[Ridhwan Hemsome]

Hoho! Buying? I think not! I have all week to read this one for free. Besides, I'm broke.

Well here's the way I see buying. For whatever reason, people seem to think that the primary way of giving your opinion is to state it on the internet. The best way to say you like or dislike a product is to buy or not buy it. That's why I always laugh at the people who say "I think this'll svck but since it's TES I'll probably buy it anyway." BAD IDEA! All that says to them is that no matter what they do someone is gonna buy it. Conversely, if I read it once for free and like it so much that I buy it, that says to them that they're on the right track and should continue along that track. So if I like it so freaking much after reading my library copy I'll scraqe together my change jar and buy it to tell them to do more good work like it.

[Haley Cooper]

Since we only have a matter of hours before some will have a copy of this book. I think it best for us to have an official spoilers thread or at least a different thread for discussion of spoilers that people want to discuss. If someone posts without spoiler tags, please report the post so that moderators can at least insert some spoiler tags for the poster. We won't go nuts on anyone unless it's the same person posting over and over without using them.

And when and if we make an official "Novel spoiler thread" we will place "spoilers" in the title to help folks who haven't read it yet avoid the entire topic.

Sound ok?

[CYCO JO-NATE]

Whatever, it's like a $10 paperback. I too am in school and have to deal with a tight budget, but seriously the book is not that big of an investment. I think that arguing over whether or not one should read the book and then decide to purchase it is a bit ridiculous. Just buy the book.

I'm a bit ridiculous when it comes to books as I almost never read a book without purchasing it. But regardless of that, don't you guys have a bit of nostalgic or sentimental urge to just outright own the book?

In a similar way, consider TESIV game guide. Sure the online wiki is awesome and I use it often, but why not own the official game guide. Its fun to page through, it completes/rounds out my TES games-maps-etc, and it makes a great coffee table book and conversation starter. You can't be stingy about the things you love ? especially when they are $10! OR, especially when you have the opportunity to collect a book that was written for TES? Just sayin

[lolly13]

All that, just to tell me its cheap?

[City Swagga]

I bought it but the Library is a great resource. I remember back when I spent entire days there......those were the days.

[kitten maciver]

All that, just to tell me its cheap?

If that's all you got out of it then I'm sorry. Block me or something so your time isn't waisted by my uninteresting posts.

[MatthewJontully]

If that's all you got out of it then I'm sorry. Block me or something so your time isn't waisted by my uninteresting posts.

Don't be sorry

[Sammi Jones]

If that's all you got out of it then I'm sorry. Block me or something so your time isn't waisted by my uninteresting posts.

You made a damn good point. Whether it's a good thing or not, I always feel that urge to own tangible products of games and books, which is the one reason I don't use Steam. I like having everything on display, and this book will add nicely to my TES collection.

Of course, this means i'm always a svcker for limited collector's editions of games... I'm going to have to set aside ?100 each for FFXIII and TES:V, since i've no doubt they'll both have limited editions versions of the games, and probably limited edition hardback guides. Yay.

Now that I think of it, it's a shame this book isn't starting out in hardback.

[Julia Schwalbe]

Wait... are people calling us sheep for wanting to own a $20 book?

Some of us have been eagerly anticipating this book, and being that the first chapter is available online and is actually pretty good, we want to go out and buy it. And, we want to buy it because we work for a living and $20 (or however much it costs in your particular country of origin) for a one-time purchase is a piddly little amount that we won't miss.

And hey. If it is good (and that preview chapter seems to indicate that yeah, it is), and people don't buy it... do you think Bethesda/Zenimax/whoever is going to throw their money away on making more books?

Hell, some bookstores haven't even seemed to contemplate selling it (possibly because of some sort of stigma attached to video game tie-in books suggesting that they're all bad and don't sell except to maybe the one or two hardcoe fans in any given store's area).... so what does that say for the possibility of the higher-ups licensing more? I'd say it looks pretty bleak unless we buy it.

[Brooke Turner]

It took the clerk awhile to find it, but my local Barnes & Noble is now holding my copy behind the checkout desk. Hope it's good, but it should be enlightening even if it's disappointing as fiction.

[dell]

Let's refrain from making judgements of members who disagree with our buying practices. This thread is about the novels, not money and how we spend it. I earned it and I will spend it as I see fit.

[FITTAS]

I will buy this book just because I'm curious to see a TES product with a solid, linear story. I wouldn't want TES5 to be linear by any stretch of the term, but to have a separate product, in the TES world with actual character development and personalities is interesting to me.

[Ann Church]

Hmpf. According to the Borders website, it's out in Australia, and they have copies in stock. So, I went to every Borders (in fact, every bookstore) in my area, and none had it. In fact, the book database search thing at Borders didn't even seem to think it existed.

So, I've ordered it off the Borders website. Oddly, they say it'll be shipped in 24 hours, but it won't arrive for 7-10 days. They probably have to get it from some warehouse in Sydney or something. But c'mon, that'd take what, a day to arrive? The postal service isn't that terrible!

This book better be worth it.

It probably takes a while to round up and load all those camels wandering the outback. Just kidding; I hope you'll enjoy the book.

[gandalf]

I sort of thought by now someone would come to give us some thumbs up or down or something. I so wish I was reading this now.

[jessica sonny]

I sort of thought by now someone would come to give us some thumbs up or down or something. I so wish I was reading this now.

Shame on Amazon for not employing ninja monkeys to deliver our pre-ordered books on the day of release

I'll be keeping a wary eye on the letterbox.

[joseluis perez]

I don't know anyone who can read that fast.

[Hannah Barnard]

It probably takes a while to round up and load all those camels wandering the outback. Just kidding; I hope you'll enjoy the book.

So racist. D:

[He got the]

I have bought the book and have gotten to about page 80/Chapter Eight. So far I am more than pleased with what Keyes has done with it. Up to this point, (spoiler tags to be safe, though it's nothing huge or to specific)

Spoiler

there is lore regarding Argonians and a bit on their connection to the Hist, as well as the Hist and their nature in general. Also, for those concerned about Glim's accent (or lack thereof): it is implied that Annaig and Glim were in fact not speaking Tamrielic, because it has pointed out whenever Glim has spoken in her tongue (Tamrielic).

As far as the nature of Umbriel, so far all I know is that it's strange and--to me at least--creepy (not the dark, brooding, monsters under your bed kind of creepy; unsetting creepy). But of course things like this (at least as far as it's been described up to this point) creep me out, so I dunno what others may think.

I'm going to remain vague for now though, as far as the details go. I'm pretty awful at describing things like this. But so far: a thumbs up from me. The descriptiveness gets better as you get further into the book. The excerpt is hardly a good example of what the rest is like, or seems to be so far.

Oh, and one more thing:

Spoiler

I very much doubt Necromancers are at work here. It's not the kind of "undead" we saw in Oblivion or any ES game as far as I know. I'm not sure I'd even call them undead...but I dunno.

[QuinDINGDONGcey]

I just finished the book and overall I give it a thumbs up. I just wish it was longer

[ImmaTakeYour]

So racist. D:

?

Sorry, it wasn't intended that way.

[Life long Observer]

just got the book today. surprisingly they had it in stock when i thought it take a couple days for it to ship(yay for in-store preorders!)

[Brooke Turner]

I'm 2/3rds the way through without trying. It's a quick read.

Not the greatest fantasy I've ever read (that award goes to the Sundering by Jacqueline Carey), but a fun book so far. I was really hoping for a big epic style book like the Sundering or maybe the Coldfire trilogy (by CS Friedman), but I was expecting worse than I got when I heard the ages of the characters. I was seriously nervous when I heard that Annaig was so young. I started having flashbacks to the time my friend said "Hey, you should read this book, I'll loan it to you! It's called Twilight!"

If it's meant to bring fresh blood into the TES series, they really need to have someone not familiar with TES do some heavy editing. It may seem really confusing to someone not familiar with the series or more accustomed to books that flesh out the world in large chunks. If I'd had no previous TES knowledge, I'd probably be able to piece it together just fine, but I can see other people becoming frustrated.

As a TES fan, whoa. We're not in Kansas anymore. It's like they took everything we were accustomed to and made it ever so slightly strange. A bit disconcerting, really, but I imagined it would be, considering every numbered TES game took place during (or immediately after) Uriel VII's reign. Not to mention the whole "Now we REALLY don't have an emperor or heir!" thing. I'd recommend it just for that, really. A breaking-in to the new Tamriel.

All in all, thumbs up so far. Not GREAT, but good. Fun. Well worth what I spent on it. I have the feeling once the second one gets close to coming out I'll annoy my coworkers once again by constantly jumping up and down and screaming "I get my book tomorrow!"

[helen buchan]

?

Sorry, it wasn't intended that way.

Joking.

Would you believe the trained wombats at the Borders warehouse still haven't shipped it? I feel like a skooma addict going through withdrawals.

[Alex [AK]]

Joking.

Would you believe the trained wombats at the Borders warehouse still haven't shipped it? I feel like a skooma addict going through withdrawals.

Im also in Australia, except i ordered mine through Kangaroo pouch express (er... amazon) and they sent me an email saying i wont get it till 31st of December. I hope they mean thats the lastest date i will receive it. Anyway, i also will be keeping my eyes on my magpies nest (umm... mail box).

[Ludivine Poussineau]

I'm 2/3rds the way through without trying. It's a quick read.

Not the greatest fantasy I've ever read (that award goes to the Sundering by Jacqueline Carey), but a fun book so far. I was really hoping for a big epic style book like the Sundering or maybe the Coldfire trilogy (by CS Friedman), but I was expecting worse than I got when I heard the ages of the characters. I was seriously nervous when I heard that Annaig was so young. I started having flashbacks to the time my friend said "Hey, you should read this book, I'll loan it to you! It's called Twilight!"

If it's meant to bring fresh blood into the TES series, they really need to have someone not familiar with TES do some heavy editing. It may seem really confusing to someone not familiar with the series or more accustomed to books that flesh out the world in large chunks. If I'd had no previous TES knowledge, I'd probably be able to piece it together just fine, but I can see other people becoming frustrated.

But remember, Bethesda is just a business trying to make as much money as they can, which means appealing to the broadest demographic. There are more non-TES fans than there are TES fans. So that would explain why the book is the way it is, in my opinion; to appeal to people who don't know what it's about. I haven't bought it yet. I'll just borrow my friend's and read his.