Gamers don’t read? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that.
The library of video game books is larger than most people realize and contains some underrated stories that will allow you to delve even deeper into your favorite game worlds. A look at the most popular gaming books on Goodreads shows a reading list that covers many genres from space epic to medieval fantasy to post-apocalyptic horror thriller. Here we introduce you to 9 novels that are required reading for gamers.
Assassin’s Creed: Renaissance by Oliver Bowden
Florence in the 15th century: Ezio Auditore da Firenze experiences the betrayal of his family and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that extends far beyond the city limits. Oliver Bowden adapted the events of Assassin’s Creed 2 as a novel while providing more context to Ezio’s character than the game could provide.
Anyone who has already taken Ezio to their hearts in the game will get a detailed version of his story here. And if you don’t know the series yet, Renaissance is a strong introduction to the Assassin’s Creed universe.
Goodreads rating: 3.71 out of 5 stars
Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn
Commander David Anderson, long before he became Alliance member Anderson from Mass Effect, stands at the center of this story and stands in front of the rubble of a secret military research station on the edge of colonized space: just corpses, ruins and a scientist who disappeared without a trace shortly before the massacre. Anderson has to solve what happened in the station and comes across a dark conspiracy.
The Prequel to the trilogy expands the world of Mass Effect in an impressive way. Author Drew Karpyshyn was himself the lead writer of the Mass Effect trilogy at BioWare, which is clearly evident in the novel.
Goodreads rating: 3.74 out of 5 stars
Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider
Ferelden on the verge of collapse: a young prince on the run, a rebel leader in the resistance and a kingdom suffering from foreign occupation. The Stolen Throne tells the backstory to Dragon Age: Origins and comes directly from the pen of David Gaider, the head author of the game series at BioWare.
If you’ve played Dragon Age and wondered how Ferelden became the country it is in the game, you’ll get all the answers here. The novel also works as a standalone medieval fantasy, but gains depth if you know the games.
Goodreads rating: 3.74 out of 5 stars
Dead Space: Martyr by BK Evenson
Where does the marker come from? What exactly is he doing? Dead Space: Martyr answers the questions that neither the game nor the animated film supplement Dead Space Downfall could fully resolve. Author Brian Evenson dives deep into the origins of horror and provides a background that makes the gaming experience even more disturbing in retrospect.
The novel tells the prehistory of the entire Dead Space series and also functions as an independent science fiction horror without you having to know the games. Anyone who loved and feared the Dead Space games will get the backstory that completes the universe.
Goodreads rating: 3.85 out of 5 stars
BioShock: Rapture by John Shirley
How do you build a utopia at the bottom of the sea and how does it become hell? That’s exactly what BioShock: Rapture tells. The novel begins shortly after World War II and shows how billionaire Andrew Ryan realizes his vision of a free society deep beneath the Atlantic. Author John Shirley delivers a story that, in retrospect, makes the first BioShock even better.
Anyone who always wanted to know why Rapture failed so thoroughly is, find all the answers here. The novel is both a prequel and a character study, and it works as an independent sci-fi thriller even without knowledge of the game.
Goodreads rating: 3.99 out of 5 stars
Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky
Small twist: Metro 2033 is not a novel to the game, as Dmitry Glukhovsky first wrote his post-apocalyptic story about the Moscow subway system as a book before 4A Games turned it into one of the atmospheric horror shooters.
Anyone who knows the game will love the book. Anyone who reads the book without knowing the game will immediately pick up the console. Metro 2033 works in both directions perfect.
Goodreads rating: 4.03 out of 5 stars
The Witcher: The Legacy of the Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Witcher, like Metro 2033, is a special case: Andrzej Sapkowski’s books are not novels based on the game, but the games are adaptations of the books. The Legacy of the Elves is the first complete Witcher novel and is a fairly popular work with over 258,000 Goodreads ratings.
Anyone who knows Geralt of Rivia from the CD Projekt RED games will meet him here in its most original form. And anyone who reads the books before starting the games will understand from the start why this world is so special.
Goodreads rating: 4.10 out of 5 stars
Gears of War: Aspho Fields by Karen Traviss
Aspho Fields jumps between two time levels: the present, in which Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago fight in the war against the Locust hordes, and the past, in which the same men fought as young soldiers in the Battle of Aspho Fields. Karen Traviss, who also wrote the Republic Commando Star Wars novels, brings real depth to the military characters.
If you’ve played Gears of War and wondered why Dom and Marcus are so close, you’ll get the answer here. Aspho Fields is not just a companion book; a full-fledged war novelwhich happens to be set in the Gears universe.
Goodreads rating: 4.11 out of 5 stars
Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund
Before Master Chief saved the world, Reach had to fall. Eric S. Nylund’s novel on the prehistory of the Xbox classic explains how the intergalactic war between humanity and Covenant could escalate at all. With a rating of 4.26 stars, The Fall of Reach easily tops the Goodreads list of the best video game novels.
For Halo fans, this book is not an optional extra, but a real must-have. If you really want to understand the lore of the series, you can’t ignore The Fall of Reach.
Goodreads rating: 4.26 out of 5 stars