Mass Effect: Revelation

If you love Mass Effect you will love this book. And let's face it, you're probably getting this book because you love Mass Effect!!This is book 1 of 4 for the original ME Trilogy and takes place immediately before ME1, with the exception of the Prologue and some of the first chapter. This gives you all the background lore you need on Capt Anderson, Saren, and Sovereign.Wish I would have read this 10 years ago because it answers a lot of questions and fills out the events of the first game really well.I read Book 2 as welland enjoyed this book a lot more because the story is directly tied to the events in the game.

Your species must know its place. ~ Saren ArteriusI liked this book far more than I expected I would. I figured that it would simply be a recap of what I already know of the Mass Effect Universe from the games. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is this story totally original, but it is a fitting prequel featuring our beloved Anderson and the most hated Saren.Shepard's right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any obstacle. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we can drive them back into dark space! ~ Captain David AndersonRevelation is a prequel to the ME we all know from the games and gives a great deal of insight into David Anderson. We learn what kind of man he was when he was younger and what motivated him. Additionally, this story answers questions that arise when playing the ME games such as:1. What is that connection between Anderson and Kahlee Sanders (Grissom Academy) really all about?2. What really went down between Anderson and Saren?3. Was Saren always a racist freak? And why? How'd he become that way?4. How did Anderson get chosen as a potential Spector and exactly what happened to nix that opportunity for him?"Grissom chose to remain completely fair and unbiased: he told every single one of them to go to hell." ~ Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect: RevelationI read The Chronicles of Riddick a few months ago and while I liked the story (mostly due to the fact that I already like the movie despite the blatant plot issues - I know, I know) it was merely a retelling of movie, blow for blow and featured nothing truly original. I expected Revelations to be essentially the same. I was wrong. In addition, this was a fast paced, cleanly and smartly written book that I would recommend to anyone who likes action, thrillers, and mystery mixed in with the sci-fi space opera."the Sanctuary was reserved for the rich and elite--those with fortunes, not soldiers of fortune." ~ Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect: RevelationI'm unable to say with certainly however, if this book would have the same sense of ah-ha! familiarity for someone not well acquainted with the ME Universe. I would lean toward the idea that, yes, someone not in the know about ME could read this and still experience the full effect and enjoyment but there is a sense of lingering doubt in that regard. Each time an alien race was mentioned: Batarian, Geth, Salarian, Krogan... I didn't require the detailed explanation to "see" them in my mind. That said, the author does an awesome job of describing without over burdening the reader.

This is the kind of book you don't see every day. I mean, who begins a book, only to continue the tale in a video game? Mass Effect: Revelation is the first of three books by Drew Karpshyn which will in fact be 'prequils' to a triology of Mass Effect video games. This concept could conceivably limit the long term audience to video game players who like to read; or, a rather small group of people, if I figure correctly :)What does this mean regarding content? Well, this will necessitate the inclusion of certain game elements, as well as some of the characters. Outside of these necessary considerations, you have a well crafted sci-fi story which will dead-end if you don't play the game. If that appeals to you, the story does stand alone quite well.*Spoilers*Karpshyn has crafted a unique setting. The basic idea was that humans and aliens are all on the same technological level through assimilating technology left behind by the Protheans. All this technology is based on "dark energy" which is supposedly all the rage right now in this era of mutliple super colliders. This is a pretty good premise, especially in light of revelations which happen during the game itself.Speaking of that, the fact that I have completed the game gives me a greater understanding of the story that Drew was trying to develop. You might keep this in mind as you read this review. I have a hard time keeping what I've learned from the game from popping up in this book review.This book is primarily a study in contrast of the two main characters, David Anderson, the paragon and Saren Arterius, the renegade. While they both serve the same side, Saren wants to get the job done regardless of how many people he hurts, and David plays it by the book. It is this insight into Saren's character which does a lot in developing him into the villain he becomes in Mass Effect. Toss in a witness on the run, an estranged father, a messy divorce, a has-been general, an unstoppable bounty hunter, a ruthless financier, and the beginnings of a rebound relationship and you have the makings of a great story.One thing you notice right away is that none of the aliens are all that alien. This doesn't bother me. Sci-fi writers have always found good excuses for creating aliens who are quite similar to humans, and for good reasons. Most of their excuses have SOME remote plausibility, like parallel evolution, genetic tampering by some advanced master race, or ease of making actors look like aliens in follow up TV series or movies, but they have all been used multiple times. My favorite excuse I will use for this book is the fact that it makes the aliens more relatable.As times goes on (by playing the game), you will notice that the aliens have their own unique customs and characteristics which make them individualized, sometimes at the expense of making them realistic. Just keep in mind that some alien development was sacrificed in this book to be able to provide you with an interesting story which doesn't feel like an exposition on a new universe. That's a good thing.The story itself has some well crafted characters who don't seem to have time to develop due to the pacing of the story. This is alright with me, as we have a chance to visit them again in the second novel which I am now reading, as well as meet a couple of them during the game. Overall a good story that is made better by a great video game.This book earns a limited recommendation to folks who WILL play the video game, and no recommendation for folks who WONT play.

"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.