The best books of Elder Scrolls

[Rai^3]

Title should say it all; one of my favorite aspects of the Elder Scrolls series has been the ability to find and read a number of short-stories and the like. What are your favorites? Here's mine:

Chance's Folly is, without a doubt, my favorite: http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Chance%27s_Folly
I like how it's almost got a Lovecraft-esque pacing to it.

The Locked Room is pretty damn good: http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Locked_Room

The Mystery of Talara series is more than a little predictable, but well-written enough that I don't care: http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Mystery_of_Talara

There's more, but I don't wanna hog all the good ones. How about you all?

 

[Lionsfan]

The Thief of Virtue [http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Thief_of_Virtue] -A thief tries to rob some rare coins, but almost gets caught. He enlists the wife of his target for help

I also really liked the 2920 [http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:2920,_The_Last_Year_of_the_First_Era] series, it really gave depth to the First Era.

Or Immortal Blood [http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Immortal_Blood]

 

[Terminate421]

Racial Phynyolgy

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Racial_Phylogeny

As fucked up as the idea of enjoying it sounds, it was the most interesting read. It provides in depth relationship things, kinda also explains why Jordis, a female human, is interested in my male Argonian...parts.

 

[DoPo]

Lusty Argonian Maid anybody? No? Oh, well.

I can't remember the name of the book and I can't seem to be able to find it easily. It was about some guys who went vampire killing, if I recall correctly. And they hired a mage who specialised in illusion. But then tried to double cross her.

EDIT: Found it! Incident in Necrom [http://uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Incident_in_Necrom].

 

[dyre]

I also really liked the 2920 [http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:2920,_The_Last_Year_of_the_First_Era] series, it really gave depth to the First Era.

Yup, this one was great. Though, I haven't found book 9 of the series yet, so I can't finish it (and I refuse to cheat by reading it online >_>)!

 

[Diablo2000]

It's really impressive that a game has so much in quality literature...

The Myths of Sheogorath are awesome! And a bit creepy, but that's Sheogorath to you...

 

[GundamSentinel]

Then why, or wherefore do people keep calling me mad?
Wabbajack. Wabbajack. Wabbajack [http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Wabbajack].

 

[Krantos]

To be honest I haven't read many books yet...I will though.

So far the one that stuck with me is the Archer one. The one about the two old friends practicing there shot. One has a nice military bow as he is apart of the army and another one has a rambleshack bow. They have a little test to see how will they can shoot and it turns into a interesting end. Nothing crazy mind blowing, basicly The turtoise and the hare type story.

Can someone tell me the name of this one?

It's "The Gold Ribbon of Merit": http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Gold_Ribbon_of_Merit

You've got the bows backwards though. The soldier had the old bow, while the other was a noble with an expensive bow.

I like that one, but I prefer The Black Arrow 1 & 2 more, especially 2.

Favorite books, however, are the Wolf Queen volumes. No, wait. The Rear Guard. http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rear_Guard

Every time I see that book I have to read it.

 

[SajuukKhar]

The 36 Lessons of Vivec
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:The_36_Lessons_of_Vivec

An account of Vivec's life that also holds the secret to CHIM, a state of being above the gods that only Vivec and Tiber Septim have reached, hidden within the volumes by Vivec for The Nerevarine.

 

[illas]

The Mirror from Skyrim gets my vote:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Mirror

 

[Deadyawn]

Frankly none of them are even close to the highbrow prose of the lusty argonian maiden, the very epitome of excellent and clean writing.
Seriously though, everytime I see that book it makes me giggle. Kind of juvinile I know but what can you do?
To be honest thats the only book I've ever read in an elder scrolls game. Sad right?

 

[Llil]

I like Jokes [http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Jokes]. They're bad jokes, but it was a lot of fun when I first found the book.

Honestly, I haven't read that many of the books, but The Real Bareziah [http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Real_Barenziah] is an interesting one. Not because of how good or bad it is, but because of how they edited the book series between Daggerfall and Morrowind. Mainly for the censored/removed the sex scene. It's just a curiosity, though.

 

[SajuukKhar]

a state of being above the gods that only Vivec and Tiber Septim have reached, hidden within the volumes by Vivec for The Nerevarine.

Wut? The player character has reached it too.

Sorry what I meant to say is, "the only confirmed people to reach it are Vivec and Talos/Tiber."

The player-characters have this weird quasi-CHIM yet not fully CHIM thing going on.

The fate of the player characters is up to the players imagination, some people may roleplay that they never reach full CHIM while other may roleplay that they have, so I just list the only two confirmed people.

Just like how Sheogorath in Skyrim may or may not be the player-character from Oblivion should you decide that your character actually did shivering Isles or not, if you didn't then someone else did.

Player-characters fates exist in a mountain of could-haves and possibilities and its best to leave it unsaid.

 

[RJ 17]

The Myths of Sheogorath are awesome! And a bit creepy, but that's Sheogorath to you...

Yeah, I love all the stories about Sheogorath. My two favorites are the ones where he makes some sort of bet with a mage, the wager is that Sheogorath will drive the mage mad within a year.

At this point, Sheogorath just sits back and watches as the mage's own paranoia drives himself insane, he becomes convinced that everything is a spy for Sheogorath, that the Prince of Madness will strike at any moment. Once a year has gone by, Sheogorath returns to find the mage a raving lunatic and he didn't have to lift a finger.

I also like the stories of Sheogorath fucking around with the other Princes, like the story of Sheogorath's little bird vs the massive, mighty beast of Hircine. The bird just tweets happily and flutters around, making the beast tear itself apart as it tries to claw at the bird that keeps landing on it.

Good times, good times.

 

[Fappy]

The Wolf Queen and Immortal Blood were always two of my favorites. Immortal Blood being the classic of course.

 

[Groxnax]

I have to add my vote for The Lusty Argonian because that one was wierd and bizzare.

Also some of books about a certain Mad God. I just love that crazy guy.

 

[RJ 17]

Just like how Sheogorath in Skyrim may or may not be the player-character from Oblivion should you decide that your character actually did shivering Isles or not, if you didn't then someone else did.

Actually - and I'm not taking away from anyone that imagines their character from Oblivion became the Sheogorath in Skyrim - Sheogorath in Skyrim can't be the player from Oblivion.

It's made quite clear in Shivering Isles that by taking Sheogorath's throne, no, you will not become an immortal Daedric Prince. You remain a mortal, you just wield the power of the Daedric Prince of Madness because you have his symbol: the Staff of Sheogorath.

The character from Oblivion died long, long before Skyrim.

 

[RJ 17]

Oh, and as a statement of fact: the Oghma Infinium is the best book in the Elder Scrolls universe.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Actually - and I'm not taking away from anyone that imagines their character from Oblivion became the Sheogorath in Skyrim - Sheogorath in Skyrim can't be the player from Oblivion.

It's made quite clear in Shivering Isles that by taking Sheogorath's throne, no, you will not become an immortal Daedric Prince. You remain a mortal, you just wield the power of the Daedric Prince of Madness because you have his symbol: the Staff of Sheogorath.

The character from Oblivion died long, long before Skyrim.

Just because you are not a true Daedric prince does not mean you can't gain the appearance of one and gain immortality.

Daedra are Daedra because they didn't take place in the creation of Mundus, the mortal realm, no one IN Mundus could ever be a Daedra, but that does not prevent them from mantling a Daedra, turning into him in appearance, and gaining immortality.

Tiber Septim did it to the spirit Lorkhan/Sithis, the Champion of Cyrodil can do it to Sheogorath.

Furthermore the Sheogorath we meet in Shivering Isles wasn't the first one either, he was Arden-Sul turned into Sheogorath and he lived for thousands of years.

 

[Acier]

Palla and Trap were good.

There's also the one with the guy who was a heavy armor master who slayed the man cheated on his wife by sneaking up the stairs on his hands and then fucked her while still wearing the armor.

Can't remember the name though