chapter 2

the written word

Stories predate writing, but writing has long been the standard method of documenting stories. Of course, there are many other mediums through which stories have been related and experienced, but the written word still stands as a bastion of storytelling. In mapping the story grand of Myst, there are three novels to be addressed; Myst: the Book of Atrus, Myst: the Book of Ti'Ana, and Myst: the Book of D'Ni. These novels may have been released in between the two CD-ROMs but their storylines occur before the narratives set forth in the CD-ROMs and the comic.

The narrating aspect of the Myst novels is that of an omniscient narrator who is privy to all the characters’ thoughts. Throughout the trilogy, the reader is along for the ride, reading to see what happens next. The tense of the Myst novels is mostly present. Throughout the trilogy the story is unfolding as it is told. There is little foreshadowing and, instead, there are a lot of cliff hangers and suspense, as both the characters and the reader discover what is happening together. The mood of the Myst books is of textual representation with a smattering of drawings placed here and there. The words evoke the images, but the Millers also include pictures to add to the reading experience. The aspect of voice has the reader as an implied and assumed audience of the narrator. As a reader, you are being told a tale by the narrator, and you just sit back and listen as you read.

The story grand of Myst goes through some time jumps with the novels. As noted earlier, the story grand actually starts in the second novel, the Book of Ti'Ana. It then moves to the first novel, the book of Atrus, followed by the comic, the book of the Black Ships, and then the two CD-ROMs, Myst and Riven, and finally it is concluded (at least for now) in the final novel, the book of D'Ni. But these books and CD-ROMs were released in different timeframes. The Myst CD-ROM was released first, then the Book of Atrus, then the Book of Ti'Ana, then the comic Book of Black Ships, then the Book of D'Ni and finally Riven.

In considering the four aspects of narrative, plot, character, setting and theme. the novels lean most heavily on character and plot, and then setting and least of all is a pervasive but bare bones theme. Now, I need to say that of all of the mediums, the novel is the one that can most adroitly push any of the four characteristics of narrative. Depending on the skills and desires of an author, words can be used to foreground character, plot, setting or theme. That said, I find that the Myst novels center around characters, particularly Atrus who is present across each incarnation of the story grand. These characters act within a cliff-hanging plot style perfected by Charles Dickens. The end of almost every chapter is a cliffhanger and the point of view is switched among characters from chapter to chapter. We watch as Atrus and company (or Aitrus and Anna) move through these underground worlds that are manageably described, if not rivetingly so. Even though the plots are at most workman-like, there is a clever subtlety found in the third novel where the events of both games are revealed, but the plot (and the end of the games) are not revealed. All you are told is that Atrus succeeded in freeing himself from his sons and his father. So there aren't any spoilers for the game. You aren't given any clues or hints. All you know is that someone (presumably you if you have played the games) has successfully helped Atrus to this point of the story grand.

So, the perspective of a player of the CD-ROMs is treated as a character in passing reference within the third novel. The other characters find themselves in standard plights of danger, and love and they struggle and succeed as the story draws to a neat conclusion with each novel. These stories all revolve around the setting of D'Ni, a magical underground world, and the theme of the novels is one of exploring the wonders of the world (which harkens back to Verne's Mysterious Island - the inspiration for Myst). Even though I believe the theme to be the narrative characteristic developed the least in the novel, it is worth noting that the theme has a intimate connection with the CD-ROMs. In the novels the theme is one of the virtue, joy and rewards of carefully exploring and enjoying the world around you. That way you are living a full life and seeing the whole. This theme could very well be the best instruction for how to successfully play the CD-ROMs. You need to carefully explore the worlds of Myst and Riven in order to successfully puzzle through the game and fully experience the story that only moves forward as long as you're exploring the worlds.

the Myst novels

The first Myst novel, the Book of Atrus, focuses on the story of the mysterious father figure from the Myst CD-ROM. The Millers have said that while they were developing the Myst game, they kept documenting the backstory of the game in order to help them piece together the story presented in the CD-ROM (Carroll, "(D)Riven"). And when they completed the CD-ROM, they realized that they had enough backstory material to put together a novel.

So, this story served as a map from which they pieced together the story of Myst, and then they fleshed it out and made it a story in its own right that serves as a fictional history to the CD-ROM story. In one aspect, the novel serves as a cultural rationale to the world of the CD-ROM. The method and mode of making and using the linking books found throughout the worlds in the CD-ROM is fully explained by the creation of an extinct culture and race, the D'Ni ("dunny"), a people who lived underground in fabulous caverns and linked to millions of worlds. Whereas in the game it is barely mentioned, it is just assumed that opening a book and touching the page will take you to another world. Atrus, who leaves us clues in the Myst CD-ROM, is the character around which the first book builds it tale. If we look at the four building blocks of narrative (plot, character, theme and setting) character is the most prominent in the books. Plot is next, followed by setting, then theme. We are introduced to Atrus and his life (which first consists of his grandmother, Anna, and his experiments out in the desert on the side of a volcano and then of his adventures with his prodigal father, Gehn). We watch him as things happen to him (as the plot advances). We get to see him propelled into this amazing subterranean world (the setting - which is represented throughout the novel by a smattering of drawings). A place where there is a forgotten culture to be discovered and explored (the theme of exploration is derived from Atrus' character and the character of D'Ni culture). It should be noted that I think the arrangement of these narrative building blocks is do more to the authors than to the medium itself.

In presenting this narrative, the Miller brothers have co-authored the novel with David Wingrove. The three of them shape the narrative around Atrus. The perspective of the writing is primarily from Atrus' point of view, although we do have glimpses from Anna's and Gehn's, the story mostly travels with Atrus. We watch as he is abandoned by Gehn and then grows up and is experientially educated by Anna. We see the central theme being established in Anna's questions to Atrus. She asks him what he sees, and encourages him to look at the "whole." In other words, Atrus should consider fully everything that he engages and everything in the world, to fully see the interconnected relationships around him. This inquisitive sense of the whole will serve Atrus well in his upcoming adventures, which begin with the return of Gehn, who sweeps Atrus away and down into the labyrinthian world of D'Ni. After establishing theme of the Whole, Atrus is exposed to a grand old culture that had mastered the art and science of writing books that connected to, or created, other, entire worlds. The power of the written word to whisk you away to other place, is literally a power of the magical D'Ni language. They had normal books that roughly equate to the books in our world, but they also had these special books written on special paper and with special ink, that when fulfilled, allowed a person to link to that written world. So, the story revolves around Atrus' exploration and education into the D'Ni culture under the harsh tutelage of his father.

As Atrus' experiences more of the D'Ni culture and history, he begins to master the writing of these special books, and to travel the many of the worlds that Gehn wrote. He comes to disagree with Gehn's ideas about the worlds and how they are connected to the books. Gehn believes that he is actually writing these worlds into existence, and they would not be if it were not for the books. And he believes that he is a god who holds total power over the worlds he has created. Atrus, on the other hand, comes to believe the that the books merely serve as links to the many possible worlds that could be in existence. Through their precise description, the books become the gateway into these possible worlds that would exist without the books, but one would not be able to visit them withot the books as a link. This philosophical rift soon becomes a tension between father and son and serves to further illustrate the theme of the book. Gehn, while extremely gifted, only sees the bits and pieces of writing and what he makes, while Atrus sees the whole in his worlds and his written descriptions of them. The tension does lead to a father-son break, where Atrus is placed in the position of having to overcome Gehn (a not-so-subtle Freudian move) and so, Atrus and Gehn become conflicted combatants, both struggling within themselves about their strained relationship with the each other, while concurrently fighting with each other, Gehn to rid himself of Atrus, and Atrus to stop Gehn from destroying worlds.

The book follows a classic style of cliffhanging chapter endings (a la Charles Dickens and airport newstand novels ) that switch you from different points of potential catastrophe as it builds to a resolution. Again, these switches may entail a perspective switch between characters, but the mostly revolve around Atrus. Gehn, Anna, and Catherine (yes, a love interest) play their parts in the story of Atrus. And the story follows a tried and true speculative fiction format with action, suspense, love and conflict and a resolution in the end.

Both the Island of Myst and the world of Riven are introduced in the storyline of this book. Riven, Gehn's thirty-seventh age (he never names them, just numbers them), is where Atrus first meets Catherine and it is the world in which Atrus and Gehn have their final showdown. Gehn ends up trapped in Riven at the conclusion of the novel. Myst is set up as a world that Catherine has written for Atrus and herself (but there are intimations that Anna is actually the one who wrote this world).

The final resolution of this first novel more fully sets up the beginning of the CD-ROM Myst. Like the deeper explanation of the linking books, this story gives us more of the details and a context in which to fit those ominous first lines of dialogue that we hear in the introduction of the CD-ROM. These same lines serve as the final words read in this book, so a direct connection is made in the storyline between these two pieces. This direct connection implicates the reader into the action about to take place as well as illustrating that in between the end of this novel and the beginning of the CD-ROM many events (seemingly tragic and partially revealed in the comic book) occur before the reader becomes an active part in the sleuthing in Myst the CD-ROM.

the Myst novels

The second Myst novel, the Book of Ti'Ana, goes deeper into the mythological story of the D'Ni.

It goes back and relates the story of Anna and how she stumbles upon the ancient culture of D'Ni and meets Aitrus (the grandfather of Atrus). It starts off underground as we follow Aitrus as he and others are digging their way up to the surface. We get to see a sliver of D'Ni culture as we are introduced to the idea of guilds. In D'Ni you develop a speciality and join that guild. Aitrus is a member of the surveyors guild. So, we travel along with Aitrus as they slowly dig towards the surface of the earth. Aitrus is described as a hard worker who loves to constantly experiment and innovate. He is excited by the adventure he is undertaking. We also get introduced to Veovis, a member of the writers guild (they wrote all the linking books like those found in the games, Myst and Riven) and a person who becomes a friend of Aitrus. They eventually reach the surface, but they fear of meeting violent, uncivilized monsters (us). They debate and make the decision to close of the tunnels and return to their underground kingdom. Veovis is adamantly for closing the tunnel, while Aitrus passionately wants to explore. After the decision there is an earthquake and Aitrus ends up saving Veovis' life.

We then switch to Anna and how she discovers the D’Ni tunnels. We are introduced to her with her father as they are exploring the rocks around a volcano (again, there is a big emphasis on being naturally curious about the worlds we inhabit). They are looking for geological clues about the history of the area, and they come upon rocks that look constructed instead of natural. Her father teaches her about looking and seeing and asking questions and finding answers. They find a natural cave that is very close to the D’Ni tunnels that Aitrus and company sealed off. Together, Anna and her father explore the caves and the anomalies therein. Anna’s father gets sick, recovers and works, but eventually dies, leaving her on her own. After awhile, Anna’s curiosity about the anomalies causes her to go exploring on her own, so she descends down into the earth. She ends up discovering the D’Ni tunnels and sees their writing on the walls, leading her to believe that there is a civilization below. So she explores further.

At the same time as the above events, Aitrus and Veovis have become more politically involved in the renewed debate over whether to contact the surface. At a public forum on these issues, it is revealed that Anna has made contact with D’Ni. She is brought down into the grand cavern of D’Ni and she is kept under close if courteous watch and the D’Ni council slowly debates what to do about the situation. Aitrus becomes an ardent voice for letting her learn about them so they in turn can learn about her. Veovis is totally against her integrating at all. This disagreement strains their friendship. Anna helps her cause by learning their language (surprising them —many assumed she was a barbarous monster). They hold a trial to determine what to do with her and she speaks for herself and wins over the council. She ends up staying in Aitrus’ family home and starts learning more about D’Ni. Veovis is unhappy, but tolerant, as long as she is denied access to the great linking books that are the heart of their culture. Aitrus silently disagrees with Veovis and actually shows Anna a linking book and begins to help her learn how to write these amazing books. They use Aitrus’ family book, linking to another world. Shortly thereafter, there is a celebration as Veovis has completed his first master world. Aitrus and Anna attend but Veovis angers Aitrus by denying Anna entry into the world because she is not D’Ni. And Veovis learns that Anna knows of the linking books and is learning how to write and he and Aitrus find their friendship dissolving. Anna with the help of some friendly D’Ni, tries to research for a precedence where other cultures have used the linking books. Anna's friends find the information she needs and this sways the council to vote for Anna to use the books, leaving Veovis furious.

Anna begins to learn to write with Aitrus, and they begin to fall in love with each other. He takes her to a world he wrote where she sees the thick glasses the D’Ni wear to protect their eyes when not underground. They go and explore this new world together and find a volcano. It is here that Aitrus gives her a D’Ni name, Ti’Ana, meaning storyteller, and that they decide to try to get married, even though the D’Ni have a lifespan three times longer than humans. Aitrus asks the council’s permission for a marriage, and his request enrages Veovis even further, so much so that he votes down the request, denying the formal union. Aitrus reminds Veovis that he saved his life, so he allows the marriage while vowing to never talk to Aitrus again.

While this is occurring, there is another debate, between the elite upper class of D’Ni and the lower class. Ti’Ana and Aitrus feel that the lower classes should be given more opportunities and rights, while Veovis and others feel that things should remain as they always have been. In the end, the council favors making changes to allow the lower classes new opportunities within the culture. Again Veovis is enraged and looks for ways to foment changes in other ways, seeking out one called the Philosopher to help his rebellious cause.

Meanwhile, Ti’Ana and Aitrus have Gehn (Atrus’ father from the first novel). Concurrently, two D'ni disappear and Veovis is suspected. Aitrus is sent to investigate. And the plot thickens, the Philosopher turns out to be a disgraced guild member, banished to the lower classes. He plays on Veovis’ anger to help slowly lead a violent rebellion and destruction of D’Ni. Thefts of the linking books and destruction of guild houses follow. The Philosopher also plays on Aitrus to help set up Veovis and further push him to violent action. During this, we see how much of D’Ni treats Gehn as a half-breed, not worth being alive (shades of his unhappiness to come). Both Aitrus and Ti'Ana get involved with trying to stop Veovis and the Philosopher. They manage to catch Veovis, but the Philosopher gets away.

What follows is the end of D’Ni culture as it was. The Philosopher and Veovis release a biological gas within the great underground cavern, killing all who breathe it. They then take the dead bodies and link them to all the other worlds, contaminating all who tried to escape. Aitrus becomes infected but manages to help save Ti’Ana and Gehn. Before he dies, he runs into Veovis who has been betrayed and stabbed by the Philosopher. Veovis helps Aitrus defeat the Philosopher for good, but the final result is that all of D’Ni is gone. The tale ends with Ti'Ana and Gehn returning to the surface to live where she lived with her father long ago.

the Myst novels

The third Myst novel, the Book of D'Ni, jumps forward in the story grand. This novel is the end of the story grand, its events taking place after both Myst and Riven. In it Atrus and Catherine return to D'Ni to rebuild the old culture. The return to the grand cavern and begin searching for linking books to the old ages of D'Ni and searching for survivors. There are two oblique references to the stories in the games (enough to note them, but not give anything away). Atrus remembers his sons, but that is all that is mentioned, and he also remembers how he was captured by Gehn and held captive. These references allude to the fact that he has successfully moved through those portions of his life (meaning that you the reader have successfully won the games as it were and that you're getting an abstract biographical reference within the narrative). We then follow Atrus as he begins to slowly discover survivors in the old ages, there are many ages that are empty of life or they find skeletal remains, but eventually, they do begin to find worlds inhabited by old D'ni and their offspring. Atrus meets with these people and asks them to return to D'Ni to help rebuild the old culture. Many accept his request and the task before the group is to slowly piece back together the spaces and rituals of the D'Ni culture.

They soon discover a hidden chamber that was sealed beneath a floor and then sealed off in sections with ancient books in an ancient script. Atrus, ever careful and patient, slowly makes sure everything is safe and moves forward with the exploration of the new chambers and the books therein. Many of the D'Ni mention the old legends of the Great King and how this must be from his reign, which has long been lost to the ages. Some express suspicion that if their ancestors saw fit to seal all of this away, then all of it was best left be. In the end, Atrus decides to explore and see what he can learn from all of this. After slowly deciphering the old script, they all decide to try to link to one of these ancient ages. Atrus goes and finds more sealed off chambers, and after much careful testing, they break the seals in this age and begin to explore this ancient world.

At first it seems to be a dead world, long since faded, but as they explore, they find a huge cliff and on the other side, they see a beautiful and abundant world with large buildings in the distance, a world of wonders before their eyes. They lower themselves down the cliff and carefully begin to go towards the nearest building. Eventually they run into a man on a boat. He asks them if he see them? After this odd question, Atrus introduces himself as from D'Ni. The stranger asks if it's Ro'D'Ni and Atrus agrees, and the man welcomes them to his world.

It turns out that they are in a world called Terahnee. They are welcomed in by the Ro’Jethhe family and their presence causes quite a stir. The local governor and then the King of all of Terahnee take interest in Atrus and company. While they visit and slowly get in more and more formal circles, they are exposed to an unbelievably opulent and abundant culture. Everything is picture perfect and beautiful beyond description, the art and ideas are superlative, everyone seems intelligent and considerate. It begins to seem to good to be true for Atrus, Catherine and company. Even with this sense, they cannot seemto find any faults with this culture. Everything seems peacefully perfect. They attend dinners with the Governor and through him receive invitations from the King, so preparations are made for the journey to the King. Atrus sends one of the group back to D’Ni to let the rest know what is happening, and they begin to travel across this rich land.

On their travels, they stop at the Governor’s mansion and play a game in a moving maze. One would enter a room and have thirty seconds to decide which exit to choose before being trapped in the room, and the hitch is the rooms moved up and down and around, so you had to be physically and mentally quick to make it through the maze. They then travel on and meet the King, where they are greeted like royalty, and Atrus and Catherine decide to ask if all of D’Ni can stay in Terahnee. The King agrees to the request, so they prepare to return to the linking book and bring everyone here. On the way back they finally discover the dirty secret of Terahnee. Atrus gets into a riddle game with one of the locals about those who are seen and those who are unseen. It slowly dawns on Atrus and company that the unseen are slaves with no rights whatsoever. Both Terahnee and D’Ni write linking books, and it is made apparent that the Terahnee consider anyone from these other worlds to be unseen and salves to treat as they see fit. And once the Terahnee discover that Atrus and company are from other worlds, they hold them captive. During this captivity, one Terahnee, Eedrah, comes to Atrus and takes him belowground to the intricate caverns where the unseen live and perform their duties. Atrus gets introduced to Hersha, the leader of the unseen, and sees how poorly they are treated by the Terahnee. He decides that instead of fleeing and trying to escape, he will stay and try to help change the Terahnee culture.

But before he can, a plague starts spreading across the land. It kills people quickly and some survive. Many of the slaves survive because they have been inoculated, but most of the Terahnee die. Atrus and the D'Ni try to find a cure and soon discover that the plague was caused by a bacteria brought with the D'Ni, harmless to them, but devastating to the Terahnee. Much is made of past prophecies and how they are finally coming true. Atrus resists this idea as unscientific. At the same time, the slaves begin an active revolt. They start to organize and kill their masters. Atrus, with the help of Eedrah and Hersha, tries to moderate the revolt and temper the angers so that they can have less killing and more constructive rebuilding of the culture. Some go along with the more peaceful solutions, others splinter off, intent on killing and exacting revenge. Atrus writes up a new code of law and begins to try and help the slaves start a new culture and society. Some of the Teranhee bring an army from other ages to put down the revolt. Atrus helps organize the slaves around those who were most angry, letting their anger help secure the revolution, but these slaves turn on Atrus, trying to start a counter revolution. It fails internally as the leader is killed and thus the energy behind the counter revolution dies.

Atrus then sets about writing two new ages, one for the slaves to rebuild their lives, and one for the D'Ni to build theirs anew. They seal all the old books away again, severing the links between the worlds. And the two new cultures are set to begin their new growth. The book ends with Catherine talking of the prophecies and how they did come true, and how those who wrote them wrote magically like the D'Ni and the Teranhee wrote the physical ages, but these prophecies were written for the ages and across the ages, showing how the wrongs would be set right by Atrus and his actions, and so the story grand of Myst ends with a new start in a new world.

chapter 3 ->