Myst: The Book of D'ni
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 First edition cover |
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| Author | Rand Miller and David Wingrove |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Myst franchise |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books |
| Released | November 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 318 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7868-6161-4 |
| Preceded by | The Book of Ti'ana |
| Followed by | The Book of Marrim |
The Book of D'ni (1998) is the third book in the Myst series of novels; it is currently the last book in the series, although two more books are planned for release. The book is set in the same universe as the Myst computer games and was written by Rand Miller in collaboration with David Wingrove.
In the D'ni timeline, the Book of D'ni is set about 6 years after the events of Riven, but before Myst III: Exile. The book discusses the early history of the D'ni, something which is further expanded on in the game Uru: Ages Beyond Myst and its expansion packs.
[edit] Plot summary
In The Book of D'ni, Atrus, together with his wife Catherine and young helpers from an Age called Averone, finally manages to open the crumbled exit of the room in K'veer, where he had been imprisoned by Gehn, and gains access to the rest of D'ni.
The team sets out to find Linking Books and search their Ages for survivors of the Fall of D'ni. After they find survivors, they start planning to rebuild D'ni together, but this is put to a halt when a link to a great lost Age, Terahnee, is found. Terahnee turns out to be a sister Age to D'ni, populated by people who, like the D'ni, are descendants of the Ronay.
At first sight, Terahnee seems like a Utopia. Everyone lives in sumptuous palaces, and nobody goes hungry. Atrus makes plans to move there with all the D'ni survivors, but then Eedrah, one of the Terahnee noblemen, shows them the horrible truth about the Terahnee culture: the society is run by 'ahrotahntee' slaves (the relyimah). After Writing new Ages, the Terahnee people capture the inhabitants to use as slaves, considering themselves gods over their creations. They consider that the people of their Ages are beneath them, and do not believe they have the power to Write Ages. The Terahnee people are taught not to 'see' the slaves; only the servants see the slaves, and it is their job to keep them in order and to keep them hidden from the noblemen.
It is then discovered that the D'ni brought with them a plague that affects only the Terahnee and it soon begins to kill many of the Age's inhabitants. Atrus and his companions help the slaves of Terahnee to recover from the effects of the plague and set up a new society; they then return to D'ni and seal up the Linking Book to Terahnee.
The final pages of the book introduce three important new elements to the Myst story, which would later be used extensively in the games: the new D'ni home Age (Releeshahn, which is not named in the narrative), Atrus and Catherine's new home, Tomahna, and their daughter, Yeesha. The story is also prophetic to the revelations in Myst V: End of Ages, in which it is discovered that the D'ni, too, were (possibly without knowing it) using slaves called the Bahro to drive the Art.
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Myst • Riven • Myst III • Myst IV • Uru / Uru Live • Myst V |
