One of the main reason I love TES is because it enables you to create your own hero, with their own unique character and traits, in one of the most in-depth and immersive fictional environments. I read a lot of books and it’s the characters, places, time and culture that attract me to the fantasy genre. TES allows you to make you own Conan, Druss or Aragorn and then almost live your own life in this other world as your hero. It is with this in mind that I made this thread. There is a lot of stigma attached to Skyrim and more predominantly the Norse type culture and so I have listed a few books for those of you who maybe a little down hearted about the new world of Skyrim and also for those of you going insane at the long wait, looking for something to occupy your time.

I hope that you get as much enjoyment out of reading these books as I did.

1. Author: Bernard Cornwell
Series: The Saxon Stories
Book 1: The Last Kingdom

Synopsis: Follow the exploits of Utherd of Bettanburg as he battles his way across Saxon England fighting the Danes and struggling to keep Alfred on the throne. Utherd is Alfred’s hardest general, despised by the Christians for his pagan ways but respected for his ability to win battles. He is head strong, zealous for combat and rash but a good general and a leader of men.

Why I like the book: The way that Bernard Cornwall explains the fight scenes and shieldwalls, where the energy and pace of combat is truly amazing. It is also based on archaeological findings and written lore so that the battles are on real life sites with his spin on it. I like the way he refers to Christianity from the eyes of the pagans and the gruff and realistic style of life back then. The book can be very funny at times and it easily engulfs you into the story and characters.

2. Author: Giles Kristian
Series: Raven Series
Book 1: Bloodeye

Synopsis: This debut novel by Giles Kristian is every bit as good as the glowing reviews on its back cover. It is well written, well researched and well developed. The plot is gripping and contains such vivid descriptions of the battles that you can almost hear and smell the warriors as they clash swords with the enemy and cut them down ruthlessly. It is also a fairly fast read, but simply because it is so good that you can't put it down.

Why I like the book: It’s almost like your following a pack of wolves on the hunt in the later books. The description above hits the nail on the head. With humour and a practical knowledge of the Aesir this book is a must.

3. Author: Raymond E .Feist
Series: The Riftwar Cycle Series
Book 1: Magician: Apprentice

Synopsis: Midkemia is a Tolkienian realm, a European- Medieval series of kingdoms in which magic is prominent, and where men share the earth with dwarves and elves. Feist's genius was inventing another sword and sorcercy realm based more closely on eastern models, the Empire of Tsuranuanni, as vast as Ancient China, as formalised and devoted to the arts of war as a samurai Japan. A magical rift in time-space brings these two worlds clashing together, and the young boy Pug and his soldier friend Tomas are thrown into the ensuing maelstrom of invasion and epic battle, before embarking on a more fundamental magical journey towards the very roots of evil itself. Feist's two sequels to Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon complete the richly conceived Riftwar Saga, and Feist has gone on to chronicle other aspects of his invented worlds.

Why I like the book: I have read hundreds of books from a variety of different authors and of all the books I have read this series is the closest thing to the Elder Scrolls I have ever read, even down to fine points of characters names, races, different planes of existence, history and lore. You only have to read the first book and this is made abundantly clear. With 30 plus books in this series it is a little overwhelming, however you can read each book as individual stories and will hunger for the rest as time goes on. This isn’t a Norse mythological based world but recommended for any TES fan.

I hope this helps those of you waiting for 11.11.11 to pass the time. I have already begun planning my charcter and I can’t wait to get more news on the charcter creation phase and what you can and can’t do!

Thanks for reading!

I will look for these at a local bookstore or walmart next chance i get thanks for the recommendations may i recommend the taltos series by Steven brust

Cheers for the post. I will look into it and add it to my "To read" list. Just finishing Odin's Wolfs (book 3 in the Raven Series).