Customer Reviews

The Book of Ti'Ana (Myst, Book 2)

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, The Book of Ti'ana, is quite possibly the best book I have ever read, and I've read a lot of great books. I have read Ti'ana over twenty times (honestly) and it still leaves me breathless. The scope of vision is amazing, and the depth of feeling and theme is even more so. In this book, there is love and hatred and sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal, sadness and joy, tragedy and triumph. I know that sounds corny, but it's only true. I won't give away the plot, but what especially affected me is how a basically good man was tricked into becoming evil. Also, the love story of Anna and Aitrus (that's not giving anything away, you can read that on the back cover) was so sweet, wonderful, poetic, and bittersweet. Tears were streaming down my face by the final pages. And it wasn't like I finished it and started reading something else; I thought about it continuously for weeks afterward. The games are great, but you can love this book (and the other two myst books)even if you've never played the game. The Book of Atrus is awesome too, but i felt the Book of D'ni lacked the scope and feeling and imagination of the other two. What I'd like to see is a book about Gehn's growing up, how he became twisted after the twisting started in Ti'ana's book, and how anna and gehn started over... but I guess I'll have to wait for that. Wonderful book, guys: READ IT! You'll never forget it. =) }:I:{

Did you ever wish you could step into the world of MYST without solving puzzles that vex your brain and try your patience? Well, now you can. This book is your window into the world of the people of D'ni through the eyes of an outsider, and it is quite a compelling journey at that.

For fans of the MYST series of games, this is a treat to say the least. The descriptions of excavation work are technical but not so much so that you can't picture scenes in your head or know exactly what's going on. I love the sense of awe and wonder that is present as the heroine of the story makes her journey into this ancient culture and learns it's language, customs, traditions and so on. The descriptions of the various Ages are vivid but simple enough to be beautiful to your mind without being too wordy.

One great thing about this book too is the pacing. There are plenty of scenes of working with the rocks, caverns, and so on, but the book never drags. Throw in a very engaging plot of the dangers of change to ancient customs and the re-emergence of an old nuisance to D'ni society, and you have a sure-fire recipe for a book that is a winner. There's even elements of a very clever who-dun-it thrown in for good measure.

In short this book has it all. Vivid characters you can care for, crisp pacing, tension, awe, wonder, beauty, and a real emotional effect on the reader. Take a journy back in time to the world of Myst before the games. Step into a world of wonder that is so enticing that you may wish you never had to leave. You will definitely remember this story long after you close the book. It's only too bad that there isn't a linking panel in the book itself somewhere. Peace. :)

The Book of Ti'ana is the perfect introduction to the back-story of MYST for three reasons. First of all, it is the first of the three books chronologically (on the timeline, they read as the books of Ti'ana, Atrus, and D'ni), relating the story of Anna, the first human to contact D'ni, and her subsequent relationship with a D'ni lord. Secondly, it rarely mentions the characters in the MYST or RIVEN games, so those who have not played them will (hopefully) not get lost. Thirdly, it's really good. It's richly detailed, immersive, and exciting. And for those who have played the game, don't worry: you don't need to conquer any strange, arcane puzzels to complete this novel - it's a quick, smooth, and rewarding read. Of course, everything the Miller brothers touches seems to turn to gold, so it's not really surprising that it's so good. As for the other novels, I can't say, but based on the strength of The Book of Ti'ana, I'm buying The Book of Atrus from this fine e! -stablishment, and I'll be getting D'Ni as soon as it comes out on paperback.

I loved this book SO much. Sadly enough, I thought that The Book of Atrus was going to help me to solve MYST, the game, so I read it. I don't care how I got hooked on the series, but now I absolutely LOVE it! I've read all three of the book numbers of times and I love them all! Ti'Ana is the best of them all though. The story is so compelling and interesting that you can't stop reading. It's so great. The books are out of order by the order written. Ti'Ana is the first book, then Atrus, then D'ni (pronounced duh-knee). Aitrus (not Atrus) is Atrus' grandfather. The Book of Atrus takes place a while after, when Gehn (Ti'Ana's and Aitrus' son) has a son that he comes back for named Atrus. Then the third book has an older Atrus. Read just one of these books and you'll be hooked. I'm just sad that the writers have stopped writing them...I think they should continue on....I LOVE THEM!

I must say that, even tho I didn't enjoy this as much as The Book of Atrus, I found it mighty cool. For anyone who is interested in the Myst story then this book is essential. It took quite a bit of time to get going at the start (about 100 pages are devoted to drilling holes) and Rand Miller uses the word 'great' to describe almost everything. It gets a bit annoying.

But soon enough the story picks up in pace and builds interesting and sympathetic characters, even making one of the bad guys seem justified in his actions. Some of it is superfluous but not so much that it's boring.

I found the end to be a bit fast and confusing. Not enough is described and one the last page is finished you might feel like things aren't tied up so well. Though there is another book after this one. I hope that the character of Saavedro from Myst III is mentioned somewhere, tho it is cool to have a young Gehn as a character is this one. If Saavedro doesn't show up then I know I am not alone in wishing for a fourth Myst novel.

I am very much looking forward to reading 'The Book of D'Ni' and I hope it lives up to this and the first. For anyone who is interested The Sci-Fi channel are making a 240 minute mini-series of Myst set for airing sometime this year. I don't know what the story is yet but I believe that either Rand or Robin Miller are executive producing.

The book has only six chapters averaging about 100 pages each and has random black and white drawings sporadically scattered through-out.

This is the first book of the series that I read (missing The Book of Atrus) and I'm now into Book of D'ni. A reader doesn't have to know all about the games Myst or Riven to understand the goings on. I'm a 34 year-old mother of two and couldn't put this book down!

I played Myst. I played Riven. Myst was great. Riven was even better. Way better. I joined a mailing list on Riven, where I was pretty confused about things when they talked about the D'ni. I put in my theories, but I had no backing behind them. Everyone kept telling me to READ THE BOOKS! So I did. This one is definetely my favorite. I explains everything you would need to know about the D'ni, and more, in a format that is fun to read. Fun to read doesn't begin to describe it. I got sucked in (no, for all you Myst/Riven fans, it isn't a linking book) and I couldn't put it down. The characters are very realistic. I almost changed my mind about Gehn after I had my doubts aboiut him after playing Riven. I think they did Veois and A'Gaeris best, as characters, but the others were cool also. Definetely buy this book, is you are a Myst/Riven fan. If you aren't, buy it, and you will become one. I am still on the Riven mailing list. I am more obsessed than that, now also.

This book is erfectly described by the back cover, which is written on this site, too. I read this early 2001, and it is my favorite book, and the best I've ever written. The scenery is described perfectly, and the characters never static. The dynamic flow of the book is sensational, and hear me out- I don't read much. If you don't like reading, don't know what Myst is or don't care, read the book anyway! It is nothing short of outstanding. And don't worry- it's only tied to the Myst series by one idea that gives the story shape. A book for anyone older than twelve or thirteen, or else youy won't get the whole plot. If you simply LOVED this book, you should try the sequal, because it is very good, though the two are not equally comparable. Myst: The Book of Ti'Ana is quite possibly one of the best books ever written in recent years and has been receiving far too small acclaim for what it truly deserves. Tell all your friends and family to read the book!

What a book! I loved everything about it. While the very first part of the book may well be seen as 'slow,' I nevertheless enjoyed the beautifully described details, unrushed characterization, and solid(hmm..no pun) settings that were laid out in the beginning--this kind of foundation made the later action all the more believable and relevant, I think.
The writing not only adequately conveyed the story, it was also eloquent and engaging. The plot is flawless, the pace of the telling just right(for me, that is), and the conclusion flows naturally from the body of the story, from the events that took place and the choices made. In short, both the story itself and the way it was told made for a powerfully moving reading experience.

Of course, all these merits would be in vain if the reader were unable to care for the characters, the players in this veritable epic. This is certainly NOT the case for The Book of Ti'Ana, whose amazing cast of characters is perhaps its greatest strength of all. The superbly heroic, the twistedly villainous, and those of all shades in between come together in a human drama of epical scope.

Veovis, especially, is one of the most conflicted, sympathetic characters I have come across in a long time--and though this probably wasn't the writers' intention, in the end I came to care even more about him than Ti'ana and her fmily. There's nothing more I can say without spoiling the story in some fashion, so for those of you wondering if Myst: The Book of Ti'ana is worth the money: The story of Veovis alone was more than worth the spent cash for me. My only real regret about the purchase of my book(already worn somewhat) is that I bought it in paperback instead of hardcover, a mistake I will have to remedy one of these days...:-)

This is probably the first book that I have read willingly and truly enjoyed so much that it changed my life. I decided to read the book because it was (what I thought to be) an explanation or end to the game. But the story actually linked pieces of the puzzle, while it still added more unlinked pieces in your mind. There is no end in this series, like life and all things. Some things like most are a mystery. I used to hate this style. But this makes complete sense. If you've played the game, I dare you to read the first chapter and NOT continue on! Every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger that draws you into the next chapter. (Ah, yes... The nights I've spent reading until it was morning.)