Some video games just grab you. Whether it’s the world, the characters, or even the legacy of a series, it’s hard to escape from some video game franchises. Luckily, many great video games also have books that expand on them, with some telling brand-new stories and others telling the same stories in new ways. Here are some of the best books based on video games out there.
Ruination: A League of Legends Novel
In 2021, League of Legends greatly expanded on its lore with the release of Viego, the Ruined King. His story was intricately woven with many of the game’s characters and items, and more characters were released that expanded on his backstory. A year later, Ruination: A League of Legends Novel was released that brought even more life to the story.
The novel follows the story of Viego’s descent into madness after losing his wife. Some of the other characters featured include Kalista, Hecarim, and Thresh, some of the biggest names in the MOBA because of their consistent place in the meta. It’s also made its way to Riot’s FPS game, Valorant. Whether you’re a League of Legends nerd or a casual player, this is a solid read.
Halo: The Fall of Reach
Halo has had its fair share of novels, and Halo: The Fall of Reach is one of the best and most interesting. It’s a prequel of sorts to Halo: Combat Evolved, the first game, and it tells the tale of how supersoldiers were created. Master Chief’s story is also told, but there are a plethora of characters featured.
The book was so popular that it’s been reprinted, and it even spawned an animated adaptation. For Halo fans that care about the history of the game’s setting and characters, then this is a must-read that really expands on the games’ universe.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Tom Clancy has a huge number of novels, but Rainbow Six may be one of the biggest because of the video games it spawned — it’s even coming to mobile. The original book came out basically alongside a video game with the same name, and the series has only grown since. The book’s legacy alone is enough to open it up.
The book itself follows the story of John Clark and his son-in-law, Ding Chavez. It follows a few different teams that are part of a counter-terrorist organization. The book follows the trope of radical environmentalism, which is where the bad guys want some kind of “better world” because it’s too corrupt as it is (similar to Thanos in Avengers movies).
Deus Ex: Icarus Effect
For those that enjoyed Deux Ex, Deus Ex: Icarus Effect takes some of the ideas behind the games and weaves a new tale. It acts as a forerunner to Deus Ex: Human Revolution and follows the path of two protagonists that are trying to stop a conspiracy that will ultimately force human evolution by going out of its way to push down anyone who’s seen as better than the average person.
This idea bled into Deus Ex: The Fall, which is set directly after the book. So it not only gives more relevance to the games, but it’s also a solid read on its own.
Bioshock: Rapture
Bioshock: Rapture stands out because of how well it sets up the Bioshock universe. The novel tells of how Rapture was created, including the many smaller locations within it. There are several characters that get more backstory than the games give them.
This is all set before the very first game, so even if someone hasn’t played the Bioshock games, this is still a great book to check out. One interesting thing is that the author noted that it includes information they gleaned from actually playing both Bioshock and Bioshock 2.
War of the Spark: Ravnica
In the same year that Magic: The Gathering Arena was released, a book called War of the Spark: Ravnica, was also released. This book does a fantastic job of incorporating the various planeswalkers that the card game features, bringing life to characters that only see life in the game due to flavor text and card art.
It’s also a pretty easy and enjoyable read, making it stand out among some of the harder-to-understand books based on games.
Metro 2033
While the Metro 2033 game was based on the novel in Russia, the book was published in English for the first time with the release of the game adaptation. Because it is an adaptation, the stories included are the same.
However, it’s how you experience the story both ways that feels so good. If you’re a fan of the game, then you’re almost guaranteed to be a fan of the book, which was a worldwide bestseller before the game was even released.
Dragon Age: Last Flight
While Dragon Age fans are waiting on any news about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, they can sit back and enjoy Dragon Age: Last Flight. The novel is set in the Dragon Age universe but is a brand new story that goes into the history of the Grey Wardens.
Set in a time when the Blight is returning after being thought to be destroyed, the tale follows an elven mage Valya. The tale is all about her journey of studying history in order to try and understand and ultimately overcome the Blight, but what she learns is a surprise to both Valya and the readers.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadows of Chornobyl
While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadows of Chornobyl is an excellent game, it’s an equally excellent book. A series of books were released after author Bernd Frenz played the beta version of the game. The books tell a completely different tale from the games, but that’s part of what made some of the books good.
There are several S.T.A.L.K.E.R. books that were launched, and they all tell separate stories from each other and the game.
Assassin’s Creed: The Secret Crusade
Assassin’s Creed: The Secret Crusade is another stellar example of a novel that does incredibly well at expanding on a series. Altair is a mysterious character in the video games, but his story is only truly told in The Secret Crusade. The story is gripping, and it’s perfect for fans of Assassin’s Creed because of the content and the way the story is told.
Readers loved the book, and it’s one of several Assassin’s Creed novels that serve to add even more lore to this already rich franchise, helping make the games better thanks to its worldbuilding.
