Article contributed by Kate Rhoton
Are you a massive fan of The Legend of Zelda? Many of us grew up on the adventures of Link and Zelda and their various quests to save Hyrule. We spent more of our chore money renting Ocarina of Time from Blockbuster than we would care to think about. To this day, many still hold the series in high regard, and with the release of Breath of the Wild a few years ago and the upcoming releases of Hyrule Warrior: Age of Calamity and Breath of the Wild 2, Zelda hype is still prevalent. It also doesn’t hurt that the games are endlessly replayable. With the world in such chaos this year, what better way to relax than to enjoy another nostalgic playthrough of one of your favourite childhood games?
Naturally, when you love something, you try to find as many ways as possible to bring it into your life. So if you love playing Zelda, why not look for other Zelda-esque forms of entertainment to get your fix? While there is an official Legend of Zelda manga series written by Akira Himekawa (which is really fun), unlike many other popular video game series (I’m looking at you, Halo), there aren’t any official Zelda novelisations that you can pick up. However, the world of literature contains a hotbed of reads that give off a similar vibe as the beloved video game series, with stories featuring unexpected heroes, kingdoms under attack by a vicious evil, and a diverse cast of characters and creatures.
Here is a list of ten books/series that will give you real Zelda vibes:
The Traveler’s Gate series by Will Wight
This story follows a young man named Simon on a journey to destroy an evil Overlord. Simon has no idea what he’s doing and he has no magical powers or weapons to help him. While Link has some magic on his side, both of these stories feature a young hero thrust into a dangerous situation and led by a desire to overcome an evil villain.
The Runelords series by David Farland
This story features a young man on a journey to protect a princess, her royal family, and their world from an evil power. Change “young man” to “Link”, “princess” to “Zelda”, and “kingdom” to “Hyrule”, and you could have your very own Zelda novelisation.
The Belgariad series by David Eddings
A young man living a quiet life on a farm is thrown into a magical quest to protect the land from a dark evil, one that’s haunted him in his dreams for years. Sounds pretty similar to Ocarina of Time. This story also contains a rich history of the world its characters inhabit, which is something that the Legend of Zelda series has always done well.
The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain
A young woman witnesses the death of a messenger delivering a message of vital importance to the king. She takes up the mission with the help of a wise horse and a mythical sidekick (in this case, the ghost of the dead messenger). This series mixes Zelda vibes with a female protagonist, so anyone who has always wished for more Zelda in their Zelda games will probably find much to enjoy here.
The Riddle-Master series by Patricia A. McKillip
This story follows a man living in a world that’s magical history has been buried deep for centuries until mysterious things start to occur. This man also has a symbol ingrained on his forehead that seems to be leading him towards an unforeseen destiny, à la the Triforce piece Link finds marked on himself throughout the series.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Do we really have to explain this one? A young man living a quiet country life is thrust into a magical adventure to save the land from an evil entity, to put it simply. Quintessential Zelda vibes.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
This series has that same young-hero-lives-quiet-life-until-thrown-into-magical-adventure trope that many of these entries have, but this one is friendly for younger readers just as the Zelda series has always typically been friendly to younger gamers.
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
An enchanting tale of magic, fantastical creatures, and an evil that must be destroyed, this series also features an expansive world with unique and diverse lands for the reader to explore. If your favourite part of Zelda was always exploring the various lands within the world of the game, then this series is for you.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix
A young woman (along with her magical companions) embarks on a quest to discover what happened to her father and ends up finding out much about herself and the powers she holds. There’s also a lot of undead beings in this story, so if you’re a fan of ReDeads, Gibdos, and Poes, you might find much to like in this series, as well.
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series by Tad Williams
A dark power threatens to overtake a peaceful land. An evil ruler aims to overthrow the king of said peaceful land. A young, lowly kitchen boy is sent on a quest that offers the only hope for survival for the threatened land. Much like The Hobbit, this story contains all of the essential elements of a good Zelda story.
Hopefully, this list has given you some reading options that will fill your days with the warm, nostalgic Zelda vibes we all deserve.
