Whether it comes to the early 1990s or the recent years, video games have changed the world. They have created communities and lifelong friends, as well as clans and tournaments. Lots of gamers today still replay old classics for the nostalgia and good memories. But then, many of these games have also been transposed into successful books or even series and collections.
Many stories are based on the actual games, so you might get a clue about what is going on. Some others come with random plot twists that will change everything you already know. Then, as you used to enjoy those games, you always had your own scenarios and stories in mind. Some of them became reality in a form of books. All in all, here are the best video game novels for some extraordinary adventures.
The Legend of Zelda, by Akira Himekawa
There are more books evolving Zelda’s legend, but many of them are exclusively based on the games, and they actually mention their chronological order. If you are after a proper story with some good plot twists, Akira Himekawa’s masterpiece will pleasantly surprise you. Furthermore, it brings in an impressive amount of beautiful illustrations.
The story follows Link – a young boy who needs to go through a series of challenges to discover the Triforce and bring it to Zelda. This is the first book in the series, so there are a few other releases in the collection. The boy needs to go through a series of challenges and overcome numerous obstacles to reach the land of Hyrule.
There are more quests Link has to go through. There are three spiritual stones that can actually help Link reveal the Triforce. In theory, it sounds like an easy adventure. As he goes from one land to another, he will face plenty of obstacles. The best part about this book? You will actually recognize some of these challenges and obstacles from the game as well.
Blood of Elves: The Witcher, by Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski has written a small series – two releases – prior to this book. Blood of Elves is the first book in the collection comprising six different releases. It is the source of The Witcher and brings in an exquisite adventure that moves on throughout the next releases. There is also a standalone novel released later on, after the whole collection came out.
Elves, humans, gnomes and dwarves have lived together without too many conflicts – it has been more than a century now. All races wait for a prophesied child. This child could be the best thing that has ever happened to the world, but also the evil that could ruin it. No one can really tell, but everyone is waiting for the big moment. The child shows up eventually, but things are far from being too peaceful.
War has never been closer, and more and more monsters go on an impressive hunt to get the child. She has extraordinary powers, and everyone knows it. Geralt of Rivia is a local assassin with a harsh reputation – also known as the Witcher. His one and only responsibility becomes protecting this child. There is one challenge after another. Will the Witcher manage to accomplish his new mission?
Assassin’s Creed: Renaissance, by Anton Gill
If you love Assassin’s Creed, chances are you will love the books as well. There is a bigger collection out there, and Renaissance is the first part of it. You need to begin with the first book in order to understand everything. It is one of the best video game novels in terms of action and suspense. It is a story of betrayal, disappointment, courage, and the will to start all over again.
A young man is betrayed by the big families in Italy. He is up for vengeance, and he knows he needs to plan everything in the smallest details. He wants to clear corruption, but also bring some honor to his family. As a direct consequence, he started learning the art of being an assassin. Ezio knows it will be a challenging task, but he is totally up for it.
He relies on great minds for lessons of life and wisdom – such as Leonardo Da Vinci. He gains a few allies on the way, and he becomes their leader. Everyone is pushing for a better world – a change. But then, his potential enemies will not just wait for him. This is how a great story of conspiracy and revenge begins.
BioShock: Rapture, by John Shirley
World War II has reached to an end. The world is completely different now, as well as both local and international politics. Taxes have never been higher, while the atomic bomb has spread fear into the whole world. There are more rumors out there regarding secret agencies and governments. It looks like America is crumbling from the inside and everyone wants some of the freedom back.
Andrew Ryan struggled in poverty and worked hard to become one of the most respected people in the world. He supports the population and believes everyone deserves a better destiny. He decides to start a new society from scratch – a community without censorship or a government. Morals are pushed to another level, and everyone is supposed to give something back to the community.
This is how Rapture was created. The city is located below the sea and grows like no other. However, this city will not last long. While it has a great future ahead, it is less likely to survive in the long run. One threat after another aims to take this community down. What is going to happen in the end? Who will survive this challenge?
Mass Effect: Revelation, by Drew Karpyshyn
The Protheans rule the world, yet the species is no longer around. It has vanished thousands of years ago, but the technologies it has created is still commonly used by today’s society. Humanity finds a bit of technology on Mars and tackles the space – a new species struggling to build its way around the galatic community. But as big as it is, the space has already been colonized.
David Anderson is a ship commander, as well as a hero from previous wars. He finds a military research place that no one really knew about, and he decides to investigate it. While secret, the base still hides some secrets. There are lots of dead bodies around, as well as smoking remains. Who attacked this place? What was the role? Where is Kahlee Sanders?
Kahlee is a young scientist who has managed to get out of the base before it was attacked. Did she know anything? Where is she now? She becomes the main suspect as well. David must ally with a few agents in order to find her. One thing leads to another, and a major conspiracy is revealed. Keep in mind that this is only the first book in the series.
Halo: The Fall of Reach, by Eric Nylund
This is the first book in the series and lays the foundation for further action and more novels. The story begins with the human-covenant war. The humankind is likely to disappear if the last warrior alive fails in his mission. The humanity is now residing in Halo, but the conflict aims to push it out of this world and ruin everything. Meanwhile, the covenant juggernaut floats around space and kills everyone and everything.
There is one stronghold out there, and it must be wiped – the Reach. This is the doorstep to humanity and the last military fortress to handle the danger. However, the actual defense is not the first priority. Instead, the military staff is trying to confuse the covenant and prevent the juggernaut from discovering the new location of the humankind.
There is a small chance to defeat the covenant, but then, the planet is where the first super soldiers were trained – the so-called Spartans. They are engineered to be perfect – professional and deadly. A handful of them will need to fight back. They never surrender, so they either win or die trying. One of them – the Master Chef – has a brighter fate ahead. What is the outcome of this fight?
Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, by David Gaider
This is the prequel to the world-renowned game – the RPG that has changed the world. David Galder has come up with the ideal story for BioWare to produce an outstanding game, but the book itself is not to be overlooked either – lots of action and a deeper approach to small details. It will simply not let you down – there are a few other releases in the same series too.
The story begins with Rebel Queen’s death. She is betrayed by her lords and murdered. Maric is now the leader of a nation. He is young and has no clue what to do next, but he knows that he has an important mission – freeing the nation from a tyrant. Everyone has high expectations of him, especially as everyone lives in fear and terror.
Despite his position, Maric cannot count on too many people. He has a few allies though – Loghain and Rowan. Loghain is a local outlaw who once saved his life. Rowan is a warrior maiden who he was supposed to marry. Surrounded by traitors and faithless servants, the trio needs to find a way to restore peace.
StarCraft: Liberty’s Crusade, by Jeff Grubb
This is the first epic story in an incredible story full of space novels, series that you may already be familiar with and plenty of warfare. The action takes place somewhere in the future – far from Earth too, about 60,000 light years away. A group of Terran survivors are fighting the aggressive Protoss and Zerg Swarm. Every species wants to survive by eliminating the other – there are no alliances.
Danny Liberty used to be a reporter. His last investigation went too close to a corrupted node in the Terran Confederacy. At some point, he had to make a choice. He could go on with his investigation or go on the front lines and over the conflict. Obviously, he decided to go in the middle of the action and find out what the Marines are doing.
Facing betrayal and spies everywhere, Danny knows that he can only trust himself. He ends up in the middle of the war, where every piece of information he gathers could solve a puzzle. From many points of view, the mankind’s survival only depends on the fighters on the front lines, but Danny thinks he can do more than just report what is going on.
World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness, by Aaron S. Rosenberg
Orgrim Doomhammer has managed to gain control of the orc horde by killing the current leader, who was corrupted by the enemies. He is now ready to conquer the whole Azeroth and bring peace to his species. On the other hand, Anduin Lothar is a reputable fighter and warrior. His homeland is far, as he had to lead an army toward Lordaeron.
Allied up with King Terenas, he ends up leading a bunch of human nations ready to go to war. But the orc horde is less likely to be impressed. The merciless beasts are marching forward and would do anything to eliminate the humankind.
The preparations for the war gain in intensity, and other species join in as well. The trolls go in, as well as the dwarves and the elves. Will the alliance manage to save Azeroth? How powerful is it going to be against an aggressive army of warrior orcs?
Conclusion
As a short final conclusion, many video games have been made after books and the other way around. While games are more intense, books give you a better perception – a better storyline and more details. These are some of the best video game novels out there, and many of them are part of larger series, so chances are you can keep your hunger for action going as you smash one release after another.
Cover credit: Jeremy Fenske