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.