Background
In 2024 we received a new RuneScape novel, RuneScape: The Gift of Guthix. This week we’ll be discussing the book, running through key plot points and looking at its wider connections to RuneScape lore. This is our first book review so be gentle with us. Think of this episode as a quest review but with a book instead.
General Book Story Overview
The Gift of Guthix tells the tale of the formation and rise of the Falador and Asgarnia, the re-discovery of true magic and rune creation and what led to the Fremennik invasion.\
Key plot points
Part 1
Asgarnia became a kingdom, rising from groups of individual tribes.
The discovery of rune essence and the lost rune altars.
The rise of the first king of Falador and the coalition of white and black knights.
Part 2
The building of the first mage tower and its subsequent destruction.
The invasion by the Fremennik and what led to it.
Part 3
Rune Memories- retold
The treason behind the failure of the alliance between the white knights of Saradomin and the black knights of Zamorak.
We follow the exploits of Ilme, who was put into the camp of Lord Raddallin on his rise to the kingship of Asgarnia, by her aunt, another tribal chief and enemy of Raddallin. During this time, she is a scribe, working for the master wizard, Endel. It is Ilme who befriends the son of the then jarl, Gunnar, and is led to the rune essence cave, guarded by one of the guardians of Guthix, a giant frog called Zorya. Under instructions from her master, Ilme cannot tell Gunnar the truth about where they come from and continues the original lie that their group is from the Lunar Isles, paying a tribute to the jarl to collect the rune essence.
It is Ilme who first discovers how to power up the ancient and broken rune altars, but she is blackmailed by another apprentice, so does not get the credit for it.
Gunnar eventually discovers the lie about Ilme and her party’s origins and feels betrayed. It is because of this perceived betrayal and the death of the Guardian Zorya that leads to him conquering the other Fremennik clans for the purpose of invading Asgarnia.
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Thoughts on RuneScape lore tie-ins
Erin M. Evans stayed very true to the lore behind Runescape.Playing through Rune Memories almost immediately after reading the book really filled out and gave even more substance to what was already a very descriptive and fleshed out quest.
The introduction of Rue, the runecrafting pet was excellently done and a nice little nod toward the introduction of pets into the game.
I was surprised they used an American author, but she remained very true to the lore of the game. Characters important to the history of Asgarnia, Fremennik and the Wizards Tower were true to their counterparts ingame.
It really fleshed out and gave excellent context to the invasion of Asgarnia by Gunnar, the leader of the barbarians and why we have a barbarian village in the south.
I would have liked to have seen more about Gunnar and his conquest of Fremennik, bringing the other clans under his rule, but I also understand the author probably didn't have 800+ pages to use.
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