Alternate Lives: RPG Novels
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In fact, resolutely avoiding all books (or movies) based upon gaming franchises is a prudent rule to maintain, since they're consistently awful. But the Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski don't really fall into that category, since the novels spawned the games. I really loved the first Witcher book, The Last Wish. Geralt is a fantastic protagonist and the book introduces several characters that are important to the game, including the cursed princess Adda, companion bard Dandelion, and the elves Chireadan and Toruviel. Prior knowledge of character history might actually influence your gaming decisions you'd probably be less inclined to side with Toruviel, for instance, if you knew that she previously tried to bash your head.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Witcher books are hard to recommend unless you can read them in Polish, German, or Russian. The second book hasn't been translated into English, and though the third book, Blood of Elves, has, it forms part of a larger story that may never be entirely translated.
In anticipation of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I decided to take a chance on the spinoff books written by Greg Keyes. I can happily report that the books don't read like the schlocky fan-fiction I was dreading, but the writing is not of Sapkowki's caliber, and the novels only vaguely describe notable events in Tamriel since Oblivion. They also only bridge the first 40 years of post-Oblivion events, while Skyrim is set 200 years after Oblivion. But a lot happened to Tamriel. The Empire collapsed and was partly reestablished by a new family line. Morrowind was devastated by a massive volcanic eruption and then conquered by the Argonians, who established their independence. The Kjajiit of Elsweyr seceded from the Empire, as did the Wood Elves and High Elves, who reestablished the Aldmeri Dominion. The old guild system collapsed, giving rise to cryptic bands like the College of Whispers and The Synod.
