SF/F Review: Mass Effect Initiation by NK Jemisin and Mac Walters https://t.co/hgCOAtwPoe Short Review: 7 out of 10 (1/3)— garik16 (@garik16) January 25, 2018
Short Review (cont): This prequel to ME: Andromeda is mostly a very fun space opera adventure, featuring Biotic Cora Harper & her AI SAM-E as they attempt to recover stolen code. But it falls off near the end and has pacing issues and requires some background ME knowledge (2/3)— garik16 (@garik16) January 25, 2018
The Mass Effect Universe is mainly known for four sci-fi video games: the original trilogy, which was extremely well received (despite a controversial original ending) and Andromeda, which was supposed to be the start of a new set of video games in the franchise. Unfortunately for those who enjoyed the original trilogy, Andromeda failed to measure up to expectations critically or commercially and as of this moment, the video game series is defunct. However, prior to knowing about the game's lack of commercial success, Bioware commissioned three well known SF authors to write prequels to Andromeda, and this book: Mass Effect Initiation, is one of the three, and is written by NK Jemisin, who's maybe my favorite modern SF/F author (3 of her books are listed in my perfect score post). So it was natural for me to want to check this book out.
I haven't played any of the Mass Effect games, but I am familiar with the series from a long way back watching some Let's Plays of the original trilogy. I have no experience with Andromeda (aside from a quick wiki), but as this book takes place during Mass Effect 2 and is a prequel, that wasn't a problem. Still, a reader should have some experience with the Mass Effect universe before reading this book, you'll be a little lost otherwise. You might question why anyone would want to read a tie-in novel to a series one isn't that attached to, but some tie-in novels can transcend the from and be genuinely good books (several Star Wars book accomplish this)
That said, while in large part the book is enjoyable, it's not one of those books. The book very much embraces its "prequel" nature - it's conclusion doesn't really wrap things up as much as pose questions that you will gain more answers to from playing the game (oddly, the biggest question is apparently not answered in the game itself either). If you really enjoy the Mass Effect series, this book will be enjoyable. But on its own, not so much.
*I listened to this as an audiobook and the audiobook reader is excellent.
-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-------------------------------------------------
Cora Harper is one of the most powerful biotics in human history....not that she feels any particular loyalty to the human race. She's spent the last four years of her life living and working as an Asari commando. But when her Asari Mentor/Commando-Leader suggests that she joins the Andromeda Initiative, she's not really sure what she's doing. She's certainly not sure she has a true interest in going off to another galaxy.
But when the Initiative's head, Alec Ryder, sends Cora on a mission to recover some stolen code, she finds things aren't what they seem. First there's the fact that the start of the mission has her facing off against a station armed with an illegal artificial intelligence. Then there's the fact that the code keeps getting stolen by other parties.
And then there's SAM-E, the mysterious "experimental Virtual Intelligence" Ryder has Cora implanted with. SAM-E keeps acting as if it is in fact an AI, but Ryder wouldn't do that, would he? And could Cora really learn to trust SAM-E if it is? And how far is she willing to go on this mission for a cause she doesn't really have reason to believe in?
Of course, these questions might become moot if Ryder's little mission doesn't get Cora killed. And with all the people who keep winding up dead along the way, that's a very real possibility.....
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Basically Mass Effect Initiation is meant to be the story of Cora Harper - a playable character in Andromeda - and how she came to commit herself to the Initiative. Most of the story is told from her perspective - a few chapters here and there are from Ryder's perspective instead - and she's a pretty fun character - she's got a dry humor and wit, and a determination to always complete her mission, even when she's still really searching for a calling throughout. She works really well as a viewpoint and a main character.
SAM-E is also an excellent secondary character. It's easy to really enjoy the AI's personality as it quips and learns from Cora, and if anything would make me want to play Andromeda, it'd be the opportunity to have the AI constantly in your ear.
Moreover, most of the plot is pretty excellent, with it being an action packed adventure for the first 80% of the novel, as Cora attempts to recover the missing Andromeda code, to stop the bad guys and perhaps to save innocents who might be caught in the crossfire. The climax of this plot is a pretty awesome action scene - and I generally am not a person who cares that much about action scenes.
The book also has chapters preceded by really short interludes of others in the universe discussing events in relation to the Initiative. Unlike say the interludes in Star Wars: Aftermath, these interludes are short enough to never be annoying, and some of them are really amusing (a few are pointless or exist solely to date where the novel takes place in the ME Timeline, but so short as to never be annoying)
That said, the chapters following Alec Ryder around tend to throw off the pacing (it doesn't help that Alec feels kind of stiff as a character) and more built to establish things for the game than for the plot of this book. At one point Cora finds herself in a super dangerous situation....and then we switch to Alec for a chapter which basically just has him finding out about that situation and adds nothing else, which just was really irritating.
And then there's the final 20% of the novel, which simply feels like an added on post-script conflict just to setup the game, with mysteries brought up but not answered in this book. Some wikipedia-ing suggests that the game actually doesn't answer this mystery either, to fans' dismay. And well, it's hard to feel much interest in the well being of two characters in danger when you know those characters will survive to see the video game - yep, it's prequel disorder again.
If this book cut off after the first 80% and cut out the Ryder Chapters, it might be a pretty fun and recommendable space opera story in the ME universe. It'd also be basically a novella at that point, so I guess that's why they didn't do it. But alas, the book is filled with extra stuff that simply isn't as interesting, so it's probably not of much interest to anyone who isn't a particular Mass Effect fan - while the writing is solid, it's not as interesting as a typical Jemisin book.
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