The Book of Atrus is the first book in the Myst series of novels, set in the same universe as the Myst computer games by Cyan Worlds, and was written by Ryan Miller in 1994. However the publisher Hyperion wanted a published author to work on the book so David Wingrove re-wrote the story with the help of Richard VanderWende, Rand and Robyn Miller. The first chapter of the original draft was later released online on the 24th of September 2003 on Myst-related websites (however it appears they have been since taken down). After David Wingrove's reworking of the novel it was published in 1995 in New York by Hyperion with ISBN 0786861592. The second book in the series is Myst: The Book of Ti'ana and the third is Myst: The Book of D'ni.

The Book of Atrus deals with the immediate backstory for the game of Myst, but events from Riven also appear. The book also provides a lot of background information on the D'ni. The book's main character is Atrus, following him throughout his early youth with his grandmother Anna, and then through the meeting with his father Gehn. Later, Atrus' encounter with Catherine also appears in the book.

Towards the end of the book, the stage for the game of Myst is set, with Atrus and Catherine free, Gehn trapped, and the Myst Linking Book falling down the abyss. The closing words of the book are also the opening words of the game.

Actually, the storyline, linking all 3 books and all 4 games (Myst I-IV), goes like this...

The D'ni lived in a great underground city for thousands of years (about 10,000), and they had the ability to Write books that could take the user of the books to other Ages (worlds). The D'ni empire fell about 200 years ago because a woman named Anna came down into the city, up from the surface, and married a D'ni person named Aitrus. One of the D'ni lords, named Veovis, having a conservative viewpoint, was furious about this, and another lord named A'Gaeris (aka The Philosopher) destroyed the D'ni city and most of the life in it with a huge poison cloud (Myst: The Book of Ti'ana; Myst: The Book of D'ni)). Anna and her 8 year old son, Gehn, escaped to the Cleft, which is near the volcano over the D'ni cavern. Gehn grows up, and later his wife (Keta) dies in childbirth giving life to their son Atrus. Miserable, unable to cope with this disaster, Gehn runs away into the D'ni caves, leaving his son to Anna's care. Some 14 years later, Gehn comes back and takes Atrus away from Anna to teach him to Write Ages and eventually locks him in the K'veer basement (which is the last area you discover in the Myst game). Atrus finds the Riven book, goes there and meets and marries Katran. Atrus finds out that Katran and Anna wrote the Age of Myst together, and they go there and then trap Gehn in Riven by opening up the Star Fissure (Myst: The Book of Atrus). Atrus looses the Myst book in the fissure, and the book eventually comes to Earth, where you, the Stranger/player, find it and go to Myst Island. In the library you find the red and blue books, which are the linking books to Sirrus' and Achenar's Prison Ages (Spire and Haven). You collect the red and blue pages and the brothers tell you that each the other brother is guilty of burning the books in the library of Myst. They tell you the pattern for unlocking a secret hideout behind the fireplace of the library. Sirrus tells you to bring from there the final red page, but not the blue one, and Achenar the exact opposite, but they both tell you not to touch the green book. If you open the green book however, you see Atrus in the K'veer basement and if you bring him the white page for the Myst book, he goes back to Myst and burns the red and blue books, thus forever prisoning his two sons (Game: Myst). He then asks you to go to Riven to save Katran from Gehn, who has gone mad and is trying to convert Riven into another D'ni. You save Katran and capture Gehn, then you go home by taking the Star Fissure (Game: Myst II - Riven). While you were gone, Atrus & co abandon Myst because they find it too depressing and build a new home, Tomahna, in the desert near the Cleft, and gather all the D'ni survivors that they can find and put them in an age called Releeshan. Coming to Tomahna however you see a person named Saavedro steal the Releeshan book from Atrus and take it to his then home world, J'nanin. He took it so he could get revenge on Atrus' sons for destroying his own world, Narayan. You save Releeshan and help Saavedro return to the main part of his world (Narayan) and go back to Tomahna (Game: Myst III _ Exile). In the game Myst IV - Revelation Sirrus and Achenar somehow have been able to get out of their prison worlds and have kidnapped Yeesha (Atrus' daughter) and you have to save her from being fatally misused by Sirrus so as to prohibit that he can learn the Art of Writing Age Books from his father (by impersonating as being Yeesha).

An excellent reference on the books and games, with book (chapter) summaries, biographies, dramatis personae, game plots, and what-not, is Tales of the D'ni (http://www.geocities.com/kishlisandra/index.html)