The Book of Atrus by Rand Miller and Robyn Miller

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars

Atrus is a young boy growing up in a desolate desert with his grandmother Anna. Abandoned by his father, Atrus is taught and raised by Anna alone since his mother died giving birth to him. She instills character traits such as integrity, and skills such as observation in him. Anna, who is artistic and vibrant, albeit somewhat melancholic and weary, tells him stories of the great civilization of D'ni -- a powerful and industrious race of people that fell into ruin many years ago. In particular, she tells him of how one woman, Ti'ana, an outsider, made a poor decision that ultimately led to the destruction of D'ni. Atrus is fascinated by the stories, and he grows into a strong and intelligent young man with a passion for learning and building. One day he discovers a tunnel in the inactive volcano. He follows it for a while before returning home. Anna warns him not to go back. But soon, Atrus's father, Gehn, returns and insists on taking Atrus with him into the tunnel. Anna protests, but Gehn promises to let Atrus visit again someday. It is a long and difficult journey underground, but Atrus is astounded to see the ruins of D'ni. He studies the art of writing and observes how his father deals with the writing and the maintaining of his Ages. As Atrus grows, he forms his own opinions and beliefs that differ much from Gehn's. When things escalate, Atrus must stand up to his father.

The way this book is written gives me a peaceful feeling. The descriptions are beautiful, and Anna and Atrus are such kind and gentle people. Gehn, of course, is so chaotic and mad. I love where this story falls in the series because readers may or may not know about how Ages are written and what that really means. In fact, it seems logical at first glance to assume that Gehn is actually writing worlds into existence. His assertion that he is a god of some sort is actually somewhat logical. But the discoveries of Atrus and his discomfort with Gehn's treatment of the natives of the Ages is very important. The books in this series deal with ethical issues very well.

It was delightful to see Riven since I have completed that game. I actually didn't know much about Catherine, so it was nice to learn about her!

I think this book is a wonderful read for any lover of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. People who have played the Myst games will find it particularly enjoyable though! 

Buy on Amazon here. 

The Book of Ti'ana by Rand Miller

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!

Buy this book on Amazon HERE.

The Book of D'ni by Rand Miller

Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

This review does contain some spoilers!

Atrus and Catherine, along with some of their students from another Age, return to D'ni in an effort to assess the damage and find any remaining books that are intact. Their goal is to search through the Ages one by one and find any remaining D'ni survivors, tell them about the state of D'ni, and ask for their help in rebuilding. After some difficulty, they manage to find several thousand survivors and then begin the task of rebuilding, despite how daunting it is. As they are in the process of restoring a Guild house, they come across a buried chamber. They break down seals and find an entire library they didn't know existed. They find one particular book that is clearly of extreme significance, and after testing with the maintainer suits, decide to go through. They find to their surprise a stunningly beautiful Age - Terahnee - in which the people speak a form of D'ni. The society seems absolutely perfect. No crime, no sickness. Atrus asks the king to allow his people to settle there, as he feels rebuilding D'ni is basically futile at this point when this Age is here for them. The king agrees, but then a series of events cause all hell to break loose. They discover how this Age is so "perfect" and then a devastating plague spreads throughout the land. Will the D'ni still be able to settle in Terahnee? Should they settle there?

I enjoyed this book because I felt it was action packed and engrossing throughout. During their search of the Ages, I didn't want to put the book down until they found survivors. I was aching for them to find people. The search was really dangerous also, which made for some good reading. Then it was thrilling when they discovered the hidden chamber beneath the Guild house. The discovery of Terahnee was jaw-dropping. And there was a certain sick tension in my gut as it became clearer and clearer that this society was definitely not as perfect as it seemed. The last bit was tragic and violent. Overall, a good balance in my opinion!

One of the only things about this book that bothers me a little bit is the lack of emotion...or the lack of anxiety about certain things. There are a lot of truly devastating things that happen in this book. People die, an entire civilization is nearly wiped out, and Atrus is genuinely responsible for all of it. He is wise enough to realize that although he did none of it intentionally, he still has to bear that burden. Yet to me he doesn't really seem to have an appropriate amount of guilt or something. Maybe he does and this just doesn't come across well in the book. It's not that I expect him to crumple onto the ground weeping, but he (and actually all of the other characters now that I think about it) have this sort of odd stoicism. Maybe it's because their lives have always been hard and tragic. Their lives and environments have been really harsh and difficult.
One thing this book did well was address certain ethical issues. Slavery, of course, and classism are dealt with in a really interesting way. They, in fact, had ethical discussions and dilemmas even when D'ni was flourishing about how the classes were separated. The lower classes in D'ni were not abused as they were in Terahnee, but many of them were unsatisfied. Aitrus and Veovis talked about it a few times and sort of came to the conclusion that it was the way of the world, whereas Anna was more bothered by it. This book doesn't preach about the morality of the Ages, it simply lets the reader come to his or her own conclusion. Atrus is certainly not the most wise or pristine of all heroes. He is so relatable though. Yes, he was swayed by the utopian beauty of Terahnee. Yes, he ignored advice from D'ni elders. But all throughout the book, I kept thinking that when he was presented with hard choices, he just made the choices and then took ownership of them. He never blamed anyone else for his choices. He was kind and fair. I find him fascinating.

I believe this book happens right after the game Riven and before Exile, since at the beginning of that game they have just had Yeesha. I happen to be playing Exile right now, so it was the perfect time to read the series. I am excited to continue on with the game. I think having read the books will make gameplay a little richer. :-)
I think these books could be enjoyed by nearly anyone. But players of the Myst games will find them particularly interesting and enlightening of course. They do have a tendency to be a little slow, but really I think we probably all need a little bit of that in our fast-paced world. Slow down and enjoy the details and the great care that the author put into this series.

Purchase this book on Amazon HERE.