Revelation (Mass Effect, #1)

by Drew Karpyshyn

The thrilling prequel to the award-winning video game from BioWare

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.

• ISBN10: 034549816X
• ISBN13: 9780345498168
• Publish Date: 1 May 2007
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345498168

Reviews

[pamela]

Video game tie-in novels can be very hit or miss. I was pleasantly surprised by Mass Effect: Revelation as it was not only a great introduction to the Mass Effect universe, but it was also a pretty fun read.

Mass Effect: Revelation couldn't stand on its own as a piece of science-fiction. While it gives a good introduction to some of the Mass Effect series' characters, its races, and Citadel politics, it doesn't do much world-building beyond that. It's a book created for people already interested in the series, and with that in mind, it does its job wonderfully. Having already played the series multiple times, reading Mass Effect: Revelation gave me a much deeper insight into the characters of Anderson and Saren.

Mass Effect: Revelation is a video game prequel and it does what it says on the tin. If you're interested in the world and lore of Mass Effect, then this is a really fun, well-written read.