“Now I am at rest, understanding that in books, and ages, and life the ending can never truly be written.”
—Riven (1997)
Myst and Riven are profoundly beautiful works of art.
I started writing a story seventeen years ago and finally finished it last summer. It’s one of my most inexplicable pieces.
And I only just now realized — because I spent the day playing through Riven — the entire structure and aesthetic was wholly based on Myst.
Oh my god… I just had to sit down because I finally realized why the characters in that story had to be walruses.
It’s because the walrus was my favorite part of The Manhole. So I put him on Myst island.
I never knew why I was writing walruses. For seventeen years.
If you’re curious about this inexplicable novella, it’s called “Nawry the Noodlebeast,” and it’ll be in my collection, “Commander Annie and Other Adventures,” upcoming from Argyll Productions.