I just rounded out my Zelda collection with the Hyrule Historia! WOO HOO!

I know it's a little bit late, but I finally received my copy of "Hyrule Historia"- the premier tome on everything to do with the Zeldaverse.  In celebration, I decided to take out all my Zelda-themed merchandise and take a picture.  I have collected quite an extensive amount of Zelda merchandise, from official games and manuals to handcrafted themed items from Etsy and of my own design as well.  I have pretty much every single Zelda themed game except for the first two Zelda games, but I'd love to pick them up at some point.  I have art, ocarinas, the special Zelda limited edition DS Lite and 3DS systems, the gold Wiimote w/ Motion Plus, and several of the limited edition Zelda styluses.

Feast your eyes on the Zelda treasure trove! XD

I also have a good amount of wall art, two ocarinas, and other assorted accessories (including a Triforce necklace that I made for myself).  Of course, having stuff doesn't make me a "better" or more "legit" fan of the series, but I can say that part of me gets all excited and flustered when someone visits and points out my framed wall art or when I'm playing on my ocarina and someone recognizes the Market theme song from Majora's Mask.  Also, I love when people see me playing my Ocarina of Time 3DS and introduce themselves as a fellow fan.  For me, one of the most fun and unexpected delights is finding common ground with random strangers, especially since many gamers are also interesting and delightful people as well.  So when someone at my work recognizes my Triforce necklace (which I did in a tasteful arrangement with dichronic glass, onyx and gold fill beads), it's always a pleasant surprise.

DUN.....DUN....DUNNNNNNN! DA DUNNNNN!  It's not a monolith, but it'll do.

Which brings me back to Hyrule Historia.  It's not necessarily something that everyone should buy, but it is one of the most beautiful books that I've seen in a long time.  It's a hardcover book, full color and thick.  In fact, I'd probably have to say that this is about the size and thickness of my high school yearbook (and that's a pretty dang impressive feat).  If you were going to take a Legend of Zelda class, this would be the textbook.  it's a beautiful dark forest green with shining foil gold lettering and design on the front.  There is quite a lot to the book (including an exclusive Skyward Sword manga that has never been released in the US), and I highly recommend it if you're a fan of the series, mainly because there are all kinds of extras, behind-the-scenes designs and detailed colorful drawings that pop out at you from the page.  This is one book you'll probably be reading for a good long while and will be quite fun to re-read later.

As you can see, part of the manga is full-color as well....

One of the criticisms of Skyward Sword was that it sort of dropped you into this world without telling you all that much about it, including the story behind the red Loftwing that Link rides (which is apparently a very rare color).  The manga actually gives more of a background to the story, and rounds out some of the characters (which I appreciated).  Of course, I'm still stuck on the second "The Imprisoned" fight in Skyward Sword, so I still have some ways to go, but I'm always happy to read more into a game because part of what makes a game enjoyable (at least for me) is to feel out all the various random and nuanced things, from the gear-shop guy's mom (who looks frighteningly like him), to the pinwheel stuck in the volcano that you have to rescue in order to open the way into the thunderhead.  

Kill! Crush! Destroy! Swag!

Hyrule Historia also includes a special page with a list of commemorative memorabilia for the 25th Anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series.  If you haven't already gotten a copy of it, I highly recommend the Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddess, as the music is well-written and gorgeously played.  If you like the Zelda series, you'll enjoy the nostalgia and beauty in the music.

MIYAMOTOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

One of the things that I liked the best about this book is the fact that it has a letter (signed!) by Miyamoto-san, the creator of the Legend of Zelda series.  This basically drives home the point that this is not just a rehashed group of things that have been released separately but are only being put together in one big book to make more money.  Hyrule Historia is put together with loving care, and even includes a couple of surprises (one of which is a size differentiation chart between Link, Ganon, Zelda and Mario!)

Just be glad that there isn't a pop quiz on this stuff.

One of the main issues with the Zelda universe is the fact that there are a lot of inconsistencies, largely coming from the fact that most of the games take place in their own, non-connected worlds.  Even a game like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask had separate worlds, even though the character models were mostly completely the same.  The nice thing is that this book will give you all the tools you need to understand the continuity, the similarities and differences, and basically all the various information from each story and how some things made it into various later games and other things just didn't make the cut.  Of course, with the dearth of information you will be consuming, the book actually has a guide on how to read the book's vast amount of information for the best experience.  Of course, if you don't want the book's help (SHUT UP FI), then you are free to go it alone.

Danger? I know what you "meme."

I highly recommend this book for any fan of this series, and if you're interested in the price, it's actually quite good for a hardcover, full color edition- $34.99 is the asking price in most stores, and I've checked around- Target and Walmart sell it, but so do some of the smaller, more local retailers.  I purchased a copy from our local game shop for a discount, so it pays to shop around!  Remember, it is a limited edition and the publisher (Dark Horse) does not have plans to make a second run of copies at this time.  So once they're gone, they're gone!

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So, in honor of my Legend of Zelda themed blog, here are a couple of questions for you, dear reader.

What is your favorite Zelda game?

What is your favorite Zelda moment?

What are your hopes for future installments of the series (style, story, items, etc)?

And finally, if you could meet any character in the Zelda universes, who would it be, and what would you say to them?

Thanks for reading! Until next time!