BioShock: Rapture [Hardcover]

John Shirley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 19, 2011 | Series: Bioshock

It's the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal has redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has brought a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business has many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom is diminishing . . . and many are desperate to take that freedom back.

Among them is a great dreamer, an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and admired men in the world. That man is Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserve better. And so he set out to create the impossible, a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science--where what you give is what you get. He created Rapture---the shining city below the sea.

But as we all know, this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be . . .and how it all ended.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am Andrew Ryan and I’m here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow? No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose....Rapture. A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by Petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."

About the Author

John Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his book Black Butterflies. He was co-screenwriter of The Crow and television writer for Fox, and Paramount Television. His novels include City Come A-Walkin', Eclipse, Crawlers, Demons, and Bleak History.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (July 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765324849
• ISBN-13: 978-0765324849
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #427,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his latest, new from Simon & Schuster, the urban fantasy novel BLEAK HISTORY. He is a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He will be in Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, this year, and his story collection IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY from Underland Press has been getting rave advance reviews. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE , telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is about to come out from TOR books.

He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.

John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.

Other John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, LIVING SHADOWS and REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WEIRD STORIES.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for BioShock fans!!! August 1, 2011

By big kid

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

!!WARNING!! This book is a prequel to the games, but DO NOT read this book before playing them (Why haven't you played them yet???). It will give away certain "details" that the player should not know about when playing the games. This holds especially true for the first BioShock. I won't mention any of these spoilers in this review, so read on...

I wasn't expecting much when my copy of BioShock:Rapture came in the mail, but I consider myself a pretty big fan of the series and the idea of a prequel in print was enough to make me preorder it. I was not disappointed... far from it in fact.

If you've played the BioShock games then you know a great deal of the storytelling is done via audio diaries. These audio diaries are exactly what they sound like... the recorded thoughts of those that lived in Rapture. As you progress through the games you discover these recordings scattered about here and there. Each contains a small piece of a puzzle that paints a picture of what took place in Rapture... some of the horrible experiences of its citizens as well as the events that ultimately caused its downfall. John Shirley does an extraordinary job of tying these diaries together into a novel that really fleshes out the story of Rapture.

He not only brings it all together, but also takes side-characters from the games and gives them more meaning. People that had brief cameos from the games are given new life as you see the events that led to their fate. Not every character is given as much attention as others, but overall I was very satisfied.

I'm a very big BioShock fan so I'll admit that I might have some bias, but I'm trying to look at the book as objectively as I can. As one other reader mentioned, there are many different POVs.... I can see where one might feel that some of these don't quite fit when considering the book by itself, as they serve little purpose to move the story along and seem out of place at times. But for those that experienced the games, these "teasers" are a prelude for what came afterward. They're more fan-service than anything else; Shirley even dedicated the book itself to the fans of BioShock and BioShock 2. In addition to the spoilers the book contains, this is another reason I strongly suggest reading the book only AFTER you have played the games. These different POVs will be more familiar to you and will likely be more appreciated if you've played the games. That's my opinion anyway.

The only other issue I could see some readers possibly having is that the book definitely doesn't read like your everyday novel... it's choppy and jumps around, taking place over the entire decade that housed the rise and fall of Rapture (430 pages to cover 14 years, actually). I had no problem with this myself; the story was still very easy to follow and flowed well.

Bottom line... this book was a great read and it has me wanting to play through both games all over again! If you are a fan of BioShock then I highly recommend this book.

UPDATE: The BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition is out! $29.99 gets you both BioShock and BioShock 2, including all their DLCs! Read more ›

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love BioShock, but I did not expect this. August 18, 2011

By Andrew Vest

Format:Paperback

This book is odd...in more ways than one.

I love BioShock. I mean, LOVE IT. It's one of the most inspiring works I've ever experienced before in the whole of my life. The very first time I sat down by myself and played the first BioShock, I started playing and thought to myself "This is INCREDIBLE" but then, after I continued playing, started collecting the diaries, paying attention to my surroundings and really analyzing the whole thing, I realized that what I was experiencing was much deeper than simply a video game. The message(s), themes, characters...they are as complex and as vivid as those of any great film or novel. By the time I was half way through the first BioShock, my reaction went from "incredible" to "this is important...this is tragic and deeper than they let on...". Of course, I played and got the "positive" ending, which I assume is the "true" ending to the story, so that made the experience all that much better.

Fast forward 2 years and I stumble upon this book by John Shirley. Needless to say I got it the day it came out. At first, I was amused with it and how the story was progressing...then I was troubled...then, by the end of the novel, I was thrilled. Make no mistake, this is not a perfect book. Nor does it give a good, in-depth view of Rapture. It certainly extends the story and tells a harrowing tale, but I often found myself wishing parts were longer and that the characters interacted more. Additionally, I think John Shirley had a mixture of success in the characters...I think he got McDonagh, Ryan, Fontaine, Sander Cohen and the Lutz's perfectly right.... However, other character portrayals, particularly those of Tennenbaum and McClintock, were a bit flat and in some areas, just outright wrong from how I had interpreted them from the recordings/cut scenes/etc. The biggest problem though, is one I have with the cannon of the game itself and that is how Diane McClintock dies...for such a dramatic character with, in my opinion, one of the most tragic and heartbreaking stories in all of Rapture, I think the death the creators give her is far too quick and lackluster and that only furthers translates to John Shirley's version. Having said that, the use of McDonagh as the main protagonist and the bookends of his life beginning and ending with Andrew Ryan is genius. The ending is tragic, absolutely tragic and in whole, the second half of the book is much, much stronger than the first. In fact, by the time I was 3/4 of the way through, it was hard to believe that this story was a video game first. This is fully due to Shirley's concentrated effort to take actions and aspects from the game and make them seem perfectly plausible in a real and visceral environment. The plasmids went from being cool, to feeling very substantial. The cameras and turrets and bots and their placement went from seeming like game-touting randomness to deliberate, logical and terrifying additions to the beautiful art deco world of Rapture. Essentially, Shirley has taken the video game out of Rapture and what you are left with is something that feels very real and very applicable to today's world.

It's not perfect. It's choppy at times, jumps far too often, makes time leaps that are far too broad, leaves out seemingly essential characters and plot points, doesn't do justice to the aesthetic wonder of Rapture and completely lacks the scope that it should. Overall though, it's far from a simple video game book and really makes you view future journeys to Rapture through different lenses. I would love to see several story lines from this used in a feature film about how Rapture came to be. BioShock made a great video game, this though, would make a great movie (provided it gets some major direction and tweaks). Overall, it was great and I thoroughly was surprised and happy with it. Read more ›

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A+ Amazing Story for those that love bioshock July 20, 2011

By Steven Mulchi

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a huge bioshock fan and had to buy this book. Now, I am not the type of person that reads in their spare time, I cannot stand reading books and this was the first non-school related book that I have bought in at least 4 years that I actually wanted to read. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN, IT IS AMAZING. I do not know who John Shirley is but he is now my favorite author. The way he leads up to the creation of Rapture is I can't even think of a word for it. BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT!

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars But what of Jack? October 8, 2011

By Lin

Format:Paperback

I've been a die-hard fan of Bioshock for two and a half years now, and I've played through it four different times. I've read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to the history of Rapture, and I write about it extensively. When I found out there had been a novel published that existed as a prequel to the events of the game, I purchased it without a second thought. I've rated this book four stars, and I'll explain first what made this book positive for me and then what I wish would have been improved.

Shirley has woven us a story that fits so well with the game that it could have been written by one of the game writers themselves. He sticks to the game's characters, atmosphere, era, and imagery to a T. I even think he improved on several characters, namely Dr. J.S. Steinman and Sander Cohen; Shirley delved into their inner mental workings and therefore made them about twice as gruesome as they were in the game. He also answered several big questions that existed for me, namely the details about ADAM and EVE. I learned that they were far more unstable and addictive than I originally thought, and the side effects were nothing short of stomach-churning. He also illustrated Frank Fontaine's past extremely well and gave him more of a villainous aura than simply being an antagonist who comes jumping in near the middle-end of the game. I appreciated that Shirley was not afraid to write some pretty brutal scenes, namely the exploits of Dr. Steinman, but he stuck to the true colors of the game.

As for things that fell short, I feel that there was not nearly enough focus on Bioshock's voiceless protagonist, the unlucky Jack Ryan. We only see Jack for a couple of pages, when he is an infant floating in an incubation tank, but that cuts off any and all mention of him.... There's no detail of who put Jack onto a sub and sent him up to the surface, what he did while he was topside, or how he ended up on the plane that flew over the Atlantic. One of the main reasons I purchased the book was because I read it was a prequel, and instantly thought that we would finally see how Jack came to be. I was disappointed because Jack was such a vital part of Bioshock. The ending of the novel felt a little rushed to me and left a lot of questions unanswered, namely what happened to Atlas between his revolution and his falling into hiding. I feel that this novel would have been more powerful and complete if it had finished right before Jack's plane went down; there seems to be some lost time between the novel in the game.

Balancing the pros and cons, though, I recommend this book to anyone who loves Bioshock. This is such a momentous game that has stood out boldly among so many others, and the story is a vital part to its fame. And I applaud Shirley for tackling such a spectacular tale, for publishing a novelization of the Bioshock prequel is no small feat. He was definitely a success. Read more ›