Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew by an ancient and all-consuming evil. It is Umbriel, a floating city that cas...
read full description
reviews
Jan 25, 2011
K.
rated it: 
I picked this up because I adore The Elder Scrolls, particularly Morrowind and Oblivion. It's a fantastic read, though even as a fan I found the prologue a little confusing. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys The Elder Scrolls games, and at least has some understanding of the plot, though it would be best to play III and IV through most of the way before reading. It is definitely not a book I would recommend to a generic fantasy fan, as there are many references to races and lore, story
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Oct 06, 2011
Paul
rated it: 
I came into this novel not necessarily knowing what to expect. I'm a huge Elder Scrolls fan, but the series left me wanting with Oblivion. In no small part, this is due to that game abandoning what I feel is the strength of the universe: The bizarre. Daggerfall and Morrowind were spectacularly weird, involving transhumanist demi-gods, giant robots powered by souls, and you get the idea. I've always been a sci-fi reader, and there aren't any other fantasy universes that have grabbed me as hard as
More...
Apr 11, 2010
Jason
rated it:
I am an Elder Scrolls addict. I was introduced to the video game series with Daggerfall in my late teens, and own every game and expansion pack that has been released for DOS or Windows.
When I heard they were releasing a novel based on the world of Tamriel, I was both excited and terrified. Most of the books that are based on video game, movie, or other “popular” franchises aren’t very good. But I had to give it a shot.
Summary
Forty years after the events of Oblivion, a my More...
When I heard they were releasing a novel based on the world of Tamriel, I was both excited and terrified. Most of the books that are based on video game, movie, or other “popular” franchises aren’t very good. But I had to give it a shot.
Summary
Forty years after the events of Oblivion, a my More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 08, 2010
April
rated it:
The lore of the Elder Scrolls games is very rich and detailed. I really enjoyed spending time exploring the bookshelves in Morrowind & Oblivion. So, I had high hopes for this novel, even though it's just a media tie-in. It was not great, but it wasn't bad. The author did a great job of capturing the feel of the games. It reads like good fan fiction, and not at all like an attempt by the company to cash in on a popular franchise. Aspects of it were original, or at least unusual to me, such
More...
Jan 15, 2010
Robert
rated it: 
Greg Keyes, The Infernal City (Del Rey, 2009)
How on Earth did it not occur to me when I first read the description for this a couple of months ago that “the first of two exhilarating novels” meant this was the first in a series? I try to wait until most, if not all, of a series is out before reading it these days (George R. R. Martin has taught me well). Not that I would probably have listened to my own advice in this case had I read that correctly. Elder Scrolls novels? I'm going to h More...
How on Earth did it not occur to me when I first read the description for this a couple of months ago that “the first of two exhilarating novels” meant this was the first in a series? I try to wait until most, if not all, of a series is out before reading it these days (George R. R. Martin has taught me well). Not that I would probably have listened to my own advice in this case had I read that correctly. Elder Scrolls novels? I'm going to h More...
Apr 25, 2010
Moontyger
rated it:
I liked this book, but I have two big caveats about it:
1) It assumes that the reader knows the world of Tamriel and, further, has played or at least knows the plots of both Morrowind and Oblivion. The references to events and characters in those games, not to mention to places, races, and general terms unique to the setting go completely unexplained. This is fine for a fan like me, but I suspect anyone new to Elder Scrolls fandom would be lost. Personally, I think it's a mistake; More...
1) It assumes that the reader knows the world of Tamriel and, further, has played or at least knows the plots of both Morrowind and Oblivion. The references to events and characters in those games, not to mention to places, races, and general terms unique to the setting go completely unexplained. This is fine for a fan like me, but I suspect anyone new to Elder Scrolls fandom would be lost. Personally, I think it's a mistake; More...
Nov 08, 2011
Kathleen
rated it: 
There was a lengthy and involved review here, but Goodreads decided to eat it. In short: I can really only recommend this book to people who've played some of the TES games and come pre-armed with prior knowledge. It really isn't interested in catering to people who've never delved into the TES universe before.
Even then, you're likely to find the actual meat of this book pretty unsatisfying. It's too short to develop any of the characters properly--on a second reading, I realized I'd More...
Even then, you're likely to find the actual meat of this book pretty unsatisfying. It's too short to develop any of the characters properly--on a second reading, I realized I'd More...
Dec 19, 2011
Judith
rated it:
The story in this book is tolerable but only because the plots are largely supported by the fantastic game content of the Elder Scrolls series. The main characters are shallow and the side-characters are mostly mysterious types (read: also shallow, due to the fact that 'unknown past, unknown emotions, unknown motives' is a fantasy cliché since Aragorn). It's a shame, since I expected a lot of a novel that builds on the enormous collection of lore, lands, creatures and races that the Elder Scroll
More...
Jun 27, 2011
Kelley
rated it:
I have played both Oblivion and Morrowind and I admit that is part of the reason why I enjoyed this book so much. I could see how reading this novel would be painful if you didn't know what an Argonian was, or if you'd never heard of Skyrim or Morrowind. But, luckily I have! :)
This novel basically introduces a strange, mysterious island that mentally enslaves Argonians and destroys everything it passes over (that's right, this is a flying island). The island's inhabitants collect souls More...
This novel basically introduces a strange, mysterious island that mentally enslaves Argonians and destroys everything it passes over (that's right, this is a flying island). The island's inhabitants collect souls More...
Jan 05, 2012
Mrwaltern
rated it:
I picked up this book because I wanted some mindless, relaxing reading for Christmas break, and I was looking forward to playing Skyrim.
My initial thoughts concerning this were were not in any way positive. I quite enjoy fantasy literature, but this book is severely limited by the conventions of the game universe in which it is set. The races and characters in an Elder Scrolls game are fairly engaging in a game setting. In a book setting, they are dull. The book feels much too More...
My initial thoughts concerning this were were not in any way positive. I quite enjoy fantasy literature, but this book is severely limited by the conventions of the game universe in which it is set. The races and characters in an Elder Scrolls game are fairly engaging in a game setting. In a book setting, they are dull. The book feels much too More...
Nov 18, 2011
Hayley
rated it:
"Wait a minute!", you might be saying. "You gave four stars to a video game novel?", could possibly be the follow up. And it's not a mistake. If you're into fantasy fiction - and especially if you like the lore in the Elder Scrolls game series - this one is worth checking out. Just keep in mind that there's a follow up novel, as this one doesn't conclude the tale.
Written by Greg Keyes, Infernal City carries his style and flair for interesting detail, setting it apar More...
Written by Greg Keyes, Infernal City carries his style and flair for interesting detail, setting it apar More...
May 31, 2011
Leilani
rated it: 
If I could give this a 1.5 star rating, I would. It's a one, its lone saving grace in my eyes being the fact that it's based on one of the greatest video game series of all time. I love The Elder Scrolls - love, love, love them - and have since I was a wee Leila and Arena first hit the shelves. That said, I couldn't get into this novelization of the events which occurred in Black Marsh following "Oblivion." Video games are a touchy thing to try and transfer to other media to begin
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 03, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I am not an avid gamer myself, but I have watched my brother play the Elder Scrolls games a lot and the story behind them really is fascinating; when he recommended this book to me I was anxious to read it.
The only thing I can say I did not like about it is that the author assumes that the reader already knows A LOT of the history behind what happened in the Oblivion crisis as well as Morrowind and the other preceding Elder Scrolls games. I knew a More...
The only thing I can say I did not like about it is that the author assumes that the reader already knows A LOT of the history behind what happened in the Oblivion crisis as well as Morrowind and the other preceding Elder Scrolls games. I knew a More...
Mar 10, 2011
Althea
rated it:
OK, I have to admit that I'm not a video game player, and I'm not at all familiar with the Elder Scrolls game, so I'm not the target audience for this book. It was actually better than I might have expected for a video game tie-in, however, I couldn't avoid having very high hopes due to the 4 Keyes books I previously read - the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone epic - which are all fully 5-star novels!
I just couldn't really get into this, though. Although it had some good writing (nice turns of p More...
I just couldn't really get into this, though. Although it had some good writing (nice turns of p More...
May 26, 2010
Ria
rated it:
This is kind of a hard book to review, simply because I've been playing Elder Scrolls games since '97 or whatever (Daggerfall), so I know the world and how it works, and can't tell if things are described well or not. The whole thing seemed a bit rushed, really. Keyes didn't spend a lot of time crafting the setting or the characters.
I say rushed, but at the same time the first third was pretty slow. Lots of set-up, but very few reveals. And I didn't really like the main character (An More...
I say rushed, but at the same time the first third was pretty slow. Lots of set-up, but very few reveals. And I didn't really like the main character (An More...
Dec 26, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
The Infernal City is a tie-in to the Elder Scrolls series of roleplaying games, of which I've played numbers three and four, Morrowind and Oblivion, very extensively. This takes place about fifty years (I think - I don't have the book to hand) after the latter, and the events of that game have already passed into legend.
The story concerns a flying island that approaches the coast, whipping the souls from the bodies of all it encounters, creating for itself an army of zombies that see More...
The story concerns a flying island that approaches the coast, whipping the souls from the bodies of all it encounters, creating for itself an army of zombies that see More...
Feb 11, 2011
Shawn
rated it:
I was excited for this opportunity to continue the story of Tamriel after the events of Oblivion and the sacrifice of Martin, and while The Infernal City caught me early on with it's insight into Black March I quickly grew frustrated by the knowledge that this was not a complete story. It's obvious this was meant to be the first in a series of novels, but apparently there is not a second part to the tale forthcoming. I have searched and did not find any mention on the publisher, author or game d
More...
Mar 19, 2011
Chanda
rated it:
I thought the beginning started off horrifically slow, but after becoming acquainted with all of the characters & I knew what was what, it became very interesting. It's one of those books where you switch back & forth between characters (I believe there are four main ones? I could be mistaken, I finished it a couple of months ago) & half of the way through, each time he did that it'd be some sort of cliff hanger & I couldn't wait to get back to that particular character's story line.
R More...
R More...
Aug 09, 2010
Brett
rated it:
When I picked up this book at the library -- it caught my eye on a display -- I had no idea it was the first of two books in a series. Which probably explains my disappointment when I got to the end and realized it really wasn't one. Things aren't resolved, and things are much worse than when they started. That said, Keyes has some pretty strong main characters. I had qualms, though. I recognized more typos in this book than any other in recent memory. Also, seemingly important characters came i
More...
Nov 25, 2011
Chris
rated it:
I have to say that I was massively surprised by this book. I've been shot down by video game related books before and although I love Elder Scrolls lore, I really didn't have high expectations.
I was proven completely wrong though. The book is a great read. The characters are very interesting to watch grow and learn more about their pasts and motivations. I find the city of Umbriel to be quite fascinating in a totally messed up sort of way. I really found myself hoping like hell everything w More...
I was proven completely wrong though. The book is a great read. The characters are very interesting to watch grow and learn more about their pasts and motivations. I find the city of Umbriel to be quite fascinating in a totally messed up sort of way. I really found myself hoping like hell everything w More...
Feb 03, 2012
Tina
rated it:
Okay, so this is a little esoteric, but I’ll explain. I am a big fan of role-playing games (RPGs) and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remains in my top five video games of all time. So when I got the opportunity to request the sequel to this one from NetGalley, I jumped at it. And, if I’m honest, the book turned out to be sillier than I expected, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable. I liked hearing about the familiar places from the game, like Leyawiin and the Imperial City, and the int
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Jim
rated it:
If it weren't for my interest in the Elder Scrolls setting, this book would have been pretty rough to get through. There are good moments, and the ending was engaging enough to make me jump into the sequel, but the extensive stretch of Iron Chef Sky Mountain wasn't even mildly interesting.
Mr. Keyes writing style isn't too bad, and he has a nice flair for eloquence despite it being a pretty mindless read. It was quick to get through and, in the end, if you're a fan of the game serie More...
Mr. Keyes writing style isn't too bad, and he has a nice flair for eloquence despite it being a pretty mindless read. It was quick to get through and, in the end, if you're a fan of the game serie More...
May 25, 2011
Matt
rated it:
I literally can't make myself give anything about TES a bad rating! I enjoyed this book thoroughly because I love tamriel so much. However I didn't enjoy the confusion and lack of detail Keyes puts into the action. This book seems to have been written only to set up the events in the next book (which will then set up more recent history for the next TES game). If you start out this book with a positive outlook and the will to look up some things on TES wiki then I believe you will enjoy this nov
More...
Aug 21, 2011
Micheal
rated it:
I really wanted to like this book. It wasn't badly written, but I think Keyes relied to much on the content of the video games. The book offered nothing really new to the world, so I have to say it sort of failed. Nevertheless, I am a huge Elder Scrolls fan, so I will read the sequel.
Jan 27, 2010
Angel
rated it:
Alright, a cliffhanger! The author is currently working on a sequel, hope he doesn't take too long. As for what I thought of the book, overall it was mostly good. The beginning was a little bumpy, I thought it lacked detail. But it got better as the story progressed. Once you get to know the characters a bit better and begin to understand the "city", the pages begin to turn themselves. I imagine the next book will be better since the author seems to have found his pace. I give i
More...
Dec 11, 2009
Peter
rated it:
I really liked this book. I am a huge fan of the video games and the flow of the book works really well with the games. If you're a fan of the games you will enjoy the book.
The only thing that bothered me was the end, there is none. It feels unfinished. I can't wait for the second.
The only thing that bothered me was the end, there is none. It feels unfinished. I can't wait for the second.
Feb 01, 2012
Michael
rated it:
Four stars because I have had my head embedded in Elder Scrolls V for months, but three stars for anyone who has never played a TES game. I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting the story was, especially with the many references to the lore from the games. Also, this is the best molecular (alchemical?) gastronomy based fantasy I've ever read.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jul 06, 2011
Matty
rated it:
I'm sorry, I tried really, really hard to like this book but I just couldn't. I've been a fan of these games for as long as they've been around and I'm even looking forward to the next one but this book, a story about a post-oblivion world, was just too horrible.
I couldn't get into this book at all, the characters, the story, anything. Again, I really tried to love this book because I'm such a fan of the universe in which the Elder Scrolls lies, but it was just too horrible of a book t More...
I couldn't get into this book at all, the characters, the story, anything. Again, I really tried to love this book because I'm such a fan of the universe in which the Elder Scrolls lies, but it was just too horrible of a book t More...
Nov 21, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I really didn't care for this. I can't determine if it was because of the content or the style, really, because I was just generally all around disappointed with it. I love Tamriel and TES stories and games, but The Infernal City just didn't do it justice.
Apr 14, 2011
Claudiu
rated it:
Nothing inheretly bad about this book, yet nothing really good about it either. The story amounts to little more than a bit of character building and setting up pieces.
Not a bad book, but it won't shake your world either.
Here's hoping the next one is better.
Not a bad book, but it won't shake your world either.
Here's hoping the next one is better.
