Never played the game, but someone bought me the novels in a pack for my birthday and because back then I would read anything, I read them without many expectations, and they were quite alright.
All the world rules and the lore was interesting, but I don't know how much of that would be in the games. The books didn't have tricky puzzles, of course, but I kind of tells how big the games were.
I'd still recommend them today. Riven is a triumph of world-building fused with gameplay, even if some of the navigation gets a bit too obtuse. The later Ubisoft games are visual spectacles that maybe expect a bit too much generalized scientific knowledge in places. Haven't gotten around to Myst V yet...
All the world rules and the lore was interesting, but I don't know how much of that would be in the games. The books didn't have tricky puzzles, of course, but I kind of tells how big the games were.