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Grace Given: The Mythology of Elden Ring
The most ambitious RPG in video-game history is now being honoured with the most extravagant book-length appraisal yet, written by beloved Elden Ring lore expert Geoff “SmoughTown” Truscott. Prepare for a comprehensive deep dive into the mythology underpinning Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece.
618 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2025
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149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 17, 2025
Praise the research!
November 6, 2025
This was a super interesting dive into a video game’s lore and mythology. It is incredible how much there is to actually dive into. I wish there was more of an update to the book since the DLC was released. The DLC was referenced, but there is a ton of lore that is skipped over. The missing star is because I felt like there was several points that were rehashed or repeated multiple times.
September 15, 2025
As much as I am aware that this book will delve deep into the lore of Elden Ring, I find it sad that this book caters those who actually played the game or at least have some knowledge of the lore already. Even though I have finished the game myself, I found it difficult to grasp the narrative (I had to search the internet while reading to refresh my memory as to what the author is talking about).
The first chapter of the book is about Gods and Nations and I expected it to be a good introduction of the Gods and characters in the game and prepare the reader for an extensive lore, rather there were several references to the game itself and narratives that are totally incomprehensible for someone who is not familiar with the story, and some quotes from the game can sometimes be repetitive. I’m not sure if that’s the author’s intention or whether this book has not gone through a thorough proofreading. To counter that I would at least expect footnotes or a Glossary section that readers can go through to ease them through the confusion but there’s none.
I do acknowledge and appreciate the author’s effort to compile all the details that can be found in the game to tell the story as accurate as possible. However, the overall quality could definitely be better if it’s outlined and narrated properly.
The first chapter of the book is about Gods and Nations and I expected it to be a good introduction of the Gods and characters in the game and prepare the reader for an extensive lore, rather there were several references to the game itself and narratives that are totally incomprehensible for someone who is not familiar with the story, and some quotes from the game can sometimes be repetitive. I’m not sure if that’s the author’s intention or whether this book has not gone through a thorough proofreading. To counter that I would at least expect footnotes or a Glossary section that readers can go through to ease them through the confusion but there’s none.
I do acknowledge and appreciate the author’s effort to compile all the details that can be found in the game to tell the story as accurate as possible. However, the overall quality could definitely be better if it’s outlined and narrated properly.
July 9, 2025
5/5
A deeper dive into the mythos and cosmology of The Lands Between, with well reasoned positions, evidence, theories. Smoughtown delivers easy to engage with, and concise explanations for a myriad of lore topics within the game. If you’ve played the game, but didn’t want to comb over every detail and item description, but still found yourself yearning to experience more of the story, and get a pretty comprehensive and broad understanding of it, then check this book out. Really well written and potent interpretations as well, multiple times I found myself on the brink of tears just because of the emotional or cinematic framing that Smoughtown would use for several stories. Really good stuff.
A deeper dive into the mythos and cosmology of The Lands Between, with well reasoned positions, evidence, theories. Smoughtown delivers easy to engage with, and concise explanations for a myriad of lore topics within the game. If you’ve played the game, but didn’t want to comb over every detail and item description, but still found yourself yearning to experience more of the story, and get a pretty comprehensive and broad understanding of it, then check this book out. Really well written and potent interpretations as well, multiple times I found myself on the brink of tears just because of the emotional or cinematic framing that Smoughtown would use for several stories. Really good stuff.
September 25, 2025
I enjoyed playing Elden Ring, but didn't pick up on a lot of the story as I didn't read every item description.
I thought this book was really well done and went a long way in bringing the story together for me.
Narration of the audio book easy to listen to. The hardcover version is really nice as well.
I thought this book was really well done and went a long way in bringing the story together for me.
Narration of the audio book easy to listen to. The hardcover version is really nice as well.
May 1, 2025
I reserve 5 star ratings for books I think everyone should read. This book is not that, but everyone who has interest in the lore of Elden Ring should give it a go.
August 6, 2025
Foul tarnished,
in search of the Elden Ring.
Emboldened by the flame of ambition.
Someone must extinguish thy flame.
Okay, first off - this book is not going to be for everyone. And it is NOT a game guide - but rather a comprehensive study of the world and lore of the game itself. For someone like me, who hyperfixates and wants to deep-dive into one of the best games of all time... it is a masterpiece.
I was fortunate enough to get one of the Collector's Editions - which in and of itself is a piece of art.
But the true beauty is the incredible DEPTH AND DETAIL this book covers. Deity structure and religions? Check. Pre-game history? Check. Context and evidence-driven world building? Check. Evolution and lineage of enemies, allegiances, and feuds? Character studies and biographies? Check. AND takes all that to explain why you do what you do and see what you see in the game!
One thing I loved and hated about playing Elden Ring is how little of the world structure you are told in the game itself; which is part of the uniqueness of the game but can be frustrated when you're like, who? What? Why is this here? Why am I doing this? It feels like you're dropped into a complex world without knowing any of the history, with no history books to reference. UNTIL NOW. This book answers ALL of those questions, and more.
This is clearly a product of deep love and care by the author - with citing in-game descriptions, videos, translations; and then connects the dots to build out this entire complex history and universe that most people will never notice or really consider.
Reading through this resulted in my own creation of a "Charlie in the Mail Room"-esque flow chart as all the pieces came together. You could read it as a reference based on the chapters if you want specific insight on a person/order/history, but I highly recommend reading start to finish, as much of it is built up from previous chapters and context.
I am completely satisfied and ready for a new game replay; but this time I will be looking for the details - the item descriptions, the architecture, the WHY behind just what is presented on screen. AND I AM SO HYPED AHHH LET'S GOOOO MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD 🐦🔥
in search of the Elden Ring.
Emboldened by the flame of ambition.
Someone must extinguish thy flame.
Okay, first off - this book is not going to be for everyone. And it is NOT a game guide - but rather a comprehensive study of the world and lore of the game itself. For someone like me, who hyperfixates and wants to deep-dive into one of the best games of all time... it is a masterpiece.
I was fortunate enough to get one of the Collector's Editions - which in and of itself is a piece of art.
But the true beauty is the incredible DEPTH AND DETAIL this book covers. Deity structure and religions? Check. Pre-game history? Check. Context and evidence-driven world building? Check. Evolution and lineage of enemies, allegiances, and feuds? Character studies and biographies? Check. AND takes all that to explain why you do what you do and see what you see in the game!
One thing I loved and hated about playing Elden Ring is how little of the world structure you are told in the game itself; which is part of the uniqueness of the game but can be frustrated when you're like, who? What? Why is this here? Why am I doing this? It feels like you're dropped into a complex world without knowing any of the history, with no history books to reference. UNTIL NOW. This book answers ALL of those questions, and more.
This is clearly a product of deep love and care by the author - with citing in-game descriptions, videos, translations; and then connects the dots to build out this entire complex history and universe that most people will never notice or really consider.
Reading through this resulted in my own creation of a "Charlie in the Mail Room"-esque flow chart as all the pieces came together. You could read it as a reference based on the chapters if you want specific insight on a person/order/history, but I highly recommend reading start to finish, as much of it is built up from previous chapters and context.
I am completely satisfied and ready for a new game replay; but this time I will be looking for the details - the item descriptions, the architecture, the WHY behind just what is presented on screen. AND I AM SO HYPED AHHH LET'S GOOOO MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD 🐦🔥
July 24, 2025
“I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to have stood around that Roundtable with Godfrey and his warriors.”
I find the world of Elden Ring so compelling, but FromSoftware’s approach to storytelling is famously opaque. The nature of Elden Ring’s world is revealed to the player only through disaggregated flavor text and baroque NPC dialogue. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read about the world of a FromSoftware game in a more cohesive and well-structured narrative.
The text is not without its weaknesses. Though clearly designed and illustrated with a lot of love and dedication, I got the sense that this book could have used a little more looking at; a few erroneous spellings and awkward constructions linger after publication, and Truscott errs on the side of redundancy in his analysis. I don’t mean to suggest that the prose is bad, but I think the text would benefit from more scrutinous editing.
I also would like to have seen more discussion of the DLC; what little we do learn about the Realm of Shadow we must glean from character studies of Marika and Miquella. Despite its ambitious length, Grace Given left a lot of my questions about the world unanswered. Maybe what I really want is something more akin to an encyclopedia; the wikis, though certainly thorough, are more focused on gameplay details and mechanics than on the story and the world. I’d like something with lengthy entries for every item and enemy, something heavy I can set upon my coffee table to ward off bad dates.
I realize I’m being quite hard on it, but I really enjoyed reading this book, and I do think that Grace Given is a must-read for any devoted fan. Elden Ring is probably my single favorite video game, and I pray that Geoff Truscott and his academy of Elden Ring scholars have more to say about this world that continues to enchant us all.
I find the world of Elden Ring so compelling, but FromSoftware’s approach to storytelling is famously opaque. The nature of Elden Ring’s world is revealed to the player only through disaggregated flavor text and baroque NPC dialogue. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read about the world of a FromSoftware game in a more cohesive and well-structured narrative.
The text is not without its weaknesses. Though clearly designed and illustrated with a lot of love and dedication, I got the sense that this book could have used a little more looking at; a few erroneous spellings and awkward constructions linger after publication, and Truscott errs on the side of redundancy in his analysis. I don’t mean to suggest that the prose is bad, but I think the text would benefit from more scrutinous editing.
I also would like to have seen more discussion of the DLC; what little we do learn about the Realm of Shadow we must glean from character studies of Marika and Miquella. Despite its ambitious length, Grace Given left a lot of my questions about the world unanswered. Maybe what I really want is something more akin to an encyclopedia; the wikis, though certainly thorough, are more focused on gameplay details and mechanics than on the story and the world. I’d like something with lengthy entries for every item and enemy, something heavy I can set upon my coffee table to ward off bad dates.
I realize I’m being quite hard on it, but I really enjoyed reading this book, and I do think that Grace Given is a must-read for any devoted fan. Elden Ring is probably my single favorite video game, and I pray that Geoff Truscott and his academy of Elden Ring scholars have more to say about this world that continues to enchant us all.
July 10, 2025
A very well researched summary with some very deep cuts, some oft-overlooked gems, and some great theories to continue the contemplation of this beautiful world.
There were some bits that felt a bit repetitive, but I suppose it was written so that the book could be read through slowly with the relevant information summarized anew in each segment, or with the option of jumping from chapter to chapter.
Also, reader beware: there are some minor spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree.
There were some bits that felt a bit repetitive, but I suppose it was written so that the book could be read through slowly with the relevant information summarized anew in each segment, or with the option of jumping from chapter to chapter.
Also, reader beware: there are some minor spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree.
August 13, 2025
Fantastic break down of all of the lore and pantheons of The Lands Between and everything that influences it. Geoff is bluntly honest about which parts of the lore are hard confirmed and which are conjecture. If doing the audiobook I cannot think of a better narrator than Enmalation. Her voice fits the subject matter and it’s really refreshing to hear someone that truly and deeply cares about the world they are exploring.
Read
July 6, 2025dnf
August 7, 2025
Really great for anyone who is interested in Elden Ring's lore. This is written like an essay showing facts from the game to support any theories, and offers counter points to some.
June 30, 2025
everything an elden ring fan could ever want from a lore book! 500+ pages of comprehensive analysis from the one and only smoughtown, bound in textured paper with a flocked, gold-foiled alexander jar slip cover & full-page color illustrations (collector's edition) — clearly such a labor of love! 🫶🏼
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews