, and how it works isn’t explained – not even the D’Ni fully understand the Art – but it is made clear that it isn’t magic, but some unknown science.
Writing Style: Third person, past tense. The writing really isn’t the world’s greatest. There were times when the same word was used several times in one paragraph, and a lot of moment-by-moment details were offered. I love the mechanics of the D’Ni machines, but for someone who isn’t yet a Myst fanatic, all of the details about tunneling could get old. That said, while the writing is very moment-by-moment, it also holds a classic ambiance – especially the dialogue.
Content: None.
Conclusion: I love stories about betrayal and revenge and redemption and the falling of great civilizations. One could argue that it’s rather convenient that Anna and Aitrus are able to find what they need when they need it. And one could argue that Aitrus should have known better than to trust anything A’Gaeris said. Even more so, one could argue that yes, it was all Anna’s fault after all. And maybe that’s what I like about this book so much. Aitrus and Anna both mess up. They trusted the wrong people and they didn’t tell the right ones when they should have. And the book doesn’t try to portray it any other way. It’s a tragedy, and like all tragedies, everything happens because of poor decisions. Aitrus and Anna were trying to do what they thought was right; they just didn’t take the path they should have. The Book of Ti’ana isn’t where Readers new to this world should start. You should read them in publication order, and start with The Book of Atrus, and then read this one. You will be able to appreciate and understand everything in it so much more.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, sixteen-and-up for interest level (even though I loved it even when I was a nine-year-old kid). Fans of Neo-Victorian, steampunk, and science fiction will enjoy it, as well as Readers who like stories propelled by villains.
Characters: I’m saying this right off: If The Book of Ti’ana ever gets turned into a movie, Tom Hiddleston has to play Veovis. A lord’s son who commands the respect of the elder councilors, who always gets what he wants, and who is a good friend when he has an invested interest in being your friend. But also more than a little eaten up with D’Ni arrogance, which eventually leads to an overwhelming hatred for his best friend (who has, in Veovis’s eyes, betrayed and polluted the D’Ni people and D’Ni ways) and turns him into something of an anti-hero. Yes, I like Veovis. I would feel a whole sorrier for him if it weren’t for his arrogance. But he also wouldn’t be Veovis without it. A’Gaeris, the real villain of the story, is the sort of conniving, twisted, and slimy little creep that I love to hate. He can turn best friends against each other, while pretending to be their ally. And now that I have talked about the villains (because the villains are always the backbone of a Myst story), I will talk about the “heroes.” Aitrus is a quiet, curious, very honorable, and intelligent protagonist – so much so that it is, naturally, difficult to dislike him in any way. He and Veovis are such opposites that it’s a wonder they ever became friends. Veovis is comfortable among politicians, believes in sacrificing everything to keep D’Ni ways and D’Ni blood pure. Aitrus just wants to be left to his experiments and notebooks, hates dealing with politics, and does what he thinks is right – even if it means changing how D’Ni is. Anna/Ti’ana (her D’Ni name) is much like Aitrus in her inquisitiveness and delight in exploration. But she’s much more open about her emotions and feelings. Among these four key characters is a host of D’Ni lords and commoners – whose names, yes, start to blend together a bit.
The Romance: Aitrus and Anna fall in love and eventually marry, which is what officially drives a wedge between Aitrus and Veovis. While it doesn’t feel like it, several years actually pass in the book, and through those years, Aitrus and Anna get to know each other. It’s so nice to read about a mature, realistic romantic relationship! Initially, Readers might bulk at the age difference between Anna and Aitrus. But one has to recall that the D’Ni live much longer than surface-dwellers (like Anna), so fifty is the equivalent of eighteen. Ages aren’t referenced often, though, so it’s easy to forget that one must wrap one’s mind around this concept. The romance is a key factor to the storyline, but it isn’t overwhelming, and it’s realistic and genuine.
Plot: The Book of Ti’ana takes Readers to the underground world of D’Ni – an ancient civilization with a rich history totally unknown to surface-dwellers. The D’Ni have always been an exploratory civilization, their empire and knowledge expanding to hundreds of worlds – worlds that they are able to travel to by using Linking Books. But now they want to know what’s on the surface of their own planet, and so they construct a massive shaft straight up. Aitrus is part of the Surveyors Guild, and he most of all cannot wait to explore the surface. But the D’Ni lords are worried about the influences of surface-dwellers on their ancient civilization. What if the surface-dwellers are hostile and try to invade D’Ni? Before the dream of seeing the surface can even be realized, the project is shut down. Years later, though, Anna finds a volcanic tunnel down into D’Ni. Her arrival heralds the beginning of a new age for D’Ni – and it’s destruction. Anna is not what the D’Ni expected, and when Aitrus marries her, his best friend Veovis will stop at nothing to end the pollution of Anna’s influence on D’Ni civilization. Even if it means betraying his entire race. Okay, I am going to confess: I am a really big Myst fan. Riven was the first computer game I played, and it was my official introduction into this captivating world. So, I may be more than a little biased. This isn’t the first time I’ve read The Book of Ti’ana, but it has been several years and I did my best to look at it with both a critical eye and as a fan coming back after many, many years. Chronologically, The Book of Ti’ana is the first book in the trilogy. However, it was the second book to be published. Because of this, The Book of Ti’ana may be confusing to Readers who don’t know anything about Myst. There are many world building details that are left out because they were covered in The Book of Atrus (Book #2 chronologically; the first book to be published). But because I am familiar with the world, I didn’t need those world-building details. That said, the world of D’Ni is amazing. The technology is superior, but it isn’t all futuristic and techy. The writers have taken the classic charm of the Victorian era and applied it, so you get a more Neo-Victorian/steampunk feel rather than a futuristic alien feel. As a fan of the Victorian era, I loved it. And a civilization that prizes above all books and writing?! Yes, please! The plot of The Book of Ti’ana does read more like a backstory, since it was published second, than as a first book in a trilogy. It spans several years, but the passage of time feels like days. This causes the plot to have a very quick pace. Before you know it, Anna is descending into D’Ni, and then she’s married Aitrus, and then the conclusion is right on your heels!
Believability: Not very applicable, but as far as science fiction goes, I give the writers props for using plausible scientific laws and mechanics. Some might call the Ink that is used in Linking Books magic, and how it works isn’t explained – not even the D’Ni fully understand the Art – but it is made clear that it isn’t magic, but some unknown science.
Writing Style: Third person, past tense. The writing really isn’t the world’s greatest. There were times when the same word was used several times in one paragraph, and a lot of moment-by-moment details were offered. I love the mechanics of the D’Ni machines, but for someone who isn’t yet a Myst fanatic, all of the details about tunneling could get old. That said, while the writing is very moment-by-moment, it also holds a classic ambiance – especially the dialogue.
Content: None.
Conclusion: I love stories about betrayal and revenge and redemption and the falling of great civilizations. One could argue that it’s rather convenient that Anna and Aitrus are able to find what they need when they need it. And one could argue that Aitrus should have known better than to trust anything A’Gaeris said. Even more so, one could argue that yes, it was all Anna’s fault after all. And maybe that’s what I like about this book so much. Aitrus and Anna both mess up. They trusted the wrong people and they didn’t tell the right ones when they should have. And the book doesn’t try to portray it any other way. It’s a tragedy, and like all tragedies, everything happens because of poor decisions. Aitrus and Anna were trying to do what they thought was right; they just didn’t take the path they should have. The Book of Ti’ana isn’t where Readers new to this world should start. You should read them in publication order, and start with The Book of Atrus, and then read this one. You will be able to appreciate and understand everything in it so much more.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, sixteen-and-up for interest level (even though I loved it even when I was a nine-year-old kid). Fans of Neo-Victorian, steampunk, and science fiction will enjoy it, as well as Readers who like stories propelled by villains.
March 15, 2020
I'm still working my way through the Myst novels based on the popular computer game series. My latest choice, THE BOOK OF TI'ANA, chronicles one of the most significant events of Myst's pre-game history: the fall of the D'ni, the people who created books that can link readers to other worlds. (This event is hinted at several times during THE BOOK OF ATRUS, which begins about 10 to 15 years after this book ends.) It also tells the story of Anna, the only human to find the realm of D'ni and become accepted as one of them - though not by everyone.
So, yes, THE BOOK OF TI'ANA doesn't have a happy ending. And the writing itself suffers from many of the same issues (especially with pacing and unclear scene transitions) that THE BOOK OF ATRUS had. But the characters are interesting, and the last 50 pages are riveting and horrifying in their depiction of a civilization's devastation and the sacrifices certain characters make to save what's left. I'm not sure how many readers who aren't familiar with the Myst games would be interested in THE BOOK OF TI'ANA. But for anyone who is, this window into the final chapter of the D'ni culture is worth checking out.
So, yes, THE BOOK OF TI'ANA doesn't have a happy ending. And the writing itself suffers from many of the same issues (especially with pacing and unclear scene transitions) that THE BOOK OF ATRUS had. But the characters are interesting, and the last 50 pages are riveting and horrifying in their depiction of a civilization's devastation and the sacrifices certain characters make to save what's left. I'm not sure how many readers who aren't familiar with the Myst games would be interested in THE BOOK OF TI'ANA. But for anyone who is, this window into the final chapter of the D'ni culture is worth checking out.
July 12, 2021
The Book of Ti'ana is the 2nd installment of the (currently) 3 Myst books. In this story we learn more about Ti'ana and Aitrus (Atrus's grandparents) as well as get a more in depth look into the D'ni people and culture. This book more than the others gives us a fuller picture into the history of the D'ni and what their daily lives were like, delving deep into the lore that is the Myst videogame series.
As a HUGE Myst fan myself, this book was amazing! The lore to the Myst series is rich and addicting...you will ALWAYS want to know more! I enjoyed finally learning more about a culture (and certain people) that you only hear tidbits about in the game.
For someone who is reading this without knowing anything about Myst (except for reading the 1st book in the series The Book of Atrus) the book works well! It feeds off of the first book and gives a better in depth picture of characters you learn about there, while also having a great stand alone story. If someone were to pick this book up (even without reading ANYTHING else) it would still be an enjoyable story.
For Myst fans THIS IS A MUST!!! For anyone who loves lore into new worlds and cultures, this is a great book for you (just make sure you know this is book 2 of the series).
As a HUGE Myst fan myself, this book was amazing! The lore to the Myst series is rich and addicting...you will ALWAYS want to know more! I enjoyed finally learning more about a culture (and certain people) that you only hear tidbits about in the game.
For someone who is reading this without knowing anything about Myst (except for reading the 1st book in the series The Book of Atrus) the book works well! It feeds off of the first book and gives a better in depth picture of characters you learn about there, while also having a great stand alone story. If someone were to pick this book up (even without reading ANYTHING else) it would still be an enjoyable story.
For Myst fans THIS IS A MUST!!! For anyone who loves lore into new worlds and cultures, this is a great book for you (just make sure you know this is book 2 of the series).
January 5, 2022
I loved The Book of Atrus. The book of Ti’Ana took a lot longer for me to enjoy it, about 100 pages to be exact, but it did get good in the end.
If you can brave through the first part of the book, you should be able to enjoy the rest of it.
If you can brave through the first part of the book, you should be able to enjoy the rest of it.
March 29, 2019
Czasami lepiej jednak, żeby miłe wspomnienia z dzieciństwa pozostawały wspomnieniami, bo kiedy do nich wracamy, to okazują się nie takie miłe. Opowieść okej, ale nie tak dobra, jak w mojej pamięci.
March 1, 2011
Love, Trouble, and shaken foundations are highlighted in this wonderful book.The web of fantasy and science run deep in the vivid back ground story of the world and civilization of Myst.I chose this book because I've been playing the game since before I could comprehend what the games were about. This book stays true to the intrigue and mind bending puzzles that the games held in high regard. The book of Ti'ana, being a prelude to the following of Artus, paints the background of not only the history of D'ni that was never explained but also holds enough ground to be a stand alone story in itself. We begin the story following Aitrus, the grand-father of our guide through the games, as young man by D'ni standards. As he begins to ascend trough the ranks of his guild and is life becomes more of a D'ni noble's life. But just as things begin to go smoothly for Aitrus, something most unexpected happens.The D'ni, a proud, ancient underground race are breached by an outsider. A human no less. A young frightened girl by the name of Anna is brought before the D'ni high council and locked away for intruding. Anna lead a lonely life on the surface, with only her archaeologist father too keep her company, in the desert above. After the death of her parent she dove into the earth, the last task her father wanted done. After months of learning and observing, Anna adapts to the society and marries Aitrus, an outrageous and un-thought of occurrence. This tips Veovis, a long time friend of Aitrus, inot the slow downfall that leads him to plan the un-thinkable. Aitrus, and Anna, suffer the man vs. society problem, due to the fact that their marriage is the first ever marriage in D'ni history, where both parties were not D'ni. This throws almost the entire city against them, and even long time friends, such as Veovis. The way Rand Miller describes the characters reactions, their feelings, even their image, are as beautiful as the twists and turns that he takes in the story. The backdrops that form from his words, the way he writes electrifies the text and unites everything. The way he jumps from point of view to point of view can get sketchy sometimes, but the overall story makes up for it. The background story and resources that he has from pull from doesn't hurt either. Over all, I recomend this book to anyone who says to themselves," If I had 1 wish, I would what to do that.". The kind of people who get lost trying to imagine what it would be like to live there, be an outsider or just to learn the lore of the D'ni. With strong history, strange books that lead to different worlds and complex plots, the Book of Ti'ana is a must read for any lover of literature.
February 22, 2021
Okay, this book is seriously amazing. I can’t quite capture my feelings about it, but this is an attempt.
Like I said in my first review, I’ve never played the game, and I just picked these books up because they looked awesome. And this one totally lived up to my expectations. It’s a beautifully written and cleverly plotted story.
This is a prequel to The Book of Atrus, telling the story of what happened to D’ni. The plot is mind-bendingly complex but I never found it confusing. The D’ni society is developed into something that feels intensely real, with every layer of development working together to the ultimate epic, tragic conclusion. Anna’s arrival in D’ni truly does set off a cascading chain of events that just gets bigger and bigger until it shakes D’ni to its core—almost literally. This chain of events is fascinating to follow, and plays on all the complexities of a well-developed society. You really feel as if you’re just watching the story play out through a lens into another world. One of my favorite scenes was near the beginning, though, when they punched a hole up into the desert. The description of the machines working and the absolute scale of the endeavor—and the thousands of years of history behind it—gave me chills, and I could hear the epic music playing in the background if it had been a movie scene.
They say a story is only as good as its villain, and this one has a darn good villain. When he makes his appearance, it just gets twistier; he’s incredibly clever, pulling strings from the background and manipulating everyone to his end. There’s a series of scenes that just made me grin reading them—because I understood exactly what he was doing and why it worked so well.
I loved Anna—after seeing an older Anna in the first book, it was interesting to go back and see what made her who she was. She’s smart, clever, and brave, and a perfect match for Aitrus. I could see how both Anna and Aitrus’s personality made their way down to their grandson, Atrus. Every character that appears, even as a side character, is vivid and feels very real.
And the end just had a sad sort of epic-ness to it—the book captures the feeling of how huge the tragedy is, and yet it somehow still ends with a note of hope and heroism, which in my mind is exactly what a fantasy novel should be.
Like I said in my first review, I’ve never played the game, and I just picked these books up because they looked awesome. And this one totally lived up to my expectations. It’s a beautifully written and cleverly plotted story.
This is a prequel to The Book of Atrus, telling the story of what happened to D’ni. The plot is mind-bendingly complex but I never found it confusing. The D’ni society is developed into something that feels intensely real, with every layer of development working together to the ultimate epic, tragic conclusion. Anna’s arrival in D’ni truly does set off a cascading chain of events that just gets bigger and bigger until it shakes D’ni to its core—almost literally. This chain of events is fascinating to follow, and plays on all the complexities of a well-developed society. You really feel as if you’re just watching the story play out through a lens into another world. One of my favorite scenes was near the beginning, though, when they punched a hole up into the desert. The description of the machines working and the absolute scale of the endeavor—and the thousands of years of history behind it—gave me chills, and I could hear the epic music playing in the background if it had been a movie scene.
They say a story is only as good as its villain, and this one has a darn good villain. When he makes his appearance, it just gets twistier; he’s incredibly clever, pulling strings from the background and manipulating everyone to his end. There’s a series of scenes that just made me grin reading them—because I understood exactly what he was doing and why it worked so well.
I loved Anna—after seeing an older Anna in the first book, it was interesting to go back and see what made her who she was. She’s smart, clever, and brave, and a perfect match for Aitrus. I could see how both Anna and Aitrus’s personality made their way down to their grandson, Atrus. Every character that appears, even as a side character, is vivid and feels very real.
And the end just had a sad sort of epic-ness to it—the book captures the feeling of how huge the tragedy is, and yet it somehow still ends with a note of hope and heroism, which in my mind is exactly what a fantasy novel should be.
March 22, 2023
The Book Of Ti’ana is the first in the series chronologically, but is listed as the second book in the series, and it covers the story of Atrus’ grandfather for whom he had been named, Aitrus, and his grandmother, Ti’ana. It also displays D’ni in its full glory before the fall of the civilization as shown in The Book Of Atrus, and so in case you hadn’t already guessed, this book is a tragedy. It’s quite depressing, I assure you, but I would still highly recommend the read if you’ve already read The Book Of Atrus.
[Some spoiling of the first arc follows]:
The story opens with Aitrus, a member of the Guild Of Surveyors, as they are drilling a tunnel up from the depths of D’ni toward the surface world. The opening sections here are on the slow and technical side as much of the methods of the drilling are discussed in detail, but once that hump is cleared, the story picks up pace. Oh, and also just a heads up, there are practically no chapters in this book. There are short, one to four-page sections split up by little markers, but proper chapters don’t show up aside from part separators that appear every fifty pages or so. Personally, that doesn’t bother me, but I know some readers may find that a bit tiresome.
For ten thousand years, the D’ni have lived far beneath the surface of Earth in their cavernous city using Ages to supply themselves with crops and new worlds to explore. Never once before now had any of them dared to dig for the surface, terrified of what they might find there. All kinds of nasty stories have been spun throughout D’ni society about what kind of people might live above them, and many D’ni have come to the conclusion that any sentient life on the surface would be barbaric and warlike. This belief comes from a place of prideful arrogance as they believe that the D’ni are the only race capable of developing and maintaining a moral society.
Ten thousand years of isolation and D’ni supremacy over the races of other Ages is a hard tradition to break, and so Aitrus and his guild are faced with multiple threats of the project being shut down as the Council washes back and forth on their decision. Aitrus himself is put in charge of hosting one of the Council members during the excavation, which is why the first section of this book is so heavy with the technicalities of mining.
After several setbacks, the tunnel and the legendary Great Shaft are carved out of the stone, but the D’ni never reach the surface. One earthquake during the ceremony celebrating the completion of the Great Shaft gives the Council excuse enough to halt the project before its final leap with not more than an eighth or so of a mile to go, and so the tunnel is left abandoned until further notice. The tunnel’s cap and the cracks caused by the earthquake are sealed with nara, a kind of D’ni stone that is atomized and liquified before being spread like a paste and hardened into the toughest material known to both man and D’ni.
Meanwhile, under the scorching desert sun above, Anna and her father are conducting a mineral survey near the city of Tadjinar. While scouting the terrain for deposits of silver and gold, they stumble across a cave that contains an impossibly perfect and hard formation of stone unlike anything either of them has ever seen. Even after taking it back to their lodge for examination under a microscope, they can’t understand what kind of natural process could have possibly produced it.
Before they can examine it further, however, the health of Anna’s old and sickly father takes a turn, and after many weeks on their assignment, he passes away in the night. Anna, without family and without a home to return to, takes one last venture into the cave before she will head to England, hoping to find an answer to the one mystery that she and her father left unsolved. There, in the deep cracks of the mountain’s foundations, she crawls down schisms and broken tunnels until she steps out into a massive room where hulking metal statues loom like the exoskeletons of alien insects. Time and quakes shifted the walls of the Great Shaft, and Anna is now within D’ni.
[End spoilers]
I’ll stop the spoiling there since that’s a summary of the first arc. What follows is a long, hard-fought — and at the end, vicious — debate over what to do with Anna’s presence in D’ni. Veovis, a friend of Aitrus and a member of the Guild Of Writers, is vehemently against every progression pushed by Anna and Aitrus, and eventually, an outside party finds a way to take advantage of their dispute for its own violent and selfish gains.
I would like to praise Veovis’ character quickly here, because he is one of my all-time favorite antagonists. He is an honorable, intelligent, diligent, precise, and committed man that genuinely values Aitrus as a dear friend. Only after a devastating personal blow that was the result of being framed does he snap and turn against the city and ideals he so loves. He’s perhaps one of the most sympathetic villains I’ve ever read, making his side of the story almost as painful as Aitrus’ and Anna’s. Aitrus and Veovis are wonderful embodiments of two of D’ni’s most prominent philosophies, and they do an excellent job displaying the D’ni culture as a whole.
I’m not normally one to love books as tragic as this one, but perhaps because of the stories that follow it, the tragedy is made a little less depressing. Though, to be honest, the Myst books and games in their entirety tend to be very much on the sorrowful and tragic side of the spectrum as the power of Writing Ages corrupts people again and again in a seemingly endless cycle.
The focus on detail and diligence is again one of the largest themes in this book just as it was in the last, though the debate over tradition vs change is much more the centerpiece. Still, the phrase, “What do you see, Anna?” Is repeated several times as a way of bringing the reader’s and character’s attention back to observing the world they have found themselves in.
I’d rant some more, but this review is already over a thousand words, so I think I’ll stop there and let you discover the rest of this beautiful book for yourselves.
[Some spoiling of the first arc follows]:
The story opens with Aitrus, a member of the Guild Of Surveyors, as they are drilling a tunnel up from the depths of D’ni toward the surface world. The opening sections here are on the slow and technical side as much of the methods of the drilling are discussed in detail, but once that hump is cleared, the story picks up pace. Oh, and also just a heads up, there are practically no chapters in this book. There are short, one to four-page sections split up by little markers, but proper chapters don’t show up aside from part separators that appear every fifty pages or so. Personally, that doesn’t bother me, but I know some readers may find that a bit tiresome.
For ten thousand years, the D’ni have lived far beneath the surface of Earth in their cavernous city using Ages to supply themselves with crops and new worlds to explore. Never once before now had any of them dared to dig for the surface, terrified of what they might find there. All kinds of nasty stories have been spun throughout D’ni society about what kind of people might live above them, and many D’ni have come to the conclusion that any sentient life on the surface would be barbaric and warlike. This belief comes from a place of prideful arrogance as they believe that the D’ni are the only race capable of developing and maintaining a moral society.
Ten thousand years of isolation and D’ni supremacy over the races of other Ages is a hard tradition to break, and so Aitrus and his guild are faced with multiple threats of the project being shut down as the Council washes back and forth on their decision. Aitrus himself is put in charge of hosting one of the Council members during the excavation, which is why the first section of this book is so heavy with the technicalities of mining.
After several setbacks, the tunnel and the legendary Great Shaft are carved out of the stone, but the D’ni never reach the surface. One earthquake during the ceremony celebrating the completion of the Great Shaft gives the Council excuse enough to halt the project before its final leap with not more than an eighth or so of a mile to go, and so the tunnel is left abandoned until further notice. The tunnel’s cap and the cracks caused by the earthquake are sealed with nara, a kind of D’ni stone that is atomized and liquified before being spread like a paste and hardened into the toughest material known to both man and D’ni.
Meanwhile, under the scorching desert sun above, Anna and her father are conducting a mineral survey near the city of Tadjinar. While scouting the terrain for deposits of silver and gold, they stumble across a cave that contains an impossibly perfect and hard formation of stone unlike anything either of them has ever seen. Even after taking it back to their lodge for examination under a microscope, they can’t understand what kind of natural process could have possibly produced it.
Before they can examine it further, however, the health of Anna’s old and sickly father takes a turn, and after many weeks on their assignment, he passes away in the night. Anna, without family and without a home to return to, takes one last venture into the cave before she will head to England, hoping to find an answer to the one mystery that she and her father left unsolved. There, in the deep cracks of the mountain’s foundations, she crawls down schisms and broken tunnels until she steps out into a massive room where hulking metal statues loom like the exoskeletons of alien insects. Time and quakes shifted the walls of the Great Shaft, and Anna is now within D’ni.
[End spoilers]
I’ll stop the spoiling there since that’s a summary of the first arc. What follows is a long, hard-fought — and at the end, vicious — debate over what to do with Anna’s presence in D’ni. Veovis, a friend of Aitrus and a member of the Guild Of Writers, is vehemently against every progression pushed by Anna and Aitrus, and eventually, an outside party finds a way to take advantage of their dispute for its own violent and selfish gains.
I would like to praise Veovis’ character quickly here, because he is one of my all-time favorite antagonists. He is an honorable, intelligent, diligent, precise, and committed man that genuinely values Aitrus as a dear friend. Only after a devastating personal blow that was the result of being framed does he snap and turn against the city and ideals he so loves. He’s perhaps one of the most sympathetic villains I’ve ever read, making his side of the story almost as painful as Aitrus’ and Anna’s. Aitrus and Veovis are wonderful embodiments of two of D’ni’s most prominent philosophies, and they do an excellent job displaying the D’ni culture as a whole.
I’m not normally one to love books as tragic as this one, but perhaps because of the stories that follow it, the tragedy is made a little less depressing. Though, to be honest, the Myst books and games in their entirety tend to be very much on the sorrowful and tragic side of the spectrum as the power of Writing Ages corrupts people again and again in a seemingly endless cycle.
The focus on detail and diligence is again one of the largest themes in this book just as it was in the last, though the debate over tradition vs change is much more the centerpiece. Still, the phrase, “What do you see, Anna?” Is repeated several times as a way of bringing the reader’s and character’s attention back to observing the world they have found themselves in.
I’d rant some more, but this review is already over a thousand words, so I think I’ll stop there and let you discover the rest of this beautiful book for yourselves.
February 13, 2012
My husband, who is a huge fan of the Myst PC games, introduced me to this series a few years ago. I read the book of Atrus the year we got married (2008), and just finished reading The Book of Ti'ana yesterday. I've never played the games, but I can really appreciate the beauty of these stories -- they've left me intrigued, and extremely interested in playing the games. In both books I love the characters's appreciation of geology, physics, and problem solving skills. I also think the love stories in both books are refreshing -- refreshing because they are realistic portraits of peaceful, healthy partnerships, where the love is selfless and sincere, rather than brooding and passionate. Now if only we could find a version of the first Myst game compatible with my computer's operating system, so I can carry on with the story!
April 6, 2020
I think this book would have been better if i didn't know that D'ni had fallen. This should be the first, not the second, book. I don't think Veovis's turn to the dark side was that believable either. It seemed odd how easily he was corrupted by the Philosopher. He really killed everyone. Every single person of his race including his father? And yet he wouldn't write a book to become a god? Then what was the point? Very odd. The just system didn't seem rational either. Why didn't Veovis get to explain himself the first time or like have the Philosopher guy brought in as an accomplice? Don't take the fall all yourself. Anyway.
The world is still cool and the idea of writing worlds is also cool. The only reason I would think this book would be second is to clarify how books are actually written, I that, they are existing worlds.
So, three stars.
The world is still cool and the idea of writing worlds is also cool. The only reason I would think this book would be second is to clarify how books are actually written, I that, they are existing worlds.
So, three stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2022
Oh man. It's a unique story, which I really appreciate but it is very lifeless. Possibly that's because all the characters are very studious and scientific, and that's how the society functions. I just keep thinking of the lockdowns of recent years and how horrible it was to even not see my social network for several weeks and months, and meanwhile here are these people cheerfully (well, not cheerful, since that would be an emotion... let's say satisfied and content) living in complete isolation for YEARS. All I could think at first was "Run, Anna, run! Don't stay in this crushingly boring place!" But turns out she's all about that life and has shockingly little resentment about how women and children are treated in that society, so good for her I guess.
So a very uncharitable summary of this book would be "robots live and love in a stagnant society, manipulated by a conman and attempt to survive, while passing on their emotionally distant style to their traumatized son". Hopefully I will get through this and feel better about it at the end. Maybe I'm just weary, as it's almost over but I know there's another one in the trilogy!
On the positive side, my 12yo is very into it. And I am interested, too, once I start. It's not that I hate it, it's just that I can't relate to any of the characters, and it's kind of difficult to truly care about any of them. Of course I want robot A and robot T to be okay, but they keep their humanity very much under wraps.
One thing that helps is that it's kind of a prequel to the first novel, so we're constantly trying to match up what the characters are like now with what we know of their mark on history. That keeps things interesting. Now that we're in part 7 of the book, something is finally happening! A bit of action, but again, it's robots. I hope that the robot T wins for sure, but it's not really a heart-rending hope. Also, there's no explanation for *why* the robots are motivated this way or that way. There are a few hints, but so often it's ho hum ho hum ho hum - RAGE!!!!!!! And I'm left very confused. Why care about this thing, when so much that is actually important is left unremarked upon? However, possibly that's just trying to be like life. You don't ever really know WHY a person does what s/he does. (but usually I can guess pretty accurately, unlike with the characters of this book)
Edited: And now we're done the book. Nothing about the motives was explained, other than "crazy with resentment".
Even my son noticed the lack of women. It's a very different world, I guess. He thought maybe all the women died except in Aitrus's family, but I think they were kept out of the public view and so only those in Aitrus's family were mentioned.
And then when *spoiler* Anna and her mother-in-law and her son escape to the other world, it's very strongly implied that they were there by themselves. Then later, two of the servants get sick and they (or others? Not clear.) run away. It's these constant difficult adjustments that make it hard to keep immersed in the story. Yes, please tell me aaaaaaaaaall about the different types of rock and their different properties, but totally leave out unimportant details like how many humans live in the house! *end spoiler*
It's possible that the authors grew up somewhere where they just constantly had servants so it seems superfluous to explain, kind of like explaining that windows have curtains. Or maybe because the D'ni characters are so accustomed to it, they don't notice and therefore it's not part of the story. However, Anna didn't grow up like that, and you'd think it would be at least a tiny part of the plot that she had to learn how to deal with people constantly around her, and doing things for her.
On the other hand, Anna is clearly not "seen" in the story, as surely she must have had issues with: 1-living underground with no sun. How is it possible that she was so okay with this, when over winter when the sun is only diminished, almost all people in Canada suffer a dip in mood?
2 - she's severely controlled in what she can do and where she can go. *another spoiler* When she catches Veovis and rescues Aitrus, she is rewarded by being allowed to stand in the council room, even though she's a woman. And this is fine with her?
3 - I left this to last, but this is the big one. SHE LET THEM TAKE HER BABY AWAY AT AGE 4 AND ONLY SEES HIM YEARS LATER?!?! Wow. And yes, she's slightly upset, but mostly okay with it. This is insane. She's a very unbelievable mother. Totally unflappable when her baby is crying constantly and sick. Yes, she figured out how to help him and kicked the doctor out after he said something unforgivable, but was completely calm. Let me tell you about colic, it's not something that is conducive to calm. It's better to be calm, but the combination of noise and the panic of "something is wrong, what is wrong" makes that quite difficult. Meanwhile, she's all "Oh, he's crying but I'm in the middle of my work and nothing I do helps him so I'll leave him." Yes, I was there too, but it was more desperate than that, more of a "I can't take it, I have to leave the room to calm down" and I'm telling you that I wouldn't have been able to do important scientific research in that headspace. And then when Agaeris makes Gehn fall on the stairs, she's like "well, that's not my priority right now" and decides to involve herself with Aitrus instead. That was probably the best tactical decision, but it was pretty cold. Then Gehn makes his way up and she glances at him "Oh, he seems fine" and doesn't bother with him at all. No affection. And when she notices Gehn's bad attitude toward her, she basically shrugs and says "Oh well, it's understandable." rather than going on a campaign to win his heart back.
It's obvious that Aitrus is her priority, and I think that while it's good to have your spouse as a priority, that doesn't have to mean that the children then have zero priority. For her it seems that there's unimportant things, and then there's Aitrus. No wonder he grew up into such a psycho.
Thankfully, we're taking a break before reading the third book in the trilogy. I didn't even have to suggest it, my son did. He was very annoyed by all the loose ends that didn't get explained, and the fact that every time there was action, the narrative broke off and resumed several months later.
So a very uncharitable summary of this book would be "robots live and love in a stagnant society, manipulated by a conman and attempt to survive, while passing on their emotionally distant style to their traumatized son". Hopefully I will get through this and feel better about it at the end. Maybe I'm just weary, as it's almost over but I know there's another one in the trilogy!
On the positive side, my 12yo is very into it. And I am interested, too, once I start. It's not that I hate it, it's just that I can't relate to any of the characters, and it's kind of difficult to truly care about any of them. Of course I want robot A and robot T to be okay, but they keep their humanity very much under wraps.
One thing that helps is that it's kind of a prequel to the first novel, so we're constantly trying to match up what the characters are like now with what we know of their mark on history. That keeps things interesting. Now that we're in part 7 of the book, something is finally happening! A bit of action, but again, it's robots. I hope that the robot T wins for sure, but it's not really a heart-rending hope. Also, there's no explanation for *why* the robots are motivated this way or that way. There are a few hints, but so often it's ho hum ho hum ho hum - RAGE!!!!!!! And I'm left very confused. Why care about this thing, when so much that is actually important is left unremarked upon? However, possibly that's just trying to be like life. You don't ever really know WHY a person does what s/he does. (but usually I can guess pretty accurately, unlike with the characters of this book)
Edited: And now we're done the book. Nothing about the motives was explained, other than "crazy with resentment".
Even my son noticed the lack of women. It's a very different world, I guess. He thought maybe all the women died except in Aitrus's family, but I think they were kept out of the public view and so only those in Aitrus's family were mentioned.
And then when *spoiler* Anna and her mother-in-law and her son escape to the other world, it's very strongly implied that they were there by themselves. Then later, two of the servants get sick and they (or others? Not clear.) run away. It's these constant difficult adjustments that make it hard to keep immersed in the story. Yes, please tell me aaaaaaaaaall about the different types of rock and their different properties, but totally leave out unimportant details like how many humans live in the house! *end spoiler*
It's possible that the authors grew up somewhere where they just constantly had servants so it seems superfluous to explain, kind of like explaining that windows have curtains. Or maybe because the D'ni characters are so accustomed to it, they don't notice and therefore it's not part of the story. However, Anna didn't grow up like that, and you'd think it would be at least a tiny part of the plot that she had to learn how to deal with people constantly around her, and doing things for her.
On the other hand, Anna is clearly not "seen" in the story, as surely she must have had issues with: 1-living underground with no sun. How is it possible that she was so okay with this, when over winter when the sun is only diminished, almost all people in Canada suffer a dip in mood?
2 - she's severely controlled in what she can do and where she can go. *another spoiler* When she catches Veovis and rescues Aitrus, she is rewarded by being allowed to stand in the council room, even though she's a woman. And this is fine with her?
3 - I left this to last, but this is the big one. SHE LET THEM TAKE HER BABY AWAY AT AGE 4 AND ONLY SEES HIM YEARS LATER?!?! Wow. And yes, she's slightly upset, but mostly okay with it. This is insane. She's a very unbelievable mother. Totally unflappable when her baby is crying constantly and sick. Yes, she figured out how to help him and kicked the doctor out after he said something unforgivable, but was completely calm. Let me tell you about colic, it's not something that is conducive to calm. It's better to be calm, but the combination of noise and the panic of "something is wrong, what is wrong" makes that quite difficult. Meanwhile, she's all "Oh, he's crying but I'm in the middle of my work and nothing I do helps him so I'll leave him." Yes, I was there too, but it was more desperate than that, more of a "I can't take it, I have to leave the room to calm down" and I'm telling you that I wouldn't have been able to do important scientific research in that headspace. And then when Agaeris makes Gehn fall on the stairs, she's like "well, that's not my priority right now" and decides to involve herself with Aitrus instead. That was probably the best tactical decision, but it was pretty cold. Then Gehn makes his way up and she glances at him "Oh, he seems fine" and doesn't bother with him at all. No affection. And when she notices Gehn's bad attitude toward her, she basically shrugs and says "Oh well, it's understandable." rather than going on a campaign to win his heart back.
It's obvious that Aitrus is her priority, and I think that while it's good to have your spouse as a priority, that doesn't have to mean that the children then have zero priority. For her it seems that there's unimportant things, and then there's Aitrus. No wonder he grew up into such a psycho.
Thankfully, we're taking a break before reading the third book in the trilogy. I didn't even have to suggest it, my son did. He was very annoyed by all the loose ends that didn't get explained, and the fact that every time there was action, the narrative broke off and resumed several months later.
August 7, 2018
It's been a few days since I've finished this, which means my emotions toward it have dulled out a bit--and I've also forgotten details of it that I meant to talk about but now can't remember what they were, so as a review this is probably going to be a bit muddled, but I'd like to lay out some thoughts on it anyway just because they help me recall the content when I recommend books to people later.
So.
I think the first book in this series was beautiful. I found the characters all engaging in a mysterious sort of way. Atrus himself was more of a Good Boy Luke Skywalker character but somehow that flatter characterization didn't irk me. Anything more complicated from him would have removed some of the joy that came from reading about D'ni's shattered streets and the wonder of the Books and the Ages.
This second one, The Book of Ti'ana, admittedly feels more like a novel than the first since the characters all struggle with intense personal conflicts that drive the story rather than showing off set pieces from the game. But somehow I couldn't find myself as interested in Anna as I could Atrus: due to the slapdash, episodic way book two is written, Anna feels distant, while in book one I had a sense of the work Atrus had to deal with to survive his father and understand the dangers of the world. The scope of this book is too big. Rather than detailing one primary event, it covers most of Anna's life. Yes, things build on each other naturally until we get to the Amazing conclusion, but since the scope is so big, scenes have to feel tiny and episodic. This in turn makes it harder to understand the characters: they start taking on cartoonish attributes as short hand to make up for the quick scene changes--especially Veovis.
Veovis is...weird. I don't understand it. Again, scope's too big: he shows up on a dig giving lavish gifts to Aitrus despite not talking to him since this universe's equivalent of, what, high school? And then this gift giving and a "I saved you from falling in this earthquake" makes them Best Friends (tm)--but it never feels believable because Aitrus is always sort of feeling uncomfortable about it. We skip a massive chunk of their development as friends. We enter the relationship suspicious because Aitrus doesn't know why Veovis is noticing him now, and then we continue being suspicious because we rejoin them when Aitrus is going to vote against Veovis about going to the surface. Then the Anna thing starts properly and shatters what relationship they had. It sort of seems like Veovis was romantically attracted to Aitrus and is upset about his marriage, but that might be me reading into things that aren't there--yet, his flipfloppy treatment of Anna is so weird (where he likes her one page and despises her the next) that Stilted Lover is the best explanation I have for it (other than, y'know, the more boring and traditional D'ni racism against a human, but...that feels lame and cheap). As a result, the audience can't believe there was ever anything honest and heartfelt between the two men, so their conflict becomes a strange sticking point where you wonder why they were still talking in the first place. It makes their conversations very hard to trust, giving unbalance to the scenes and increasing the sense of disconnect.
We could have done with a lot less geology at the beginning and a lot more character conversations to properly set the landscape for our novel.
To be fair: this is based on a video game that I haven't played. It's fully possible that the game explores their relationships in a way that the book assumes I already know. But the way the rest of the book explains every detail almost exhaustively makes me feel like it should just have gone ahead and given me the character basis first. To compare to other video game adaptation books: because the scope of this one is so intense and the characters so serious, I feel we need more of a baseline for understanding their interactions. Comedy-styled fantasy (e.g., the King's Quest series I finished earlier this year) can play lighter and looser with the rules because they don't have grand aspirations, or even pretend to. Doofy analogy time! Myst wants to build an elaborate sand castle, with crenelations and little flags and write down a cool backstory about how it was built by the gods, and will happily take hours patiently constructing all this. King's Quest wants to kick sand out of the sandbox and tell jokes to anyone who will listen about trolls and floating castles and ghosts carrying their own heads.
The first half of this book is the sand castle construction. It's a little tedious to watch, even if you know the person making it is having fun. As a result, the first half wears down the reader, and the second half has to bear the weight of all that geology.
But the last section, with the smoggy virus sliding through the city streets and murdering everyone in D'ni, leaving a sludgy thick dust and setting up the horrors of the first book, was so incredibly spine-chillingly good that I just forgot about all my character qualms and remembered how much I enjoyed the style of writing, the scenes themselves, the world building. The political landscape is simplistic feeling, but developed enough for what it needs, and the universe of the game is So Compelling that it makes up for a lot of the shortcomings.
I know a lot more about rocks and volcanoes now than I wish I did, though.
Why is this fantasy land set on Earth. Like, my Earth. This distinct blue planet in which we sit reading regular books. There are (were) elves under my feet deep in the earth with magic Books. That's weird, yo.
So.
I think the first book in this series was beautiful. I found the characters all engaging in a mysterious sort of way. Atrus himself was more of a Good Boy Luke Skywalker character but somehow that flatter characterization didn't irk me. Anything more complicated from him would have removed some of the joy that came from reading about D'ni's shattered streets and the wonder of the Books and the Ages.
This second one, The Book of Ti'ana, admittedly feels more like a novel than the first since the characters all struggle with intense personal conflicts that drive the story rather than showing off set pieces from the game. But somehow I couldn't find myself as interested in Anna as I could Atrus: due to the slapdash, episodic way book two is written, Anna feels distant, while in book one I had a sense of the work Atrus had to deal with to survive his father and understand the dangers of the world. The scope of this book is too big. Rather than detailing one primary event, it covers most of Anna's life. Yes, things build on each other naturally until we get to the Amazing conclusion, but since the scope is so big, scenes have to feel tiny and episodic. This in turn makes it harder to understand the characters: they start taking on cartoonish attributes as short hand to make up for the quick scene changes--especially Veovis.
Veovis is...weird. I don't understand it. Again, scope's too big: he shows up on a dig giving lavish gifts to Aitrus despite not talking to him since this universe's equivalent of, what, high school? And then this gift giving and a "I saved you from falling in this earthquake" makes them Best Friends (tm)--but it never feels believable because Aitrus is always sort of feeling uncomfortable about it. We skip a massive chunk of their development as friends. We enter the relationship suspicious because Aitrus doesn't know why Veovis is noticing him now, and then we continue being suspicious because we rejoin them when Aitrus is going to vote against Veovis about going to the surface. Then the Anna thing starts properly and shatters what relationship they had. It sort of seems like Veovis was romantically attracted to Aitrus and is upset about his marriage, but that might be me reading into things that aren't there--yet, his flipfloppy treatment of Anna is so weird (where he likes her one page and despises her the next) that Stilted Lover is the best explanation I have for it (other than, y'know, the more boring and traditional D'ni racism against a human, but...that feels lame and cheap). As a result, the audience can't believe there was ever anything honest and heartfelt between the two men, so their conflict becomes a strange sticking point where you wonder why they were still talking in the first place. It makes their conversations very hard to trust, giving unbalance to the scenes and increasing the sense of disconnect.
We could have done with a lot less geology at the beginning and a lot more character conversations to properly set the landscape for our novel.
To be fair: this is based on a video game that I haven't played. It's fully possible that the game explores their relationships in a way that the book assumes I already know. But the way the rest of the book explains every detail almost exhaustively makes me feel like it should just have gone ahead and given me the character basis first. To compare to other video game adaptation books: because the scope of this one is so intense and the characters so serious, I feel we need more of a baseline for understanding their interactions. Comedy-styled fantasy (e.g., the King's Quest series I finished earlier this year) can play lighter and looser with the rules because they don't have grand aspirations, or even pretend to. Doofy analogy time! Myst wants to build an elaborate sand castle, with crenelations and little flags and write down a cool backstory about how it was built by the gods, and will happily take hours patiently constructing all this. King's Quest wants to kick sand out of the sandbox and tell jokes to anyone who will listen about trolls and floating castles and ghosts carrying their own heads.
The first half of this book is the sand castle construction. It's a little tedious to watch, even if you know the person making it is having fun. As a result, the first half wears down the reader, and the second half has to bear the weight of all that geology.
But the last section, with the smoggy virus sliding through the city streets and murdering everyone in D'ni, leaving a sludgy thick dust and setting up the horrors of the first book, was so incredibly spine-chillingly good that I just forgot about all my character qualms and remembered how much I enjoyed the style of writing, the scenes themselves, the world building. The political landscape is simplistic feeling, but developed enough for what it needs, and the universe of the game is So Compelling that it makes up for a lot of the shortcomings.
I know a lot more about rocks and volcanoes now than I wish I did, though.
Why is this fantasy land set on Earth. Like, my Earth. This distinct blue planet in which we sit reading regular books. There are (were) elves under my feet deep in the earth with magic Books. That's weird, yo.
January 6, 2010
Excellent book. Followed the first book nicely and really gave you a look into the characters. While I feel these books are a slow read, it's totally worth it once you are able to let the Age absorb you and take your mind to places you've never dreamt of being. Likable (and hateable) characters, colorful landscapes and so much imagination flood these books. I'm glad I read it slowly and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the third one!
May 31, 2015
This is one of my favorite examples of creating a univers for fiction. start with one component that sets your world apart from others and and begin asking questions about how that world is possible.
everything about this book has made it a yearly read for me. intesting characters, great settings, and conflict that expands beyond what you could think was possible.
everything about this book has made it a yearly read for me. intesting characters, great settings, and conflict that expands beyond what you could think was possible.
April 10, 2021
If the first book was a bit too long winded, this blows it out of the water. I just read 350 pages and I can summarize everything that has happened in a paragraph. And, after all that, I don’t feel connected to any of the characters.
July 5, 2012
Learn the history of the great D'ni Empire. Find yourself walking the streets with the rest of the D'ni citizens and discover the timeless stories of a people betrayed. Excellent book!
November 25, 2023
A wonderful story with beautiful characters. I can't express how much this series has touched me as a writer, artist and explorer.
April 15, 2014
I named my daughter after Ti'ana :-)
December 8, 2023
Aitrus, grandfather of the Atrus from book 1, is a young geologist for the underground civilization of the D’ni. Part one shows the reader exactly how the D’ni construct the tunnels, the advanced machinery they have, and the chemistry to recycle the debris and use it to make a sealant (nari) for the walls. Some of these machines are over 4,000 years old, carefully maintained and revered.
(It also shows us that Myst 5 was bullshit. The D’ni never had an enslaved race. It didn’t need one to do their building. The D’ni had advanced machinery and science for over 4,000 years! Blades that can pierce and shape stone. They were steampunk before antiquity!)
We also get to see how D’ni politics works. The Council has guided D’ni civilization for thousands of years. The Guilds give everyone a place and a protected specialty. We join the Surveyors Guild as they plot a course for a new tunnel. Some in the D’ni leadership desire to make contact with the surface. Others are not sure it’s worthwhile, but they go ahead with construction of a shaft that will become the hub for D’ni activity on the surface.
Or it would have if not for the earthquake.
What’s most interesting about this part is the presence of Veovis. This was the man Gehn spoke of in the previous volume of the series, who committed unspeakable crimes against the D’ni. If Gehn disliked him so much, was he really so bad? What could he have possibly done? Are we about to find out?
We meet Anna, a young woman whose father raises her as a person of science. After her father passes away, she decides to take one last look at the mysterious circle in the desert sand, and becomes the first surface-dweller to make contact with the D’ni.
For more than half the book, we get to see D’ni politics, and it drags. It’s informative, yes, but I think the narration gets too hung up on the political stuff and forgets the characters. Aitrus takes a liking to Anna, but his exact motivation for wanting to teach her about Books and Ages and D’ni Writing is unclear. He has barely spoken to her, but he wants to show her everything he knows. It’s not until after that they spend time building an Age together that Aitrus takes a liking to her, making me think parts 3 and 4 should have been switched around, as they feel like part 4 happens before part 3. Again I think it’s the result of the author(s) focusing too much on the politics and forgetting the people.
Anyway, Veovis doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like that Aitrus is treating an outsider as an equal, and he uses his political influence to ensure this becomes the policy forever. Anna was sentenced to live among the D’ni but not know anything about them? Aitrus can’t abide this, and it starts a chain reaction that tears D’ni society apart.
What brought down such an advanced, ancient society?
One nobleman who had a grievance with D’ni civilization and couldn’t handle a mixing of the races, and when he can’t get his way, he conspires to bring D’ni down. The slightest hint of progressive politics that maybe the poor are capable of handling some responsibility over their futures and their lives... some in the nobility just cannot handle the idea that there are poor people in society and maybe they do not deserve to be poor, and these questions would not have been asked if not for that WOMAN! That outsider who dared put devious ideas into the minds of men. It’s reminiscent of Metropolis: a man who was wronged vows to tear down society itself. When he recruits others, they are able to scatter D’ni society to such an extent as to make everyone feel the same pain they felt being cut off from D’ni for unjust reasons.
Wow, it takes a while to get good, but once the book starts punching, it doesn’t let up.
(edit: Regarding the progressive politics Aitrus introduces. The book misses an opportunity to show us how the common folk live. What is life really like for someone who is not in a Guild? What do the rest of the people do? Apparently, the D’ni government has no representative for the commoners in D’ni society, and Aitrus merely introduces some measure that would give them a voice. Veovis can’t stand the idea that the people might want to have a say in what happens to them, and this is what pushes him over the edge. It would have been nice to see Anna venturing from the high districts and seeing the lower parts of the city, and then pushing Aitrus to do the same. I think showing how the non-noblemen live would have been more engaging than spending half the book on D’ni politics, and it would have given Veovis’ decision to partner with a disgraced Guildsman in a plot to take down the Guilds more meaning.)
D’ni society worked so long as nothing changed. Veovis didn’t end it. He revealed a critical flaw: the D’ni could not adapt to someone being equal to themselves, and not everyone agreed with the decisions of the Council. A handful of people who did not think the Council knew best was able to destroy everything.
How fragile civilization is.
(It also shows us that Myst 5 was bullshit. The D’ni never had an enslaved race. It didn’t need one to do their building. The D’ni had advanced machinery and science for over 4,000 years! Blades that can pierce and shape stone. They were steampunk before antiquity!)
We also get to see how D’ni politics works. The Council has guided D’ni civilization for thousands of years. The Guilds give everyone a place and a protected specialty. We join the Surveyors Guild as they plot a course for a new tunnel. Some in the D’ni leadership desire to make contact with the surface. Others are not sure it’s worthwhile, but they go ahead with construction of a shaft that will become the hub for D’ni activity on the surface.
Or it would have if not for the earthquake.
What’s most interesting about this part is the presence of Veovis. This was the man Gehn spoke of in the previous volume of the series, who committed unspeakable crimes against the D’ni. If Gehn disliked him so much, was he really so bad? What could he have possibly done? Are we about to find out?
We meet Anna, a young woman whose father raises her as a person of science. After her father passes away, she decides to take one last look at the mysterious circle in the desert sand, and becomes the first surface-dweller to make contact with the D’ni.
For more than half the book, we get to see D’ni politics, and it drags. It’s informative, yes, but I think the narration gets too hung up on the political stuff and forgets the characters. Aitrus takes a liking to Anna, but his exact motivation for wanting to teach her about Books and Ages and D’ni Writing is unclear. He has barely spoken to her, but he wants to show her everything he knows. It’s not until after that they spend time building an Age together that Aitrus takes a liking to her, making me think parts 3 and 4 should have been switched around, as they feel like part 4 happens before part 3. Again I think it’s the result of the author(s) focusing too much on the politics and forgetting the people.
Anyway, Veovis doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like that Aitrus is treating an outsider as an equal, and he uses his political influence to ensure this becomes the policy forever. Anna was sentenced to live among the D’ni but not know anything about them? Aitrus can’t abide this, and it starts a chain reaction that tears D’ni society apart.
What brought down such an advanced, ancient society?
One nobleman who had a grievance with D’ni civilization and couldn’t handle a mixing of the races, and when he can’t get his way, he conspires to bring D’ni down. The slightest hint of progressive politics that maybe the poor are capable of handling some responsibility over their futures and their lives... some in the nobility just cannot handle the idea that there are poor people in society and maybe they do not deserve to be poor, and these questions would not have been asked if not for that WOMAN! That outsider who dared put devious ideas into the minds of men. It’s reminiscent of Metropolis: a man who was wronged vows to tear down society itself. When he recruits others, they are able to scatter D’ni society to such an extent as to make everyone feel the same pain they felt being cut off from D’ni for unjust reasons.
Wow, it takes a while to get good, but once the book starts punching, it doesn’t let up.
(edit: Regarding the progressive politics Aitrus introduces. The book misses an opportunity to show us how the common folk live. What is life really like for someone who is not in a Guild? What do the rest of the people do? Apparently, the D’ni government has no representative for the commoners in D’ni society, and Aitrus merely introduces some measure that would give them a voice. Veovis can’t stand the idea that the people might want to have a say in what happens to them, and this is what pushes him over the edge. It would have been nice to see Anna venturing from the high districts and seeing the lower parts of the city, and then pushing Aitrus to do the same. I think showing how the non-noblemen live would have been more engaging than spending half the book on D’ni politics, and it would have given Veovis’ decision to partner with a disgraced Guildsman in a plot to take down the Guilds more meaning.)
D’ni society worked so long as nothing changed. Veovis didn’t end it. He revealed a critical flaw: the D’ni could not adapt to someone being equal to themselves, and not everyone agreed with the decisions of the Council. A handful of people who did not think the Council knew best was able to destroy everything.
How fragile civilization is.
August 8, 2017
Anna lives with her father, conducting geological surveys in the desert. When his death leaves her alone, Anna sets off for the nearest town, but decides to make one last exploration of tunnels in the extinct volcano, discovered by her father just days before his death.
Deep beneath the surface of the caldera, the civilization of D’ni has thrived for thousands upon thousands of years. At the moment, its citizens once again engage in a long-standing debate: whether or not to venture to the surface and possibly make contact with its inhabitants. One faction says yes; as long as we’re cautious, we ought to know what other lifeforms inhabit our world. The other says no; in a society as rich with tradition and as steeped in study and honor as the D’ni, what could surface dwellers have to offer? Surely they would be little more than animals, not burdened with higher reasoning or any sort of intelligence.
When Anna gets lost in her exploration of the tunnels, two worlds collide. Anna’s encounter with the D’ni guardians set off a chain of events that shakes the ancient civilization to its very foundations.
The Book of Ti’Ana is the second volume in a trilogy that covers the story of the D’ni, a subterranean race of builders, excavators, scientists and artisans who also happen to hold the amazing talent of Writing, that is, the art and science of writing Books that link to strange and fascinating Ages, worlds where anything can—and sometimes does—happen. In the Book of Atrus, we saw the city of D’ni after its great Fall, with buildings abandoned and collapsed, no living residents remaining. Here, we see it thriving in the last years of its prime. Great guildhouses and homes cling to the walls of a cavern miles wide and so tall one cannot see the ceiling. As in The Book of Atrus, the writers give us vivid and colorful descriptions of Ages both beautiful and horrific. The main setting, the great underground city of D’ni, is as complex and detailed as you might expect in any major fantasy novel. Social conventions and traditions are a bit dated (remember when this was published), but believably told.
Characterizations are well-done, though there are a great many more characters in this story than there were in the first book, with a complex web of interactions between them. Neither Atrius nor Anna (later Ti’Ana), the protagonists, are perfect, which I liked. Nor is the antagonist purely evil. In fact, it isn’t clear in the beginning just who the antagonist will be; unless you read the first book (The Book of Atrus), you might not know him at first glance. But even those who know his name may be fooled in the beginning, for his character starts out good and develops through time and bitterness into a formidable enemy. I found the twist of this character’s nature entirely believable.
The Book of Ti’Ana could easily be read first, before The Book of Atrus, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even though it’s backstory, I agree with the authors’ decision to place this second in the trilogy. Just as with part one, this is a good story on many levels. The Book of Ti’Ana is a fantasy about the conflict between exclusivity and inclusivity, between tradition and evolution, where hostility and suspicion holds the power to destroy it all, for both sides. It’s also a tale that is relevant to our own world, our own time, for the very same reasons. The inhabitants of D’ni face the same sorts of questions we do: whether inalienable rights extend to all or only a privileged few, whether purity of blood is essential to one’s relevance in society, and whether someone who is not “like us” deserves compassion and fair treatment.
As I said of The Book of Atrus, The Book of Ti’Ana is probably not up to the most discriminating standards where fiction-writing is concerned. Nevertheless, it was easy to lose myself in the story. I found myself rooting for Ti’Ana and Atrius throughout, sharing their joys and sorrows from beginning to end.
The Myst trilogy, of which this is the second volume, was written specifically to the fan base of the wildly popular computer games Myst (released 1993), Riven (1997), Exile (2001), Revelation (2004), and End of Ages (2005). If you played any or all of these games, but haven’t yet read the books, you’re missing out. Still, even if you didn’t play the computer games, give them a try. The Myst trilogy is recommended fantasy for anyone who enjoys a good tale well-told.
Deep beneath the surface of the caldera, the civilization of D’ni has thrived for thousands upon thousands of years. At the moment, its citizens once again engage in a long-standing debate: whether or not to venture to the surface and possibly make contact with its inhabitants. One faction says yes; as long as we’re cautious, we ought to know what other lifeforms inhabit our world. The other says no; in a society as rich with tradition and as steeped in study and honor as the D’ni, what could surface dwellers have to offer? Surely they would be little more than animals, not burdened with higher reasoning or any sort of intelligence.
When Anna gets lost in her exploration of the tunnels, two worlds collide. Anna’s encounter with the D’ni guardians set off a chain of events that shakes the ancient civilization to its very foundations.
The Book of Ti’Ana is the second volume in a trilogy that covers the story of the D’ni, a subterranean race of builders, excavators, scientists and artisans who also happen to hold the amazing talent of Writing, that is, the art and science of writing Books that link to strange and fascinating Ages, worlds where anything can—and sometimes does—happen. In the Book of Atrus, we saw the city of D’ni after its great Fall, with buildings abandoned and collapsed, no living residents remaining. Here, we see it thriving in the last years of its prime. Great guildhouses and homes cling to the walls of a cavern miles wide and so tall one cannot see the ceiling. As in The Book of Atrus, the writers give us vivid and colorful descriptions of Ages both beautiful and horrific. The main setting, the great underground city of D’ni, is as complex and detailed as you might expect in any major fantasy novel. Social conventions and traditions are a bit dated (remember when this was published), but believably told.
Characterizations are well-done, though there are a great many more characters in this story than there were in the first book, with a complex web of interactions between them. Neither Atrius nor Anna (later Ti’Ana), the protagonists, are perfect, which I liked. Nor is the antagonist purely evil. In fact, it isn’t clear in the beginning just who the antagonist will be; unless you read the first book (The Book of Atrus), you might not know him at first glance. But even those who know his name may be fooled in the beginning, for his character starts out good and develops through time and bitterness into a formidable enemy. I found the twist of this character’s nature entirely believable.
The Book of Ti’Ana could easily be read first, before The Book of Atrus, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even though it’s backstory, I agree with the authors’ decision to place this second in the trilogy. Just as with part one, this is a good story on many levels. The Book of Ti’Ana is a fantasy about the conflict between exclusivity and inclusivity, between tradition and evolution, where hostility and suspicion holds the power to destroy it all, for both sides. It’s also a tale that is relevant to our own world, our own time, for the very same reasons. The inhabitants of D’ni face the same sorts of questions we do: whether inalienable rights extend to all or only a privileged few, whether purity of blood is essential to one’s relevance in society, and whether someone who is not “like us” deserves compassion and fair treatment.
As I said of The Book of Atrus, The Book of Ti’Ana is probably not up to the most discriminating standards where fiction-writing is concerned. Nevertheless, it was easy to lose myself in the story. I found myself rooting for Ti’Ana and Atrius throughout, sharing their joys and sorrows from beginning to end.
The Myst trilogy, of which this is the second volume, was written specifically to the fan base of the wildly popular computer games Myst (released 1993), Riven (1997), Exile (2001), Revelation (2004), and End of Ages (2005). If you played any or all of these games, but haven’t yet read the books, you’re missing out. Still, even if you didn’t play the computer games, give them a try. The Myst trilogy is recommended fantasy for anyone who enjoys a good tale well-told.
November 8, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
This review does contain some spoilers!
In this installment in the series, we learn more about Atrus's grandmother, Anna. She is a fully human woman who lives on the harsh surface of Earth until one day after her father's death she discovers a tunnel leading to the D'ni civilization. After integrating as best she can into their society (essentially held captive by them) she begins to form stronger connections. In the midst of political upheaval, she makes a decision that has dire consequences.
Each book in this series has such a different flavor. I really have enjoyed that immensely. Anna is a very lovable character. She is strong and intelligent. The same can be said of Aitrus. Although the tunneling and discussions of rock formations get a little boring at times, I can see how it would be integral in their society. He and Anna connected instantly on that, and it did end up giving me a better appreciation for geology.
The writing of Ages was explained a little more in this book, which was nice. I appreciate that it was made clear that Ages are not "created" when a book is written but that a link is established. The whole writing of Ages is wonderfully fascinating, exploring the concepts of parallel universes and travel in the space-time continuum.
One major highlight of this book is the friendship of Aitrus and Veovis. It seems fairly clear from the beginning that Veovis is not really too upstanding. It's little behaviors here and there that raise red flags. But Aitrus is a friend to him regardless, giving him his loyalty and support when he can but also voting against him when he must. The decay of that friendship was not unexpected, but it was sad. Veovis was an interesting character in general. He was treated unjustly because of A'Gaeris, and so his spiral into vengeance and madness was reasonably expected. The D'ni have strong moral objections to the death penalty (and Anna even more so, it seems), but this whole story really challenges that idea. It would certainly have been better for Veovis to have died. It actually seems somewhat inhumane now that I think of it to imprison/totally isolate criminals. This is a really wonderful ethical question (this author really excels at this!).
It was sad to see the downfall of D'ni, and the way it happened was stomach-turning. Another really sad thing was the deterioration of the relationship between Anna and her son, Gehn. It broke her heart to follow D'ni custom to send him away at the age of four, and he never forgave her for that. That was such a terrible tragedy that, among other things, really messed him up (clearly!)
One thing I wish was explained a little more was the state of Earth. We learn about how hard Atrus and Anna's life was in the first book, but there isn't a real explanation of what is going on. I get the impression that they are somewhere in Africa since they are in a desert, but we don't know that for sure. Nor do we know WHEN they are. It could be in the past, present, or distant future really. That "leave it up to the reader's imagination" thing can be frustrating sometimes!
This is a delightful fantasy series I think most people would like. It has beautiful descriptions, good character development, fantastic creativity, and ethical and moral discussions.
Reading this series will definitely help players of the Myst games understand and appreciate Atrus, Catherine, and the D'ni culture more. Highly recommended!
Rating: 4.5/5
This review does contain some spoilers!
In this installment in the series, we learn more about Atrus's grandmother, Anna. She is a fully human woman who lives on the harsh surface of Earth until one day after her father's death she discovers a tunnel leading to the D'ni civilization. After integrating as best she can into their society (essentially held captive by them) she begins to form stronger connections. In the midst of political upheaval, she makes a decision that has dire consequences.
Each book in this series has such a different flavor. I really have enjoyed that immensely. Anna is a very lovable character. She is strong and intelligent. The same can be said of Aitrus. Although the tunneling and discussions of rock formations get a little boring at times, I can see how it would be integral in their society. He and Anna connected instantly on that, and it did end up giving me a better appreciation for geology.
The writing of Ages was explained a little more in this book, which was nice. I appreciate that it was made clear that Ages are not "created" when a book is written but that a link is established. The whole writing of Ages is wonderfully fascinating, exploring the concepts of parallel universes and travel in the space-time continuum.
One major highlight of this book is the friendship of Aitrus and Veovis. It seems fairly clear from the beginning that Veovis is not really too upstanding. It's little behaviors here and there that raise red flags. But Aitrus is a friend to him regardless, giving him his loyalty and support when he can but also voting against him when he must. The decay of that friendship was not unexpected, but it was sad. Veovis was an interesting character in general. He was treated unjustly because of A'Gaeris, and so his spiral into vengeance and madness was reasonably expected. The D'ni have strong moral objections to the death penalty (and Anna even more so, it seems), but this whole story really challenges that idea. It would certainly have been better for Veovis to have died. It actually seems somewhat inhumane now that I think of it to imprison/totally isolate criminals. This is a really wonderful ethical question (this author really excels at this!).
It was sad to see the downfall of D'ni, and the way it happened was stomach-turning. Another really sad thing was the deterioration of the relationship between Anna and her son, Gehn. It broke her heart to follow D'ni custom to send him away at the age of four, and he never forgave her for that. That was such a terrible tragedy that, among other things, really messed him up (clearly!)
One thing I wish was explained a little more was the state of Earth. We learn about how hard Atrus and Anna's life was in the first book, but there isn't a real explanation of what is going on. I get the impression that they are somewhere in Africa since they are in a desert, but we don't know that for sure. Nor do we know WHEN they are. It could be in the past, present, or distant future really. That "leave it up to the reader's imagination" thing can be frustrating sometimes!
This is a delightful fantasy series I think most people would like. It has beautiful descriptions, good character development, fantastic creativity, and ethical and moral discussions.
Reading this series will definitely help players of the Myst games understand and appreciate Atrus, Catherine, and the D'ni culture more. Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews