Mass Effect: Retribution

In the interest of full disclosure I am a die-hard Mass Effect fan. I usually play the trilogy at least once a year for the same reason I re-watch Battlestar Galactica -- I just really enjoy the story. The Mass Effect novels are no different. Drew Karpyshyn has a writing style that is fast-paced and fluid without seeming contrived.The best part is that the novels provide a fully realized back story for a lot of the NPC dialogue that occurs in the games. In reading the novels we understand why Captain Anderson doesn't like Saren Arterius, why the Quarians don't like Cerberus, and why The Illusive Man is even more of a monster than he appears to be in the video game.The books are a fast read and each can easily be finished in a two day stint at the beach or a couple of lazy afternoons on the back porch. If you are a fan of the games you will not be disappointed with the books. If you a a science fiction enthusiast they are well worth the read. Enjoy!

The third and final book in Drew Karpyshyn's original “Mass Effect Novel” trilogy, “Mass Effect: Retribution” represents a shining example of just how satisfying it can feel when a skilled storyteller is allowed free reign to take specific elements of a well-recognized universe, then weave them together into a narrative that is actively driven by creative propulsion, rather than studio-mandated necessity. As a singular story, “Retribution” is consistently effective and engaging; as the culmination of a three-book-long saga, it’s nothing short of exhilarating.It’ll be interesting to see what the franchise looks and feels like – both in novel and game form – once Mr. Karpyshyn (who more or less acted as the series’ chief storyteller through “Mass Effect 2”) departs…but it’s hard to imagine it ever quite achieving the same degree of storytelling finesse as demonstrated here (although you never know - with a universe this rich with storytelling potential, perhaps a changing of the guard will result in even more interesting stories).Regardless of what does or doesn't happen from this point on, it still merits saying: bravo, Mr. Karpyshyn. You killed it.

*Caution, some spoilers will be contained below*First off let me say if you haven't read Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Ascension, you probably should do so now. The books are both a great addition to the Mass Effect Universe and help to flesh out things for players of the game, making the experience all the better. And Retribution is no exception to this.Retribution is essentially a non-Shepard based sequel to Mass Effect 2 wherein we learn some of the things that occured in the aftermath of the assault on the Collector base, and it helps establish some canon for the series as well provided BioWare sticks to what's stated in the book, which hopefully they will as it would make choosing a canon Shepard in Mass Effect 3 feel much better than choosing one for Mass Effect 2 (if you've done so you know what I mean and I won't delve much into why). In it, we find out that while Shepard did destroy the Collector base and not turn it over to Cerberus, The Illusive Man was able to recover some of the technology within anyways. Paul Grayson, the semi-protagonist (especially towards the end) of Ascension is captured and has the technology tested on him, becoming what is akin to a stronger version of a husk (think Saren at the end of ME1).Kahlee Sanders; who readers of the other books will recognize as the Co-Protagonist of book one along with Anderson, and the Protagonist of book two, returns in this installment as well. She requires the aid of Anderson who has left his post as an ambassador (not much of a surprise to anyone who played ME2) to help her figure out just what is wrong with Paul and to protect her from Cerberus. At a few points Aria T'loak is involved, though I won't specify too much into how. It's interesting to see a slightly more personal side to her though, with the death of her hush-hush daughter (whose relation to her she'd been keeping secret). But by the books end the fact that she decides to assist the Illusive Man a second time despite his backstabbing, most will likely lose their liking of the character and wish to see her killed alongside her "ally" of sorts...All in all I found the book an interesting read both for what it adds to the series and for the interesting viewpoint it provides via Grayson and his struggle and eventual succumbing to the Reapers. We don't get to see what runs through their minds in the game so the book is a perfect means of doing so. The Illusive man is shown in a similar manner, although he's admittedly almost as hard to read emotionally in print as he is in the game. On a related note: With the upcoming prequel novel that delves into the Illusive Man's origins, let us hope BioWares continuing success with the series is maintained, as that should also provide an interesting read.

This book was almost everything I'd hoped for. It didn't waste time explaining technologies and races etc made clear in the games. The action was intense and set a good pace. The language was clean, crisp, and fluent. The characters were well developed. The story fit the mass effect universe, characters interacted seemlessly. All the technology mentioned and or applied in the book were well documented in the games. This is a great book for mass effect fans or just sci-fi fans in general.However, one huge problem held me back from giving it 5 stars:This book follows the plot lines of the mass effect 2 game. In the book it said Cerberus did to Paul Grayson what the Collectors did to the missing human colonists. However, in the ME2, the collectors weren't creating 'reaper humans', they were creating 'a human reaper'. They didn't turn the missing colonists into the prothean counterparts by letting the reapers directly controlling them through nanite injections, thus forming something of a powerful husk. They were liquifying colonists into nutrient paste in order to create a gigantic human shaped reaper - an AI starship.This made me wonder, as much as Drew Karpyshyn knew the mass effect universe, whether he played mass effect 2 at all. The whole book would've been five stars if he had indicated Cerberus tried to create the human version of the Collector. But saying they were replicating on Paul Anderson what the Collectors were doing to the missing colonists, is a huge and unforgivible plot error.

Consegna precisa e puntuale di amazon.Libro con copertina flessibile.Si tratta del 3° libro (segue la storia dei primi 2) sull' universo di mass effect.Molto interessante se volete approfondire gli eventi tra un capitolo e l' altro del gioco. La narrazione è piacevole e dettagliata, gli amanti lo troveranno sicuramente molto interessante. Vengono approfonditi anche alcune caratteristiche di personaggi importanti presenti nel secondo e terzo capitolo del gioco.La traduzione di questa seconda edizione(quella che è arrivata a me) è piuttosto fedele all' originale. Non ci sono enormi errori di narrazione... anzi è molto completivo.Personalmente mi è piaciuto molto, e lo consiglio a tutti gli amanti di mass effect.Al contrario se non conoscete bene il gioco, o non vi ha appassionato lasciate tranwuillamente perdere.

Yes Yes Mass effect! this is written by the original writer its worth getting the 3 books he wrote the fourth book is not written by him and it messes with the lore of Mass Effect

Evaluation de la version en langue anglaise:Etant fan de Mass Effect (j'ai les jeux, des figurines, les comics...) je voulais découvrir une nouvelle aventure dans cet univers.Les romans Mass Effect détaillent plus certains aspects de l'univers, notamment les cultures, Cerberus, l'Alliance, les biotiques etc.Le scenario pourra intéresser ceux qui connaissent les jeux mais si ce n'est pas votre cas ne lisez pas, allez plutôt les jouer.L'écriture est simple, parfois trop simple, et il n'y a pas vraiment de style, c'est surtout fonctionnel. Mais ça se lit bien et rapidement, et une personne avec un niveau d'anglais intermédiaire et une connaissance de l'univers pourra le lire facilement.

Terzo della quadrilogia si concentra sui piani dell'uomo misterioso e sul suo piano per fermare i reapers. .utile per approfondire la personalità di uno dei villain più complessi e profondi dell'universo di Mass Effect è anche dei videogiochi (in certo modo ricorda l'uomo che fuma in X-Files)..completa la vicenda tra il primo e il secondo capitolo del gioco..buono in versione inglese accettabile in italiano

Un livre au scénario bien ficelé avec une intrigue prenante. A lire d'urgence si vous êtes fan de Mass Effect.