Mass Effect: Revelation (Mass Market Paperback)

by Drew Karpyshyn (Author)
Key Phrases: mass relay, Ambassador Goyle, Blue Suns, Kahlee Sanders (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Every advanced society in the galaxy relies on the technology of the Protheans, an ancient species that vanished fifty thousand years ago. After discovering a cache of Prothean technology on Mars in 2148, humanity is spreading to the stars; the newest interstellar species, struggling to carve out its place in the greater galactic community.

On the edge of colonized space, ship commander and Alliance war hero David Anderson investigates the remains of a top secret military research station; smoking ruins littered with bodies and unanswered questions. Who attacked this post and for what purpose? And where is Kahlee Sanders, the young scientist who mysteriously vanished from the base–hours before her colleagues were slaughtered?

Sanders is now the prime suspect, but finding her creates more problems for Anderson than it solves. Partnered with a rogue alien agent he can’t trust and pursued by an assassin he can’t escape, Anderson battles impossible odds on uncharted worlds to uncover a sinister conspiracy . . . one he won’t live to tell about. Or so the enemy thinks.

About the Author
Drew Karpyshyn is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and several other fantasy and science fiction novels. He is also an award-winning writer/designer for the computer game company BioWare, where he was lead writer on Mass Effect and the popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. He lives in Canada’s hinterlands with his loving wife, Jen, and their cat.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; Mti edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034549816X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345498168
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good set-up for the game,but mediocre sci-fi , May 15, 2007

By	DAW "stormstaar" (OHIO United States) - See all my reviews

I was interested in reading this novel since I planned on getting the game(whenever it finally gets released) as I'm sure most people are who are reading this review.It's good reading as far as getting a feel for the setting of the game and the universe it describes..Obviously,the main storyline is going to lead into the game but it's really pretty generic sc-fi when it comes right down to it...Lots of standard sci-fi cliches abound..The author knows his stuff but it reads a lot like a cheap Star Trek novel from the 90's with bare bones descriptions and thin characters.The only exception is Saren,who I assume is going to be the main antagonist in the game..He is an interesting character who you want to learn more about but really never do.Also,I would have liked a little more background on the alien races of the Citadel and their history...One weak point is that the aliens never seem like they are ALIENS.They are written the same as the human characters and you never get any hint of alien viewpoints, cultures or history in their dialog.Overall this is a good read to get prepared for the game,but it may not be something that's going to stick with you if you are a serious sci-fi reader.Also be aware that this novel ends on a cliffhanger and from what I've heard from the author there will be a sequel at some point.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ALIEN TECHNOLOGY, June 21, 2007

By	Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The year is 2165 and it has been around 20 years since mankind has been an interstellar travelling species. They were not able to achieve this on their own. In 2148, an ancient alien research lab was found under the surface of Mars. It's mysterious makers, an alien race called the Protheans, vanished 50,000 years ago without a trace except for their technology they left behind. Not long after that, "mass relays" are found, a series of warp gates which allow spaceships to pass through and cover vast distances across the universe almost instantaneously. Humanity begins to spread out across space, using Prothean terraforming tecnology to make planets habitable. But they find they are not alone out there as other alien races have also stumbled across the Prothean technology over the centuries and have carved out their own territories unbeknownst to Earth. After a short war with one of these alien races, the Turian Empire, we find out that the main alien species in the universe are led by a United Nations-like "Citadel Council" that tries to keep the peace between all the different factions. Humans are the littlest and youngest kid on the block so we'll have to struggle for some sort of edge when it comes to our interests, forming "The Systems Alliance" to represent all humanity both politically and militarily. It is within this tense atmosphere that a secret Alliance military research facility is attacked and destroyed on the outlying border of human controlled space. David Anderson, an Alliance war hero, is sent to investigate the facility and also to track down the only known survivor of the attack, Kahlee Sanders. The Alliance wants to find out if she was the traitor that let the attackers get through the almost impregnable defenses of the base. Other parties would like to talk to her as well about what kind of research was going on at the facility. Some would even like kill her!

If you're reading this review, you probably already know that this novel is actually a prequel or lead-in to the upcoming Xbox 360 videogame Mass Effect which is made by Bioware, the creators of the superb Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate series. Even though it is set in a videogame universe, the writer Drew Karpyshyn does a good job in writing efficently and without bringing in a lot of clutter. It got me even more interested in the upcoming videogame than I was before, and I'm kinda excited to see which characters will appear in it. For what it is, Revelation succeeds very well. I was not expecting the work to be written very well and was pleasantly surprised. This is pretty much Star Wars Pulp fiction where all the aliens are basically anthropomorphized humans. The author explains this by stating that maybe all intelligent species were evolved by the Protheans a la 2001:A Space Odyssey so we have more in common that not. If you want to be entertained and get a leg-up on the Mass Effect world, give this book a try.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written sci - fi adventure, May 7, 2007

By	Craig (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

Let me start by saying that I rarely read free reading books, ever. I had been following some of the development of the Mass Effect game online, and became very interested in the fiction and background of the main story, and the universe that was created around it (and I don't even own an Xbox 360!). After reading an article that Mass Effect Revelation book was about to be released, I decided I would give it a chance.

Although it was a short read (over the course of a weekend), this book not only delivers a great storyline and lead-in to a what looks to be an amazing Xbox 360 game, but reveals a whole history of the Human race joining the ranks of other space-faring species in a not-so-distant future (about 150 years). Future technologies are well detailed, interesting and fun to read about, and are slid into the story at just the right time - this occurring throughout the entire course of the book. Not to mention the witty references made to our own world's current state of affairs.

If you are looking for a quick, but great read, you have found it here. The background of this universe is wonderfully detailed, and Karpyshyn's writing style (not to intentionally sound cliché) kept me turning page after page. I really hope we could get some sort of follow-up novel from Karpyshyn, as it would be a horrible waste to not continue the wonderful depth, scope and insight of the Mass Effect universe. Any other story about the shadowy, deadly efficient, and not always lawful Spectre special unit would prove to be another great novel. As best described online, the Mass Effect universe and story is truly like Jack Bauer in space...this absolutely includes Revelations.

A great book, a great read - I highly recommend picking this one up!