The world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim isn't just great for a bit of adventure and combat, but also for discovering its unique sights and impressively immersive lore. NPCs will always be there to enlighten the player on the setting's history, but the best way to really dive deep into the world of Skyrim is through its books.
That being said, there are over 300 written pieces in the game, and with limited time and differing interests, players might not feel like getting into all of them. There's a select 10, however, that are highly recommended reads. Some of these books are superb pieces of literature and some of them, well, are just plain bizarre.
10 Best: The Wolf Queen
There are a few longer book series in Skyrim, including A Dance In Fire, as well as the ever popular series The Wolf Queen. The series is eight tomes long and tells the tale of Queen Potema, who became famous as being a powerful necromancer responsible for the start of the War of the Red Diamond.
Potema's a fascinating character, and extremely evil, which is why these books are a great read to get some insight into her life. She's also the subject of a major quest in the game.
9 Weird: Withershins
Restoration is one of the most underrated schools of magic in Skyrim. With a few of its skill books scattered around the world, it's possible for the player to level up their skill if they come across a tome like Withershins, which is a very comedic yet bizarre read.
Withershins tells the story of a tormented man who seems to be hearing every conversation in an alphabetical order. Desperately, he seeks cure for his illness, which results in an unexpected and amusing ending.
8 Best: Palla
Mythical stories are always an engrossing read, and there's nothing quite as mysterious and fascinating as the lives of mages and necromancers. Palla is a series of two volumes that tells the tale of a young mage apprentice who falls in love with the dead mother of a friend.
This tale of obsessive affection turns into something completely unexpected, however, as it reaches the end, and is truly a worthwhile read for any aspiring mages.
7 Weird: Wabbajack
Sheogorath is the Daedric Lord of madness, and everything associated with him is understandably a little bit strange and odd. Not only is the Wabbajack staff associated with him and his madness, but also the actual Wabbajack book.
The purpose of this book is a big question mark, but it's not a very long read. Essentially, it's one big, long rambling, but it perfectly summarizes the essence of the Wabbajack and the powers behind it.
6 Best: The Real Barenziah
Many players might recognize the word Barenziah from the infamously annoying quest that tasks the players with finding every stone to the crown of Barenziah. However, Barenziah is actually a historically important character with a colorful background.
The Real Barenziah tells the story of a Dunmer woman who was highly skilled in many arts, including magic and thievery, as well as persuasion. As a member of royalty, her life was incredibly eventful, making her story a worthy read in this five-volume series.
5 Weird: Kolb And The Dragon
An RPG within an RPG, would that be an RPG-ception? The player gets to decide, quite literally, if they ever get their hands on the book called Kolb and the Dragon. This is a classic fantasy RPG book, which allows the reader to choose their own adventure.
Each paragraph describes the situation and then gives the player the choice between two paths. Depending on which path they take, they'll get a different ending. A bit of fun, and also some amusing self-awareness from Bethesda.
4 Best: A Game At Dinner
Who doesn't love a tale of mental manipulation and intrigue in a royal court? The story of A Game At Dinner is actually rumored to be a real letter from a spy working under Prince Helseth, a descendant of Barenziah, although there's no proof these events ever really happened.
The letter is a report of the spy running down a scene from a dinner with the prince, who's in the process of figuring out who is truly loyal to him within his court. It's a splendidly written short yet intensive tale.
3 Weird: The Cake And The Diamond
Never trust a mage, is basically the lesson that The Cake and The Diamond tries to teach to its reader. When a thief is admiring a gorgeous diamond he recently acquired, a mage and alchemist offers to pay for it with a potion of invisibility in order to acquire gold for her travels.
As one would expect, things don't exactly go as planned in this tale, and it's a true question of who can be trusted and who can't.
2 Best: Mannimarco, King Of Worms
Lovers of poetry will absolutely fall in love with some of the poems found in the books all around Skyrim, but none of them are quite as splendidly written and decorative in language as the tale of the Worm King, Mannimarco.
Written as a cautionary song-like poem for children, Mannimarco is a powerful necromancer exiled from the Mage's Guild to the mainland of Tamriel, where he begins to wreak havoc. Can he be stopped? Read to find out!
1 Weird: The Lusty Argonian Maid
Of course, no list on the literature of Skyrim would ever be complete without the addition of The Lusty Argonian Maid. This short smut tale focuses on an Argonian maid working under her master while engaging with him in other illicit manners.
The cool thing about this book is that everything is implied. It's a giggle-inducing two-volume series any Skyrim fan should read at least once in their lives — and also hide in their nightstand.