I still love the small novel / novella of "Thera Awakening" to this day.
I'm sure you won't understand this, but it is a book I - in a figurative sense - keep close to my heart.
I believe you won't be able to understand it, but I just loved the story despite its simple plot. I really can't exactly put into words why I like this novella, but I think it is the romance between the two people in it - and the theme of healing floating over anything else. This novella describes the very first attempt to restore Thera's temples again - a thing which will lead through time into her bringing her champion against the Shadowking - and besides : This Champion is a decendant of the young couple of the end of the story … As an easter egg, you can find the remains of the (novella's) protagonist's mother and father very, very late in the game, in one of the last levels.