Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with L


Well, I haven't reviewed all of the titles beginning with L, but here are a few I wrote way back in September. Then I got busy with schoolwork and work-work, and I didn't have time for recreational reading. And now that I have a little time between semesters, I'm finding myself wanting to read other things.

So even though I didn't even make it halfway through the alphabet, I'm ceasing this Skyrim book review project. If anyone has actually been reading these, I'm sorry to abandon you midstream, but I hope you've enjoyed reading these.

Here are the last few I completed:

Lady Benoch's Words and Philosophy.

I think when you find this book in the game, it is only titled Words and Philosophy. The lady in question was a warrior of renown, and this book was the summary of three interviews with her conducted by the anonymous author. The text could have benefited from some careful editing. There were multiple tense-shifts, which are one of my pet peeves. (For example, one quotation is marked with "she said" and the next with "she says," when they are quoting the same interview.) However, the stories told by Lady Benoch were rather entertaining, especially her recounting of her first face-to-face kill, so the book is worth reading.

Three stars.

--

The Last King of the Ayleids, by Herminia Cinna.

This history text is on the dry and dull side, unfortunately. It's a general overview of the decline of Ayleid power in Cyrodiil during and after the time of Alessia. Only the last paragraph mentions "the last king," and then with so little detail that the reader can not even imagine his role in the battle linked to his name.

Two stars.

--

The Last Scabbard of Akrash, by Tabar Vunqidh.

A blacksmith receives daily visits from a veiled lady. An unknown vigilante dispatches slave-traders. The suspense and mystery may not be strong, but the story is engaging and well-written, with clear and vivid descriptions. It's the details, and the nice way the author brings the tale full circle with no loose ends, that makes this great.

Four stars.

--

The Legendary City of Sancre Tor, by Matera Chapel.

Sancre Tor was Alessia's holy city, which was apparently poorly situated for defense, as it was repeatedly conquered by various enemies. It's a decent overview of the history of this city, but a little on the boring side.

Two stars.

--

The Legendary Scourge.

A disjointed fragment tells of a mace named Scourge, an ebony weapon of Malacath. This seems like it ought to be part of a larger work, and it does not stand well on its own. It does harbor a few nicely turned phrases, though.

Two stars.

--

The Legend of Red Eagle, by Tredayn Dren, Archivist of Winterhold.

This book provides more information about Red Eagle than the player would learn just through completing that subquest. It's also one of the relatively few stories about the native people who lived in Skyrim before the Nords took over. So even though it's just a brief overview, roughly on par with an encyclopedia entry, it's a nice supplement to the game.

Three stars.

--

The Legend of the Krately House, by Baloth-Kul.

This ghost story is presented in script format, requiring a two-story set. The stage directions--especially the lighting directions--create a vivid, spooky ambiance. The sense of suspense holds until the end. I would pay real-life money to see this performed live on stage. Too bad it's so short (well, long for a Skyrim book, but short for a play) that it would be cost-prohibitive to produce.

Five stars.

--

Light Armor Forging, by Revus Sarvani.

I expected this to be as bad as Heavy Armor Forging--it certainly started off just as poorly, seasoned with a smattering of grammar errors. However, this text surprised me with an interesting little story about how the crafting of Elven armor came to be known to non-Elves, which actually made this book worth reading beyond the skill point it awards.

Two and a half stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder ScrollsPages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg


Friday, September 07, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with K


Keepers of the Razor: Current Descendants of the Inner Circle.

This book has some useful information if you're doing the Daedric quest to restore Mehrune's Razor. If you're not doing this quest, however, the book isn't worth the time to read. It really is just a list of non-player characters in possession of the various fragments of the weapon. The text does not stand alone.

Two stars.

--

Killing--Before You're Killed, by Eduardo Corvus.

Some game-related battle tactics for melee fighting. Nothing but contempt is given with regards to magic, and nothing whatsoever is given with regards to archery. The advice on using bladed weapons is applicable within the game-world, but probably not in real life. This is the kind of book you open so you can collect the skill point, but you gain little from the actual reading of it.

Two stars.

--

A Kiss, Sweet Mother.

Another quest-related tome, this time for the Dark Brotherhood quest. This very brief text instructs the reader on the sacrificial ritual for summoning the Dark Brotherhood. It is creepy, but offers little substance.

Two stars.

--

The Knights of the Nine, by Karoline of Solitude.

This book can be summarized as, "The Knights of the Nine were awesome. Then they fell from grace and weren't awesome anymore. Then everyone forgot about them." What the book lacks is any particular description of what the Knights of the Nine actually did in order to be held in high regard during their heyday. In other words, the author never explained why the reader should care about the Knights.

One star.

--

Kolb & the Dragon: An Adventure for Nord Boys.

It's a choose-your-own-adventure-style book! Each page sets the scene, with a list of different pages you could turn to next depending on the choice you make. I loved this style of interactive adventure tale when I was a kid, so reading this book was like having a huge corner slice of birthday cake with extra buttercream frosting. The epub version doesn't work so well, even though the compiler was careful to preserve page numbers. However, reading this book in-game was delightful. I had to go through it multiple times, choosing different paths so I could see all the endings. It's a very short and simple tale, of course, but that doesn't lessen the delight. Props to the game developers for even thinking to include a book like this.

Five stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder ScrollsPages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg.

Monday, September 03, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with I and J


I haven't played Skyrim in months. I was craving the wasteland, and made a fresh tour through Fallout 3, and now I'm back in New Vegas. But, after reading quite a lot of nonfiction for work and school, I'm back to reading the Books of Skyrim on my Nook.

Ice and Chitin, by Pletius Spatec.

Set in the time of Tiber Septum, this tale of a daring escape from an enemy army lacks the strong sense of suspense that could have made it truly great. However, it is still a decent story, and competently written. From the title, you might have expected Falmer or Charrus to be a factor, but it actually refers to the scavenged chitin armor that the main characters wear as they flee across the icy landscape.

Three stars.

--

Immortal Blood, by Anonymous.

You find a copy of this book in just about every vampire nest in the entire game. It's capably written and enjoyable, and offers the origin story of Morvarth, whose lair the player may find near the town of Morthal. It's certainly not necessary to read this book to enjoy the quest that starts in Morthal, but it does make the game world richer.

Three and a half stars.

--

Incident at Necrom, by Jonquilla Bothe.

This tale about four adventurers taking on an enclave of vampires suffers from mediocre writing and awkward sentences. It's a shame, because the story is good, and the illusionist is a memorable character.

Three stars.

--

Interviews with Tapestrists, Volume Eighteen: Cherim's Heart of Anequina, by Livillus Perus, Professor at the Imperial University. (Note: the display title of this book when you find it in the game is just Cherim's Heart of Anequina.)

Sounds boring, right? An interview with a weaver of tapestries? Yet Cherim was a warrior in his younger days, and the tapestry named Heart of Anequina depicts a battle. The description of the tapestry is so vivid that the reader can clearly envision the battle scene. The discussion of light versus heavy armor was also quite interesting. This book was a delightful surprise.

Four stars.

--

Invocation of Azura, by Sigillah Parate.

A Dunmer priestess of Azura describes her religious journey. She started off following her family's worship of Molag Bal, lost her faith and moved on to Boethiah, and then on to Nocturnal, and finally found her faith again in Azura. This short book gives a glimpse into the practices of four Daedric Princes and their worshipers.

Three and a half stars.

--

Journal of Gallus Desidenius.

This journal describes Gallus's pursuit of Mercer Frey. The text mentions characters contemporary with the game, such as Karliah and Maul, so I gather that this is tied in with the Thieves Guild questline, which I've never played through. As I lack the game context, I can only judge the book on its literary merit. The author did a nice job of making this seem like a real journal. There is a sense of temporal disconnect between each paragraph, so that even without any dates or other notation of time lapse, the reader can infer that each entry was written on a different day.

Three stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder ScrollsPages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with H

Hallgerd's Tale, by Tavi Dromio.

Here is another two-layered story. The frame story features three guys chatting about their favorite warriors, and the nested story is the tale told by one of them. Although the setting is completely undefined, from the tone of their banter, I picture these young men hanging around in an alehouse. They seem kind of like frat boys. Do they have beer and pizza in Skyrim? Maybe they're downing mead and sweet rolls.

Because the nested story is presented entirely within Hallgerd's dialogue, it is frequently interrupted with commentary by his two buddies. The tale of a warrior who could move faster in heavy armor than out of it is a bit on the ridiculous side, not to mention rather bawdy, but it is quite entertaining. If you like tall tales spiritedly told, don't miss this one.

Four stars.

--

Hanging Gardens of the Wasten Coridae.
These are presented as fragments of an old Dwemer book. Most are not even complete sentences. The phrases are nicely turned, but too disconnected to give a clear impression of anything.

One and a half stars.

--

Harvesting Frostbite Spider Venom
.

This seems more like a letter than a book, as the unidentified author is clearly addressing a specific individual he or she has recruited to collect frostbite venom. It's casual, but informative, and it includes a lovely drawing of a frostbite spider biting a warrior's head off.

Three stars.

--

Heavy Armor Forging
, by Sven Two-Hammers.

Collect this book for the smithing skill point, but don't bother reading it. It's just a list of what types of ingots are needed to craft various types of armor. It's well written, but terribly dull. If you really want to read about smithing, read Forge, Hammer, and Anvil.

One star.

--

Herbalist's Guide to Skyrim
, by Agneta Falia.

Here's a rarity in Skyrim: a book filled with full-color illustrations. These well-done drawings of various alchemy ingredients are accompanied by narrative descriptions of their properties. So you could learn a handful of alchemy recipes from this text. For being both beautiful and practical, this book gets . . .

Five stars.

--

Herbane's Bestiary.


There are three unnumbered volumes in this set: The Ice Wraiths, Dwarven Automatons, and Hagravens. Herbane seems to be a big game hunter. When he hears a tale of a fearsome beast, he is compelled to seek it out and kill it. Though he seems a braggart, he has the mettle to match his mouth. These texts are reasonably informative, as tips useful for gameplay are mixed with some interesting lore. However, awkward sentences, lack of apostrophes in possessives, and a misspelling of Herbane's own name (Herebanes) detract.

Three and a half stars.

--

The Holds of Skyrim: A Field Officer's Guide.


These brief, uninspired descriptions of the nine holds and their capitols add no information that you wouldn't learn from even the most cursory playthrough of the game.

One star.

--

The Hope of the Redoran
, by Turiul Nirith.

This might have been an interesting story in the hands of a writer with the ability to create suspense and craft action scenes. Unfortunately, the tale falls flat. What little action is shown is muddled with awkward sentences, and the climactic fight scene is glossed over with, "The less said about the end of the battle, the better," which I took to mean, "I didn't feel like writing this scene."

Two stars.

--

The Horror of Castle Xyr: A One Act Play
, by Baloth-Kul.

This tale is told in script format, which is a refreshing change from narrative prose. Despite the fact that the gruesome horrors chiefly occur off stage and are relayed through dialogue, this is a rather enjoyable tale. One passage gave me a genuine chill, and there is a nice twist to the plot.

Four and a half stars.

--

How Orsinium Passed to the Orcs
, by Menyna Gsost.

Overall, this is an enjoyable story about a duel between a Breton and an Orc over ownership of a large parcel of land. The focus is more upon the preparation for the duel than the duel itself. There are a few minor grammatical errors, one strange lore error (namely, the Breton refers to Orcish armor as "beastly steel," but anyone who has played the game knows that Orcish armor is made of orichalcum), and a couple of questionable aspects of the plot (which I won't spoil here). Even so, the story is entertaining.

Three stars.

--

A Hypothetical Treachery: A One Act Play
, by Anthil Morvir.

The script format works well for this story, as it is more dialogue than action. Four adventurers find a treasure, and no one wants to share. After a betrayal, only two are left standing. The treasure is heavy enough that neither can carry it alone, so they cooperate in transporting it. As they walk, however, they have a "hypothetical" conversation about the particular strategies each might use to betray the other. It is a game of wits, and the reader's uncertainty about which of these two devious battlemages will emerge as the victor elevates the suspense.

Four and a half stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with G

Galerion the Mystic, by Asgrim Kolsgreg.

This is the tale of a peasant who trained with the Psijics and became the first Archmagister of the Mages Guild. Born into a social strata where literacy was forbidden, he fled his master's estate as a child, later to be found, half dead, by a group of troubadours who recognized his intelligence and sent him to Artaeum for schooling. It's a reasonably interesting tale, told in an unremarkable style. It might have benefited from more detail.

Three stars.

--

A Game at Dinner
, by an Anonymous Spy.

Prince Helseth, son of Barenziah, has more than a few spies in his court. At a banquet, he attempts to suss them out with poison. The story is presented as a letter written by a surviving spy to his employer. Although the story is predictable, it manages to be fairly entertaining.

Three and a half stars.

--

A Gentleman's Guide to Whiterun
, by Mikael the Bard.

This is probably the skeeviest book in the game, written by Mikael, that bard you can beat up for harrassing Carlotta. He lists most of the women in Whiterun--contemporary with the time of the game, so these are characters the player will encounter--along with his opinions on their physical charms and bed-ability. It's functionally a catalog for promiscuous men. Eew.

Two stars.

--

Ghosts in the Storm
, by Adonato Leotelli.

The author, while traveling with a Khajiit caravan, was beset by creatures unnamed, but described so well that the reader can readily identify them as Falmer. Given the author's mention of Ri'saad, the Khajiit leader, it is apparent that this is a recent text, reasonably contemporary with the game. It is well written, with nicely detailed descriptions.

Four stars.

--

Glories and Laments Among the Ayleid Ruins
, by Alexandre Hetrard.

This text is rich with lush descriptions of scenery. It's more or less a travelogue or explorer's guide, but it also touches on ancient High Elf religion. There isn't much to it, but what is there is nicely written.

Four stars.

--

The Gold Ribbon of Merit
, by Ampyrian Brum.

Two young men, who had been friends as boys, have a reunion. The braggart, prideful of his awards, offers an archery lesson to his quiet friend, who is perhaps not so unskilled as his modest demeanor suggests. This tale was predictable, and not nearly as satisfying as The Black Arrow, but it was enjoyable.

Three and a half stars.

--

Great Harbingers of the Companions
.

This is a history of the Companions, who are, in effect, the warriors guild of Skyrim. While the writing is not stellar, the brief biographies are interesting. Unfortunately, non-Nords, particularly elves, seemed to have short tenures as Harbinger, with sad endings. The same can be said of the one woman Harbinger mentioned. It is apparent that Nord chauvinism is not new to Skyrim, or to the Companions.

Three stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with F

Fall from Glory, by Nithilis Lidari.

The very concept of this book is critically flawed. The author talks about the decline of the Thieves Guild, and then admits to having infiltrated the guild to find out why, promising to publish a second volume when the secret is learned. If you're going to infiltrate a criminal organization, you don't publish a book saying, "Hey, I've infiltrated this criminal organization," before your investigation is complete. This is called blowing your cover. It's also tantamount to telling every guard in every hold, "Hey, I've been engaging in criminal activity. Come arrest me."

One star.

--

The Fall of Saarthal
, by Heseph Chirirnis, Mages Guild Scholar assigned to Imperial Archaeologist Sentius Floronius.

An underworked assistant pursues his own sideline of research. He is either passive-aggressive, or he has astonishingly low self-esteem. Even as he flatters the archaeologist he works for, it is clear that his own research focuses on the big picture of how Saarthal was destroyed and rebuilt, while his boss's research focuses on the minutia of the bathing habits of the people who had lived there. Actually, I consider both the historical big picture and the small cultural details of day-to-day life in ancient times to be interesting and valuable paths of research. Together, they can paint a comprehensive portrait of the culture and times. However, it seems that this assistant and his boss are unlikely to ever collaborate in any meaningful way.

Three stars.

--

Fall of the Snow Prince: an account of the Battle of the Moesring as transcribed by Lokheim, chronicler to the chieftan Ingjaldr White-Eye.


This beautifully-written account gave me a strong, almost cinematic visual impression of the last great battle between the Nords and the Elves in the time of Ysgramor. This truly has an epic feel, in the classical sense of the word, both in the cadence of the story telling and in the narrative flow of the tale. This also offers a rare glimpse of the Snow Elves, who degenerated into the Falmer after this defeat, when they were still glorious.

Five stars.

--

The Falmer: A Study
, by Ursa Uthrax.

This text references Fall of the Snow Prince, and I would recommend you read them back-to-back. Together, they are like bookends on the history of the Falmer: then and now. Uthrax claims to have personally visited Blackreach, and this book represents the summary of his what he learned about the history of the snow elves who survived the Battle of the Moesring, how they sought refuge with the Dwemer, only to be blinded and enslaved, and how the toxic fungus they consumed underground warped their bodies into the Falmer of present times. This work reads less like a textbook and more like a primary source document, and it greatly enriches the game world by elevating Falmer above mere monsters.

Five stars.

--

Father of the Niben
, translated and with commentary by Florin Jaliil.

This is an interesting academic text. As the title implies, four surviving fragments of an ancient epic poem are presented in translation with extensive commentary by the translator. The fragments tell of the voyage of the Niben and the failed mission to find the lost Aldmer homeland of Old Ehlnofey. Along the way the crew encounters groups that may or may not be the ancient Orcs/Orsimer, the ancestors of the Khajiit, and a group of feathered people otherwise lost to history. The scholarly analysis of the fragments is detailed, with multiple interpretations presented. This is one of the more readable accounts of ancient Tamriel history.

Four stars.

--

Feyfolken
, by Waughin Jarth.


This three-volume set features a story within a story. In the frame story, the Great Sage teaches lessons to his two students. In the nested story, a mute scribe purchases an enchanted quill. However, the quill is possessed by the soul of a daedra, and it has a mind of its own. There are a couple of typos marring an otherwise well-written narrative, including one misspelling of the main character's name. Both stories wandered a bit, and neither strongly held my interest, which makes me wonder if this was one of Waughin Jarth's earlier works, before he got good, or one of his later works, after he was burned out.

Three stars.

--

The Final Lesson
, by Aegrothius Goth.

Despite having a different author, this story features the same Great Sage with the same two students from Feyfolken, and the writing style is very similar. Perhaps Aegrothius Goth and Waughin Jarth are the same person.

This is another story within a story. The Great Sage tells his students that it is time for them to leave their apprenticeship, but they don't want to go. So he tells the tale of a sage from ages past, who had two students. One of these students of old went out into the world and found his own way, and the other stayed with their master. Those two students met again as old men, where they discovered how differently their lives had turned out. It's not a bad tale, but not particularly dynamic.

Three stars.

--

Fire and Darkness: The Brotherhoods of Death
, by Ynir Gorming.

This is a tale of two assassins guilds, the Dark Brotherhood and its predecessor the Morag Tong. It contains much history and speculation about the two organizations, and so will likely be of interest to those playing assassin characters. The mediocre writing, spangled with grammatical and punctuation errors, rather put me off.

Two stars.

--

The Firmament
, by Ffoulke.

It's the Tamriel astrology handbook! What's your sign, baby? This text is an interesting piece of game lore, describing the thirteen constellations and the personalities typical of people born under their signs. The only thing that bugs me is the Serpent constellation, which "wanders about in the sky." Constellations don't wander. The "wandering stars" of the ancient world were what we today know as planets. Based on my admittedly rudimentary knowledge of astrophysics, I would have to say that the movements of several planets together would not maintain a coherent constellation-like formation. Of course, if you want to make a big enough mental stretch, you could imagine that the technologically-advanced Dwemer had a space program, and that the Serpent is actually a collection of satellites that orbit in formation. But that's certainly quite a divergence from the actual game lore. Back to The Firmament--it's a fun little book. Fluffy and not essential reading, but charming nonetheless.

Three and a half stars, mostly because it made me speculate about the possibility of space-faring Dwemer.

--

The Firsthold Revolt
, by Maveus Cie.

A fictionalization of pseudo-historical events, this tale tells of a battle of wits between two women, played large with armies as their pawns. The queen, a daughter of Barenziah, rightfully commands the royal forces. The king's concubine colludes with the revolutionaries. The ending, while predictable, was satisfying. The writing is not strong, but it is adequate. Overall, a decent read.

Three stars.

--

The Five Songs of King Wulfharth
.

The title is misleading, as these tales are not presented as songs. They read like the kind of first-rush-of-inspiration notes an author might scrawl on the back of an envelope or whatever other scrap of paper might be at hand, had such notes been published without any revision or editing. Some parts are in past tense, others in present. Furthermore, the writing seems disjointed, incomplete and unpolished. There might be a good story there, if someone were to take the time to write it. The only positive takeaway I have from this text is that I now know who Ysmir is.

One and a half stars.

--

Flight from the Thalmor
.

Perhaps the errors and misused words can be excused, as this is presented as the diary of a fugitive who anticipates that his death is near at hand. The author is purported to be a bard, and this does not require any suspension of disbelief, because the writing displays a certain natural talent for wordsmithing. The types of errors I saw are of the sort that even good writers make, and then clean up during editing. The tenor and tone of the writing are consistent, and in a very few pages do a fine job of conveying the personality of the condemned man.

Three and a half stars.

--

Forge, Hammer and Anvil
, by Adolphus Eritius.

Terrible grammar and poor spelling are completely in-concept for this text, which was dictated by an illiterate blacksmith to some unknown assistant, who added his own parenthetical commentary, some of it quite insulting toward his master. Even though this is mainly a catalog of what types of ingots are required for creating particular types of weapons and armor, this brief text bubbles with character and humor. The prefatory and concluding scholarly commentary are superfluous, but not detracting. Call to mind your favorite cranky-old-man voice when reading this book.

Four stars.

--

Fragment: On Artaeum
, by Taurice il-Anselma.

This is a brief piece on the Psijic Order of mages and Isle of Artaeum, where they live. The island vanished from the world for five hundred years, and the Psijics offered no explanation to the world or to the author of this book. The text is well crafted and capably written, but it failed to hold my interest. Read this if you'd like to know more about the Psijics than you see in the game.

Three stars.

--

Frontier, Conquest and Accommodation: A Social History of Cyrodiil
, University of Gwylim Press 3E 344.

This text describes the spread of humans across Tamriel. In most areas, humans and elves learned to coexist peacefully, but in Skyrim, humans pushed the elves back through military conquest. Although the writing is not particularly inspired, this book does provide some nice background to illuminate the racial tensions apparent in the game.

Three and a half stars.

--

Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Skyrim Book Reviews, Titles Beginning with E

Effects of the Elder Scrolls, by Justinius Poluhnius.

Here is a bit a lore about the Elder Scrolls for which the game series is named. The author describes the terrible fate that befalls a person who reads an Elder Scroll without preparation, and then describes the different, but also terrible, fate that befalls one who undergoes years of preparation prior to reading. The disciplines followed by the Cult of the Ancestor Moth are explained.

I must confess: Skyrim is the only Elder Scrolls game I've played, and I have never finished it. Whenever I get to level 50 or so, I start a new character and try a different play style. But I've never finished the main plot, I've never even started the civil war plotline, and I've never actually encountered an Elder Scroll, so I have no experiential knowledge to verify or refute the accuracy of the content of this book. However, the text of Effects of the Elder Scrolls is well-written and informative, and the book serves to flesh out the game world in a very satisfactory way.

Four stars.

--

Eslaf Erol
, by Reven.

You won't find a book titled Eslaf Erol in the game, but the name of the main character serves as a series title for the four books: Beggar, Thief, Warrior, and King. This story about five siblings with unpronounceable names is absurd. Even the opening paragraph contains multiple physical impossibilities. It was all too ludicrous for my tastes, but I grew used to the style, and I eventually embraced the ridiculous and enjoyed the story for what it was. As you might guess from the titles of the four books, they follow the progression of Eslaf's life, from birth through poverty to eventual kingship. While Beggar, Thief, and King are aptly named, Warrior seems a bit of a stretch, as he never weilds a weapon, but only cowers behind a shield.

It's hard to rate this series, because you'll either love it or hate it, and I don't perceive much room for ambivalence. I really can't decide if it's stupid or funny, or stupid-funny.

Two stars OR four stars. In this case, they do not average to three.

--

The Exodus
, by Waughin Jarth.

After reading The Argonian Account and A Dance in Fire, I've become a bona fide Waughin Jarth fan. The Exodus, however, is not one of his better works. A husband and wife journey far in the hopes of finding someone who can save the life of their sickly daughter, and they find a small enclave of cheerful, friendly mages living in the middle of an expansive graveyard. The writing bursts with lush and vivid descriptions. However, unusual for Jarth's work, there is one glaring tense shift, they type of error that should have been cleaned up in editing. The worst error, however, is a matter of dramatic timing. A particular piece of information was revealed to the reader at the midpoint of the story. Had it been saved until the last page, the ending of the tale would have had more punch.

Three stars.

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Experimentation in the Physicalities of the Werewolf
, by Reman Crex.

A sociopath describes in detail the horrifying techniques by which he tortures captured werewolves to death and documents them for science. It's well-written and enriches the game world, but it is one of the darkest, most disturbing things I have yet encountered in Skyrim. Your mileage may vary.

Three and a half stars.

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An Explorer's Guide to Skyrim
, by Marcius Carvain, Viscount Bruma.

Many books in Skyrim do something when you open them--increase one of your skills or launch a quest. This one adds a location to your map. Unlike every other book I've encountered, though, this isn't a single-use bonus. Open this book multiple times, and you'll receive multiple map markers. You can add every single one of the Stones of Fate to your map if you have the patience to sit there and keep opening and closing the book for a couple of minutes.

The actual text of this travelogue is better than I expected. An Imperial with a generally low opinion of the people of Skyrim, but a high opinion of the landscape, describes four locations with lovely detail.

Four stars.

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Note: I am not connected to Bethesda in any way, and no one asked me to do these reviews. I am doing this purely for my own fun, as time allows. I don't have an agenda, other than the joy of reading and writing. If I panned your favorite Skyrim book, sorry. If I gave five stars to one you thought was awful, also sorry. These are my opinions and mine alone. You're entitled to your own.

Read these books within the game Skyrim, on The Elder Scrolls Wiki or on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, or download the Dovahkiin Gutenberg.