I thought the books matched the atmosphere and quality of the games very well. They didn't read to me at all like merchandising, but rather as an expression of the same artistic vision in another medium. I remember reading one as a teenager, and was deeply taken with the message that as an artist and an engineer (and those are deeply related), a commitment to beauty and proper function, indeed the integrity of honoring what you are and what your creations properly ought to be, demands doing things right, which in turn demands deep study and doing the homework. It is a philosophy that was formative for me, and which still heavily influences me today. I hadn't thought about that in years...!
There were three books in total, and I loved the first two. Particularly if you can get hold of the hard-covers, as they are beautiful.
As for the stories themselves, the world building and atmosphere are fantastic. As a teenager/young adult, they captivated me in a way that very few books could. I continued to read them about once a year up into my early thirties. And I never played the game!
The paperback also had a texture to them as well. It was hard to find them a decade ago and I don't regret the hunt. I'd agree that the first two books are great, the third is nice in rounding out the world but the story doesn't captivate as much.
I keep seeing comments like this on this thread: people who like the game or what it produced (it whatever) without even playing. It’s like me liking all things Alice in Wonderland without ever reading the books. Even though I have them in hot pink hardcover.
I loved reading then when I was a teenager. I remember enjoying how the books were used as portals to be worlds. The world building in general was great and I remember the story as quite clever. However, this just have been 25 years ago at least. So it might have been terrible lol
The author is David Wingrove, whose incredible world building is on display in his Chung Kuo series. Also highly recommended: a future where China has dominated all the continents. Originally 8 books, now 20 due to books splits and additional writing.
Only complaint is he could have used an editor. Sometimes his writing could have used some corrections or better wording.
