Renowned for its vast open-world, Skyrim is filled with countless treasures. From swords, to shields, to ingots, to dragon bones, Skyrim is jam-packed with some incredible loot. This does mean, however, that a fair number of players tend to overlook some of the game's more mundane items, passing them over in favor of the next powerful weapon or armor set. Skyrim's series of surprisingly complex books often suffer from this unfortunate fate.
Though they're not all worth the player's time, quite a few of Skyrim's books are very well-written, and can make for a great break from all the game's adventuring. There's also quite a wide variety of book genres to find in Skyrim, ranging from history books that fill in lore gaps, to compelling short stories, to some brief tales of comedy.
The Great War
One of Skyrim's best history books, "The Great War" fills in some of the gaps between Oblivion and Skyrim. The book recounts the history of the rise of the Thalmor and their eventual battle against the Imperials in Cyrodiil.
Beginning in 4E 22, the book states that the Thalmor rose to be the dominant Elven force during the Oblivion Crisis, conducting campaigns across the Summerset Isles and Cyrodiil to close the Oblivion Gates and push back the Daedric forces. With the help from the Altmer Elven faction, the Thalmor overthrew the Empire and Bosmer Elves, and formed the Aldmeri Dominion.
The rest of the book details the long war between the Aldmeri and the Empire, dipping in to various bloody battles along the way. For fans of Oblivion, this book is an absolute must-read.
The Mirror
A book that's cropped up in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, "The Mirror" not only increases the player's Block skill, but also gives them a short and fairly emotive tale about the importance of using a shield during combat, which is told through the account of a brutal tribal battle. The skilled swordsman in the tale tells his soldiers to imagine fighting a mirror, and when an opponent strikes, do the opposite and block. "The Mirror" is one of the most engrossing books in Skyrim, with a few twists and turns that should keep the reader thoroughly engaged.
The Real Barenziah
One of Skyrim's more character-based books, "The Real Barenziah" is a five-part series that follows the long, but compelling tale of Barenziah, a Dark Elf princess who lived during the Second Age. Barenziah had many talents, including thievery and magic, and reached legendary status during her very long life, with stones now being littered around Skyrim cementing her legacy.
The Locked Room
"The Locked Room" increases the player's lockpicking stat while giving them an enthralling tale of a malicious master and his plan to kill his apprentice. The book begins by describing Yana, an apprentice lock-picker who loves her craft. However, she takes a great deal of time to successfully open a lock, much to the chagrin of her master, Arthcamu.
One day, Arthcamu's irritation with his student reaches boiling point, and he decides to give her one final test. He locks her in a room with a waking vampire, and tasks her with opening the door before it kills her. "The Locked Room" is short and sweet, and is certainly worth players' time.
Breathing Water
A short story that manages to pack a pretty nice comedic punch, "Breathing Water" follows the tale of Thalien Winloth and his desperate desire to learn how to breathe underwater. His obsession leads him to the Great Sorceress Seryne Reylas, who reluctantly teaches him the Alteration spell. "Breathing Water" is certainly one for any Skyrim player who enjoys a bit of dark humor.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.