Mac Walters

Mass Effect, we can cautiously say, is inching towards extinction. Last year, we were hit with a fourth game for the universe, set to take it in a new galaxy and a new direction after the award-winning original trilogy. It didn't do so well. It wasn't bad -- but again, its reception was tepid, all but a death sentence from publisher Electronic Arts' perspective.* Since Andromeda's misstep, we've only gotten the promise of additional tie-in novels and comics. The novels already have a rocky show more reputation thanks to the subpar work of Karpyshyn and a particularly abysmal Dietz novel, so any Andromeda tie-in's getting a muted release. To make matters worse, Initiation promises to follow one of the unpopular game's least-popular characters.

And yet, here we are, with N.K. Jemisin, winner of prestigious awards and innumerable accolades, as the lead author of a new Mass Effect novel. She -- and coauthor Mac Walters, creative director for the game -- have spoken nary a word on Initiation's release this last November, and they've said nothing since. No advertisements, no short shout-outs on Twitter -- nothing.+

For a fluffy video game tie-in, there's a lot to unpack here. I spent most of these pages just gleefully soaking in the wit and warmth of its characters, the fully-realized cultures and species histories -- all the fragments that make the Mass Effect world so enjoyable -- on top of nuanced social justice issues.

Initiation succeeds wonderfully, even if it shouldn't. It is limited, in some ways, by its tie-in status -- aliens aren't described or explained, biotics sound like ridiculous magic without context -- but it's still a blast of a genre novel any way you cut it. Space opera, noir, horror -- this story also mixes a broad range of genres with ease while bringing a lot of warmth and dimension to Andromeda's characters -- specifically, in this case, Cora Harper and Alec Ryder.

In the game Initiation is based on, Cora Harper is a soldier of 'the Initiative,' an idealistic corporate project drawn from the notebooks of Elon Musk that seeks to ensure a utopian future for humanity in a galaxy far, far away. Initiation is her story of joining this utopian vision, of leaving her life as a warrior to stand for a personal cause.

In being tested as a second-in-command to Alec Ryder, Pathfinder for the human portion of the Initiative, Cora is asked to retrieve a stolen VI kernel. She's assisted by SAM-E, an implanted product of that same kernel, and a prototype for the AI-human symbiont SAM we meet in Andromeda. Like SAM, he's snappy but monotoned, succinct in his observations, but also, like, really observant. As Cora and SAM-E chase down this kernel, this is where Initiation seamlessly toggles genre, moving from military sci-fi, to western a la Firefly, to espionage, noir, space opera, horror, and a scathing abundance of political commentary.

Seedy backwaters where assassination is legal, hidden research facilities with gone-wrong cybernetic experiments, to the dead of space with no company but the voice in one's head: Initiation is a quick and fierce novel.

I don't really care who's more responsible for this book -- Jemisin or Walters -- but I can't wait to read more from them both.

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* A complex subject in gaming culture stemming from publisher abuse: EA is by many accounts responsible for this game's reception, pushing for most of the game's worst aspects (i.e., MMO-style grinding gameplay and a homogenized quest design and a rushed release date). The developer and the IP took the blame. That's not to say the game worked on its own -- the writing was a mess, the Andromeda galaxy being almost identical to our own with space orcs, purple elves, and a heaping of cliches.

+ This makes me curious if Jemisin really was lead author, or just a name to promote the novel. In 2016, Jemisin was announced as the sole author, but Mac Walters quietly joined as co-author sometime between then and release. show less

A very fun and superior novel to the other Mass Effect: Andromeda game tie-in. :)

And it's not just because I'm a fan of the author they brought in to do it justice.

It can even be read on its own without knowledge of the games, which is a definite plus, but if you've already played ME Andromeda and enjoyed Cora as a character and you loved Sam as much as I did, this is going to be a real treat.

The events here take place in the Milky Way before they get going and focuses mostly on Cora meeting show more and eventually gaining papa Ryder's full trust, going about it in a very cool Noir-mystery kind of storytelling.

You know, a human trained my Asari warriors hiring on as a merc, getting shafted by much more powerful forces, getting a little revenge with the completion of the mission and eventually uncovering all the cool little secrets (AI RESEARCH, YO,) that make this universe something special to me. :)

And now we get the FULL story about Cora's little jealousy in the game. :)

I'm quite happy. :) Totally satisfied with the characterizations and plot and I had a great time reading it.

So why only 4 stars? I might be a bit biased against media tie-ins.
But maybe I shouldn't be. show less

A brief, not chronological, history of the story's interested area and characters is presented here in a graphic/comic style.

Shifting time frames, points of view, and focus cause some confusion but come together somewhat by the end.

The illustrations are heavily and artistically detailed adding depth to the story, action, and characters.

Characters, while not fully developed, are emotionally charged, and interactions are authentic.

Overall, an interesting read.

It's no surprise that I thought this one was awesome. I love Mass Effect. I love everything to do with Mass Effect. I play it more for the character interaction and amazing story line than anything else. And Aria T'Loak is a character that I enjoyed while playing the game. So when I saw this baby appear on Netgalley I knew I had to have it.

I played Mass Effect 3 prior to reading Invasion, so I knew from conversations with Aria that something had happened to her control of the Omega space show more station. However, it was never made clear exactly what transpired. This is where Invasion comes in. It fills in the gaps between the end of Mass Effect 2 and the point where you encounter Aria in Mass Effect 3.

I loved seeing a story from Aria's point of view. She is definitely an intriguing character and Invasion gives the reader or gamer a little bit of insight into her character. I don't know much about art, but I'm a comic book and graphic novel fan and the art work in Invasion was incredible, staying true to the characters and alien races I've come to know and love through playing the video game. I also enjoyed seeing Omega. I love Omega by the way. I was poisoned there once by a Batarian. Ah, good times.

Overall, an amazing read and a great tie-in for those who love the Mass Effect games as much as I do. show less