Mass Effect: Revelation

Having played only a few hours of the first Mass Effect game, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this prequel story.This book places the breadcrumbs that sets up one of the central characters to become the antagonist of the first Mass Effect game. Written by an author well renowned for his other Sci-Fi works, this novel takes off with a bang and doesn't let up. There is not much 'fluff' to be found and the story is always moving forward.The characters feel like real people with pasts that haunt them. Anderson plays the soldier who carries the weight of the war and his relationship with his ex-wife with him. He is a likable character who always tries to do what is right. Although, I found his romantic interest towards one of the other characters to be a bit out of place. However, the one who really steals the show is the antagonist of the first game, Saren. Here we see him as a loyal 'weapon' who is strategic and precise. I enjoyed every moment that he was the center of attention as he constantly surprised me with just how efficient and deadly he can be. A real anti-hero.The world-building took center stage in this novel, as it helped define humanity's place among the other species in this galaxy. I found the alien species to be very realistic. The Krogans in particular peaked my interest with their brutality and their war-torn past. The overseeing government is described in a way that it can be easily understood by people who are unfamiliar with the Mass Effect universe.The action is classic Drew Karpyshyn style. From beginning to end there is hardly a dull moment and the characters never feel unnecessary to the plot. He even throws in a bit of mystery as the characters are forced to solve the mystery behind the destruction of a top-secret research facility.To sum up, this book is incredibly entertaining. It has some great world-building, includes plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, driven characters that never fail to surprise you, and provides the reader with the perfect intro to a popular series that is sure to have a 'massive effect' on the standard for future sci-fi storytelling...

In Mass Effect, the video game, it's hinted that Captain David Anderson, helping Commander Shepard become the first human Spectre, was a candidate himself until running afoul of the Turian Specter, Saren. It's kind of cool to see that story fleshed out a bit.Admittedly, there's not a lot here for the non-fan of the Mass Effect series; this is obviously written to drum up interest in the game and for lovers of the game. However, for those of us who've been fortunate enough to dip into the rich story of the Mass Effect universe, it's neat to see a bit of that deep back story fleshed out. There's a bit going on here, leading to events that will come to a head in the first Mass Effect game. Anderson and Saren clash. Anderson gets close to on-the-run Alliance scientist Kahlee Sanders (as hinted at in ME3). Much danger and excitement ensues.Drew Karpyshyn keeps things moving and interesting. There's a lot of things hinted at in the game that is given life here. Good pieces of intrigue and nice set up. The problem would be for those not into the game, the book does leave a few loose ends that are tied up in the actual game. Drew obviously had fun writing Saren; he gets to let loose with some truly disgusting behavior. Krogans are always a lot of fun, and it holds true in this book as well. Through it all, Anderson remains steadfast; the soul and moral center of the story. He's not a perfect man, but he is a good man. His scenes with Saren are tense and fun to read, and his relationship with Sanders is handled well enough.There's not a lot reprehensible here that would totally ruin one's fun with the story. I have to admit that I thought Saren might have come across a little more hard core than I would have expected. I realize he is the villain of the first game, but by then he had been twisted by the Reapers into something more evil. Maybe his setting hasn't been quite dialed up to Evil with a Capital E just yet in this story, but he's definitely extreme in his dealings. I guess he chose the Renegade option when he booted up. I know he and Anderson have a sordid past, but he just seems like he's already a pretty unlikable dude before Sovereign gets a hold of him. For me personally, it makes Sovereign scarier if it turned a legitimately good person into scum. Still, as far as the book goes, Saren is entertaining.Also, the book is a little on the short side. The story is pretty simple and goes by quickly at a good pace, but it would have been nice to see more heft and meat from it's story from a video game known for it's dense plot and storytelling.Like I said, though, no game breakers. It's still enjoyable and fun to see Anderson in action and a little bit how he becomes the man admired by the great Commander Shepard. For fans of the game, it's a nice read. For non-fans, it's a fun and breezy sci-fi tale, but might leave you scratching your head as to what all the hoopla is about this hifalutin' Mass Effect game.

"Mass Effect: Revelation" is meant for the hardcore Mass Effect fan! If you're looking for a good sci-fi novel, this is not the book you want. Its a simple story on a very interesting universe that sadly does not come alive in the book as it does in the videogame. To be perfectly honest for the non fan this book will hold little value or entertainment. However if you've spent hundreds of hours on the ME trilogy, as I have, this is very interesting and highly enjoyable. The book explores Saren and his "renegade" style deeply and we get to read how he came to know Anderson and found Sovereign! If you have no idea how important this is, again this is not the book for you. If you know what i'm talking about, read on! Also present is Kahlee Sanders who appears on Grissom Academy in ME3 as is Grissom himself. The book is filled with little treats to the loyal and fanatic ME follower and is the true start to the franchise, something any real fan cannot afford to miss! The writing is simple but effective and the action is plenty and bloody! The only fault I would point in the book from a fan's point of view is that Anderson is not really explored beyond a crush on Kahlee and his strong sense of duty! He comes across as a weak hero and severely lacking dimension and charisma. Of course my opinion is tainted by seeing Anderson over three games and already having a strong and very positive view of his character which only makes the Anderson from the book suffer even more by comparison. Saren is the real focus of the book and his road to Sovereign the payoff for the reader and fan. As a fan ME: Revelation was an enjoyable, compulsive read, giving me exactly what I wanted as a completely hardcore, obsessive ME universe lover. Looked at as a literary work this is a simple tale without much to recommend which probably wont even make someone unfamiliar with the franchise to go out and find the game! For anyone who knows what destroy, synthesis and control means, it is unmissable!

As a big fan of Mass Effect I was interested to see if the game would translate into a book and if the characters would come to life as they do when your playing the game. I also wanted to see how the book would rate compared to other science fiction novels, as I've read a lot of them. I must admit I was a bit concerned it just wouldn't add up but I was wrong.Revelation follows the story of a young Lieutenant Anderson, who if you are familiar with the games plays a significant role. The book and story is surprisingly good, the characters are well rounded and authentic and it actually reads like a normal science fiction story, you could just pick this up without any prior knowledge and enjoy it.The other characters are written very well and the story allows you to easily 'see' them in your mind as you are reading, which after playing the games is great. I would highly recommend this especially to all Mass Effect fans but also to readers of the genre as a whole, it's surprisingly very good, I'm now on book two.

As a video game tie-in, this is surprisingly good. The writing is to a decent standard and it goes some way to fleshing out the characters of Anderson and Saren from Mass Effect 1 (the game).The book's plot covers a few events mentioned in the game and pretty much leads up to the beginning of Mass Effect's story. Drew Karpyshyn, one of Bioware's writers, takes the opportunity to use the book to explain a fair bit of the Mass Effect universe, especially humanity's recent arrival in it. This does bog down a bit early on as he goes into too much detail on interstellar communications and the like, but the pace picks up in the second half of the book.One area not covered is how English is the standard spoken language of the entire galaxy...I would have loved an explanation for that one. A lot of time is also spent on Alliance hero Admiral Grissom in the early chapters, but then he is left behind by the story and never heard from again, which seemed a little odd.But overall, it's exciting stuff which remains faithful to the ME style and is a good companion to the games. I shall be checking out further books in the series.

As somebody who has completed all 3 Mass Effect video games I was always keen to try the books of Drew Karpyshyn. He has created a great prequel to the original Mass Effect game telling the story of beloved ME regular David Anderson and his mission to find a missing Alliance scientist, Kahlee Sanders, who is the only survivor of an assault on a secret lab. The story is well paced and despite being sci-fi avoids trying to be too outlandish or grandiose. It has all the hallmarks of a modern action thriller but with a sci-fi twist. The character of David Anderson is fleshed out along with Saren Arturius, a Council Spectre sent to investigate using any means necessary (Saren would also become the chief protagonist in the first game), the character of Kahlee Sanders also grows on you quickly and will be familiar to most gamers for her guest role in mass effect 3, a role only present due to the success of Drew Karpyshyn's books. As a gamer this book appealed to me, due to my love of the ME trilogy, but as a reader it appeals with a great story, fleshed out characters and a sci-fi universe you can buy into. If you have played the video games then this is an easy recommendation, but if this is your first step into Mass Effects universe you are still in for a good read. Its story can fail to surprise in places, especially for regular action thriller readers, but on the whole it's a great, if a little short, Sci-fi thriller.

ok so i never give out 5 stars as i have yet to read a book that is perfect in every way but saying that this book is pretty darn good.so additional info Revelation is set about 20 years before the first Mass Effect game and leads into ME1's story giving us some nice lore and background stuff that never comes up in any of the games or is skimmed over as we didn't really need to know about it at the time and while i spotted some of the story coming a mile off it was still a fun read.if you're a fan of the Mass effect setting then i'd say this is a must read, if you're not a fan of the games i'd still say this stands up well as a close to reality sci fi story.bottom line ied recommend it to a friend.