Book one is set before the game.
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In the year 2148 Earth learned that humanity was not alone when they stumbled across a long abandoned alien bunker on Mars. The items found within the bunker gave humanity major leaps in many technologies and catapulted human society forward hundreds of years, allowing them to conquer the solar system. Then they found a massive piece of dormant technology call a "mass relay" which allowed ships to be instantly transported thousands of light-years away. The first human through the mass relay was Commander Jon Grissom. His bravery made him a legendary hero, whether he liked it or not. (And he did not.) Within a single year of finding the Mars bunker, the entire world united together for the first time and formed the Systems Alliance Military. The Alliance is to defend Earth against non-Terran threats. The First Contact War began when an Alliance patrol accidently trespassed on Turian Empire territory. Luckily, it was short. Humanity became the newest member of a vast interstellar, pan-species society under a governing body called the Citadel Council.
The SSV Hastings receives a distress call from the Sidon Research Facility. Staff Lieutenant David Edward Anderson heads the ground team into the top secret military research station and finds the remains of a massacre. No one knows who attacked the post or why. However, one of the Alliance's top computer and systems technicians, First Lieutenant Kahlee Sanders, had left Sidon without permission only a few hours before the attack. Sanders immediately becomes the prime suspect and it is Anderson's top priority to locate her. Once Anderson learns her father is Retired Rear Admiral Jon Grissom, Anderson races to the planet Elysium in hopes of finding Sanders with her father.
Kahlee Sanders has evidence that Sidon is conducting illegal experiments. The project head, Dr. Shu Qian, is the galaxy's foremost expert on artificial intelligence research. Due to past issues, it is illegal for anyone to conduct AI research. Dr. Qian had not only been breaking that law, but went much further. Sanders leaves Sidon with the evidence, planning to turn him in. She is sitting in a bar when news of the Sidon attack breaks. With all the possible implications going through her mind, Sanders goes to the only man she can trust to actually listen to her side of events, her dad.
Soon Anderson is the only hope of survival Sanders has. Someone has hired a Krogan Battle Master to find Sanders. Anderson cannot trust anyone, not even Spectre Saren who has been assigned to partner with him. (A Spectre is an elite agent of the Citadel's covert Special Tactics and Recon branch. They answer ONLY to the Council and are allowed to act above and outside the law to get their mission done.) But more is going on than any of them could possibly know.
***** I recently purchased the PC version of the game MASS EFFECT. I have played through several times now. Anderson and Saren are large characters in the game. This story is set before the game's time frame. You do not have to play the game or know anything at all when you begin reading this book. It is totally separate. I only mention it because if you are a Gamer, then you may want to pick up a copy of the game to play. The plot/mission in this book are even discussed between characters in the game. By playing the game AND reading the books, you feel as though YOU are an intricate part of the whole thing. It is an awesome feeling!
If you only prefer to read and not play the game, do not worry about possibly feeling lost. As I said, you do not have to know a single thing about anything at all. The author does a fantastic job weaving a web of realistic sci-fi drama that will have you, not glued, but cemented to your seat. The characters are well developed and explained in such a way that you will not feel as though you are being lectured to. The story never slows down in the middle, as most tend to. Be sure to have plenty of alone time before beginning this title. *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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It's Great, buy it now !!!
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Read the book, and it's a really good sc-fi book. Couldn't put it down, characters come to life. Nothing left to say, other than buy it!
One of the best.
Game is out Nov 20th (for uk people)
The 2nd book June next year I believe.
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Cash in or cash out?
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Following in the success of the computer game this tie in novel has something for fans of not only the game genre but also of the sci-fi world. Whilst confusing for a good part of the time with its use of letter anagrams the tale unravels to portray something deeper that the reader really hasn't had a chance to guess at and will probably only be revealed in a later novel, it does present the reader with something a bit different as it merges the crime genre with the sci-fi alongside a touch of military. How this will continue remains to be seen but as a one off currently its been entertaining enough and will be something to buy those who love games as either a special treat or perhaps as a distraction with all their free time.
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A brilliant read! I just need the game now!
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I can't wait for the Mass Effect, then I read the prologue for teh book on the internet. And as it was really good I decided to get the book. I wasn't dissapointed. The story is really good, and contains twists and incredible detail (sometimes too much). Also it gives you a great insight into the Mass Effect universe. Now seeing the new trailer today, it makes more sence knowing more about the history. If you like sci-fi, you'll like this, and if you can't wait for MAss Effect you have to get this!!
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Enjoyable Read
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Having read all of the Halo novels and enjoyed them, I decided to buy Mass Effect: Revelation from Amazon seeing as I'm really looking forward to the forthcoming video game later this year.
This book initially focuses on establishing the backbone of the universe, explaining and detailing to the reader the situation in the galaxy, mankind's massive technological evolution and it's introduction onto the galactic stage that it shares with many other species. Once the groundwork is laid, it opens up into it's own narrative that concentrates on a few central characters and tells a story which is a small piece of a much larger puzzle.
It's a light and easy read, although it manages to be descriptive and interesting. It's not particularly emotional, although I thought there were some cool moments in it that will very much appease fans of the type of game it's based on.
I would recommend it to anybody who has enjoyed books based on video games before, or to those wishing to get a little bit of insight into BioWare's next massive fictional world. It doesn't take long to read, so it's not a major time investment and it's enjoyable and entertaining while it lasts.
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