Mass Effect: Retribution

The third and final book in Drew Karpyshyn's original “Mass Effect Novel” trilogy, “Mass Effect: Retribution” represents a shining example of just how satisfying it can feel when a skilled storyteller is allowed free reign to take specific elements of a well-recognized universe, then weave them together into a narrative that is actively driven by creative propulsion, rather than studio-mandated necessity. As a singular story, “Retribution” is consistently effective and engaging; as the culmination of a three-book-long saga, it’s nothing short of exhilarating.It’ll be interesting to see what the franchise looks and feels like – both in novel and game form – once Mr. Karpyshyn (who more or less acted as the series’ chief storyteller through “Mass Effect 2”) departs…but it’s hard to imagine it ever quite achieving the same degree of storytelling finesse as demonstrated here (although you never know - with a universe this rich with storytelling potential, perhaps a changing of the guard will result in even more interesting stories).Regardless of what does or doesn't happen from this point on, it still merits saying: bravo, Mr. Karpyshyn. You killed it.

*Caution, some spoilers will be contained below*First off let me say if you haven't read Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Ascension, you probably should do so now. The books are both a great addition to the Mass Effect Universe and help to flesh out things for players of the game, making the experience all the better. And Retribution is no exception to this.Retribution is essentially a non-Shepard based sequel to Mass Effect 2 wherein we learn some of the things that occured in the aftermath of the assault on the Collector base, and it helps establish some canon for the series as well provided BioWare sticks to what's stated in the book, which hopefully they will as it would make choosing a canon Shepard in Mass Effect 3 feel much better than choosing one for Mass Effect 2 (if you've done so you know what I mean and I won't delve much into why). In it, we find out that while Shepard did destroy the Collector base and not turn it over to Cerberus, The Illusive Man was able to recover some of the technology within anyways. Paul Grayson, the semi-protagonist (especially towards the end) of Ascension is captured and has the technology tested on him, becoming what is akin to a stronger version of a husk (think Saren at the end of ME1).Kahlee Sanders; who readers of the other books will recognize as the Co-Protagonist of book one along with Anderson, and the Protagonist of book two, returns in this installment as well. She requires the aid of Anderson who has left his post as an ambassador (not much of a surprise to anyone who played ME2) to help her figure out just what is wrong with Paul and to protect her from Cerberus. At a few points Aria T'loak is involved, though I won't specify too much into how. It's interesting to see a slightly more personal side to her though, with the death of her hush-hush daughter (whose relation to her she'd been keeping secret). But by the books end the fact that she decides to assist the Illusive Man a second time despite his backstabbing, most will likely lose their liking of the character and wish to see her killed alongside her "ally" of sorts...All in all I found the book an interesting read both for what it adds to the series and for the interesting viewpoint it provides via Grayson and his struggle and eventual succumbing to the Reapers. We don't get to see what runs through their minds in the game so the book is a perfect means of doing so. The Illusive man is shown in a similar manner, although he's admittedly almost as hard to read emotionally in print as he is in the game. On a related note: With the upcoming prequel novel that delves into the Illusive Man's origins, let us hope BioWares continuing success with the series is maintained, as that should also provide an interesting read.

Good quality and came in good condition.

It's hard to read a prequel book that involves major characters you already know are going to live through the tense moments of the story. You could even say that it kills the tension sometimes because you ultimately know the outcome even if you don't know how they will get there.With that being said, I still found this to be a very enjoyable read and had a great time with this book. Highly recommend this to any fans of the series and if you aren't a fan of the game series but are somehow reading this review, then remedy that immediately and read this book series and play these games!

This book was almost everything I'd hoped for. It didn't waste time explaining technologies and races etc made clear in the games. The action was intense and set a good pace. The language was clean, crisp, and fluent. The characters were well developed. The story fit the mass effect universe, characters interacted seemlessly. All the technology mentioned and or applied in the book were well documented in the games. This is a great book for mass effect fans or just sci-fi fans in general.However, one huge problem held me back from giving it 5 stars:This book follows the plot lines of the mass effect 2 game. In the book it said Cerberus did to Paul Grayson what the Collectors did to the missing human colonists. However, in the ME2, the collectors weren't creating 'reaper humans', they were creating 'a human reaper'. They didn't turn the missing colonists into the prothean counterparts by letting the reapers directly controlling them through nanite injections, thus forming something of a powerful husk. They were liquifying colonists into nutrient paste in order to create a gigantic human shaped reaper - an AI starship.This made me wonder, as much as Drew Karpyshyn knew the mass effect universe, whether he played mass effect 2 at all. The whole book would've been five stars if he had indicated Cerberus tried to create the human version of the Collector. But saying they were replicating on Paul Anderson what the Collectors were doing to the missing colonists, is a huge and unforgivible plot error.

It may not be a fashionable opinion, but I do like a tie in novel, be it based on film, TV or in the case of ‘Mass Effect: Retribution’ by Drew Karpyshyn, a game. I like the fact that I can pick up a book and know the characters instantly, therefore dispensing with the slow character building bit and get into the action. However, in the case of Mass Effect the hero of Shepherd is different for every player; therefore the character would be hard to write in any novelisation. Therefore, this spin off uses some new characters developed from the first two books in the series, plus some side characters from the game.Karpyshyn is the lead writer for the original Mass Effect trilogy and his knowledge and skill is plain to see in these books. His sense of place is excellent, deftly balancing the locations seen in the game with new inventions (that went on to feature in the third game). It is perhaps the characters that are a little poorer. The most interesting protagonist from the earlier books is Grayson, but in ‘Retribution’ he is altered in a way that changes him completely and makes him less appealing. Karpyshyn’s choice of side characters is also annoying; the inclusion of my least favourite in a Cerberus assassin, Kai Leng, is a good example. Knowing the fate of certain people in the book already meant that I felt no fear for their safety (or in the case of some, hope for their end).‘Retribution’ is a fun action science fiction romp that flies off the page, but it seems to lack the depth or intelligence of the games or earlier novels in the series. It is almost too quick and willing to partake in action sequences. This may reflect the way the later games played, but I like a little more depth with my literature (even in a tie in novel). A dip in form for Karpyshyn, which I hope is not permanent.

Set after the events of "Mass Effect 2", Retribution starts with the leader of the terrorist pro-human organization Cerberus, The Illusive Man, in a fight against time. The Illusive Man knows the Reapers are coming and he will stop at nothing to save humanity. Eager to study the process and effects of reaper indoctrination, he has the perfect subject for the terrible experiments needed. Paul Grayson, the only man who betrayed him and got away. But no one can hide from the Illusive man forever and after Grayson is captured by Kai Leng, a ruthless and brutally efficient Cerberus agent, its up to Kahlee Sanders and Captain Anderson to deal with the situation! As Grayson fights against the reapers influence in his mind, Anderson and Kahlee must uncover The Illusive Man's plans, deal with Aria and her thugs and survive Kai Leng.This is the third and final "Mass Effect" book written by Drew Karpyshyn and he goes out on top. While Retribution never quite reaches the heights of  Mass Effect: Revelation  , the first book, its a great adventure and provides great insight into the "Mass Effect" universe and plot. This is the first time we meet Kai Leng, later seen in "Mass Effect 3" and he is the highlight of the book. He is cunning, dangerous and very threatening with a mysterious aura and it truly is a shame to see what happened to the character in ME3. In this book he is portrayed as a worthy adversary for the coming duel with Shepard and even though things just didn't come together in the game, its a pleasure to read the character written by Karpyshyn and wonder what might have been. The book also offers a more in depth look at The Illusive Man and we get a detailed picture of how absolutely determined and amoral he truly is. Karpyshyn really brings one of the most interesting characters in the universe alive and this is truly where The Illusive Man's downfall, seen in ME3, begins with his obsession in reaper indoctrination.We also get a better portrait of Aria, "The Pirate Queen of Omega" and learn more about her. A lot more! To avoid spoilers i'll just say this!Anderson is back after being absent in the second book and he is the perfect companion for Kahlee Sanders. We get a bit more of the romance which sadly wasn't to be, hinted at in the first book and in ME3. Anderson is more like the games, tough and likable and he proves a worthy opponent for Kai Leng. Kahlee is also back and ultimately she is the heroine of this book trilogy. Although a good character I feel that she ended up being the less developed character over the three books but still I liked her.The other highlight of the book is the actual description of reaper indoctrination. Grayson's fight for control of his body and then his own mind against reaper influence is described in detail and Karpyshyn paints a picture of just how it works that is both scary and magnificent and something the games were never able to truly show with such vivid detail.Unfortunately there is no appearance of Gillian Grayson and no ending is given to her story. That was saved for the fourth book,  Mass Effect: Deception (Mass Effect 4)  , which unfortunately was not written by Karpyshyn and was so disrespectful of the characters and of the ME universe in general, with numerous errors and all around bad writing that Bioware and the publishers had to issue a public apology and promise a revised edition that never came and probably never will as it has been a year since it was first published. Personally I only consider Drew Karpyshyn's books as canon and so Gillian's plot was sadly left unresolved probably forever.As for "Mass Effect: Retribution", it is a fitting end for the trilogy of books and something that a fan of the universe cannot afford to miss. A great adventure, with exciting set-pieces, action and lots and lots of goodies for the fans! Get it. Mass Effect: RevelationMass Effect: Deception (Mass Effect 4)

After losing his daughter during the last novel in this series (Ascension) - and betraying Cerberus into the bargain - Paul Grayson is in hiding. Naturally, this doesn't last, and before you can say "the gang's all here", Kahlee Sanders finds herself in harm's way along with David Anderson (back after being busy elsewhere last time round, presumably).It turns out the ruthless leader of Cerberus, The Illusive Man, is not one to let down, and his best agent/assassin, Kei Leng, is dispatched to find Grayson so The Man can exact his revenge in a truly horrible way.Kei Leng is a great creation and a good addition to an already rich set of characters, and the high standards of writing and plotting are as present here as ever before in the series of Mass Effect novels. Bioware's Drew Karpyshyn has always made a big effort to make the novels feel authentic within the ME universe and to also tie in with the games to a loose degree. Brilliantly, Mass Effect 3 - the game - directly references events and characters from this book, which is tremendously rewarding for fans of the series. In fact, there are so many references to Paul Grayson in ME3 that players who haven't read the book must wonder who on earth they are on about.A great read, and although reviews of the next entry in the Mass Effect book series - Deception - are less than positive, let's hope there's a return to this kind of form soon...especially with further games surely down the line even without the heroic Commander Shepard.ADDITIONAL NOTE: If you hate the ending of Mass Effect 3 as much as I do, knock off a few stars.

Mass Effect: Retribution is by far the best book in the trilogy.Drew Karpyshyn has done it again. He's created an extremely immersive and intensely enjoyable read. He does the world of Mass Effect justice.I'm a big fan of this author's decision to tell the story by switching to multiple POVs throughout and it helps to keep the whole thing chugging along nicely. The third book gives us insight into Cerberus and a little bit more about the Illusive Man as we see short parts of the story through his eyes.The characters are really well-written as in the previous books and the story is just as good, if not better.This is a must-read for anyone who has read the two previous books and is a fitting end to an excellent trilogy. No other book has kept me so immersed in its world, its story and its characters as the Mass Effects novels have. They are by far some of the best sci-fi/space opera stories I've read.

I'm going to keep this short. Drew Karpyshyn is a excellent author. Through out this book he keeps the feel and the atmosphere of Mass Effect as it is like in the games. Little things that were left hanging in the game are married together in the book. Which makes it a more enjoyable read. A must for a fan of Mass Effect. (Any spelling or grammer mistakes, I do apoligize. I'm tired). Oh yeah, if your interested in this book, there is also two other Mass Effect books before this one. Which are also written by the same author.