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Wanderer's Journal: A Journey Through the Heart of Hallownest

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Join the chronicler Ellina on a journey into the depths of Hallownest and explore the mysteries of this ruined kingdom.

Produced in collaboration with Team Cherry. Created by Kari Fry and Ryan Novak, the dynamic duo that brought you the Stardew Valley Guidebook, this lovingly illustrated 160-page hardcover journal features:

- A comprehensive guide to all of Hallownest's varied environments.
- Friendly faces, fearsome foes, flora, fauna and fungi.
- A void-black faux leather cover with silver and blue foil that shines like a Lumafly Lantern.

This beautiful 5.5 x 8.5 inch volume should be on every brave explorer's bookshelf. After all, we can't let Lemm hoard all the Wanderer's Journals, can we?

160 pages, Hardcover

Published May 31, 2019

26 people are currently reading
433 people want to read

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Ryan Novak

7 books4 followers

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5 stars
160 (61%)
4 stars
89 (33%)
3 stars
11 (4%)
2 stars
1 (<1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Shata Huffman.
1 review
June 4, 2019
I found this journal sitting on the edge of the well just past Dirtmouth. The luminescent blue on the cover caught my eye as I raised my lumafly lantern to peer into the depths of Hallownest. The hand drawn sketches are so beautiful and detailed it's almost like being in the caverns below. Had I not read through this before my journey I surely would have met an unhappy end in that twisting maze. I'd like to keep it with me as I venture through this vast kingdom but it could help so many more travelers if I just left it on the bench under the watchful eye of the Elderbug. Maybe i'll run into this Chronicler named Ellina and ask them about it. I do hope it was left here purposely and not due to Ellina's demise.
Profile Image for Will Brown.
498 reviews12 followers
February 22, 2021
More or less the official art/lore book for the game Hollow Knight. The kingdom of Hallownest is massive and its downfall mysterious. The book's fictional author doesn't provide any major new revelations/details regarding the game's plot, but the artwork is fantastic and showcases the game's designs/locales in a charmingly soft but sketchy style. A fun gift for fans of the game.

Best read on a bench (of course) while listening to the soundtrack.
Profile Image for Allison.
45 reviews7 followers
June 4, 2019
Being a fan of Hollow Knight, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this lovely, little book! And while it did mention a few things here and there that I didn't know, the majority is stuff I already did know about the world of Hallownest. The writer of the journal is also writing during the time that the little Knight is exploring in the game, so she's seeing the same sights you do. I just wish it told more of a story. More of Ellina's story. Personally, I would've enjoyed it more if it had taken place a little bit in the past, before the Knight arrives.

Still, it was a nice read with wonderful illustrations! Glad I picked it up!
Profile Image for Daniel.
2 reviews
April 14, 2024
Beautiful. I love how we follow Ellina around as the knight is also exploring Hallownest :)
Profile Image for Brittni | semi-hiatus.
94 reviews16 followers
December 29, 2024
My husband bought me this for Christmas; it's from one of my favorite video games - Hollow Knight.

This book is delightful.
The art throughout is beautiful, a mix of scenery, characters, and creatures from the various realms. It is full of little facts and information about each, helping to explain more of the game's story (which is less straightforward when you play it).

I loved the author's (the "wanderer") little comments as she explored and documented everything. Some of them even hinted at secrets in the game!

It's very well done in that it gives you beautiful art and information, but doesn't spoil a lot of the secrets of the game itself. If you're a fan of Hollow Knight, I highly recommend adding this to your collection.
Profile Image for Christopher.
10 reviews
February 2, 2023
Jede Person, die Hollow Knight mag, wird dieses Buch lieben. Tolle Artworks und viele Informationen zur Lore, zu Charakteren und zu Gegner.
Profile Image for Liviosa.
8 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2024
Super cute. Lovely artwork. I just wouldn't recommend investigating this journal before entering Hollownest.
Profile Image for Ben.
215 reviews16 followers
September 3, 2025
8/10

Whilst this doesn’t really add much if you’re already familiar with the lore and world of Hollow Knight, this is a really fun exploration of Hallownest and the art is gorgeous throughout. I really enjoyed the perspective of Ellina The Chronicler, with their interpretations of things they see in the kingdom bringing a lot of charm to the writing style. The way that this story lies adjacent to that of the Knight’s is really interesting and I do wish there was a little more allusion to the continuity of Ellina’s exploration.

Overall I will just continue to love anything Hollow Knight and this was really nice to read right before Silksong!!
Profile Image for Eleazar Herrera.
Author 34 books146 followers
November 29, 2019
Recomendadísimo por y para fans de Hollow Knight. Una guía de bestias, localizaciones y armas vestida de diario. Queda bien, es elegante y está bien editada. ¡En inglés!
Profile Image for Jose.
30 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2023
Perhaps the true adventure was the bugs we met along the way.
Beautifully detailed illustrations and some fun descriptions and commentary. Not much development to lore or plot (obviously), but it's a good read for fans of the game (which happens ton be very good!).
187 reviews
February 2, 2022
In my view, Hollow Knight has only one flaw: its over-the-top difficulty. While I'll avoid getting into the dreaded "should games have difficulty levels" debate, I think it's a true shame that many people will be barred from experiencing the incredible artwork, lore, and level design of the game.

Anyway, onto the book! I absolutely loved this short guide to the dangerous and endlessly fascinating Kingdom of Hallownest. The production values, including the artwork, are GORGEOUS - even the little monochrome sketches on the chapter pages! I learned some fun new information about the setting and characters, and it was a nice little insider's bonus to see some sly references to the knight's journey. If you're going to relive the trauma of some of those boss fights, this is the cutest way to do so!

100% recommended for fans of Hollow Knight, as both a fun, short read and a collector's item.
65 reviews3 followers
October 29, 2022
A fun novelty for fans of Hollow Knight, the book is divided into sections for each region of the game, describing the inhabitants and features of each. The illustrations are gorgeous and the binding is elegant. The information in the book is somewhat basic and players are likely to already know most of it, but it is still interesting to read from the perspective of a bug explorer chronicling the fallen kingdom.
Profile Image for immezzem.
24 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2024
Perfect companion book to the game Hollow Knight.

Beautifully illustrated and edited, it describes the locations and creatures of Hallownest and its surroundings. It also gives some hints about things to try out during exploration. While not lore heavy, it has enough interesting information for new and old players alike.
5 reviews
July 28, 2019
The book is a very fine reading of those who played Hollow Knight. The book describes extensively the lore of the game. The art is remarkable and the descriptions are short and attractive. For any fan of the game, this book is a must-read to understand deeply the lore of Hollow Knight.
Author 4 books5 followers
September 24, 2025
This book is full of fantastic art and little anecdotes about the world of Hallownest. A great collector's piece for any Hollow Knight fan or anyone looking to brush up on their lore (and learn a couple secrets to check out) while playing HK.
Profile Image for Justin Norman.
145 reviews3 followers
July 2, 2020
This is beautifully illustrated. The moody color combinations and drawings capture the creatures and world extremely well.
Profile Image for Cassandra.
255 reviews1 follower
December 5, 2020
As a player of Hollow Knight, I thought this was mindfully written to be intriguing without spoiling any of the material. The illustrations and notes were incredibly charming.
Profile Image for Ashlan Petrillo.
13 reviews
December 30, 2021
An adorable read perfect for any Hollow Knight. I love the voice of the narrator and the art.

This is NOT a game guide but it still contains useful tips.
Profile Image for Jay.
1,261 reviews25 followers
June 6, 2022
This caught me up on a lot of backstory for one of my son’s favorite video games. I know enough to talk with knowledge, which was my goal. There is a lot of lore associated with this game.
Profile Image for WaterLeafa_.
74 reviews
July 14, 2024
It gives some glimpses of hollownest through an outside eyes perspective. I only wish their comments were even more present along the book!
107 reviews1 follower
July 25, 2025
Very good book! Doesn't go into much detail in each entry, but it's a very short read and the artwork is beautiful! Fun read
Profile Image for Cassandra.
9 reviews
January 1, 2026
Perfect if you play Hollow Knight and want some lore to enhance the experience. I loved this Wander's Journal. ❤️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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