The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Hardcover – Illustrated, 29 Jan. 2013

Zelda is one of the greatest video game series of all time with countless entries over several systems yet one thing has remained a big mystery, the timeline!Easily the biggest thing about this book is the timeline that finally places all the mainstream games in order and finally put to bed the theories made up by fans. While it may have raised a few eyebrows at the time and some still refuse to accept it even today it has answered a question that needed an answer for a long time. While I personally don’t like the three split part as it raises more questions it is now official, so that’s that!So with that aside, the rest of the book contains a good in-depth history of each games story and lore with facts about each one. This is especially interesting to read for the earlier entries in the series as most of their stories are quite vague at best and this book helps to expand on them. It should also be noted that it works them into the timeline so somethings are changed a little to help them fit better. Even if you think you know all there is to know about the lore from the games you will find something of interest in this book.At the back of this book it also has a Skyward Sword comic that acts as a prequel to the game. While it is my least favourite game in the series it is still an interesting read.This book is simply put one of the greatest gaming books ever made and a Zelda fans dream come true. Worth every penny.

The Legend of Zelda is probably my favourite video game series ever. The games provided me with some of my most seminal video gaming moments, whether it was waking the Windfish in Links Awakening (my first Zelda game) or the sheer majesty of Ocarina of Time these games have always connected with me.When I saw this book on Amazon it was a no brainer I had to have it not just as a fan of the series but as a fan of the thought processes and art and design that goes into a video game.The book is quite large and very attractive with its green and gold cover and when you open it up and look at the pages you will see its money very well spent. Inside it covers all the games in the series so far with diagrams and sketches made during production complete with notes on ideas or changes as well as comments by the developers. These sketches include the various designs of main characters like Link and Zelda through the years as well as enemies, NPC's, environments and items. A large number of pages are dedicated to Skyward Sword and the more recent Zelda's but I half expected this when ordering, there are still bits and pieces from the earlier titles.Another great feature of this book is that it gives the complete chronological time line of the games, with branching paths depending on key moments. This is then followed by a detailed linking of all the games key events and stories.Finally to put the cherry on a very sweet cake there is a Skyward Sword prequel Manga comic at the back, which is a very nice lead up to the game.In closing if you are a fan of the Zelda series this is definitely worth considering. Just going through it has inspired me to play through Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker and the other titles and also reminded me that sometimes the best stories are the simple ones of a princess in peril and a young hero.

Originally released in Japan as a tie in for 'Skyward Sword' and the 25th anniversary of the first Zelda game, 'The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia', is a gorgeous 276-page art book and covers the complete history of Hyrule.The book is already a best-seller even before its release due to pre-orders that sent it to the #1 spot on Amazon's sales chart, unseating '50 Shades of Grey'.As this was originally a tie in with 'Skyward Sword', there is of course, quite a lot of coverage from that. And I do mean, quite a lot! Lots of concept art and character designs from the game, even on some of the supplemental characters!The section of most interest to Zelda fans has to be 'The History Of Hyrule: A Chronology'; a complete history of the official The Legend Of Zelda timeline! Right from the beginning when the goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore created the world and left behind the Triforce, to the first game (but last game to be released) in the timeline 'Skyward Sword', all the way through until 'Ocarina Of Time'. After 'Ocarina' it does get a bit complicated though as the timeline then fractures into three! But it is well worth following as it is all very detailed.The next section documents 25 years of artwork, with never-before-seen original sketches and illustrations from all the games and gives an interesting insight into the character designs from the series.A special treat is the 32 page bonus 'Skyward Sword' manga by Akira Himekawa, actually based on the game, so probably only read it if you've played the game itself!So, is this tome worth getting? A very big YES if you're a fan of the series as it's all very in depth and very well put together! A welcome addition to any Zelda geek's bookshelf!