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.